Asked by: Fredric Gumbau
sports hunting and shooting

What do deer graze on?

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The whitetail deer is a herbivore, and grazeson most obtainable plant foods. With their diverse diet, theyhave been known to eat over 600 different plants. They love to eatacorns, grasses, leaves, crops like soybeans and corn, berries,twigs, fungi, fruit, nuts, legumes, bark, and clover.


Moreover, what do deer like to eat most?

What deer love to eat isn't necessarily what theydo get to eat all the time. Deer adore fruitsand nuts. They love pecans, hickory nuts and beechnutsacorns in addition to acorns. A couple of favorite fruits areapples, blueberries, blackberries and persimmons.

Similarly, do whitetail deer eat moss? They eat tender shoots and leaves from all sortsof trees, vines, plants and bushes; fruits, vegetables, nuts(acorns are a real favorite), grains, mushrooms (a gourmet treat todeer) and mosses. Many of the foods, even the goodones, that deer eat have poison in them, for example, thetannins in acorns and oaks.

Secondly, what can you feed wild deer?

Feed deer the right foods if you cannot find formulateddeer mixture.

  • A wide variety of fruits and vegetables – includingapples, grapes, cherries, pears, carrots, and snap peas – areeaten in nature by deer. Therefore, it is safe to feed deer thesefruits.
  • Acorns are another safe food source.

How does a deer get food?

They have a four-chambered stomach that allows them toeat large amounts of food at any one time. Deer willbrowse for food in the early morning and evening hours,seeking their primary food source, which is a combination oftwigs, leaves, shoots, nuts, berries and floweringplants.

Related Question Answers

Ramos Weihser

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Does human urine spook deer?

Research has shown, however, that the smell of humanurine does not noticeably affect deer, if it affectsthem at all.

Junaid Hedrich

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Does peanut butter attract deer?

Attracting the deer with the help ofpeanut butter is really very easy and comfortable to huntthe deer. Most of the professional hunters use the peanutbutter to attract the deer so that the huntingbecomes convenient to you.

Rachael Zas

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What should you not feed deer?

Do not feed hay, corn, kitchen scraps, potatoes,lettuce trimmings or any animal proteins from animals rendered intofeed. Deer may actually starve when fed supplementalfoods during winter if they have a full belly of indigestiblefoods.

Fructuosa Eroles

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Are salt licks good for deer?

Salt licks are not a “magic bean” anddo not replace a well-rounded deer management program, butthey are one small step in the right direction, when combined withgood habitat and population management. During spring andearly summer it can be one step of many that entices a buck to stayin your area.

Brigit Kalensee

Explainer

Do deer eat hickory nuts?

deer can not, and do not, eat hickorynuts. Unless you all have a totally different hickorynut than the two we have around here, they are much too hard for adeer to eat. never seen one eat hickorynuts..seen them eat birds ,but not thenuts.

Ladawn Grunn

Explainer

Do deer eat bananas?

Do Deer Eat Fruits (Bananas, Apple,Berries, Oranges, Pears, Watermelon) Deer are one of themost observed animals in North America. The basic diet ofdeer includes grass, flowers, nuts, twigs, alfalfa, corn,fruit, vegetables and fungi.

Prudence Schaap

Pundit

How do I attract deer to my yard?

Supplies you'll need to attract deer to youryard:
  1. Plants such as chicory, red clover, and orchard grass.
  2. Food crops such as soybeans, sorghum, peas, kale, turnips,corn, and alfalfa.
  3. ?Nutritious nuts like chestnuts and acorns.
  4. ?Deer lures such as deer urine.
  5. ?Sweet-smelling apples or crab apples.
  6. Salt blocks.

Lanie Camba

Pundit

Is it OK to feed deer corn?

Corn is what most wildlife lovers offerdeer, and even if it's labeled “deercorn,” feeding corn to deer is about theworst thing you can do. Unless you're trying to kill thedeer. “By late fall, deer instinctively reducetheir food intake and continue to do so through most of thewinter,” Feaser says.

Zahid Moroni

Pundit

Should you feed deer in your yard?

Do not feed deer or provide them with saltor mineral licks. months, is harmful to deer and cankill them. Attracting deer to your property throughfeeding may attract predators, like cougars that followdeer herds. plants that can withstand occasionalbrowsing by deer.

Zdenka Lodder

Pundit

When should you start baiting deer?

Early spring to mid spring is a good rule of thumb tostart your spring deer feeding program. This roughlycoincides as food plots will start beingplanted.

Teofil Johns

Pundit

Where do deers sleep?

Deer don't hibernate in the winter, so whennighttime temperatures reach frigid lows, they have to find a warmspot to sleep in. When the temperature drops, deeroften take shelter sleeping under coniferous trees like pinetrees.

Talita Foubert

Teacher

Why feeding deer is bad?

If the feed is near roadways, it increases thelikelihood of vehicle collisions. Feeding areas luredeer away from natural wintering areas, increase energy lossand often lead to malnutrition and even death. Supplementalfeeding alters the normal avoidance behavior of deertoward humans.

Ferrer Saude

Teacher

Will deer eat bird seed?

Bird seed is not a natural food source fordeer. They usually hit bird seed hard if there is noother natural food source in the area. Here in rhode island,your not allowed to put seed out on the ground because itattracts deer. This is considered baiting because your notparticipating in agricultural practices.

Isacia Nevin

Teacher

Will deer eat lettuce?

Fruits and Vegetables Deer Love
If you grow beets, cabbage, apples, berries, beans orbroccoli in your garden, deer will want to stay and feast.Deer also love lettuce, leafy greens, pears, spinach,turnip, cauliflower, carrot tops, kohlrabi, peas, strawberries,plums, sweet potatoes and sweetcorn.

Judi Parla

Teacher

Is it OK to feed bread to deer?

A: Small amounts of white bread cannot do anyharm, but if a single deer were to eat anything morethan a few slices of bread there is always the potential forlife-threatening lacticacidosis. It is certainly not wise to putout large amounts because you cannot control how much eachdeer might eat.

Odd Jarraipen

Reviewer

Will deer eat meat?

There have been documented instances of deereating squirrels and rabbits, although it is not known if itwas the deer that killed them. However, deer are notphysically equipped to eat meat, and in most caseswill not be able to bite through thick skin with theirteeth.

Madeleyne Zurwehme

Reviewer

Is Cracked corn good for deer?

If deer cannot access high quality naturalforages around your feeder, they will not thrive. As a wintersupplement, cracked corn, oats, or barley are an improvementover veggies and fruit, but single diets of grains are notoptimal.

Xiuqin Aharchi

Reviewer

What is whitetail deer favorite food?

Nuts are the most preferred foods fordeer. They eat acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts and pecans.Acorns are the fruit that falls from oak trees. The deerprefer acorns that come from white oak trees to those that fallfrom red oaks. Fruits are another of whitetails favoritefoods.

Exiquia Anchelergues

Reviewer

What grass Do deer like best?

The Native Grass Deer Formula ForSuccess
Than a pure switchgrass field -not dilluted by othergrass varieties- may be the best option. However,just like pine plantations, spruce groves and stands of redcedar there is still one major problem with switchgrass plantingfor deer: No food!