Best Food For Deer - What Do Whitetail Deer Like To Eat

Do we really understand how whitetail deer get nutrition? Lets talk about it…

When i was growing up hunting i remember scouting public land looking for areas that deer were spending time and looking at what they were browsing on. When we found that area you would see all the green and growing plants being browsed on there would be a ton of deer poop all over. Nowadays i believe hunters have forgotten about nature and how wildlife works.

Ill be the first to admit i have used every single kind of granular mineral, block, pallets of corn, gels etc. Mostly because its what i thought i had to do from watching tv hunting shows. Today you have dozens and dozens of granular mineral companies pushing it saying it grows bigger deer. Really? How many different ways can you spin it lol? Its all about money. Making money is a good thing it keeps things rolling but the hunting industry is full of junk! There is some awesome products out there but from hunters using junk all the time it puts a bad taste in there mouth.

Back to what deer eat! Deer consume 4-6 pounds of green and growing plants a day including a mix of soft mass and hard mass. Acorns, shrubs, briers, leafy greens, weeds, grasses, nuts, fruits and the list goes on and on. Deer actually consume over 700 different species of natural browse at any given time throughout the year depending on whats palatable and whats not. When you see deer in a field browsing or even walking in the woods what do you see? They take a step and take a bite. Take a step and take a bite. When they are in a field they move very slowly with there mouth to the ground sorting out whats palatable and whats not. They will always seek out the most nutritious food.

When you look at where all the (big) bucks are killed in the US what do you notice? Its all near ag land. Ag land because it has tons of browse (green and growing plants) due to more open canopy forest. More sunlight to the forest floor means more browse. Farmers planting beans, alalfa and corn add to the mix. But here is something to think about. Those beans, alalfa and corn isn’t there year round. So what do the deer feed on the other 8-9 months out of the year? BROWSE! see my point? When all the green is gone they transition to woody browse this is the natural process.

I always hear people wanting to plant more oak tress and fruit trees on there property. That’s great and all buy why lol? If you already have oaks why plant more? They only produce for a few months out of the year. What do the deer do the other 9 months out of the year? See where i’m going with this. Now if you don’t have any oaks then sure plant some. But you will be waiting years for a acorn to drop! Fruit trees as well. I love fruit tress but they only produce a few months out of the year.

Save your money and enhance browse. Hinge cut, get a logger in there open up the canopy to get some sunlight in. Food plots are a different story. If you do it right you can provide a long term food source for many months. But remember food plots are supplemental. Its not there 24-7 365. Some times but not always. Deer need a mix of greens and woody browse. Having food plots is a bonus.

Back to ag land. Soils are higher in minerals. They take care of the land. Its limed, fertilized and rotate crops. This produces higher mineral content in the soil which plants uptake through the roots which in turn feeds the deer. Swamp bottoms are another area where giants are killed. WHY? Because its a bottom. Everything runs down hill including nutrients which then the plants uptake through the roots then gives it to the deer.

Years ago maybe 20. A study came out from the Maryland DNR my home state from a county out in western Maryland on why they has such a poor quality deer herd. It was determined that the soil lacked minerals and they had poor quality browse. Lower mineral content in soil means a lower mineral content in browse. That’s why its so important to have quality browse on your land.

Without browse you have nothing. Food plots are supplemental. Browse is there year round. We can talk about supplemental feeding all day. Keep this in mind. You are trying to feed a wild animal. Typically supplemental feeding someone thinks of dumping a bag of mineral on the ground which isn’t natural by the way. dumping corn out which only provides some carbs. You are trying to crunch down a wild free ranging animal to a 3 foot circle. Considering deer eat 4-6 pounds POUNDS of green and growing food a day how much do you think its going to benefit? Corn is GMO that’s a whole other article there.

My point is lets get back to mother nature and realize what it takes to feed deer. Without browse you have nothing. Enhance browse add in Food plots for supplemental feeding get rid of the corn and granular minerals and you will see night and day difference…..

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BEST FOOD FOR DEER WHAT DO WHITETAIL DEER LIKE TO EAT. whitetail deer eat 5 times a day consuming 4-6 pounds of green and growing plants a day. Deer eat over 700 different species of plants throughout the country at any given time.