What can I feed wild deer in the winter?

Other good choices for winter forage are brassicas (greens and root bulbs) and sugar beets (greens and root bulbs). Both of these food types are favorites of deer because they are palatable and provide the nutrients necessary to help deer thrive during the winter and are particularly high in protein content.

What is the best food to feed deer in winter?

Begin feeding in late December or after accumulating 12 inches of snowpack (whichever comes first) when deer have likely transitioned to their wintering areas. Proper feed is natural browse items such as; dogwood, maple, ash, birch, or witch hobble. Oats or acorns can be given as diet supplements.

Is it OK to feed deer in the winter?

It is important to resist the urge to feed deer in the winter. Providing supplemental food for deer is not in their best interest, as their activity, movement, and feeding naturally decrease in the winter. Deer utilize their body fat and browse on natural available vegetation.

What do deer love to eat the most?

Food they absolutely love are: pecans, hickory nuts, beechnut acorns, as well as acorns. Fruits such as apples, blueberries, blackberries, and persimmons are also appealing to deer and satisfy their appetites.

Do deer eat carrots?

Carrots are root vegetables and can be found in a number of colours such as orange, purple, red and yellow. Once in a carrot garden, deer will dig up the carrots and eat them. A garden full of carrot is one of the quickest ways to attract a population of deer.

Can deer eat bread in the winter?

Corn, bread will be eaten by deer but can kill them. Small amounts are fine, but if one leaves a bunch of it and only one or a couple of animals find it and eat the whole lot they can die from indigestion. With wild deer not approaching it until you leave, you can’t control how much any one of them will consume.

What is a deer’s favorite treat?

Nuts are the most preferred foods for deer. They eat acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts and pecans. Acorns are the fruit that falls from oak trees. The deer prefer acorns that come from white oak trees to those that fall from red oaks.

Will deer eat apples?

Apples and other low-hanging fruits are a delectable, high carbohydrate treat for many deer. Unlike tree leaves, lichen, mushrooms, grasses, and seeds that make up a deer’s diet; apples have sugar. Sweetness is not always a good thing.

Will deer eat peanut butter?

Deer love peanut butter, so it is an excellent bait. You can use peanut butter alone or in a mixture to lure deer into an area for hunting or just to enjoy watching them. Peanut butter is much cheaper than most commercial deer attractants and works as well or better.

What should you not feed deer?

Do not feed hay, corn, kitchen scraps, potatoes, lettuce trimmings or any animal proteins from animals rendered into feed. Deer may actually starve when fed supplemental foods during winter if they have a full belly of indigestible foods. Many deer have starved to death with stomachs packed full of hay.

Do deer like sweet things?

Deer will definitely eat sweet feed. Sweet feed can consist of a variety of things, but at its most basic is simply grains, such as oats or corn, bound together by molasses. It has a very strong aroma that deer can smell from far away, and it’s a delicious sweet treat.

Will deer eat peanuts?

Deer and peanuts

Shelled or not, deer can eat peanuts. Nuts are one of their most favorite food sources. So, deer will eat pecans, acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts, and lots more.

Should I cut up apples for deer?

Items you will need

Start with one or two apples at first to see if the method will work for attracting deer to the area. Use more apples once you begin to see deer at the feeding spot. Cut the slices of apples into smaller pieces and place into a bowl.

Can deer eat lettuce?

When food is scarce, deer eat just about anything, including prickly-stemmed okra and hot peppers. Vegetables that deer seem to prefer include beans, lettuce, cabbage, and cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.

Can deer eat bird seed?

Unfortunately, deer eat bird seeds even if they are not the first or second food choices. They can quickly empty a bird feeder, which will cost you extra funds to purchase more seeds to feed the birds around you. Deer can also cause damage your feeders as they rip or knock them down while trying to gain access.

Can you feed deer carrots and apples?

Oats provide deer with a healthy mixture of fiber and carbohydrates without disrupting their digestive system. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables – including apples, grapes, cherries, pears, carrots, and snap peas – are eaten in nature by deer. Therefore, it is safe to feed deer these fruits.

Do deer eat apples and carrots?

Technically speaking, yes, deer will eat fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apples, and so on.

Can deer eat grapes?

Deer eat grapes and grape vines. They can especially be a problem when vines are young and trying to get established and when fruit is ripe. The only sure way to keep deer from entering the vineyard is exclusion using fencing. Electrified, tall fencing is the most effective method.

Do deer eat cucumbers?

Deer don’t like thorny vegetables, like cucumber, or vegetables that have hairy peels, like certain varieties of squash. Other vegetables not particularly palatable to deer are tomatoes, peppers, carrot roots, eggplant, asparagus, leeks and globe artichokes.

What is the cheapest thing to feed deer?

An inexpensive way to feed deer is with corn. Deer love corn and many hunters rely on it for supplemental feeding. That being said, corn is not an excellent source of protein, which is essential for antler growth and the nursing of fawns.

Will deer eat potatoes?

Do deer eat potatoes? Yes, they do, especially the sweet potato variety. They will also eat other potatoes, including toxic potato leaves if hungry enough. Potatoes are equally used in certain areas to feed deer, so they are not deer deterrents.

Do deer eat tomato plants?

Related Articles. While deer are often a welcome sight, it’s never a good thing to discover the tops of your precious tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) and their fruits eaten because of them. Deer will eat almost any foliage they can get when they’re really hungry, and your tomato plants are no exception.