What Do Deer Eat In Your Garden And Wild

Acorns are deer’s favorite food. In certain seasons, acorns consist of more than half of the deer’s diet. They will move away from their usual feeding spots to areas with acorns during acorn season to satisfy their cravings.

But their cravings are not the only reason they feed on these nuts. Acorns are high in fat and carbohydrates. The deer need these nutrients to stay healthy and grow their antlers. And if you did not know, deer shed their antlers and regrow them annually. Each time they grow back, they are fuller and stronger thanks to their diet. 

So, what do deer like to eat besides acorns? It is corn. If they spot freshly cut cornfields, you can bet they will be there to clean up the waste. They will abandon all food sources unless they are acorns and compete with other critters for leftovers. Unfortunately, corn is harmful to these animals.

When deer overeat corn, negative changes occur in their stomach. A less severe consequence would be loss of appetite and lethargy. Loss of appetite is good for the deer as it gives them a chance to recover. A severe consequence would be hoof deformities, causing them to limp on one leg.

Brassicas are a category of plants in the mustard family, informally referred to as cruciferous vegetables. Some examples include Brussels sprouts, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, horseradish, bok choy, kale, collards, mustard greens, radishes, and watercress.

These vegetables are a valuable food source for deer because they can survive in cold temperatures. So when all other food sources have dried up in winter, deer will dig for the roots of these brassicas and feed on them. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if you did not have to clean up the fall leaves and have the deer eat them all instead? Deer will feed on these fall leaves with a preference for freshly fallen ones as they are crisp, juicy, and not wilted. Out of all fall leaves, they will finish red-colored ones first since they are sweeter from the residual sugar.

Top species include dogwood, aspen, and maple. Apart from the taste, deer can identify food sources with much-needed traces of vitamins and minerals by smell. They consume these fallen leaves to obtain these nutrients if they are not readily available from a better source. 

What do the deer eat if they cannot find their favorite food, AKA acorns? The answer is beechnuts. Deer turn to the small angular brown fruit of the beech tree when they cannot find acorns, which is common in the Northeastern big woods.

These fruits are not their favorite, and whether the deer feeds on them depends on their taste. Some might find them bitter, some might not. All in all, it can be a hit or miss. However, if there is plenty to go around, deer will not discriminate. 

You might invite deer to your property if you know grow alfalfa and have cultivated these perennial legumes. Deer relish this plant, and as soon as baby shoots sprout in spring, deer will be busy chowing down from well into the nesting season.

These plants are not only tasty, but they contain digestible fiber, making them palatable for the hoofed animal. If you have cultivated these plants, ensure the deer cannot access them. If not, the damage will reduce yields significantly. 

Deer love sweet treats like apples just as much as us. But unlike humans, deer will eat rotten ones as well. The tasty flavor and the nutrients the apples provide are why deer will seek out them when apple season hits.

They will eat their fill, and once the apples are finished, they will feed on the buds and twigs of the apple trees before finally moving on to something else for a change. With that said, deer cannot digest apples that well, so they are never the foremost food choice for them. 

Deer love sweet treats like apples just as much as us. But unlike humans, deer will eat rotten ones as well. The tasty flavor and the nutrients the apples provide are why deer will seek out them when apple season hits.

They will eat their fill, and once the apples are finished, they will feed on the buds and twigs of the apple trees before finally moving on to something else for a change. With that said, deer cannot digest apples that well, so they are never the foremost food choice for them. 

Do deers eat grass? This question stumps many. Deer eat just about everything in nature, but they are not grass eaters except cereal grains. Cereal grains, like wheat, oats, cereal rye, and triticale, are well-loved by deer, with oats top on the list. So if you grow oats in your yard, you should be extra careful.

These hoofed animals will nibble all day long on the tender shoots of these grains. They grow easily and anywhere. Therefore, they might be available even in the fall. However, these grains are a small portion of a deer diet because they are less digestible and contain lower nutrient content than other foods.

Forbs make up almost 25-50% of a deer diet. For the unversed, forbs, informally known as herbs,  are non-woody, broadleaf plants that are not grass-like. Some examples include goldenrod, gentian, fireweed, forget-me-not, larkspur, lupine, monkshood, poppies, and violets.

These plants grow naturally everywhere in nature, ensuring the deer have something to feed on wherever they are. These animals feed on the plants when green and tender and during frost when some species are less toxic and tastier. They contain digestible protein, which they need for gut maintenance and reproduction.

Cowpeas, also known as iron-and-clay or black-eyed peas, are a go-to food source for deer, especially in the South. These plants produce large and easy-to-digest leaves on viney, stemmed growth that deer love.

If you have planted these in your garden for the peas, you might need to fence it off from the deer. These animals will ravage the lush foliage in its early stages, and you will never see a pea emerge. But if you are planting for deer feeding, you can leave your plot as is. 

Milo, or grain sorghum, is a type of grass that can be confused for corn in the initial growth stages. There are different varieties, with some growing up to 12 feet. This is inaccessible for the deer, who are at most three feet. They can only feed on shorter varieties that produce larger seed heads. 

Although milo is planted in spring and summer, it is a valuable food source for the deer in winter and fall. They are a highly digestible source of nutrition that provides carbohydrates during the colder months. They are a great substitute for corn. 

For those wondering what does a deer eat in winter when food is scarce, it is pine needles. If not for pine needles, deer would starve to death in winter. The pine shed needles in winter to save their energy for survival. The deer then feed on these needles.

However, they will only choose to eat the needles during food scarcity. If there are better options, they will ignore the needles. However, if they are feeding on these needles, even when there are apples or acorns, the animal might be unwell and seeking high-fiber food like pine needles.

If you are wondering what plants do deer eat that have the longest growing period, it is clover.  Once established, clover will be around for 7-12 months. This means there will be plenty of food for the deer, even in winter.

They can rely on these plants when there is nothing else around them. Additionally, it is high in nutrients and good for digestion, which is what bucks growing antlers and nursing fawns need. So, if you have planted a clover food plot, expect the deer to swarm in.

Deer are not picky eaters, but even after eating everything and anything under the sun, they could suffer from nutritional deficiencies due to their plant-based diet. This is dangerous for a pregnant doe who could give birth to an abnormal fawn or a stillborn. So, what can deer eat to rectify this? Mushrooms!

Mushrooms are rich in protein and vitamins that deer may be lacking. They also digest easily, allowing the deer to absorb the essential nutrients. With that said, do not be mistaken into thinking they can eat all types. They will most definitely avoid toxic ones with their discerning palate. 

Despite the variety in a deer dier, 80-90% of it has to be browse. Browse is a term for leaves, tender shoots, ends of twigs, and fruits of woody to semi-woody plants such as trees, shrubs, briars, and vines.

Adult deer need to eat 7 to 10 pounds of browse daily to stimulate the digestive microbes in a deer's stomach critical for digestion. They cannot survive without browse.

This is why deer are found in a habitat with plenty of browse, such as riverbanks, swamps, ditches, ponds, lakes, and marshes. Some common browse species include the following.

• Willow: Many common willow types are an important food source for deer that live near wetlands. They are a stable protein source for the summer.
• Ash: It often grows in low-lying sites and is sought by deer escaping the winter and the hunting season.
• Hazelnut: Deers are crazy about hazelnuts and prefer them over beechnuts and corn as they are richer and contain higher-quality protein.
• Dewberry: Southern deer love the tender shoots on this vine because their leaves are edible even in winter.
• Honeysuckle: Deer love honeysuckle for similar reasons as dewberry.
• Dogwood: Deer feed on gray dogwood especially red osier type. They will avoid the plants in the winter but once spring rolls around, they will not leave until they eat all the shrubs.
• Maple: The leaves, twigs, and buds of red, sugar, and striped maples are all favorites.
• Mountain Laurel: In areas devoid of vegetation, these plants play a crucial role in the survival of the deer.
• Greenbrier: The leaves of this widespread thorny evergreen vin are favorite all winter long and their fruits can last well into November.
• Poplar: Mule deer relish the yellow leaves and the buds of low or fallen poplar branches.
• Sagebrush: Unlike polar, sagebrush is not a favorite of a mule deer but these shrubs provide sustenance when nothing is available.

If you have lawns and gardens, you should know what the deer will devour so you can better protect your plants. Some common ones include:

• Arborvitae
• Yew
• Azalea
• Rhododendron
• Cherry trees
• Crabapple trees
• Bittersweet
• Privet
• Honeysuckle
• Holly
• Indian Hawthorn
• Hosta
• English Ivy
• Daylilies
• Roses
• Tulips
• Sunflower

Spicy Plants

Deer rarely eat spicy plants, such as those that contain capsaicin, which is present in hot peppers. Deer generally prefer softer foods, so strong, spicy flavor turns them off.

Highly Aromatic Herbs

Plants highly aromatic, like garlic, mint, and sage, are usually avoided by deer. This natural aversion can be employed in gardens as a deterrent to deer and helps shield these aromatic plants from deer browsing.

Root Vegetables

Deer will avoid root vegetables because they need to dig out the tubers. They are lazy to dig it out, but that is if there are no other food sources available. During food scarcity, they have been known to dig out carrots when they are hungry,

Also, they will feed on the top foliage of these vegetables, like carrot tops, beet tops, and radish tops, but not all of them. They avoid potato tops. 

Toxic Plants

The definition of toxic is very different for deer. Deer avoid some of our favorite food and flowers because they will meet a worse fate.  They can detect their poison by smelling the plants.

Some examples include vegetables in the nightshade family, like peppers, potatoes, eggplant, and tomatoes. Other common houseplants include daffodils, azaleas, irises, and rhododendrons.

Plants with Fuzzy Foilage

Will you ever put a cotton or something similar in your mouth? Probably not. The same goes for deer as well.

They will not eat plants with foliage covered in fuzzy, scratchy, or prickly hair. Some plants with fuzzy foliage are heartleaf brunnera, lamb’s ear, wormwood, coleus, and viburnum.