What can I feed wild deer in my backyard?

Is it OK to feed deer in your yard?

If you feed deer in your backyard or at a park, you could be harming them instead of helping them. Bringing deer together at feeding sites increases their risk of contracting communicable diseases, such as chronic wasting disease, from other deer.

What is the best thing to feed wild deer?

What can wild deer be fed?

Deer eat a variety of food types, including browse (leafy parts of woody plants), forbs (herbaceous broad-leaved plants, including agricultural crops), hard and soft mast (seeds), grass and mushrooms/lichens.

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.

How, Why and What I Feed the Wild Deer that Live on our Homestead

Do wild deer eat apples?

You should try to load up deer feeders with apples near the end of winter. They'll benefit more from easily digestible foods during the winter months. Deer naturally eat apples, and apples are perfectly safe for use in a deer feeder. Apples provide deer with a sweet treat that gives them a large nutritional boost.

What else can you feed deer besides corn?

Some good fall food sources include hard mast (e.g., oak acorns, beech nuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, etc.), soft mast (e.g., apples, pears, persimmons, etc.), and agricultural crops (corn, soybeans, brassicas, cereal grains, etc.).

What human food can deer eat?

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. Acorns are another safe food source.

Will deer eat apples off the ground?

Yes, deer will most definitely eat apples off the ground! These grazing animals, though herbivores, will eat almost anything and everything which is edible. This includes foliage, leaves, twigs, tree branches, grasses, weeds, flowers, and any fallen fruits and vegetables!

Should deer eat bread?

A small amounts of white bread cannot do any harm, but if a single deer were to eat anything more than a few slices of bread there is always the potential for life-threatening lacticacidosis. It is certainly not wise to put out large amounts because you cannot control how much each deer might eat.

Is it OK to feed deer corn?

Many articles, presentations, and campfire conversations about deer nutrition state emphatically that corn is not good for deer. In a general sense, this is true because corn is low in protein (9%), has a poor mineral profile, and can cause digestive upset and metabolic problems.

Is corn bad for deer in winter?

Although corn has poor protein, it has high carbohydrates. Whether it's planted in a food plot, or fed at a feeding site, corn can be a great benefit to whitetails during winter. Most deer managers are more than willing to plant their plots in the spring and summer.

How do you make homemade deer feed?

Cracked corn, whole kernels, or ground corn all work well for deer treats. Mix an equal amount of your corn with your whole oats. Amounts will vary depending on how much deer food you want to make.

Should I cut up apples for deer?

Items you will need

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.

What happens if you feed a deer?

Supplemental Feeding Can Harm Deer

spread disease among deer. cause aggression, wasting vital energy reserves and leading to injury or death. reduce fat reserves as deer use energy traveling to and from the feed site. result in over-browsing of local vegetation and ornamental plants.

Should I put water out for deer?

It's not enough to just supply food. Deer need to consume water and food at about a 3-to-1 ratio. If they can't find enough water, they won't eat, and if they don't eat, the nutritional gap stunts growth and increases stress. A dependable water source could be the keystone to a successful supplement program.

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.

Do Deers 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.

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.

How do you get a deer to trust you?

What attracts deer to your yard?

Plants that typically attract deer include red clover, chicory, and orchard grass. Certain high-protein crops, such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, sorghum, kale, or corn, are also attractants that the animals enjoy feeding on. Deer like the nutritious nuts that come from chestnuts and acorns as well.

Are salt licks good for deer?

All hooved mammals love salt, so licks made only of salt do a fine job of attracting deer. Licks with added flavors, minerals and nutrients can be even better, especially if you find one the deer in your area really love.

What can you feed deers?

Will deer eat oats?

As previously mentioned, oats are highly favored by deer and they consistently rank among the top species consumed by deer in forage preference trials. Oats are highly nutritious as well. In well-managed food plots with a neutral soil pH and good fertility, oats can contain more than 25% crude protein.

Can deer eat dried beans?

Yes, they do, although not as their favorite dinner. However, deer can eat the vines, shoots, buds, and bean pods when hungry enough.