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Written by: Kevin Owens
Edited by: Pierce Young
White-tailed deer are opportunistic foragers that eat a variety of vegetation depending on what is available to them throughout the year, including forbs (herbaceous broad-leaved plants), browse (twigs, vines, and leaves of woody plants), grasses (mainly young early growth stage cereal grains and cool-season annuals), sedges, and hard and soft mast (acorns and berries). It has been documented that deer consume over 400 different species of plants in the Southeastern part of the U.S. Changes in their diet mainly depend on forage abundance and seasonal changes. Browse and forbs are the most important forages providing over 80% of the diet (Browse = 45-65%; Forbs = 20-40%) in all seasons except Fall when mast is available.
Source of graph: MSU Deer Lab
Examples: clover, ragweed, goldenrod
Why? Forbs are typically high in protein and digestible energy; especially in Spring and Summer when deer are recovering from Winter, bucks are growing antlers, and does are preparing for fawning.
Examples: greenbrier, blackberry, dewberry, trumpet-creeper
Why? Browse is available year-round; especially important during Fall and Winter when green plants are scarce. It provides fiber, moderate energy, and minerals.
Hard mast examples: acorns
Soft mast examples: berries, persimmons
Why? Hard mast is rich in fats and carbohydrates, while soft mast is rich in fats and vitamins.
Examples: young early stages of: cereal grains (wheat, oats, rye), switchgrass, bluestem, gamagrass, nutsedges
Why? These are typically low in nutritional value for deer and are eaten more when increased quantity of foods are needed such as during winter, and higher-quality foods are more scarce. Deer only prefer these plants when they are young, tender, and more palatable.
Habitat management techniques that aim to increase sunlight exposure to promote plant growth and improve wildlife habitat and deer browse.
For more information on the white-tailed deer diet and habitat management techniques please visit
www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-management-info