Feeding Habit of Deer

There is no living creature that can survive without food. Deer are no different. We shall now take a brief moment to learn about the feeding habit of deer.

1. They favor concentrate

Deer, irrespective of their size and sex prefer feeding on palatable foods that are highly nutritious. Often times, they feast on the tips of new plants and grasses, and will consume the bud on a tree whenever they find one. They barely eat a plant whole, preferring to consume only the parts they consider as being the most nutritious. Like most other herbivorous animals, deer chew the cud, in that they would first eat, then regurgitate and digest what they have eaten later.

2. Food is King

There will always be the need to eat irrespective of year or season. Food is the very essence of living. Adult deer are known to travel incredible distances all in the search for food. In the quest to find food, deer wouldn’t mind giving up their bedding areas from which they derive their sense of security. When pressured, the adult deer would travel miles away from food source, and the only way to get them is by moving away from their food source and closer to their bedding area.

3. They will first feed in staging areas before moving up

When hunting for deer, looking for them in major food areas during the day would be a bad idea. Catching a stray buck on the fields during the day is quite possible but difficult. The best place to find them is in staging areas. By staging areas, I mean dropped acorns, and small plots of land where their favorite plants grow. Staging areas usually lies between the major food source and bedding areas, so when hunting for deer, staging areas would be your best bet.

4. They create meandering paths to their food source

While young bucks and does make no effort to cover their trail when searching for food, the mature buck does exactly otherwise. They would create meandering routes with the aim of beating any would-be hunter. They take their time to plan travel routes that are difficult to track when searching for food. So, the only way you can successfully track down a mature buck is by first understanding their travel pattern.

5. Most prefer to visit major food sources only at nights

It is rare to see mature bucks browsing through major food source during the day time. Of course, they do this to avoid walking into the waiting trap of predators and hunters. So, to beat them to their own game, you would have to hunt further away from their food source.

6. They love the rains

Deer are known to move once after it rains. Till now, no scientific explanation has been put forth for this.

7. They source their food differently

Just like we humans, buck differ in their personality. For this reason, no two deer has similar food source preference. While some bucks enjoy beans greatly, others prefer corn. Some would prefer browsing through fields than looking for corn or beans. Before going on an expedition, first understand the preference of the deer you are going after.

8. They love excursions

Deer are adventurous creatures, and would leave their home range for hours or even days to lands they have never been to before. However, they only do this just once in a long while. Till now, nobody understands why they do so. Ordinarily, you might think food is the reason why they leave home but it is not. They prefer taking their favorite cuisines on “vacation”

9. They don’t really have any feeding habits even though it seems they do

Deer, as adventurous as they are will always change their food source, travel routes, bedding area etc. times without numbers within a short time. To beat them to their game, you have to accurately speculate the next source they would be sourcing their food from.

10. You wouldn’t find them eating in broad day light

While they prefer to move around during the day, adult bucks prefer to feed during the evenings and nights. If they must feed during the day, they will only do so 100 to 150 yards away from their home range. The most efficient way to hunt them during the day is to keep an eye at any food source close to a bedding area.

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