What do deer eat in the winter? Keep on reading to learn more about it!
How were you first introduced to deer? As kids, we were all introduced to deer through movies we watched as kids, be it Disney movies or Harry Potter, there has always been one deer that we all fell in love with. For Disney fans, there was Bambi and Harry Potter fans loved Snape’s doe!
So, no matter what movie or an episode from Natgeo Shows helped you see a deer first, deer are always one of the nicest and gentle animals of all time that you can never disagree with! Deer are mammals. Now that we have introduced you to these majestic animals, let’s have a look at the types of food they prefer in different seasons and as per the availability of that.
What Do Deer Eat
A deer looks graceful, majestic, and gentle at the same time. So, if you ever bump into one and your heart wants to show affection deer out there. We do it too! If you want to show your affection towards deer by feeding it, then you are in the right section! Here we will talk about the type of food deer prefer to eat.
But before we start, don’t think that a deer would pick whatever you will try to feed it. Like other animals, deer also have a favorite choice of meal, a usual meal, and lastly seasonal meals. So, go through them carefully and feed deer next time according to that.
Favorite choice of meal. Do you know what’s a deer’s favorite food? Fruits and nuts. So, if you want to make a deer friend next time, make sure you feed it either fruits or nuts or how about both in order to become best friends? In addition, deer love acorns, beechnut acorns, pecans, hickory nuts, and more.
You will be surprised to know that, deer love to eat flowers as well. And in addition, they like ornamental trees and vegetables too. Also, in terms of fruits, deer prefer blackberries, persimmons, blueberries, and so on.
Commonly consumed food. Apart from the abovementioned types of food, there are some other kinds of food that deer generally consume over time. You will most commonly see deer grazing in long grass fields because they love to eat grass.
In addition to that deer commonly eat corn, different types of nuts, fruits, alfalfa, twigs, and fungi. If you offer any of these to a deer, chances are, it will wholeheartedly take that food from you if it feels secure around you.
Seasonal food. As the season changes, the food choice of a deer would change in contrast to that because you can not find the same type of food in different seasons. The same goes for deer as well. In this case, let’s see what happens when the season changes.
Deer can not get a hold of the food they usually eat during warmer seasons because in winter you can not find the same fruits or nuts etc. on the other hand, in most areas where deer live those get covered in snow so, no chances of eating grasses as well. So, what do deer eat during the chilly season? As they can not get a hold of the green food that they love most, in order to survive deer eat bark, bud, and so on during winter.
What do deer eat in winter?
As we have spoken about the change in the environment in winter, deer eat different things when the temperature starts to drop. In winter the weather gets a little too rough in some places to deer accustomed their food habits as per that and switch to different types of food to survive.
In winter, we may want to stay in and have warm cups of coffee at home but animals can not have the same sort of luxury. Likewise, deer have to live in the wilderness no matter how bad the temperature falls. Some species of deer prefer to stock food so that they can consume that over a long period of time.
In winter, deer like to grow a thicker coat to remain warm. But just a thicker layer does not do much. Deer need calories too. Some species of deer prefer to bed near the source of their food so that they don’t have to hustle when it comes to finding food in winter. As deer can not get a hold of their commonly consumed food during winter, they stick to different diets during this season. So, let’s have a look at the types of food deer like to eat in winter-
Corn. One of the favorite food of deer is corn. They love it. So, if you can spot one good cornfield around you in winter, chances are there is a group of deer staying. Corns are one of the most suitable food for a winter diet. These are enriched with carbohydrates, calories, and fat of course. Corns can keep the deer going for a good amount of time.
Woody browse. As mentioned earlier, it gets harder to find the usual food in winter for deer. So, in winter deer commonly consume woody browse. This is one of their most preferred food choices and consumed during this season. These are easily found in their geographical locations. In addition to that, deer also prefer leaves and twigs.
Mast. It is somewhat a seasonal food for deer. The mast is basically known as the fruit of plants. For instance plants like acorns and apples etc. Deer love these in winter.
Final Say
Things aren’t easy in winter even for these majestic animals too. Finding food and fighting for survival in the wilderness is hard for these animals. But nature works out in its own course so, if you see a deer in winter, you know what to feed it!