Deer are beautiful and majestic animals, they look adorable while roaming around your backyard. Their primary source of nutrition and food is mostly vegetation, hence you might find them eating your precious and intentionally cultivated plants in your garden. It can be very annoying and upsetting but there are ways to prevent deer from eating them. 

Not letting deer in your backyard is not an option as you might want to sit back and relax while you enjoy the gorgeous sight of them playing around. Some people can go a step further and photograph them as they graze around, what a beautiful photo it would be.

A deep understanding of what they do or do not eat is essential. Deer are a few of the animals who are not really picky in what they eat but that does not mean they will like it as well. If options are available they will always eat what they like more. They eat almost all sorts of vegetation from grass to seeds and nuts. Most people think it’s a good idea to feed corn to deer all year round, but it is not true. There are many other options that should be mixed well and fed to deer.

Making it easier for people, some renowned manufacturers have launched readymade deer feeds which you can simply buy and put in deer feeder.

1. Food Plots

A food plot is a term planted by the U.S department of wildlife and hunting. Food plots describe a planted area of land to be a supplemental source of food for deer when usual green forage is scarce. It usually includes seeds and grains such as wheat, rye, oats, and many more. Now many companies are providing food plots in packing, i.e containing seeds for optimal nutrition for deer.

2. Woody Browse

As the name suggests it contains high wood content. Woody browse may consist of twigs, leaves, and trims or shaving of trees and small buds of plants. It can be a cheap source of deer feed if you have trees of thick forestation in your backyard. All you need to do is prune different trees and plants and lets deer consume them. During the winter season deer naturally consume more woody browse because of green plantation shortage. Woody browse is not available in the readymade form at the store.

3. Premixed Products

The third type of feed, which is a readymade feed, is called premixed products. It is all the essentials mixed together in aground form. All you need to do is open it up and put it in a deer feeder or where you want deer herd to feed. The mixture is very carefully planned keeping in mind the nutritional needs of deer. A few of the most important constituents include:

1. Oats
2. Rice Barn
3. Alfalfa
4. Soybeans
5. Creep Feed

Most Popular Deers Feeds

A few of the most popular Deer Feeds available are as follows.

1. Wildgame Innovations Acorn Rage 5 lb bag

This particular product is made and supplied by are a very well-known brand called Wildgame innovations. Like deer feeders, it is also popular for its ready-made deer feeds. It comes in a 5lb bag containing crushed and mixed Acorns. Acorns are crushed and carefully mixed with soybean oil through a rigorous mixing process. It has a staggering 4.4/5 rating.

2. Evolved Habitats Harvest Throw and Gro, 5-Lbs

It is a food plot containing seeds of various plants and grains liked by deer. Made and distributed in the USA by Evolved habitats. As China being its country of origin it enables you to have your own customized food plot in the area where you want to hunt even if the access of equipment in that area is difficult. Customers gave it a 4.4/5 rating.

3. Whitetail Institute 30-06 Mineral and Vitamin Supplement for Deer Food Plots

It is a vitamin and mineral supplement specifically for the needs of deer. Whitetail institute formulates and distributes it. Vitamins and minerals are mixed in accurate ratios for lactation, growth of antlers, and pregnancy. From macronutrients to micronutrients such as vitamin A, D, and E it has very thing help deer grow to their full potential.  It is awarded a 4.3/5 rating.

4. Orange Corn Company / Orange Flavored Feeder Mix / Concentrated Deer and Wildlife Attractant

It is a concentrated deer or wildlife attractant that can be mixed with up to 300lbs of deer feed. It is formulated by Orange Corn Company. It has an irresistible orange flavor and scent that can drive any deer crazy to consume it within no time. It is popular to be successful in driving big bucks out of bushes. Like any other good product, it has a 4.3/5 consumer rating.

5. Wildgame Innovations Sugar Beet Crush 4LB Sweet and Salty Licking Brick

It is another amazing product by Wildgame innovations to maintain the good health of the deer herd. It is a sugar-coated salty licking brick to provide minerals. Deers lick it for the taste of crushed sugar beet mixed with processed beans but end up having minerals as well, found essentially in salt bricks. Salt bricks otherwise are not really attractive for deer. It has an average rating of 4/5.

6. BioLogic Winter Peas Food Plot Seed

It has seeds of excellent quality peas. It is most suitable when you want rich yet quick forage for a nearby deer herd. The quick growth and attractive nutrients make them particularly attractive for bow and firearm season. As the name suggests it is a food plot inside a package packed and distributed by Biologic. Its consumer rating is 4.4/5.

7. Whitetail Institute Alfa-Rack Plus Deer Food Plot Seed

It contains seed of alfalfa to provide rich and quick forage for deer at hilltops and hillsides. It grows super quickly to give dense alfalfa. Either the weather is super cold or hot it is resistant to harsh weather. It can even survive in a shortage of water making it particularly attractive in extreme weather when the water for irrigation is not readily available. 

FAQs

What do deer eat in winters?

Deer feel comfortable eating high fiber high protein wood browse and twigs in winter if not given supplemental feed by humans.

What do baby deer eat?

Baby deer only consume mother’s milk till they get a bit older. Once they get slightly grown-up they start to consume solid plants.

What flowers deer do not eat?

Flowers with high toxicity such as Daffodils and foxgloves are ones that deer do not consume.

What do whitetail deer eat?

It is common knowledge that whitetail deer are herbivores and can consume most vegetables and plants including woody browse if need be. 

What do mule deer eat?

Depending upon the weather season and what is available they can eat anything from green plants, vegetables to woody browse.