A deer eats a plant you don’t recognize. Then, another, and another, and it “selects” these over your food plot or corn pile. On another hunt, a buck hits several obscure native species, and completely ignores the crop fields, falling acorns, and other high-profile foods that deer hunters are supposed to focus on during the fall.
So, what’s going on? The truth is that deer eat many different plants, and the vast majority of these receive little to no press in the modern world of outdoor media. Furthermore, a lot of hunters misunderstand deer feeding habits and refer to them as grazers, similar to livestock species. However, they are not grazers. Grazers eat more fibrous objects, such as grasses, and consume plants and stalks, which are less palatable (to deer). In contrast, whitetails are concentrate selectors, and eat only the best parts of the best available plants. They are browsers that select highly palatable, highly nutritious plants, and they shop around for high carbs and proteins based on time of year.
But don’t get the idea that deer are picky. Whitetails have been known to consume more than 700 plant species nationwide. According to the Mississippi State University Deer Ecology & Management Lab, approximately 400 of these can be found in the Southeast.
That’s a lot of variety, and it’s fair to say that a lot of deer grub goes overlooked each year by hunters, who seem to focus on corn, beans, and clover. Luckily, you don’t need to know every species of plant that a deer might eat. According to MSU, approximately 150 plant species can comprise more than 90 percent of a deer’s diet. Within that roster of 150 species, there are several that are underrated by hunters—and worth learning about.
Read Next: What Do Deer Eat?
Underrated Ag Crops for Deer
In the ag crop world, corn and soybeans get the most attention. Wheat is likely a distant third. And everything else falls below that. But there are other key crops to focus on. Oftentimes, deer will completely ignore soybeans if an alfalfa field is nearby. At the very least, they’ll split time between the two. Also, don’t ignore canola and milo (grain sorghum), wherever these are planted.
Underrated Food Plots for Deer
Brassicas, such as turnips, get all the glory. As do forbs, such as clover, lablab, and soybeans. Hunters love to plant chicory and oats, too. But other options can deliver exceptional results. Hunters should remember Alyce clover (not a true clover), beets, buckwheat, cereal rye, cowpeas, iron clay peas, radishes (not a brassica family member), and winter peas can make for great food plot options. And within the clover family, traditional red and white clover aren’t the only options. Consider berseem and crimson, too.
Read Next: Best Food Plots for Deer
Underrated Natural Food Sources for Deer
Photo by Josh Honeycutt
Hard Mast
Of course, hard mast crops are popular (we all know that deer hammer red and white acorns). However, in the hard mast crop category, chestnuts are also loved by whitetails. These are sweeter due to lower tannin (tannic acid) percentages. Unfortunately, these are rare on the landscape, as an ongoing blight prevents the American chestnut from growing. That said, land managers can plant an American-Chinese chestnut hybrid, which is approximately 95% American and 2% Chinese. This allows it to be resistant to the blight. Choosing a fast-growing variety, such as the Dunstan chestnut, can produce a crop in just a few years.
Other hard mast options that commonly go overlooked include hickory nuts. Yes, deer eat these, although they definitely take a back seat to other options, until those foods become scarcer (Think acorn crop failure years). Beech nuts fall into this category, too.
Soft Mast
On the soft mast side, deer love apples and persimmons, which are common and well publicized. But they also eat blackberries, crabapples, grapes, mulberries, pawpaws, pears, plums, strawberries, and other sweet and soft fruits.
At certain times, and in certain places, mushrooms are hot, too. These fuel deer in times of plenty, but also at times when other sources are more limited. Mushrooms are high in key nutrients, including phosphorous.
Read next: Mushrooms Are a Deer’s Secret Favorite Food. Here’s How to Grow an Easy Mushroom Food Plot
Trees, Shrubs, and Weeds
In fall, winter, and early spring, the browse category is mostly described as woody objects, such leaves, twigs, and protruding buds set to become leaves in coming weeks or months. Both shrubs and trees can provide this type of food source. These are the foods that carry deer through winter, not ag fields and mast crops. Food sources to focus on include beggar’s lice, dogwood, greenbriar, hemlock, white cedar, and many more.
Other natural foods to remember include aster, Alabama supplejack, American beautyberry, black gum, box elder, crotons (not croutons), dewberry, elm, hackberries, honey locust, honeysuckle, lespedezas, maple, Osage orange, partridge peas, poison ivy, pokeweed, ragweed, sassafras, sumac, vetches, and many more.
Grasses
Browse comes in a variety of forms. These include forbs, which are largely considered weedy plants by humans. Browse can also mean certain grasses that deer consume. Whitetails especially target these when they are fresh out of the ground (they do not eat these when the plants are at more mature stages). Oats, rye, and wheat are hot items. But many other options are more obscure, and deer eat those, too. Certain cereal grains are far more palatable. That said, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, grasses rarely compose more than 15 percent of a deer’s diet, which is vastly different than ruminants falling into the “grazer” category.
Offer Diverse Food Sources for Deer
Photo by Josh Honeycutt
When it comes to planting or promoting food sources for deer, it’s good to offer the staples they love. After all, they have become staples for good reason, and popular species shouldn’t be kicked to the curb. Keep doing what works in your neck of the woods.
That said, don’t forget to offer variety. As mentioned, deer are concentrate selectors. They eat a lot of different plants. So offering a greater number of these improves seasonal food source options, which helps hold deer on the property for more months out of the year. Furthermore, it ensures deer are in better condition through winter and spring.
From a hunting perspective, the most underrated food sources just might make the difference in filling a tag or not, especially if deer can’t get these foods on neighboring lands.
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