DEER ARE WHAT THEY EAT
The phrase, “grow it, and they will come,” is often associated with food plots and deer habitat. But the way that some people talk, you’d think you could merely till the soil, plant some seeds or shrubs, and cut some trees here and there for browse. However, it takes much more to provide deer with yearround nutrition.
During the past 30 years, land management for whitetails has come a long way. Seeds, minerals, growth enhancers and supplemental foods are available everywhere. With so many products and so much information, you’d think providing whitetails with a balanced diet would be easy. But because of shortcuts and ignorance, food plots and habitat-development programs are not created equal.
The key to a whitetail’s health is the percentage of its diet from natural vs. agricultural sources. Most experts agree that in farming regions, deer should have a 50-50 balance of agricultural and natural food.
Further, food requirements vary in different regions. Northern whitetails require 2 to 7 pounds of food per day during winter, 7 to 12 pounds per day in spring, 10 to 15 pounds per day in summer, and 10 to 15 pounds per day in autumn.
