what are the deer eating?

[hunter_mike]

Cornfields are plowed over, hayfields are brown, acorns are few and far in between. What are the deer eating and where would you be looking for tracks and hanging trailcameras to relocate bucks after gun season?

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[dan]

In my neck of the woods they are still hitting standing corn and remnants in the cut fields, along with browse... But, if that was not available, they would be hitting mostly browse with consists of many different wild plants, and even when crops are every where, browse makes up a huge part of there diet... If your looking for food sources without crops being a factor, look for transition lines (edge) or look for immature forest with many small trees and brush. In swamps they eat dogwood quite a bit...

[Singing Bridge]

It is easy to forget that whitetails are a browse species... not a crop species. In my areas, they continue to eat red oak acorns which remain plentiful, red-osier dogwood, white cedar, sugar / red / striped maple, tamarack, fir, ash, poplar, white pine, wintergreen, eastern hemlock, lichens, horsetail, jack pine, white and yellow birch, ... and more.

[utica19]

Many of the crop fields have been re-seeded after the initial harvest with winter wheat (at least where I hunt). We've gotten a few nice bucks on a cam in this field the last couple weeks.

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[Bucky]

Many of the crop fields have been re-seeded after the initial harvest with winter wheat (at least where I hunt). We've gotten a few nice bucks on a cam in this field the last couple weeks.

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x2 on the winter wheat

I'll add anything "green" this time of year is a hot spot once the temps dip! brassicas, winter wheat, winter rye, clover...

[Arrowbender]

In dairy country where there is any alfalfa fields they will be in there pawing through the snow.

[Stanley]

Standing corn is a gold mine this time of year. Bean stubble is a favorite food source for deer. I also have seen them eat white oak leaves. Must taste better than some other leaves.

[hunter_mike]

Thanks for all the info! Yes i guess it really is very easy to forget about all the other things deer eat besides crops. It certainly makes it tougher to hunt when the obvious crop fields are gone. Now that the ground is becoming frozen, tracks are even harder to see. My experience with late season bowhunting is limited but im giving it a try!

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[backstraps]

I have really good luck late season with honeysuckle too.

[BowtechHunting]

I have really good luck late season with honeysuckle too.

From what i have read, honey suckle is a good source of protein and good calorie assimilation. I'm still finding acorns reds/white and have also seen deer hitting briar leaves in the thickets. Like someone mentioned go to the "green stuff".

[oneflag]

Years ago I was curious what the deer where eating late season. After shooting and field dressing a doe I cut her stomach open. A lot of goop in there but I noticed acorns, green briers, honey suckle leaves and was surprised to see pine needles. I still occasionally inspect the stomach matter of deer.

[whitetailassasin]

Years ago I was curious what the deer where eating late season. After shooting and field dressing a doe I cut her stomach open. A lot of goop in there but I noticed acorns, green briers, honey suckle leaves and was surprised to see pine needles. I still occasionally inspect the stomach matter of deer.

I believe this is a great way to hone in on future deer. All the mature bucks I've shot I like looking to see there diet, no denying what they are eating during their harvest date.

[Dewey]

Years ago I was curious what the deer where eating late season. After shooting and field dressing a doe I cut her stomach open. A lot of goop in there but I noticed acorns, green briers, honey suckle leaves and was surprised to see pine needles. I still occasionally inspect the stomach matter of deer.

I do this everytime I kill a deer and gain some very valuable information on what they are currently eating. One thing that still amazes me is whenever we kill a deer in the northwoods no matter how remote we find corn in the stomach of every single deer even though there are no croplands anywhere nearby. Baiting and cabin feeding drives most of the deer movement up there.

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[headgear]

and was surprised to see pine needles.

If I don't fence in the young pines in my yard the deer will destroy them in the winter. Not every species but they sure love white pines.

[JoeRE]

In farm country, the favorite grain crop I have found once it gets cold (below 20 degrees) is soybeans. If there is standing beans and standing corn, the deer will destroy the beans before they hardly touch the corn...and they really like corn! If there is an alfalfa field with fairly tall hay cured on the stem, that is a pretty safe bet as well. I have noticed deer LOVE new seeding compared to older hay ground.

As for browse, they like a lot of coniferous species I have found in late winter when the snow gets too deep to paw through such as arborvitae and white pine. They like honeysuckle browse as well and many other shrubs. I have seen small basswood trees stripped of their bark in deer yarding areas when they get really hard up in late winter.

You can't beat acorns in the late season either if you can find areas where there are some left. I have my eye come late season on a big white oak flat that had a ton of acorns...when I walked through there and swept away some leaves in a few spots a couple days ago I noticed there were a good number left. Hope there still are in three weeks come IA late muzzy!