- Preferred food of the deer are shrubs and woody plants, according to the Facts About Deer website. Deer can feed year round on different parts of the plants such as the leaves and twigs, which are also known as browse. Shrubs and woody plants enjoyed by the deer include blackberry, black gum, dewberry, grape, green brier, honeysuckle, rose, sassafras, sumac and willow.
- Perennial plants known as forbs also serve as a food choice for the deer. Forbs die during the winter and come back bearing new growth in the springtime. Forbs include a wide range of flowering plants and include bell flower, beans, clover, dandelion, mushrooms, sunflower, sedges and wild lettuce.
- Although a nutritious source of protein, nuts are often difficult for the deer to get to while foraging. However, if nuts are available, deer do have a preference. Nuts they like to eat are beechnuts, hickory nuts, red acorns and white acorns. One way to keep a deer coming around to your home is to offer these nuts.
- During the summer, deer like to eat the fruits that are in season. This includes blackberry, coral berry, dewberry, huckleberry and grapes. The sugar content found in the fruit will provide the deer with an abundance of energy.
- Deer enjoy eating vegetation. A field of large, leafy green vegetables, including cabbages and carrot tops, will lure deer to the garden. Additionally, crops that will most likely appeal to deer are alfalfa, clover, oats, rye grass, soybean and wheat.
- As a last resort, when nothing else is available, deer will eat wild grasses. When feeding on the wild grasses, deer will only eat young shoots that are tender.
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