What to feed deer instead of corn?
What to Feed Deer Instead of Corn
- Consider a Food Plot. Deer food plots are a great way to provide deer with supplemental feed. ...
- Woody Browse. If you have trees and brush you can trim on your property, pruning them can be a great way to supplement deer feed.
- Formulated Deer Feed Mixes. This is an excellent choice for supplemental feed. ...
- Oats. ...
- Rice Bran. ...
- Alfalfa. ...
- Soybeans. ...
- Creep Feed. ...
What is the best food to feed deer?
What to Feed Deer in a Backyard?
- Browse. This is a deer’s favorite thing to eat. ...
- Mast. This is the second most essential component of a deer’s diet. ...
- Berries and Plums (spring/ summer) Grapes, plums, mulberries, and blackberries are ideal fruits to feed deer in the summer or spring seasons as these are packed with nutrients that ...
Why do deer like corn so much?
Corn is rich in both carbohydrates and fats, therefore providing deer with the essential nutrients. Besides corn being a highly nutritious food crop for deer, it provides cover from winds, beddings, and travel lanes.
Should deer eat corn?
- Concentrated Deer Bait - Turns your everyday corn/feed into a super attractant for white tailed deer
- Strong and Sweet Aroma - Draw more bucks from miles away or change deer travel patterns
- Large Coverage Area - Each bag of concentrate treats 300 lbs of corn/feed (50 lbs per 2 oz scoop)
What can I feed deer besides corn?
Some good fall food sources include hard mast (e.g., oak acorns, beech nuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, etc.), soft mast (e.g., apples, pears, persimmons, etc.), and agricultural crops (corn, soybeans, brassicas, cereal grains, etc.).
What is better than corn for deer?
Later in the season, if baiting is legal in your area, spread peanut butter in the area again to sweeten it up and give the deer something different to keep them interested. Peanut butter has physical properties that will help deer hang around in front of your trail cameras better than corn.
What is the healthiest thing to feed deer?
Oats provide deer with a healthy mixture of fiber and carbohydrates without disrupting their digestive system. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables – including apples, grapes, cherries, pears, carrots, and snap peas – are eaten in nature by deer. Therefore, it is safe to feed deer these fruits.
What's the best thing to feed deer?
What To Feed:Natural Food. If possible, it is best to feed natural food. ... Deer Pellets. Most farm feed outlets carry a specially formulated ration for deer or can tell you where it can be bought. ... Cereal Grains. ... Hay or Alfalfa. ... Fruit & Vegetables.
What is the best grain to feed deer?
Generally, it is recommended to feed deer cereal grains like oats instead of corn. They lack the high starch content that makes corn so tricky for a deer's stomach to process and can easily fill your troughs or other deer feeders, in addition to manufactured deer food.
What is the cheapest thing to feed deer?
An inexpensive way to feed deer is with corn. Deer love corn and many hunters rely on it for supplemental feeding. That being said, corn is not an excellent source of protein, which is essential for antler growth and the nursing of fawns.
What can I feed wild deer in the winter?
Deer eat woody browse in the winter. This can be leaves, berries, saplings, bulbs, or buds. In wintertime, they will take their pickings from the ground. They can also have some lush forage such as kale, radish, turnips, apples, or cabbage if it is available.
Can I feed deer oats?
As previously mentioned, oats are highly favored by deer and they consistently rank among the top species consumed by deer in forage preference trials. Oats are highly nutritious as well. In well-managed food plots with a neutral soil pH and good fertility, oats can contain more than 25% crude protein.
Are salt licks good for deer?
All hooved mammals love salt, so licks made only of salt do a fine job of attracting deer. Licks with added flavors, minerals and nutrients can be even better, especially if you find one the deer in your area really love.
Can I feed deer apples?
Why do deer like apples? Deer have very sensitive digestive systems and feeding them the wrong thing can mess up their tummies. Apples are one of the fruits that they can find and eat naturally in the wild, which is why it is safe to feed them these juicy fruits! However, they should only be fed apples in moderation.
Should you feed wild deer?
Supplemental feeding of wild deer is harmful and can lead to bouts of severe diarrhea and dehydration, which could be deadly.
What do wild deer like to eat?
A deer's diet consists of a variety of crops, grasses, vegetation, acorns and nuts. A healthy deer will have a diverse diet with a variety of foods. Every day, a deer needs to eat about 6 to 8 percent of its body weight in green foliage and browse to stay healthy.
What is the best protein for deer?
The Top 5 Proteins Proven To Grow Big Bucks In The Off SeasonTecomate. ... Double Down Deer Feed. ... Lyssy & Eckel Feeds. ... Sportsman's Choice and Record Rack. ... Purina AntlerMax Deer 20.
Is bread okay for deer?
A small amounts of white bread cannot do any harm, but if a single deer were to eat anything more than a few slices of bread there is always the potential for life-threatening lacticacidosis. It is certainly not wise to put out large amounts because you cannot control how much each deer might eat.
Is it OK to feed deer apples in the winter?
You should try to load up deer feeders with apples near the end of winter. They'll benefit more from easily digestible foods during the winter months. Deer naturally eat apples, and apples are perfectly safe for use in a deer feeder. Apples provide deer with a sweet treat that gives them a large nutritional boost.
What should deer not eat?
Do not feed hay, corn, kitchen scraps, potatoes, lettuce trimmings or any animal proteins from animals rendered into feed. Deer may actually starve when fed supplemental foods during winter if they have a full belly of indigestible foods.
What to Feed Deer Instead of Corn
Deer food plots are a great way to provide deer with supplemental feed. They are safe, effective, and legal no matter where you live. This is the number one preferred way to supplement deer.
Inexpensive Way to Feed Deer
With the price of everything going up everyday, feeding deer can get expensive. Feeding the deer in your backyard probably isn’t your top priority when you have other bills to pay. So, how can we use the knowledge above to feed deer a healthy diet while doing so on a budget?
Frequently Asked Questions
A good deer feeder for someone just starting is this 6.5 gallon feeder by Moultrie. The setup is straightforward as it uses AA batteries. Fill the feeder and select the number of times per day you want to feeder to dispense. It comes with a locking lid to keep the feed dry and animals out.
Summary of What to Feed Deer Other Than Corn
The goal of this article is to help highlight why only corn might not be the best deer feed. After reading everything above you should now see there are some great alternatives. Whether you are feeding deer in your backyard or trying to attract deer for hunting, the tips provided will work.
Feeding Deer Corn Year Round
An inexpensive way to feed deer is with corn. Deer love corn and many hunters rely on it for supplemental feeding. That being said, corn is not an excellent source of protein, which is essential for antler growth and the nursing of fawns.
What to Feed Deer Instead of Corn
Now, let’s take a look at what to feed deer instead of corn. If you want to supplement your deer feed with other protein-rich foods, there are plenty of inexpensive options available. Oats, dried fruits, nuts, and especially walnuts are great choices for making your own deer feed.
What to Feed Deer in Your Backyard
You can feed deer foods such as trimmings from trees, oats, ready-made deer food, acorns, and vegetables. These food sources are safe for deer to consume and enjoy. You should NOT feed deer corn and hay in the winter, human food, or meat products since their digestive systems cannot digest the food. Some of these products can even be fatal to deer.
What Do Deer Eat In The Wild?
Deer spend most of their days hunting for various types of plants for their herbivore diet. Their feeding habits change depending on the season, and on what they can find.
What Is the Best Thing to Feed Deer?
We’ve compiled a list of what deer like to eat when they’re out in the wild. But what can we offer when they come looking in our backyard? Deer are always on the lookout for some tasty treats to munch. So, if you want to know what to feed deer in your backyard, use any of the following
What Not to Feed Deer
High Carb Grains: Deer should not be given wheat, barley, or corn. The rich starch content in these meals might be fatal to deer since their stomach cannot digest and break down the starches. I know that there will be readers who question this.
What is Acidosis in Deer?
Deer are ruminants. They have a very specialized digestive tract which allows them to process the woody material they eat.
Should I feed the deer in my backyard?
Given that deer are, first and foremost, wild creatures, there will always be advantages and disadvantages to feeding them.
Tips For Feeding Deer in Your Backyard
To reduce deer/car collisions, place deer feeding sites at least a half-mile from plowed roads.
Should I feed deer year-round?
It is advised to be very careful about frequency of feeding deer . Feeding them too often may discourage them to look for their natural food sources on their own. Another reason to limit is it might alter their natural biology which can further lead them to get infected by dangerous diseases.
What to Feed Deer instead of Corn?
Often times popular believes are not entirely true. Corn is deemed as one of the best supplementary food of deer, which is not true. Many facts have surfaced which advocate in favor of feeding deer something else. Deer feed should include foods and nutrients that are similar to what they eat in natural environment.
Alternatives of Corn in Deer Feed
Some very popular alternatives to corn as supplementary deer feed are as follows:
Is it Bad to Feed Wild Deer?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. It depends on how and what you’re feeding the deer and your geographic location.
What Should You Not Feed Deer?
Sadly, many wild deer are killed each year by well-intentioned humans. Many people assume that it’s fine to give deer any leftover scraps they have on hand.
What Can I Feed the Deer in My Backyard?
If you’re going to start feeding wild deer, it’s important to try and replicate their normal diet. One of the safest ways to do this is by planting and maintaining trees and plants that attract deer.
Final Words
The bottom line is if you’re serious about helping your deer visitors stay healthy, do it responsibly. Take special care not to interfere with the deer’s natural habits. And remember that once you start feeding them, they will depend on you to make it through the winter.
Do fungi kill deer?
Fortunately, Fusarium fungi do not pose the same threat to deer and other wildlife as aflatoxin, but it’s still important that hunters do their part and be aware of what they are putting into their feeders, spreading on the ground.
Does rain make corn?
Rain Makes Corn, Corn Makes…. White-tailed deer and corn go hand-in-hand in Texas. Although corn provides very little for deer in terms of nutrition the grain is often used as a way to bait deer into an area for game camera photos or for harvest during the hunting season.
Is corn tainted with fusarium fungi?
Right now, Texas hunters are concerned with feeding corn tainted with potentially high levels of Fusarium fungi. Fumonsin toxin is produced when certain Fusarium fungi are present on corn, a condition helped along by moisture during seed development. Fortunately, Fusarium fungi do not pose the same threat to deer and other wildlife as aflatoxin, ...
Is shelled corn good for deer?
“Shelled corn is the traditional ‘go-to feed’ in Texas for deer, so it’s understandable there would be concerns considering how much of it is fed to wildlife,” said Dr. John Tomecek, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist at Thrall, who also serves West Texas.
Can corn contain mold?
Just keep in mind that some corn may contain both mold types.”. “An Aflatoxin problem can increase inside metal deer feeders where corn heats and cools at a different rate than the outside air, so condensation forms inside,” Tomecek said.
