White-tailed deer have specific nutritional requirements that can be met through habitat management and by maintaining deer numbers at the carrying capacity for the area. Under these described conditions, deer can get all of the required components of their diet, including energy, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals, that allow them to function properly. Many deer managers will even provide supplemental forage in the form of protein pellets or food plots that allow for optimal deer performance and health.

But what happens when a deer’s diet does not meet their dietary requirements? The answer is simple: Deer suffer. This suffering comes in the form of lower body weights, poor body function, lowered immune systems, and sub-optimal antler growth. As far as deer are concerned, the latter is the least of their worries. Malnurished bucks will “steal” necessary vitamins and minerals from antler growth to supply critical processes. Does will do the same sort of thing, but malnourished does will abort their fetuses during pregnancy or abandon their fawns during nursing. In short, deer that have poor diets will do things you may not expect. Such is the case in these photos of a white-tailed doe eating a road-killed fawn.

These photos are from an suburban area with a high population of white-tailed deer located near Austin, Texas. And by high, I suspect that the deer density in this area is approaching about 1 deer for every 1 to 2 acres. I don’t care where you go, that’s a very high deer density! To make matters worse, this part of Texas has been under severe drought conditions for the past year. Although high numbers of deer exist in suburban areas throughout the United States, poor environmental conditions can exacerbate the problems associated with deer overpopulation.

One deer for every one acre: I hope that no ranch ever attempts to have this many deer on a property. In most parts of the country, a good rule of thumb is 1 white-tailed deer for every 6 to 12 acres of deer habitat, depending on soil and precipitation. In central Texas, a deer would require a minimum of 8 acres of good habitat to meet its dietary requirements and achieve optimal growth. Because the doe above is found in a suburban area where deer numbers are difficult to maintain (because hunting is not allowed), the the animal can not possibly have a proper diet. The “habitat” is inadequate and, as a result, so are the food sources.

Over the years, researchers and observers have reported that white-tailed deer are not strictly vegetarian. In areas where their normal diet is low in essential minerals (particularly calcium) deer have been reported to eat meat, in addition to bird eggs and young birds (whole) found in nests. These unusual additions to the diet are believed to be consumed when minerals are lacking, although actual vitamin requirements in whitetail are unknown, as well.

Obviously, the whitetail doe featured in these photos is not in horrible shape, but she is far from great condition. This doe was reportedly observed eating meat directly from the road-killed fawn. Although meat does not normally comprise the food habits of whitetail, this doe sensed that something she was lacking could get garnered from the flesh of this dead fawn.

White-tailed deer, like many wildlife species, prefer habitat that is at lower successional stages. Simply stated, deer like plant communities that are dominated by plants that are considered first responders after disturbance. Any disturbance helps set back plant succession, whether it be disking established areas, clear-cutting portions of forests, or natural or prescribed fire. And although hunters understand that deer management practices are designed to improve habitat, many habitat management practices are really only designed to mimic processes that occur naturally.

Of course, when it happens naturally land managers have very little control. Such was the case last year in Texas when the almost 15,000 acre Chaparral Wildlife Management Area (WMA) unexpectedly caught fire. It was March of 2008, but because of extremely dry spring conditions, a fire that started adjacent the area burned 95% of the state-owned WMA! Anyone that knows anything about the Chaparral WMA knows that the area is representative of South Texas brushland, but active habitat and deer management practices maintain a healthy deer herd that boast some big ole whitetail bucks.

Prescribed fire is an effective management tool for deer throughout the white-tailed deer’s range because most native brush species respond well by root-sprouting, regrowing, and providing high-protein browse. You see, most plant species are well-adapted to fire, but all deer managers that use fire as a management tool prefer prescribed or controlled burning. The fire that swept across the Chaparral WMA, on the other hand, was a wildfire. And although wildfires and prescribed fires ultimately have the same impact on native plants, prescribed fires are planned and allow burners the most preparation. Prescribed fires allow landowners the ability to pre-select the areas to be burned and the conditions under which they are burned.

For those interested in using fire as a management tool, it’s recommended that no more than 20% of a property be burned annually. This keeps different successional stages of plants located throughout the property and provides deer with optimal forage. I mentioned earlier that the wildfire that crossed the Chaparral burned 95% of the research WMA. Keep in mind that the perimeter of the area is game-fenced and very few deer were found dead post-fire, so that left all the deer found on the 15,000 acre property about 700 non-burned acres to forage. But white-tailed deer are resilient animals.

Chaparral WMA staff and researchers from Texas A&M University-Kingsville used the effects of the wildfire to monitor how deer living on the area would respond. What would deer eat in the short-term? Would there be enough food to maintain body condition and support fawning? That was just a few of the questions managers needed to answer to determine if the deer herd could respond the the widespread setback in habitat.

It’s important to note that the month of March is smack-dab in the middle of a white-tailed does’ pregnancy. And pregnancy requires a high amount of dietary input. Researchers collected does at two week intervals from mid-April to mid-June and recorded live weight, body condition, rumen contents, and the number and size of fetuses. A total of 28 does were collected and 23 pregnant does carried 6 single fawns, 16 twins, and 1 set of triplets. Shortly after the fire, rumen contents consisted primarily (90%) of cactus and grasses. However, deer shifted to forbs and mast (fruits) as these foods became available after the fire.

Data collected on the Chaparral WMA found that deer were able to maintain body condition and pregnancy after a large-scale fire. However, the management area did have a lot of things going for it that may or may not be available in some areas. First, the deer herd was below the carrying capacity of the land prior to the fire. In addition, the area was fortunate to have an abundance of cactus that provided a moisture-rich post-fire food for white-tailed deer. Although deer were able to switch their diets in order to survive, would this be the case in your area after a wildfire?

Fire is one of the most beneficial tools in wildlife management because when used properly it is very economical. In addition, fire releases nutrients that are bound in dead organic material, fire stimulates the germination of certain plant species, and fire controls plants such as blueberry cedar that are not fire adapted.  And although we have learned that whitetail can cope with large-scale fire in South Texas, I do not recommend burning more than 20% of your property on an annual basis. Just keep in mind that with burning 90% of the work takes place before you strike the first match.

Genetics (genes) are the most important factor in determining antler characteristics in whitetail bucks. However, genes are not the only factors that determines a buck’s antler potential. Both age and nutritioninfluence how a deer’s genes are expressed. For example, even a buck with the genetic composition to grow the largest rack in the world was harvested at a young age or was malnourished, then the genes that the buck carried were never fully observed. Because age and nutrition determine how a buck’s genes are expressed, these factors are critical to the success of a sound deer management program that strives to produce high-quality bucks.  

Although proper buck harvest is necessary to promote age and antler characteristics, nutrition can be achieved through a combination of habitat management and supplemental feeding. Habitat management is the single best way to provide year-round, high-quality food for deer, but this is typically only a viable option for land owners. Habitat management is not always feasible for hunters that lease land for deer hunting for a variety of reasons. In this case, hunters are limited to providing supplemental food through either food plots or free-choice protein pellets.

Through the years I have often received emails from concerned hunters asking, “Why are deer not eating my protein pellets?” Usually, this is because it’s the first time protein pellets have been offered in the area. Deer are simply not familiar with them. In this case, I always suggest mixing corn and protein pellets at a rate of 50:50 and then broadcasting some of the mix around the feeder. After deer empty the corn-protein mix, adjust the proportions to 75% pellets and 25% corn. When that runs out, go with 100% pellets in your free-choice feeder. 

Another reason that deer may not consume protein pellets is because they are getting food elsewhere. Even established protein feeders receive less deer use during the spring and fall. White-tailed deer may not rely as heavily on supplemental foods during these times and instead use available, palatable food sources. Warmer weather and rains result in spring green-up and a plethora of high-protein forbs and browse. In fact, some browse plants can reach in excess of 35% protein! And in the fall, a decrease in pellet consumption by deer usually coincides with the acorn drop. Pellets are high in protein and chocked-full of minerals, but they can’t compete with acorns, which are 50% fat! Calorie-rich acorns allow deer to store excess energy as fat as they prepare for winter.

To sum up, if deer are not eating your protein pellets it’s either because they are not familiar with them or they do not need them. If you place out a new protein feeder during the spring or fall, do not expect deer to hit them very quick. On the flip side, placing a supplemental feed station out during a high-stress period, such as summer or winter, may promote the animals finding and using the feeder much more quickly.

White-tailed deer are primarily browsers. They typically eat very little grass, with most studies estimating grass comprising no more than 7 to 9% of a deer’s diet in any season. Browse consumption is important to deer, but learning to read browse utilization can be important to your overall deer management program. Browse is defined as the leaves, twigs, and buds of woody plants. Browse is the bread and butter of a white-tailed deer’s diet on almost every landscape, but the importance of browse becomes particularly important during the winter months.

Why? Well, winter is the most nutritionally stressful time of the year for deer. Not only does a deer require massive amounts of energy to regulate its body temperature during the coldest part of the year, but food in many cases is not readily available. This is especially true at northern latitudes where extreme winter conditions prevail. In the southern part of the white-tailed deer’s range, winter temperatures are simply mild inconveniences. However, prolonged periods of cold weather at southern latitudes can take its toll on deer populations in this area simply because deer densities are higher. There may be more browse in southern forests, but there are also more deer!

Browse is of the highest importance during the winter simply because during this time of year no other foods exists in great supply. Sure, acorns fall and cool season forbs germinate and grow, but in northern areas even the availability of these foods is short-lived. All browse plants have an order order of preference by deer in each region. Some browse plants will be highly preferred meaning deer relish them, while other plants will be species that deer would prefer to avoid. The later would be browse plants that deer would only consume under looming starvation circumstances.

The importance of browse species important to deer varies by location, but you can tell a lot about a deer population simply by walking through their habitat and examining what they have been eating. For starters, I suggests contacting a wildlife biologist in your area to obtain a list of deer foods by preference and then learning those plants. Not only will this help you identify the important deer food plants on your property, but it will give you a better understanding of the importance of each of those plant species in a deer’s diet.  

A quick note: Plants that are highly preferred by deer will always show signs of browsing. Plants that deer really do not like will almost always show signs of no browsing. The key here is to pay attention to those plants in the middle. If those plants show more use than normal, something is going on. Either the deer population in the area is too high or habitat conditions are poor relative to the number of deer. Also, if deer are consuming plants that they would rather not, then deer foods are in very short supply.  This can happen during periods of drought or during the winter. This is why deer hunting seasons always takes place just prior to the to most nutritionally stressful time of the year for a white-tailed deer, winter.

So learn the browse plants in your area and pay attention to them. Supplemental feeding can help reduce browsing pressure on your property as a whole, but it should never be considered a total replacement of high-quality native forage. In addition, knowing what white-tailed deer need and eat can help you identify problems before they happen and help can fine tune your deer management program. 

Deer can sometimes grow hooves that are much longer than normal. Long hooves in deer is not common because I’ve seen reports from many different places over the years, but it’s not something most hunters will see in the field. Just this week I received an email that contained photos of a white-tailed doe than had long hooves (it was actually just her front left hoof and back right hoof). This condidtion is referred to as foundering and I believe the term comes from the word “floundering” because under extreme conditions the animal appears to be floundering around as it walks. From reviewing the literature, there appears to be three main reasons for long hoof growth in deer, but all are related to diet.

A deer that exhibits foundering is taking in way too many carbohydrates. Either this is a problem directly related to the forage that the animal is eating or it has to do with the way the deer is processing its food. More often than not, it has to do with what the deer is eating. A diet high in corn or protein pellets contributes to foundering. Corn, of course, is primarily carbohydrates.

Hoof tissue is very similar to antler tissue. If you are feeding protein to grow larger bodied deer and larger antlers then you are also feeding to grow deer with longer hooves. Foundering is almost always the result of a deer consuming too many carbohydrates in the diet too fast. The result is a buildup of acid in the rumen, which kills the bacteria that digest carbohydrates. This action then results in an increasing pH in the blood that can hurt or possibly even kill the deer from acidosis.

White-tailed deer than have foundered long hooves will often walk on the backs of their hooves because the acid buildup agitates the growth plate in their hooves. As a result of the deer attempting to ease the pain, the hooves grow longer than normal because the hooves do not have proper contact with the ground. Without proper contact, the hooves do not wear down. This problem can be exacerbated on ”soft” soils because hoof wear is already decreased in these areas.