The Most Underrated Food Sources for White-Tailed Deer

A deer eats a plant you don’t recognize. Then another, and another, and it “selects” it over your food plot or corn pile. On another hunt, a buck hits several obscure native species and completely ignores the crop fields, falling acorns, and other conspicuous food items that deer hunters should be targeting in the fall.

So what’s going on? The truth is that deer eat a wide variety of plants, and the vast majority of them get little to no attention in the modern world of outdoor media. Furthermore, many hunters misunderstand the feeding habits of deer and label them grazers, similar to livestock. However, they are not grazers. Grazers eat more fibrous objects, such as grasses, and consume plants and stems, which are less palatable (to deer). In contrast, whitetail deer are concentrate selectors, eating only the best parts of the best plants available. They are browsers that select highly palatable, highly nutritious plants and shop around for lots of carbohydrates and proteins based on the time of year.

But don’t think deer are picky. White-tailed deer have been known to consume over 700 species of plants across the country. According to the Mississippi State University Deer Ecology and Management Laboratoryof which about 400 are found in the southeast.

That’s a lot of variety, and it’s fair to say that many deer grubs are overlooked each year by hunters who seem to focus on corn, beans, and clover. Fortunately, you don’t have to know every plant species a deer might eat. According to MSU, about 150 plant species can make up more than 90 percent of a deer’s diet. Within that list of 150 species, there are several that hunters underestimate, and are worth learning about.

Read more: What do deer eat?

Underestimated agricultural crops for deer

In the world of agricultural crops, corn and soybeans get the most attention. Wheat is probably a distant third. And everything else falls into that. But there are other important crops to focus on. Deer often completely ignore soybeans if there is an alfalfa field nearby. At the very least, they split their time between the two. Also, don’t ignore canola and milo (grain sorghum) wherever they are planted.

Underestimated food plots for deer

Brassicas, such as turnips, get all the glory. So do herbs, such as clover, lablab, and soybeans. Hunters also like to plant chicory and oats. But other options can yield exceptional results. Hunters should keep in mind that Alyceum clover (not a true clover), beets, buckwheat, rye, cowpeas, ironclay peas, radishes (not a member of the brassica family), and winter peas can all be great food plot options. And within the clover family, traditional red and white clover aren’t the only options. Also consider berseem and crimson.

Read more: Best Food Plots for Deer

Underestimated Natural Food Sources for Deer

Hard mast

Of course, hard mast crops are popular (we all know deer gobble up red and white acorns). However, in the hard mast category, chestnuts are also favored by white-tailed deer. These are sweeter due to their lower tannin content. Unfortunately, they are rare in the landscape because a persistent blight prevents the American chestnut from growing. That said, land managers can plant a hybrid of American and Chinese chestnuts, which is about 95% American and 2% Chinese. This makes the chestnut resistant to the blight. By choosing a fast-growing variety, such as the Dunstan chestnut, a harvest can be produced in a few years.

Other hard mast options that are often overlooked are hickory nuts. Yes, deer eat these, although they are certainly secondary to other options until those foods become scarce (think years when the acorn crop fails). Beech nuts also fall into this category.

Soft mast

On the soft mast side, deer are fond of apples and persimmons, which are common and well known. But they also eat blackberries, crabapples, grapes, mulberries, papayas, pears, plums, strawberries and other sweet and soft fruits.

Mushrooms are also hot at certain times and in certain places. They feed deer in times of abundance, but also when other resources are limited. Mushrooms contain many important nutrients, including phosphorus.

Read More: Mushrooms Are A Deer’s Secret Favorite Food. Here’s How To Grow A Simple Mushroom Food Plot

Trees, shrubs and weeds

In the fall, winter, and early spring, the browsing category is usually described as woody objects, such as leaves, twigs, and protruding buds that will become leaves in the coming weeks or months. Both shrubs and trees can provide this type of food source. These are the foods that will sustain deer through the winter, not farm fields and mast crops. Food sources to focus on include beggar’s lice, dogwood, greenbriar, hemlock, white cedar, and many more.

Other natural foods to remember include aster, Alabama supplejack, American beautyberry, black gum tree, maple, crotons (not croutons), dewberry, elm, nettle trees, honey tree, honeysuckle, lespedezas, sycamore, Osage orange, partridge peas, poison ivy, spindle tree, ragweed, sassafras, sumac, vetch and many more.

Grasses

Leaves come in a variety of forms. These include herbs, which are largely considered weeds by humans. Leaves can also mean certain grasses that deer eat. White-tailed deer primarily target these as they emerge from the ground (they don’t eat them when the plants are more mature). Oats, rye, and wheat are popular items. But many other options are less well-known and deer will eat them too. Certain grains are much more palatable. That said, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife ConservationGrasses rarely make up more than 15 percent of a deer’s diet, which is very different from ruminants, which fall into the “grazer” category.

Provide a variety of food sources for deer

When it comes to planting or promoting food sources for deer, it’s best to provide the staples they love. After all, they became staples for a reason, and popular varieties shouldn’t be tossed aside. Keep doing what works in your area.

That said, don’t forget to offer variety. As mentioned, deer are concentrate selectors. They eat a wide variety of plants. So offering a wider variety of these will improve your seasonal food source options, which will help keep deer on the property more months of the year. Plus, it will keep deer in better shape during the winter and spring.

From a hunting perspective, the most underrated food sources can make the difference between getting a tag or not, especially if deer cannot find these food sources on nearby land.