What Do Deer Eat?

Deer are herbivores that spend much of their time foraging on vegetation. Grasses and clover make up a large part of their diet when available. Browse, which means leaves and twigs from trees and shrubs, is what they eat most often throughout the year. In forests and fields across the country, deer will munch on American beech, black cherry, and chokecherry. They also eat acorns when oak trees drop their nuts. In the spring and summer, new plant growth attracts deer to fields and gardens. Many plants provide nutrition at different times of year, so deer adjust what they eat based on the season. Evergreen trees like balsam fir give them food even in winter months when most plants are dormant. Berries and apples are special treats when they appear in late summer and early fall.

Deer adjust their eating patterns to match what nature provides each season. In spring, they seek out fresh new growth and tender shoots as snow melts. Grasses, clover, and young leaves become their main food. Summer brings abundance, and deer can find plenty of leafy browse, wildflowers, and vegetables in gardens. As fall arrives, acorns become a favorite food source if oak trees have a good crop. Apples and berries appear in orchards and wild areas. This is when deer prepare for winter by eating as much as they can. Winter is the hardest season. Deer turn to evergreens like canadian bluejoint and Canada yew. They strip bark from trees and branches to survive. Food is scarce, and deer eat what they can find, including dried grass and woody plants.

Across the United States, deer eat whatever plants grow in their area. In northern states like Pennsylvania, white-tailed deer depend on forests with trees like American hophornbeam and balsam poplar. These areas provide browse and mast that deer need. In southern regions, deer have access to different plants and can eat year-round more easily. In Texas, whitetail deer benefit from a longer growing season. California has its own native plants that deer have adapted to eat. In urban and suburban areas, deer often visit gardens and parks looking for food. They will eat ornamental plants, vegetable gardens, and landscaping shrubs. Some regions have more oak trees, so acorns are plentiful. Other areas might have more grass and clover. Deer learn what grows around them and eat accordingly.

Deer forage by browsing on vegetation throughout the day and night. They use their senses to find good plants to eat. Deer have good eyesight and can spot movement from far away. They also use their nose to smell plants and their ears to hear danger while eating. When foraging, deer may graze on grass like cattle do, or they may browse on shrubs and trees by reaching up with their mouths. Some plants like Common Honeysuckle and Allegheny blackberry are picked directly off bushes. Other foods like bark must be stripped from trees. Deer often feed in early morning and evening when predators are less active. They spend several hours each day eating to gather enough calories. In winter, when food is scarce, deer must search harder and travel farther to find enough plants to eat.

Newborn fawns drink milk from their mother for several months. As fawns grow, usually around one month old, they start eating plants alongside nursing. By three to four months old, fawns eat more plants and less milk. Weaning happens around three to four months of age. Young deer learn what to eat by watching their mother and copying her behavior. They start with soft plants like clover and grass. As fawns grow stronger and older, they learn to browse on leaves and twigs. Yearling deer still stay with their mothers through their first fall and winter, learning which plants are best to eat in each season. During this learning period, mothers teach their young where to find food and which plants are safe. By their second year, deer become independent and find food on their own. A mature deer knows hundreds of plants and when to eat each one.

Deer often come to yards, gardens, and parks looking for food. They eat vegetables from gardens like beans and lettuce. They browse on ornamental shrubs and young trees that people plant. Fruit trees attract deer, especially apples. While it might seem kind to feed deer, it is not recommended. Feeding deer can make them depend on people instead of finding natural food. It also makes them bolder and more likely to approach homes. Some people put out corn or grain for deer, but biologists warn against this. These foods can cause digestive problems for deer. In winter, deer are adapted to eat woody plants and can survive on less food. Supplemental feeding can actually harm their health. The best way to help deer is to plant native shrubs and leave wild areas in yards. This gives them natural food sources without making them dependent on people.

Deer share their forests and grasslands with other large herbivores. Moose, another member of the deer family, eat much larger amounts of vegetation because they are bigger. Moose can eat up to 60 pounds of plants per day, while deer eat around 5 to 8 pounds. Elk are also related to deer but are larger and have different foraging habits. Elk often graze on grass in herds, while deer tend to browse alone or in small groups. Both deer and elk prefer certain plants, but overlap is common. Beavers, which also eat plants, have a very different diet focused on tree bark and branches. Unlike deer, beavers cut down trees to build lodges. To learn more about animals found across the country, visit the wildlife page. In areas where multiple species live together, they often eat different plants or use different parts of the landscape to avoid competing for the same food.