Deer in southern areas may just need the additional nutrition to produce healthier fawns next year or bounce back from the rut quicker. So exactly what do deer eat in the winter to get that high-carbohydrate and high-fat nutrition? Fortunately, deer are already highly adapted for this exact scenario.
Whitetails in highly forested areas consume woody tree browse to survive the bleakest time of the year. Their digestive system, which consists of a four-part stomach, is biologically designed to break down the high fiber content present in browse and provide the most nutrition possible from it.
But not all browse is created equal. Mature forests — think park-like settings — often have very little browse available at deer level, which is why deer often disappear from these areas as winter arrives. However, young forests are full of tender and nutritious browse. Think about a clear-cut area — within the next growing season, it is so dense with tender young tree branches and shrubs that you can barely walk through it, and it is all conveniently located within browsing reach for deer.
Over the winter, a few acres of this habitat can support more deer than 40 or more acres of mature forest. In agricultural areas, there are often various agricultural crops available for deer to eat over the winter.
Some farmers or hunters leave standing rows of corn, soybeans, etc. Depending on how much snow accumulates, the ability of deer to forage for food sources on the ground may be affected.
In these areas, corn, soybeans, grains, and brassicas can all be highly sought after and extremely nutritious. Corn and grains are full of carbohydrates, while soybeans provide a lot of carbohydrates and fat. These are both great for the unique nutritional needs for deer in the winter. But if these are not common food sources in the area in a given time period, they can be dangerous. Getting back to the beginning of the post, it seems like winter deer feeding would be beneficial for them, given the lack of good food sources on some properties.
When a really digestible, low-fiber food source e. Predators WILL kill perfectly healthy animals if the opportunity presents. Wolves are not veterinarians. Plus, moron…around here deer enter cornfields and eat corn every night. Or think from themselves. People like Teri Draper have never witnessed a pack of wolves tearing the hamstring of a pregnant doe, and run off to kill another. Living in rural northern Minnesota, I have seen this kill for fun carried out many times throughout the winter months.
If people wish to feed the deer in an intelligent manner, away from traffic and out of the city, than go ahead. Recreational deer feeding is one thing.
Deer baiting, which is illegal in many states during the hunting season, is something else. Remember Hunting Ethics and Fair Chase,both regarding other hunters and deer? Secondly, there is no evidence that feeding deer can increase the spread of CWD. Studies have been done on how much saliva a deer needs to ingest from a CWD positive deer to contract CWD and the amount is bizarre. The university of Colorado feed saliva from a CWD positive deer to several other deer and only one contracted CWD and only after they forced a large amount of saliva into them several times.
Recreational deer feeding has little to nothing to do with CWD, in fact, the more people who are feeding deer serves to spread out the herd which helps reduce contact among disease carrying deer. It is true you have no real knowledge of the predator and prey relationship. When prey is plentiful, Wolves kill, eat, and kill again with little care with lots of waste. Then when the prey population is desimated, the balance comes back in the starvation of the wolves.
Suppy and demand for the concrete walkers. Your email address will not be published. Should You Feed Deer in the Winter? By Bernie Barringer The Minnesota DNR has often been opposed to recreational deer feeding, and in fact, with the increased risk of Chronic Wasting Disease and other disease transmissions, there have been discussions about banning it. Acclimation to Humans Opponents of deer feeding feel that providing handouts for deer can make them more vulnerable to negative human influences.
Concentrated for predation Human predators and not the only threats deer face. Digestive Issues High-carbohydrate foods are needed to get deer through the winter because they produce quick energy and body heat. Totally agree. Gail Ann Fuller on April 17, at pm. Elizabeth Jones on June 20, at pm. What do you feed them exactly and where do you get the food Reply. Bernie Barringer on June 22, at am. Linda on August 18, at am. Teri Draper on December 14, at am.
Bernie Barringer on December 14, at pm. Feeding your deer herd during and after rut in the fall and winter sets bucks, does, and fawns up for success the following year. With less daylight in the fall and winter, the deer may not be seen at the feeders, but they will utilize the nutrition if available. Feeding bucks during the fall and winter allow bucks to regain weight they may have lost during the rut. Bucks entering the spring in good body condition can utilize the nutrients they consume for antler growth rather than merely regaining the weight the lost the previous season.
Fall and winter feeding does not need to be the high protein diets that allowed the deer to reach their genetic potential for antler growth. Just like the bucks, regaining the lost weight and condition is critical for reproductive success and for surviving the winter. A study conducted at Washington State University 1 in mule deer showed that digestibility energy intake the month prior to the breeding season impacted pregnancy rate and rate of twining.
For the long-term health of deer, the best management strategy is to keep deer dependent on their natural food and cover. A healthy deer population will be sustained if New Hampshire maintains mature softwood wintering areas, young hardwood stands, nut-producing trees like oak and beech and forest openings. Landowners can help by developing a management plan that uses wildlife and its habitat as guiding objectives. Sustainable timber harvesting is compatible with protecting winter deer yards and other deer habitat features.
Also, landowners can recognize the role of hunters as the primary tool for wildlife biologists to regulate deer densities. Allowing hunter access to huntable lands is an effective way to maintain a healthy balance between deer and their habitat. Go to weblink for a printable file. A Little Deer Biology White-tailed deer in New Hampshire are at the northern limit of their range and have several natural adaptations that help them survive the winter.
Adult deer get as much as 40 percent of their daily energy during winter from their fat tissue. These high deer densities can: attract predators and increase risk of death by coyotes or domestic dogs. Vehicle-killed deer near feed sites can outnumber those that would naturally succumb to winter mortality.
0コメント