White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are highly adaptable, opportunistic herbivores whose diet is governed less by taste and more by immediate nutritional need and availability. Defining a single “favorite food” is misleading because their foraging strategy involves choosing the most nutrient-dense and easily digestible plants available at any given moment. This strategy has earned them the classification of a “concentrate selector.” Their ability to switch seamlessly between hundreds of plant species depending on the season and local environment allows them to thrive across diverse North American habitats.
Primary Categories of Whitetail Forage
The foundation of the whitetail deer’s diet is categorized into three main types of natural vegetation: browse, forbs, and mast. Browse consists of the tender woody stems, twigs, and leaves of trees and shrubs. This category often becomes the primary food source during winter when other options are scarce, providing a baseline level of sustenance.
Forbs are broad-leafed, non-woody plants, commonly referred to as weeds or wildflowers. They represent some of the most highly preferred and digestible foods, such as ragweed or clover. Forbs are generally rich in protein, making them an important component of the diet during the growing season.
Mast refers to the nuts and fruits produced by woody plants. It is divided into hard mast (acorns and hickory nuts) and soft mast (berries and apples). Mast provides concentrated bursts of energy and fat essential for building body reserves for colder months.
Seasonal Changes in Nutritional Needs
The physiological demands placed on whitetail deer are highly dependent on the season, directly influencing their foraging behavior and nutritional priorities. During the spring and summer, the focus shifts to maximizing the intake of high-protein forage to support body recovery, antler development, and fawning. Bucks are growing their antlers, which requires significant amounts of protein, calcium, and phosphorus, while does are preparing for or undergoing lactation. Forage with crude protein levels between 16% and 20% is sought out during this period to meet these elevated needs.
As autumn arrives, the deer’s dietary objective changes from growth to energy storage in preparation for the breeding season (the rut) and the coming winter. The preferred diet transitions to foods high in fats and carbohydrates, which are efficiently converted into body fat reserves. Bucks need this stored energy to sustain them through the rut, and does require it to maintain condition before winter.
Winter represents the most challenging period, where survival depends heavily on stored fat and minimizing energy expenditure. Deer require foods that provide high energy for thermoregulation, even if those foods are lower in protein. They rely heavily on the most accessible browse, such as cedar and hemlock, and their remaining fat reserves to carry them through until the spring green-up.
Highest Preference Natural Foods
When available, certain natural food items hold a higher preference ranking than others due to their superior palatability and nutritional density. Among hard mast, the acorns from white oak species are often considered the most attractive natural food source during the fall. White oak acorns contain lower levels of bitter tannins compared to red oak varieties, making them more palatable and easier for the deer to digest. They are packed with fats and carbohydrates that rapidly build energy reserves.
Soft mast, including wild grapes, persimmons, and apples, are highly sought after for their concentrated sugars and vitamins. These fruits provide an easily digestible energy pulse during the late summer and fall, supplementing the diet before the hard mast drop. The soft, fleshy bodies of mushrooms and fungi are also desired by deer when they appear, offering a rich source of moisture and specific nutrients like phosphorus during the summer growth phase.
Agricultural crops, when accessible, are immediately prioritized because they are essentially human-cultivated, high-density food plots. Soybeans, for example, are consumed first as high-protein green forage in the summer, and then the dried beans are eaten for their high-fat content late in the season. Similarly, corn is consumed for its high carbohydrate levels, making it a powerful attractant and energy source whenever it is available.
Responsible Supplemental Feeding
Supplemental feeding practices, such as planting food plots, are often employed to increase the availability of high-quality forage. Common food plot crops are selected specifically to meet seasonal nutritional gaps. Perennial legumes like clover or alfalfa provide high protein content through the spring and summer growing season.
For late-season energy, food plot strategies often incorporate brassicas, such as turnips and radishes, which are high in carbohydrates and become sweeter after a hard frost. Cereal grains like winter wheat and oats are also planted to provide palatable, high-carbohydrate food sources during cold months. Beyond forage, mineral supplements containing calcium, phosphorus, and sodium are often provided to support bone and antler growth.
The practice of supplemental feeding is not without risk, and many states regulate or prohibit the use of feed, particularly corn. Concentrating deer populations increases the risk of disease transmission, such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). It can also lead to habituation, making deer overly dependent on human-provided food. Therefore, any feeding program must focus on enhancing natural habitat diversity rather than replacing it.