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What do deer need?
Deer need four basic components to survive: shelter/cover, food, space, and water. Deer are generalists preferring transitional habitat between farms, forests, and suburban areas. Forests, shrubs, conifers, and grasslands provide cover and protection from predators. As generalists, deer take advantage of the varied food sources available in different habitat. Farm fields provide high-quality food sources such as grains. Suburban areas provide ornamental plants, gardens, bird seed, and lush lawns. Forests provide nuts, tender new growth, and plants.
Space required by deer varies based on habitat. For example, suburban areas providing safe habitat free of hunters, good food sources, and water may restrict deer movement and enhance deer survival. Depending on the area, deer need a home range of about one square mile and will travel for a survival component. For example, if a forest provides space, cover, and food, deer will reside there and travel for water.
The average adult deer requires about four to eight pounds of forage per day in the winter and their diet varies based on time of year and the availability of preferred food sources. During spring and summer months they eat mostly greens (leaves, grass, wildflowers, and new growth). Late summer and fall deer eat fruits, acorns, and crops. Winter and early spring deer consume seedlings, twigs, buds, and some varieties of evergreen leaves. To learn more specific about deer preferred food, see “What plants do deer prefer as food?”