They love pecans, hickory nuts and beechnuts acorns in addition to acorns. By supplying the right type of feed for deer and at the right amount with using a feeder, starting a supplemental feed program in winter can be successful. Deer Biology and Energy Conservation White-tailed deer in Ontario are located along the northern fringe of their continental range. a corn bait pile is night and day. With cold temperatures, long waits can be unpleasant. Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources is reminding people that feeding deer can do more harm than good. Amazon.com: deer feed. I always thought it was but one of the guys I was talking with has me second guessing myself! and through cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources. The most preferred browse species include: sugar, red, mountain and striped maple; yellow and white birch, witch and beaked hazel and red oak. Many deer have starved to death with stomachs packed full of hay. One day, the temperature went from a balmy 11.8ºC to a frigid -6.9ºC within a week in mid-January. Most deer can scavenge for food in plots or the farms, and the white tail deer would rather feed on corn, cowpeas or soybeans lying on the snow. What the deer get off most food plots V.S. Hay is not a feed for them, they are browsers, you would be better of by partially cutting brush, young trees , bend them down so they can browse/feed on them. “In most cases, it ends up being worse for … Is baiting for deer legal in Ontario? In areas where the use of dogs is prohibited for hunting, licensed dogs may be used to track a deer … Deer • General White-tailed Deer Regulations Information for All Deer Hunters Licence fees are found on page 14. Aspen forests, starved deer autopsied in late winter during popula- In summer, deer eat the leaves of nonevergreen tion highs of past decades (Aldous and Smith 1938, terrestrial plants, mushrooms, and fruit (Kohn and Dahlberg and Guettinger 1956). A couple of favorite fruits are apples, blueberries, blackberries and persimmons. Feeding deer during the fall and early stages of winter is all about increasing fat reserves to sustain them through the rut and colder months. When this happens, some wildlife agencies will put out feed. What deer love to eat isn't necessarily what they do get to eat all the time. White-tailed Deer Winter Diet The diet of White-tailed Deer varies with the seasons, but in general deer require a high-quality diet and tend to choose the most nutritious options available. - Appeals to any whitetail herd - Feeding this blend will ensure your deer herd enters the Canadian winter in top condition, producing healthy fawns and big bucks. The deer feed on this up to 3 times a day. By paying attention here you eliminate the biggest concerns of feeding deer during the winter. Cedar, hemlock, fir or spruce help shield deer from snow, and it is said that such habitat has 40 percent less snow than hardwood forests. I have used this product and it is as good as any. Deer know what to do in winter. Love and food…two things on a deer’s mind late in the season. In addition to mast (fruit, acorns, beechnuts) and browse, herbaceous plants and fungi make up the greatest portion of their food. With late fall’s dropping temperatures and waning rut activity, deer hunters may think that magical time is behind them, when love-struck bucks ran carefree through the woods in search of hot does. Deer adore fruits and nuts. Skip to main content. For more information on deer biology and management in Ontario, please visit . Here are some deer feeding tips to help you make the decisions on what and when to feed. A number of years ago in the Western States, they found dead deer with full stomachs of hay , they had starved to death during that fierce winter, even though they were fed hay. ontario.ca/deer. This time of year deer live in cornfields before harvest and the later part of the summer. As deer lower their energy expenditure, even if there is limited food their body weight turns around and starts to increase in late winter. Here are some deer feeding tips to help you make the decisions on what and when to feed. Deer occasionally enter yards to get their mouths on flowers, vegetables and ornamental trees -- quite often to the surprise of the homeowners. Natural winter food for deer consists primarily of woody browse from hardwood twigs and occasionally needles of balsam fir. So wether you feed them corn or not they will be eating either way. The calendar below shows that there was potential for plenty of tick activity — in the dead of winter. It is lightly dusted with molasses which is enough to draw them in. As more deer learn of the handout, they too congregate around the feeding site. Try Prime EN Hello, Sign in Account & Lists Sign in Account & Lists Returns & Orders Try Prime Cart. “The worst thing we can do for deer in a tough winter is shock their system by providing a new food, particularly a high-energy food such as corn or high-protein food such as alfalfa hay that they are not used to,” said Kip. 1974). But first, check the local laws for baiting in your area. They become accustomed to humans, as well, which can lead to poaching and other problems. This gives you even more mouths to feed as more deer pack into a small area.