WTHELLO Are They Eating?

[jjmp]

Deer have great memories and fantastic sense of smell,they remember were the clover patch's are in a so so hay field,alfalfa they smell on the wind in the summer time , remember their up most of the nights anyway feeding weather it's winter, spring , summer or fall ,deer key on turkeys feeding and vis-versa , neat post nice pictures,smart does fawn very close to farm buildings houses ,warehouses , there all pretty much predator free zones ,except when MR black bear wants venison,males are extraordinarily gifted at killing and devouring young new born fawns ,Coyotes take more then their fair share also . Apologies to OP for rattling on !!!. Cheers

 

[Buck1970]

Mr Boots,
I believe you need a few of us to come up north and help with your pesty deer issues. Lol

 

[Muddyboots]

So they are back midday! I am feeling bit better so little later will check it out to see what they are addicted to!

 

[skipglo]

So they are back midday! I am feeling bit better so little later will check it out to see what they are addicted to!
View attachment 340804

It's probably all that mineral salt...your neighbor mixes in there at night...to keep them out of his yard!

 

[Muddyboots]

neighbors KNOW not to be in my backyard at night......also KNOW I have a loader....just sayin

 

[P7M13]

The pile seems too fresh to have mycelium sprouting just yet. Seems they're getting a warm meal of quercus.

Are you kidding me? Wild Mary Jane?

Hemp was grown extensively in MI during WWII for rope.
A relative had a cottage in the Irish Hills of MI, and we would find it volunteering in the border between cultivated fields and forest.

 

[jjmp]

I'm guessing the deer in your picture top left is a yearling buck I'd say with his mother to his right ,bottom right is a yearling doe her mother to her left ,odd's are good their all related ,because the two adult does tolerate each other and their sisters offspring . Or it could be mother doe top right with her young son left and her daughter bottom right ,and Papa buck without his antlers bottom left . When it comes to food deer will fight to keep it or defend their share from others , they know who their related to just like us . Another thing might be the ground is not frozen under their feet,because the leaves keep that spot warmer ,and they are probably braking down ,maybe some mushrooms have tried to grow there ,Sill very interesting to say the least ,I to could watch deer for hours, second Saturday of our deer season a friend let me hunt on his private land and I sat all day, until the deer started to move I let 3 small bucks walk along with a small doe and a nubber buck ,as much as I love eating Venison I enjoy watching them live also ,mr coyote dats another out come,Cheers .

 

[Muddyboots]

Spot on! Watching them socially interact and kick the crap out of each other is fun. Deer social groups have their own hierarchy and when food gets little sparse, top of social group exerts control and force to protect "their" food even from their own yearlings. Every "man" for them self kicks in.

 

[Muddyboots]

Just thinking....they are probably eating oak leaves. Hmmm, would raking leaves up into a pile in the woods be considered "baiting"?

 

[snox801]

Anything with the weather we are having.
I have deer eating all kinds of weird crap right now.
Digging through anything they can to find food.
I really wish we could start feeding again based on the scientific data. It's actually better to have more food source to spread deer out not have them compete for every natural one.
They come out every night at the farm and eat off the horses round bails.

 

[WildRose]

So I have a mulching decomposition pile in backyard for leaves. Deer are tearing it apart! There were 6 deer on the pile tonite that is at most 40 yds behind house. Obviously there is something there they are wanting big time. Mostly oak leaves but some leaves from bradford pear trees.

So what do you think they are after?
View attachment 340036

My guess would be hunting for acorns or other seeds.

 

[WildRose]

Pretty sure it's not the worms. Deer are herbivores.

I know they eat oak twigs and seedlings, which makes it really difficult to regenerate oak in areas of elevated deer populations. If the oak leaves were green, they might be eating those.

Not entirely. I remember being shocked taking my first course in WildLife Management when we read a paper on deer eating mice.

Do Deer Eat Mice? - Wild Explained

Mice are regularly hunted by many animals. There are animals that eat mice on a daily basis, as the main part of their diet. But do mice have to worry about deer also? Do deer eat mice? It is rarely the case for deer to eat mice or other meat origins. Deer are herbivores animals, ... Read more

wildexplained.com

Generally yes they are herbivorous but they will eat meat opportunistically particularly if they are starving for proteins or certain other nutrients.

 

[Muddyboots]

They come out every night at the farm and eat off the horses round bails.

HOLY COW! Had to read this a second time cause I did not see the letter "i" in last word!

 

[Muddyboots]

Generally yes they are herbivorous but they will eat meat opportunistically particularly if they are starving for proteins or certain other nutrients.

I watched 2 does eat several nestlings out of ground nest few years back. So they also eat dead fish off a beach! Saw that as well!