Remember that deer are like cows in that they have a 4 chambered stomach.
During the Spring/Summer they have enzymes in their stomachs that are able to breakdown green leafy food sources, whereas during the Fall/Winter, those enzymes are gone and they switch over to feeding on twigs, mast crops (acorns, etc..), and dried type feed.
If a deer ingests a lot of green leafy forage during the winter, their stomachs have the potential to become upset/blocked and they will eventually die.
Best bet is to stick to dry feed, and spread it out like chicken feed so that the deer have to forage naturally for the food.
I've seen mature does with that year's fawns see a bait pile, stop dead in their tracks, turn and walk away immediately.
Planting clover and multi-seasonal food plots is the way to go.
During the Spring/Summer they have enzymes in their stomachs that are able to breakdown green leafy food sources, whereas during the Fall/Winter, those enzymes are gone and they switch over to feeding on twigs, mast crops (acorns, etc..), and dried type feed.
If a deer ingests a lot of green leafy forage during the winter, their stomachs have the potential to become upset/blocked and they will eventually die.
Best bet is to stick to dry feed, and spread it out like chicken feed so that the deer have to forage naturally for the food.
I've seen mature does with that year's fawns see a bait pile, stop dead in their tracks, turn and walk away immediately.
Planting clover and multi-seasonal food plots is the way to go.
