RE: winter feed for deer
The following is part of a Wisconsin DNR article that is no longer on the DNR web page since CWD baiting regulation went into effect.
winter deer feeding .....
What to feed... If you accept the responsibilities of feeding deer, the following foods should be considered.
Deer Food Mixes: The Department of Natural Resources recommends feeding a special deer food mix consisting of a mixture of corn, alfalfa, oats, soybeans, molasses, and several vitamins and minerals. Many feed mills in Wisconsin sell this mixture in pellet or meal form. If such a mix is not available, rabbit or horse pellets with at least 12% protein can be used. By late February, deer that have been eating on woody browse for most of the winter can switch and readily digest this food better than corn or hay.
Oats: After the special deer food mixture, oats are preferred over all other supplemental foods. They provide deer with a very favorable ratio of fiber and carbohydrates.
Corn: We do not recommend feeding deer a pure corn diet as the high starch content of corn can cause high acidity in the rumen which kills microorganisms necessary for digesting food. Corn is widely used deer food in Wisconsin. It is less expensive than the deer mixtures, but not as nutritious. If corn is fed, it should be mixed with oats at a ratio of 4 parts oats to 1 part corn. Do not use corn unless you start feeding it early in the winter before deer are stressed.
Hay: In northern forested areas of Wisconsin, hay is the least desirable food for winter feeding purposes, and is not recommended. When deer have had reduced intake because of low food supplies, rumen activity declines and fermentation of fiber decreases. The fiber type in alfalfa cannot be readily broken down, and it can impact deer in such a way that it dooms them to continued starvation.
As a side note ... deer will often pick through the oats to get to the corn kernals. But once the deer become accustome to oats will take it readily. The draw back is that oat kernals do not hold up to damp weather like corn kernals and will go bad more quickly.