Caution Required When Feeding Deer in the Northern United States
Research in the northern United States has shown that rapid changes in the winter diet of nutritionally stressed white–tailed deer can actually kill them. This is particularly a problem with high–protein feeds which the bacteria in the deer’s rumen (stomach) cannot process following prolonged periods of nutritional stress. Therefore, deer can die with a full stomach of high quality feed. This situation can generally be avoided by beginning the feeding program during late fall or early winter before the deer become severely stressed and lose the ability to utilize high protein feeds. Regardless, rapid changes in the winter diet of deer should be avoided.