What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

We had that ice and snow storm here a week ago, and from the constant thawing and freezing there is a crust of inpenetrable ice on the ground, as thick as several inches in spots. That closes off several food sources.....acorns and such.

So, what do deer survive on in conditions such as these, when they can't get to the bare ground?

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

All the ones I've seen late season only eat lead...

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

Actually in my area, under similar conditions they seem to eat green briar and black berry bushes AKA sticker bushes.

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

deer will eat a tree if they need to,around here they eat standing corn,or find a field of long grass,cat tails along a river,there`s always something to eat,that`s about all they do when they`re not rutting is find something to eat

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

deer are browsers--they'll nip off twigs and branches.I've seen browse lines on some wood lots that have been cleand bare 6-7' the whole way across

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

I have seen them eating a lot of cedar. Around here they are still able to paw up acorns and pick through the cut fields

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

Plus they also eat corn and beans that have fallen off or havent been picked up when farmed!

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

I watched a buck eat green briar once while standing on a bed of fresh acorns, so I don't think it bothers them too much to have to eat that stuff.

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

I likey:D

RE: What do they eat when the ground is frozen?
 

Yup, and don't rule out elm and pine. They have no nutritional value but deer will eat them.

If you want a really good read, pick up a copy of "Heart and Blood" by Richard Nelson I believe. It's a really good look at the whitetail through the seasons both biologically and through the eyes of a hunter, nonhunter and antihunter. This guy really went to indepth links to write this book. You'll learn more than you thought you knew.

In it he mentioned a hard winter kill up in Michigan or Wisconson, I forget which but they found winter killed deer and their bellies were full of pine/elm needles. They felt full but still died of starvation.

Don't forget that the deer's metabolism really slows when conditions are the worst but what's hard on them is the continuous pressure hunting puts on them at this hard time of the year.