11/06/2025
Hello Friends of the Fawns!
We get a lot of questions about feeding deer through the Fall/Winter months. I know itโs great to see deer in your yard, or on your property, after all the leaves are down, so you can see them better. No one knows this better than fawn rehabbers, especially if they release some of their fawns on their own property.
So? What should you feed the local deer herd to get them to come around and hang-out, so you can enjoy them? Let me give you some information that will help you understand the pros and cons of feeding deer. I hope that you find this information helpful.
First, you should know that feeding deer is considered baiting and is illegal in Michigan. However, there are exceptions, which we will discuss further. Baiting is defined as providing feed in an unnatural way, such as laying fruits, vegetables and grains on the ground in a small area to attract deer.
If found, you can be ticketed. Repeat offenders can also be arrested. However, food plots are not illegal and can be used to attract and feed wildlife. That said, if you still choose to feed these animals, you first need to understand their physiology, feed choices, and other habits.
Deer physiology is very different from livestock. Livestock have been bred to operate within the needs and wants of humans and have mostly abandoned their wild past. They can eat hay and grain, and survive just fine during winter without any issues โ more on that shortly.
Deer physiology naturally slows in the wintertime to allow them to save energy, so they donโt need to eat as much. They may spend long hours, even days, laying down, resting, and conserving energy.
This is especially true in extreme cold and foul weather. They use their extensive fat stores, as energy to stay warm, while hunkered down. In addition, their hair is hollow and is an excellent insulator, helping them stay warm, even when laying in the snow, cold wind, etc.
Now, more about their feed choices. Deer are herbivores, meaning they eat vegetation. In the summer months they eat grass, leaves, flowers, fruits, and berries to restore the body condition lost during the winter months. Deer spend the fall, eating large volumes of vegetation, trying to build their fat stores for the long, cold winter.
When winter arrives, deer eat tree buds, twigs, grasses, and other vegetation that are still green, hiding under the snow. They also like tubers, and other sweet/starchy items they can find, such as potatoes, beets, radishes, corn, beans, apples, etc., when they are available in orchards, on farm land, etc. However, it is not a good idea to feed them anything dry, especially hay and grains, as dry goods require large amounts of water to rehydrate and digest.
Livestock are given water to assist in their digestion. For deer, water is often not available in the winter, as lakes, streams, ponds, rivers, etc. freeze. Eating snow will not quench their thirst as it takes four times as much snow to equal the same volume of water. They simply cannot eat enough snow to hydrate dry goods.
Deer are also nomadic, to a point, moving from place to place to find food and water. By feeding deer, you not only teach them to eat things that are not necessarily found in the wild, or good for them, but you also modify their nomadic habits. You are teaching them to be livestock!
After deer are โtrainedโ to be wild pets, if something happens to the trainer, they are left to retrain themselves how to be wild animals. This often doesnโt go well for them, and can result in days, or weeks, of painful suffering, even starvation, until the summer returns with its abundance of food.
One last bit of information. Deer, are not discriminant about where they go to the bathroom, and will often go while eating. That means when food is concentrated in a small area, they will relieve themselves where they eat and others will then eat the soiled feed thereby sharing any parasites, or diseases they may have.
This is the main reason that baiting is illegal. To mitigate the spread of disease/parasites, it is best to spread feed over a large area. This reduces the chance of them eating soiled food and also helps to preserve their natural, wild foraging habits. Just remember, feeding them is illegal and I donโt recommend that you do so.
Better yet, do it legally by putting a small food plot in your desired viewing area. Food plots are legal for three reasons: First, you are growing a crop โ i.e. farming. Second, the feed is naturally spread over a larger area thereby reducing the chance of spreading disease and parasites. Third, the crops often stay green and contain the water needed for proper digestion and nutrient absorption, even under the snow. Best of all, you will likely attract other wildlife, such as turkeys, for your viewing pleasure.
In closing, if you want to observe deer, it must be done correctly and responsibly. A food plot provides green plants, with adequate moisture, preserves the animalโs foraging habits, and mitigates the chance of spreading disease.
So, unless you have the space, equipment and knowledge to put in a food plot. Please! Donโt feed the deer. So, to answer the question: โWhat should I feed the deer in the Fall/Winter?โ Unless you can do it right โ Donโt.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. I hope it was helpful and informative. We welcome feedback on any/all articles we post.
Please send feedback to [email protected] โ Thank You!
Short's Fawn Rescue is a 501 C(3) non-profit organization, relying entirely on donations to support our work. We also provide Public education to help grow support for our mission. For more information about fawns/deer. Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shortsrescue2021/
If you would like to help support this important work please donate. Thank you!
Ways to Donate:
Cash.App/$ShortsFawnRescue
Venmo/Warren Short@Shorts-Fawn-Rescue
PayPal.me/ShortsFawnRescue
GoFund.me/30863fb8
Send Checks to: Shortโs Fawn Rescue, 2304 Five Lakes Rd., Metamora, MI 48455
