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I have received several deer management questions not exactly addressed somewhere in this site. I will add to this page as deer questions arise. Please submit deer related questions or comments below.
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why to deer seem to be worse and eat more some nights as compared to other nights?
A. Deer have a cycle they follow, which is affected by a full moon. Deer feed as long as there is light to see. Check your calendar or better yet put a moon display on your home page to see when the moon is going to be full. Deer will feed the entire night by moon-lite and that will result in more damage. The nights around a full moon, you may want to add another form of control, such as a weatherproof radio.
Q. How long do deer live?
A. The lifespan of a wild whitetail is 11 to 12 years. Most free-roaming deer never actually live that long though. They are hit by cars, succumb to disease, killed by predators or shot by hunters. In heavily hunted areas, many bucks live only 1½ or 2 ½ years.
Q. Do deer eat anything they find? Do they eat meat? Are there really plants they won't eat?
A. Deer are herbivores. They usually browse and primarily feed on leaves. They have small, unspecialized stomachs, and high nutrition requirements. Rather than attempt to digest vast quantities of low-grade, fibrous food like sheep and cattle, deer select easily digestible shoots, young leaves, fresh grasses, soft twigs, fruit, and fungi. In the winter they will eat harder to digests food such as acorns and twigs. They do not eat meat. Check the charts of rarely-eaten plants for lists of plants deer usually avoid.
Q. How much do deer eat a day?
A. On average a deer eats two to four percent of its body weight each day. Deer are ruminant animals.They have a four compartment stomach and chew their cud like a cow.
Q. Are deer everywhere in the US?
A. White-tailed deer are found in every state in the U. S. except Alaska and in only small parts of Utah, Nevada and California. The mule deer range is primarily in western states. There are several subspecies of both deer.
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