Do Deer Eat Rice?

Do Deer eat rice? Not the cooked or processed variety of course, but if you are a hunter, you probably want to learn more about using rice bran as a deer attractant.

Deer hunting requires plenty of strategies. Even as Deer usually eat everything, you must find the right deer attractant. For some people salt blocks, wildlife blocks, livestock blocks, and lots more are used effectively. However, you may also consider using bran as bait or supplement for Deer. So, the question you must be asking is – do deer eat rice?

Rice bran for a Deer attractant? The answer is Yes and No. Deer can eat rice but not rice meal or whole rice. What they eat is rice bran because it provides high concentrations of fat, and is an excellent source of supplemental nutrition. Many growers have talked about using rice bran in the past. It is also a common component in whitetail deer’s commercial feeds. Some supplementary feeds also have rice bran in lesser quantities. However, there are still a good number of people who will say that, Deer do not eat rice bran. So, the bottom line is:

Deer can eat rice bran, but it depends on:

The presentation

Using feeders to present rice bran can be difficult. Many hunters have found more creative ways to make them presentable. For some, small troughs work well in their location. For others, merely opening the bag of rice bran and leaving it open on the ground is enough. However, placing the bags of rice bran on the ground can only work in drier regions.

The season

Deer will likely eat rice bran during late winter when it becomes harder for them to find food sources elsewhere. At this time, they are not usually selective and will eat almost everything in their path. During the dead of winter, Deer tends to use food plots more often.

Phosphorus content

If you live or hunt in areas with low phosphorus, then rice bran will be an effective deer attractant. Rice bran has high levels of phosphorus and may become a much-loved meal for Deer in that area. However, if surrounding plant materials have high phosphorus content (especially from fertilizer), then Deer may likely abandon your rice bran.

Final thoughts

Do Deer eat rice? Yes, they do, but it depends on the season, available food and how you present the rice bran. However, rice bran can deteriorate relatively fast in many environments, as they tend to mold if wet. Therefore, if you want to use them in the raw form, do that during deer hunting. If you have other plans for using rice bran as supplemental feeding, you may have a hard time, as they are no longer as affordable as they used to be. Nevertheless, a good number of supplementary and commercial feeds also have them. Hence, depending on your budget and use, there are many ways to use rice bran.

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