Do Deer Eat Wheat?

Do you have questions like – do deer eat wheat? In this article, we will talk about deer and their preference for wheat, and what you can do about it.
Deer are very resilient and adaptive. Their food preferences can change on the spur of the moment, depending on the surroundings.

Now to the question – do deer eat wheat? The right answer is, “deer love eating wheat.” They will plow right into a wheat field because they see it as a gold mine. When you have a green wheat field, you should expect deer damage from at any time of the day which can be a huge concern for farmers.

When deer may or may not eat wheat

There are special occasions where deer may not prefer wheat. Usually, these areas have more desirable food sources like corn and soybean. When such food is in surplus, deer may overlook your wheat field at least for time. For instance, if you cultivated winter wheat, then there is a huge chance they will return to it in the winter when they cannot find any other food sources.

In reality, winter wheat is a great forage for the white-tailed deer in the cold season, especially during late summer and early fall, even if there are other available forages. The wheat seed heads most especially will be eating by the deer and many other wildlife species.

Therefore, hunters may cultivate winter food plots with crops like winter wheat to increase their access to deer. However, deer can cause a lot of problems for farmers. In such situations, here are ways farmers can prevent deer from causing damage to their wheat plantation.

Early Detection

Deer are very persistent and would prefer to visit areas they have taken food from in the past. Therefore, you must implement your deer deterrent methods early on to prevent them from developing a habit of visiting.
No way to deer-proof

It is also wise to be patient because you cannot fight off deer and other wildlife overnight. It is also important to never expect complete deer damage elimination. Results usually, range from 30 to 50 percent.
Use different strategies

Effective results can only be reached by using different methods at once. For instance, you can use two parallel fences alongside individual netting to keep the way. You can also add deer-resistant plants to the outer edges of your plantation. However, also note that these deer-resistant plants might soon become their most preferred food sources if they cannot find anything else. Some deer resistant plants include columbine, wax begonias, ageratum, yarrow, poppy, geranium, sweet alyssum, etc.

Repellents are also effective if you change repellents from time to time. To increase the effect, use the repellents on those deer-resistant plants. When using repellents, ensure to reapply after it rains or during dry days when temperatures are above freezing.

Therefore, when asked the question – do deer eat wheat? Your answer should be yes, they do because wheat can become deer food sources during the late summer, fall and even winter months.