What do deer eat in the backyard?

The deer is a common sight in most ecological habitats around the world. The deer are known to thrive under different habitats and usually adapt to harsh ecological changes. However, sightings in residential areas may raise eyebrows. Hence “what do deer eat in the backyard?” can be a common question on the lips of concerned locals. Despite such concerns, it may be important to know the “whys” of such sightings. Click for product information and reviews…

Why do deer come to the backyard?

Known for their voracious appetite, the deer might wander into human habitations in search of food, especially during the late autumn and winter periods. The deer diet includes budding leaves and flowers of plants, grasses, fruits, vegetables and nuts. This means that homes with an abundance of these food items in their backyards will as a huge beacon for the deer in that area. The deer have also been seen in human-populated areas during the “rutting” seasonwhich is commonly from October to February. This is because the mature bucks tend to mark territories, limiting the previously large grazing landmass in the area.

What do deer eat in the backyard?

Since the common reasons for the presence of deer in the backyard have been established, the question of what do deer eat in the backyard will now come to the fore. Deer are known to prefer sweet foods to bitter ones. The main diet of the deer includes apples, blackberries, persimmons, nuts etc. The deer can also eat common garden plants like sweet potatoes, cabbages, carrot tops, peas, sweet corn etc. This, therefore, can be a recipe for disaster to most vegetable farmers. This is because the deer can eat almost all homegrown fruits and vegetables.

Foods they tend to avoid in the backyard

Despite this seemingly endless list of deer favourites, the deer do not prefer to eat aromatic vegetables and plants like pepper, onions, mint, garlic etc. They also tend to shy away from roots such as cassava, prickly plants such as squash, pumpkin and cucumber and poisonous ones like rhubarb and jimsonweed. However, they may eat some of these during periods of food scarcity.

How to keep deer away from the backyard

The most effective means of preventing the deer from gaining access to one’s compound is by fencing. However, it is necessary to make it very high as mature deer are capable of making leaps as high as 10feet off the ground. Other effective ways of keeping out deer include the planting of deer-resistant plants around your property, chemical deer repellents and use of olfactory detractors like animal waste and old human clothing. It is worthy of note that these usually do not keep out very hungry deer. Guard dogs have also been proven effective in reducing the incidence of deer sightings in residential areas.

Now, knowing the response to the question what do deer eat in the backyard, deer sightings in your area will no longer be a surprise especially if you have a backyard garden containing the basic deer diets. So you can choose to follow the steps to keep the deer away from your property or choose to attract them just to have a beautiful wildlife experience from the comfort of your home. Click for product information and reviews…

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