The role of natural habitat is often overlooked by hunters. It shouldn’t be.
Throughout the summer months whitetails consume 6 to 10 pounds of leaves each day from preferred browse species, forbs and agricultural offerings. In some areas of the whitetail’s range its diet can be made up of over 500 natural foods.
In prime agricultural areas, for instance, a whitetail’s summer diet will still consist of up to 50 percent natural forage. This native deer food or browse, can be easily improved by hunters with a little extra help in the way of added sunlight, less competition from other plants, and even a little fertilizer.
Their ability to utilize such a wide range of food sources is one of the reasons whitetails are adaptable to living in so many different habitats. Whether in remote forests, prairie farmlands, lowland swamps or suburban neighborhoods, whitetails can almost always find the nourishment they require.
I took this photo at the end of June and it illustrates the lengths deer will go to in order to quench their appetite. The photo also illustrates how six-foot-high browse lines are formed in the woods.
— Charlie
