What Do I Put in My Deer Feeder?

Whitetail deer consume a diet of plants and vegetables, which often does not provide enough nutrition for optimal health and growth. Providing deer food via a deer feeder allows you to promote a healthy herd by supplementing their diet. Choosing which feed you use in your feeder will depend on your budget and if you're trying to promote antler growth.

  1. Fresh Vegetables

    • Fresh vegetables make an ideal food staple for deer, as they are natural to their diet and provide many nutrients. They can be used in stationary trough-style feeders and automatic feeders with large openings. Vegetable choices include carrots, rutabagas, turnips, potatoes, squash and soybeans.

    Dry Feed

    • Dry feed offers the convenience of being available for purchase at most feed and outdoor stores, as well as being economically priced. Dried corn is an ideal source of protein and comes in a few varieties, including cracked, whole and on the cob. Cracked and whole kernel is ideal for a hanging automatic deer feeder due to its small uniform size. Other feeds, such as oats and soybeans, have a slightly higher cost but are equally effective in producing protein and nutrients for deer, as well as working well in broadcast-type feeder.

    Mineral Nutrients

    • Mineral nutrients are used as an additive to common feed types to add specific nutrients and minerals to the deer's diet. They are available at hunting stores, big box retailers and from online hunting stores. The minerals come in powdered form and are designed to stick to grains when mixed together. Common minerals include vitamin A, zinc, iron, calcium, salt, potassium and vitamin E. Minerals are generally used to promote good health in a deer, but also can target males to promote optimum antler growth.

    Commercial Deer Feed

    • Commercial deer feed includes a combination of ingredients to achieve maximum nutrient and mineral levels. These commonly include a combination of dry feed and grains including corn, soybeans and oats, as well as sweet binding agents such as honey, molasses or syrup. Minerals are mixed into the feed at specified levels to create protein and nutrient levels designed to create optimum body and antler growth. Commercial deer products are specifically designed to be used in deer feeders and are available from big box retailers, farm stores and hunting retailers.