356
5 year old buck +
Yes, it was the three-day Deer Steward Habitat Enhancement Module.Well, I'm jealous. Deer Steward course?
You would think it has something to do with what they have available and how good their local plants are. Like, a deer in a sea of soybeans may not go after pokeweed, but I've seen that to be false. Even what would seem to be low quality browse can be gobbled up by even the most well cared for deer. When I worked at the deer research facility at LSU, we did a little curiosity experiment by bringing in limbs of different trees and plants to see what was preferred. These were deer that had the best diet you can think of. When they defoliated a sweetgum branch along with privet, I came away thinking those deer just needed more roughage. Who knows. It just went to show that even the boujiest of deer will eat the lowliest of plants sometimes.
Deer, like humans, have taste preferences. I prefer an excellent ribeye to hamburger, but will enjoy hamburgers weekly, while the ribeye is a special treat. There are times I order fish, even though that is not a preferred food for me. Periodically I'll crave a slice of dry bread. Same with deer. We may never know exactly why deer chose one browse over another, but what is clear is that access to variety, quality and quantity goes a long way towards health does, fawns and bucks.