What do deer do all day in the woods? And why do the young ones?

Question

come out of the woods to eat grass only in early AM and late afternoon? I know someone who sets out apples for them and they sometimes eat the apple pieces off his porch.

Answer 1

The deer on my property come out in the morning and hang out all day. Then the bed down at night. They only leave for water. It is neat watching how curious the fawns are. Sometimes they are skittish, and other times they seem fearless. They were even there when whe had a portable lumber mill going. There are a LOT of deer where I live, but mostly, a doe (girl) and her two fawns (babies) are the ones who hang out all day right now whether I'm outside working or not.

In the woods, deer hunt for food and water. They stay in the same general area, so they know what is the norm for around them, but usually stay on the move (like a horse). They prefer wide open fields with some trees so they can see for a long distance while eating and still be close to cover to escape if necessary.

After mating season (which is usually September, sometimes October), the bucks (boys) all lose their horns. That's why a person thinks that they never see a buck in the spring. They grow a new set of horns each summer. It's cool, because their horns are covered in velvet when they are growing. The velvet is rubbed off on trees. This act is called a buck rub. It is usually on small trees and takes the bark off. Hunters look for buckrubs when hunting.

I have been able to feed deer corn chips straight from my hands and sneak a hand up to pet wild deer while they are taking the chips from my hand. They love the salt, and the corn won't hurt them. I have learned that it is best not to go out of your way to feed a wild animal, so I've only done that couple of times in the past. I got to pet a two-point (considered a four-point back East) and a doe, though. No one else could get near the buck. It was amazing! On a side note- those horns are solid bone, and they HURT if you touch a deer that is not deer, and they startle!! People have actually gotten KILLED or seriously injured from approaching deer when they THOUGHT they were dead!

Oh, by the way... Deer LOVE eating a person's garden and a lot of different flowers. They will eat fruit trees down to a stubble, and they especially love roses!

Answer 2

We have a herd of probably 20 deer that live on our 80 acres and they do seem only to hang around from 6:00-8:00 AM and 7:00-Dark at night. Except in rutting season, when love is in the air everything goes kinda crazy. In the woods, deer can hopefully lose predators who can't navigate as quickly through thick underbrush, but they have to go to fields to get grass and ponds to get water sometimes. Dawn and Dusk are times when predators are less active. Its also cooler at those times which cuts down on energy needs and those bugs in the summer. Since babies are the most vulnerable, so they stick close to thier mothers for the first year, follow them in the Dawn/Dusk routine, and copy it (or know instinctually) for the rest of thier lives.

Answer 3

1. Deer browse, not graze. That is, they eat twigs, plant tips, etc. rather than grass.

2. Deer are crepuscular around humans. That is, they are active at dawn and dusk. This helps them to avoid predators and hunters. Deer in wilder places are more diurnal (daytime active).

3. During their 'down times', they pretty much sleep.

4. Feeding wild animals regularly is a really bad idea in the long run. An occasional feeding is not a great idea, but putting food out can train them to come and to not be afraid of people.

Answer 4

I wasnt sure why either so I looked it up. Deer come out at dawn and dusk because there is less danger from predators then.

Answer 5

The same thing they do every day, pinky. Try to take over the world.