Like every other animal, deer need food, water, and cover to survive. Forests that provide these in abundance are good deer habitat and can support many deer before their own health is threatened. Forests with poor soils and few plants on the forest floor are poor deer habitat, and relatively small numbers of deer can further reduce habitat quality. What should you look for to assess the habitat quality of the forests you visit?
Deer need four basic components to survive: shelter/cover, food, space, and water. Deer are generalists preferring transitional habitat between farms, forests, and suburban areas. Forests, shrubs, conifers, and grasslands provide cover and protection from predators. As generalists, deer take advantage of the varied food sources available in different habitat. Farm fields provide high-quality food sources such as grains. Suburban areas provide ornamental plants, gardens, bird seed, and lush lawns. Forests provide nuts, tender new growth, and plants.
Deer diets vary based on the time of year, availability of preferred food sources, and location. For example, striped maple is preferred food for New York deer and less desirable to Pennsylvania deer. The following is a list of preferred deer foods:
Deer biology is very closely linked with habitat quality. Many of the most important factors influencing deer populations—average weight, antler development, age first bred, number of fawns per doe, and fawn mortality—vary with the quality of deer habitat. Equally importantly, these same factors vary with the relationship of the deer population to the carrying capacity of the habitat. Just as average weight and age first bred will be lower in poor habitat than they will be in high-quality habitat, these factors will be lower when population density nears carrying capacity than they are in the same herd when the deer density is lower and well below carrying capacity.
