Figure 4. Seasonal variations in the diet of desert mule deer.
| Diet
Nutrition is a critical factor in deer management, whether management objectives call for trophy antlers or high numbers of deer. Mule deer diets center around two vegetative components-forbs and browse. Forbs are annual or perennial broadleaf herbs (“weeds”) and are generally highly preferred when available. Forbs comprise from 20 to 40 percent of the annual diet, especially during spring and summer. The staple of the mule deer’s diet however, is browse (leaves and stems of woody plants). Browse comprises from 40 to 70 percent of the annual diet and is especially important in fall, winter and early spring (Fig.4). |
Table 1. Forage Plants Used by Mule Deer in the Trans-Pecos Region |
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| During droughts browse may contribute up to 90 percent of the annual diet. Grasses generally make up less than 5 percent of the annual diet. Fruits and nuts (acorns, mesquite beans, cacti tunas, etc.) are seasonally important items, as are succulents such as lechugilla and prickly-pear. Common forge plants for different locales are listed in Tables 1 and 2. Deer readily accept most farmed forages (e.g., small grains, alfalfa) and damage to fields can be severe during fall and winter if deer densities are high. |
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