In fall and winter, the high priority deer foods are evergreen browse, hard and soft mast, herbaceous vegetation, and fungi. Adult deer require 6 to 8 pounds of green food per 100 pounds of body mass daily. Reproductive rates and survival of adverse winter conditions depend on the relative body fat stored during summer and fall feeding. The abundance and quality of summer-fall foods largely govern the reproductive condition of deer. Nutrition, age, and genetics govern antler development.
Antlers emerge in the spring and grow throughout the summer.
Antler rubbing begins in August and ends by mid-October. Breeding activity peaks from late October through December. Antlers are shed from late December to mid-April. Important deer foods by region. Cover Cover varies somewhat depending on the time of year.