The Seasons Above, a pregnant doe feeds on a lush stand of red and ladino clover. Top right, this buck tests the air for does during the rut. Lower right, deer tend to bed close to feeding sites and seek foods high in fat and carbohydrates during the cold winter months. Right, white-tailed fawns begin eating vegetation at about two weeks.
Spring is the time of plenty for deer.
New succulent plants send out tender shoots every day. Food is abundant even in areas that do not normally provide deer with nutritious food. At this time of year, the woods become a huge salad bar, and deer are able to sample different flowers and plants as they choose. Among the spring favorites in Missouri are wild lettuce, grape vines, trumpet vine, cinquefoil, sweet clover, violets and spring beauty. Most plants offer peak nutrition during spring, and whitetails respond with growth spurts and weight gain.