deer feeding

[mrbigtexan]

do deer stay up and eat all night or do they lay down at night and eat at dawn and dusk. i have heard about 12 hour intervals.

[flintlock]

They will feed and move all hours of the day and night...

[CharlieT]

I work at a state prison and am in a tower most of the night lots of time to watch deer the local deer heard typically bed down in the open for a few hours then they are up and feed for 20-30 min then back down for a few hours. A real good book on deer movement is Moon Struck by Jeff Murray. This has tons of usefull info on rut timing, feeding paterns, and general deer info. I reread it every year.

[Mohawk]

I work at a state prison and am in a tower most of the night lots of time to watch deer the local deer heard typically bed down in the open for a few hours then they are up and feed for 20-30 min then back down for a few hours. A real good book on deer movement is Moon Struck by Jeff Murray. This has tons of usefull info on rut timing, feeding paterns, and general deer info. I reread it every year.

   That's pretty much what happens, I think, as a general rule. A Deer's digestive system is healthier when they eat constantly throughout the day and night. It keeps their system motile. Much like a rabbits. The eat for a while, lay down to regurgitate their food, eat that, and then after a while they start browsing again. Only difference is that rabbits eat their fecal pellets, not regurgintation, the way deer do. Deer and rabbits are healthier on this type of feeding, because it "keeps things moving" in their digestive system.