Winter Deer Foods

The following is a partial listing of tree and shrub species that are eaten by deer in the winter, arranged in order of quality and preference. This listing is based on thousands of observations in deer wintering areas over many years from all parts of New York State.

Winter Deer Food
Preferred or Best Liked
Cedar, white or arborvitae	Yew	Apple
Sassafras	Mountain maple	Maples*
Wintergreen	Witch hobble	Flowering dogwood
Alternate leaved dogwood	Basswood	Staghorn sumac
Second Choice
Elderberry	Red berried elder	Mountain ash
Highbush cranberry	Highbush blueberry	Willow*
Silky dogwood	Red osier dogwood	Honeysuckle
Nannyberry	Cucumber tree	Hemlock
Wild raisin	Arbutus
Readily Eaten
White ash	Sugar maple	Oaks*
Black birch	Yellow birch	Hickory
American chestnut	Black cherry	Witch hazel
Spicebush	Choke cherry	Elm
Black walnut	Shadbush, Winterberry	Lowbush blueberry
Butternut	Black ash	Hazelnut
Wild grape	Bush honeysuckle	Leatherwood
Starvation or Poor Food
Scotch pine**	Pitch pine**	White pine**
Red pine**	Beech	Aspen or poplar
Mountain laurel**	Rhododendron**	Gray birch
Paper birch	Musclewood (Blue beech)	Ironwood (Hop hornbeam)
Spruces	Alder	Black locust
Grey-stemmed dogwood	Red cedar	Balsam**
Raspberry and blackberry	Sweet fern	Pin cherry
Sheep laurel	Tamarack	Gooseberry (current)*
Buckthorn	Hawthorn

*There is considerable difference in palatability and preference of the different species of this genus.

**This species is often browsed heavily enough to appear to be second choice food in areas where winter food is inadequate.