What Eats Deer

There are many different types of deer. Reindeer, elk, caribou, roe deer, and red deer are all just a few of the different breeds. The deer family has too many natural predators and because of so, they’ve adapted for their own survival. Deer’s are now fast, have amazing senses (good hearing and vision), and their population is doing well considering how many predators they have. With their high skills it makes you wonder what eats deer, and we’re about to find out.

Who’s Skilled Enough to Kill and Eat Deer?

As a deer is highly-skilled to escape their predators. From the vultures perspective, they must either get lucky or be skilled to catch the deer; so who are they? Wolves, coyotes, and other dog-related animals enjoy feasting on deer. It’s not only canines though, you can also find some animals from the feline species eating deer. Bobcats, panthers, mountain lions, and jaguars are a few of these animals (from the cat-like family) that devour deer. Unfortunately for the deer, these aren’t the only predators.

Snakes, anacondas, and crocodiles are a few of the reptiles that prey on deer when they get the chance. The deer is very very high in protein and many animals consider them to be a feast. Aside from all those animals, humans are also predators. Hunting has become a sport and why hunt something easy? Hunters enjoy a skilled opponent, and the deer is exactly that – unless however they want “small game“.

After killing the deer, hunters will usually skin and cook the deer. Deer meat, also known as venison, can be. if cooked well, very tasty. With the possibility that hunters don’t strive for entertainment, their goal is their coat and/or meat. To conclude, the predators of deer are reptiles, the canine and feline family, humans, scavengers, and more!

What Deer Eat

The most popular option for deer is fruit. They’ll eat fruit that have fallen to the floor to get them their energy and satisfy their sweet tooth. However, even though it’s one of their favorite options, they can’t always find fruit to eat and need to expand their choices.

Deer also eat grass, plants, and vegetables! This is a concern for many farmers because their vegetables and grass (that would be meant to feed livestock) end up going to deer’s. Some of these vegetables include wheat, rye, potatoes, beans, and more. With that in mind, a lot of deer also enjoy eating flowers so you shouldn’t be alarmed if you see them in a field of flowers munching.

Where Deer Live

Deer live in so many different places it’s a bit impressive. They can live in mountains, forests, regular plains, and anywhere that has what they need to survive (shelter, food, and water). Deer can be found in many different countries. If you read about what they eat above you can be rest assured that they live somewhere near these resources.


Pro Tip: Read more on the food-web in our Food-Web Archives!