They obtain salt by licking the mud and water around cer-tain seeps and springs that have noticeable salt contents. Inmost any area, that has sedimentary rocks as a foundation,these salt springs will appear here and there. Deer have anuncanny way of locating these "licks." The old time huntersalso knew the locations of these licks and many of these oldtimers used them to their advantage by hiding near theseplaces and shooting the deer when they came for salt. Modernsportsmen frown on such methods, regarding them as notquite cricket.
The food that deer eat varies; they satisfy their appetiteswith the vegetation the area has to offer. They arc, however,more of a browser than a grazer. They eat that which is in sea-son. In the early spring, the first green vegetation is grass.They, naturally, eat this grass and become, for the time being,grazers. But, when the buds begin to swell on various treesand shrubs, they browse on these buds. When tender leavesand shoots appear, they eat these leaves and shoots. Duringthe summer months, there is no lack of food; they are able toget all the food they want. They feast in the fall on thebounties of nature's various harvests; it is then that the deerwax fat and build up a reserve against the lean months thatlie ahead. There are still succulent twigs, leaves, dried grass,seeds of various weeds, and many other forms of food thatthey are able to get during the early part of winter. It is inthe dead of winter, when deep snows cover the landscape,that they feel the pangs of hunger. There are storms duringwhich they must yard up in the thick clumps of pine or hem-lock and remain there until the storm lets up. If these stormsare extremely severe, if the snow becomes very deep and ifthey last for a long period, the plight of these animals be-comes extremely critical. The weakest die from starvation;herds have been greatly reduced and even wiped out by ex-posure and lack of food. Back when wolves abounded, thesewere the times when the herds suffered the greatest slaughter.But, even in mid winter, when there are normal snows, deermanage to get along. They will eat bark, bows, and laurel;even hemlock and pine. They will paw the snow from theground and nibble on dead grass, leaves and roots. The strongusually manage to pull through the winter, thus completinganother cycle of their eating habits. It is an interesting factthat the largest of the species are found in the roughestnorthern part of the range; the smallest are in the southernextremity. Further reference will be made to feeding in thechapters on hunting.
