 And every year deer will stand in a haystack and die of starvation. Now why would that be? A deer's winter diet is generally composed primarily of shrubs and other kinds of woody plants. They winter on these kinds of woody plants because they're able to secure high protein feeds. Oftentimes when we try to feed deer we'll go select a cattle feed that is generally lower in protein. Grain-based feeds or grass haze don't have the protein content that a deer really requires to sustain himself through the winter. And so if we feed deer these cattle-based feeds or the cattle-adapted feeds, they'll get their belly full but they're not going to be eating the nutritional quality, not getting the protein that they require to sustain themselves. Now the biologists will tell you not to feed deer. And it's not because they've got a prejudice against deer. They're really trying to encourage the deer to do what it is that a deer is best adapted to do. Stay natural in that natural web of life rather than hanging up in an artificial situation. So the next time you're out and you see deer feeding, enjoy watching them browse. It's a lot more fascinating than watching them eat kibbles from a sack. From the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, I'm Eric Peterson.