Rice Bran for Whitetail Deer – Supplemental Feeding

Question: “My father and I went deer hunting in Mississippi last week and the place we hunted was using rice bran as a deer attractant. The deer loved it and used it heavily! Do you know of anyone in Texas using rice bran as a supplement or bait for deer? Does is offer good nutrition for deer? Supposedly, it is the main ingredient in C’mere Deer and a lot of other powder attractants, such as Acorn Rage. Thanks.”

Response: We have used rice bran for 10 years for deer hunting. Back in the day it was inexpensive, about $4.50 a bag. Now, because it is used in so many commercial deer products, such as the ones you mentioned above, the price has gone through the roof. That said, rice bran offers a high fat content for whitetail deer, which can make for good supplemental nutrition.

Rice bran is difficult to use in most feeders. Over the years, we have found that just opening the bag and layering it about two inches deep right on the ground gets better use by bucks and does. We initially placed the rice bran in small troughs, but the deer did not like the presentation. If it gets wet it will mold. It works great in drier areas, such as deer hunting in Texas, especially South Texas and the Hill Country.

Whitetail bucks will tear rice bran up during and and especially following the rut. The high percentage of fat is exactly what they need after days and nights of endless work. From my experience, does use it more during late winter. Not sure if they prefer the nutrition that rice bran offers at this time because they are pregnant or if it’s just because it’s the dead of winter. Deer also tend to use food plots more at this time, too.

Whitetail deer love rice bran because it is real high in phosphorous. If your deer hunting grounds/habitat are located in a low phosphorous area, then rice bran will be a big deer attractant. Areas with acidic soils tend to have phosphorus. In areas where there is a lot of high phosphorous fertilizer, such as areas where small grains are grown during the fall and winter, it is not as big an attractant for bucks and does.

Rice bran can deteriorate fairly quickly in the environment, so that is a drawback. It can also be difficult to find. It’s better for deer hunting than an actual supplemental feed for deer management, unless it’s readily available and in large supply.