Deer Have Developed a Taste for Marijuana Plants

If you've ever wondered what happens when wildlife discovers your carefully cultivated cannabis crop, ask any marijuana farmer in the Pacific Northwest. They'll tell you: deer absolutely love weed.

Since cannabis legalization spread across North America, an unexpected problem emerged. Deer, those gentle woodland creatures, turned out to be enthusiastic consumers of marijuana plants. And they're not subtle about it.

The Great Green Buffet

Cannabis growers in states like California, Oregon, and Washington have reported extensive crop damage from deer. The animals seem particularly drawn to young marijuana plants, which are tender and packed with the nutrients deer crave.

Unlike humans, deer don't appear to get high from eating raw cannabis. The psychoactive compound THC needs to be heated (decarboxylated) to produce intoxicating effects. But that hasn't stopped deer from treating legal grow operations like an all-you-can-eat salad bar.

Why Deer Can't Resist

Several factors make cannabis irresistible to deer:

• High nitrogen content in the leaves provides excellent nutrition
• Tender young plants are easy to digest
• Strong smell actually attracts rather than repels them
• Outdoor grows are often in rural areas where deer populations thrive

Some growers have reported deer returning night after night, systematically working through their crops like they're following a meal plan.

The Grower's Dilemma

Protecting cannabis crops from deer has become a genuine agricultural challenge. Traditional deterrents often fail. Deer have been observed pushing through fencing, ignoring motion-activated sprinklers, and showing remarkable persistence in reaching the plants.

One Oregon grower described watching a deer on a trail camera return to his property seventeen nights in a row, each time finding new ways around his defenses.

Commercial operations have invested in tall fencing, guard animals, and even netting systems. But for small-scale home growers, a determined deer can wipe out an entire season's crop in a single night.

Not Just Cannabis

Deer's adventurous palate extends beyond marijuana. They've been documented eating everything from hot peppers to ornamental plants that are supposedly "deer-resistant." Their digestive systems are remarkably adaptable, allowing them to process plants that would sicken other animals.

This dietary flexibility is part of what makes deer such successful survivors. They'll sample almost anything green, and if it doesn't immediately harm them, they'll remember it as a food source.

For cannabis farmers, this adaptability has created an ongoing battle between human ingenuity and deer determination. So far, the deer are winning more often than growers would like to admit.