here in pa it seems like winter just wont let up with snow pack and friged temps I hope the deer will make it,we havent found any dead as of yet but we really havent seen any in the area that we hunt all the deer seem to be spending most of there time close to roadways and in back yards looking for food,does anyone know how long a deer can go without food before they perish,Im thinking of buying some feed to help them get through this winter,what would be the best food for them,

Deer can take these temperatures provided they have adequate food and shelter. In my neck of the woods, the acorn drop has drastically fallen off from years past and late frost killed off most of the apples for this year. I'm worried somewhat, but this winter really hasn't been all that bad and deer can rough it for several weeks if they have to. They just fall back on foods they don't normally eat - like locust pods and osage oranges.

I don't think you want to start feeding deer unless you're certain they are starving and plan on continuing to feed them - or weaning them back off. I think they'll be fine considering that you're seeing them in back yards. There is plenty of tasty hedges and bird feeders around to sustain them for a while. This weather will break in a week or two. Some deer might die, but I don't think it will destroy the herd.

I saw deer and elk starving in WYoming back in the early 80's and many of them held on for quite some time.