In this post (which will be added to) I will note some of my observations regarding deer feeding behaviour (foraging resources).
May, 2023
I found a patch under a relatively dense spruce canopy (where light still penetrated because the patch was surrounded by a sparser deciduous riparian grove) with deer feeding signs on water avens (Geum rivale).
I found this observation significant because none of the other plants growing there (yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), celandine (Chelidonium), goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) and possibly others although mostly mosses) had not been touched and only the blossoms of the water avens appeared to have been foraged on leaving the non-blossoming individuals intact.
This could be indicative of selectivity for water avens flowering parts but it is worth noting that the ground cover was very reduced and the water avens stood out conspicuously which would have made it easy for a passing deer to notice (unlike picking them out from a denser, more diverse growth).
I am not certain which deer species (roe deer or red deer) it was because both frequent the area (roe deer both genders, red deer females).
Notes by Ieva 