Short answer: Whole cottonseed is a high-protein, high-fat supplemental feed that white-tailed deer eat readily and that raccoons and feral hogs tend to pass up. Texas A&M AgriLife points to stress periods (summer, winter and drought) as the main reasons to supplement, and notes that protein feed does the most good while antlers are growing or does are nursing. The caution is gossypol, a natural compound in cottonseed that has hurt antler growth and fertility in deer studies. In Texas, baiting game animals is legal on private land but unlawful on most public land. It is usually sold in bulk, often by the trailer load.
What whole cottonseed is
Whole cottonseed is exactly what it sounds like. It's the fuzzy seed left after a gin pulls the lint off.
The gin usually takes possession of the seed during ginning, stores it, and then either contracts it to a buyer or sells it on the open market. Most of it goes to dairies. In 2023 the U.S. produced 3.68 million tons of cottonseed, and 54% of it was marketed to dairy farmers. Most of the rest was crushed for oil, and a small share was exported (Farm Press, 2024).
Deer feed is a small slice of that market, but in Texas whole cottonseed has long been a go-to supplemental feed for white-tailed deer, according to Dr. Clay Hilton of Texas A&M University-Kingsville (CKWRI, 2020).
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Why deer managers use it
The nutrition
At a 2020 Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI) gathering, Dr. Clay Hilton, a veterinarian at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, compared whole cottonseed with corn:
| Nutrient | Whole cottonseed | Corn |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 23% | 10% |
| Fiber | 17–20% | 7% |
| Fat | 23% | 3% |
Figures as cited by Dr. Clay Hilton, reported by Livestock Weekly and published by CKWRI (2020).
He called it highly digestible, with plenty of fiber to keep the digestive tract working and enough fat to supply energy. By his figures, corn carries less than half the protein.
It mostly feeds the deer
Feeding deer usually means feeding everything else, too. Texas A&M AgriLife's publication on supplemental feeding names wild pigs, raccoons and opossums as the most common nuisance animals at deer feeders.
Cottonseed helps here. A Texas A&M-led study published in Human–Wildlife Interactions (Taylor et al., 2013) found:
- In pens, raccoons ate cottonseed only under severe dietary stress.
- Feral pigs were good at sorting cottonseed out of their feed.
- At feeders in the field, video showed cottonseed was unpalatable to feral pigs and raccoons, while white-tailed deer ate it readily.
AgriLife's publication reaches the same conclusion: cottonseed typically doesn't attract as many nontarget species as corn.
That isn't a guarantee. A separate study (Campbell et al., 2010) documented feral swine visiting cottonseed storage sites and found evidence of gossypol exposure in those hogs. Store cottonseed where hogs can't reach it.
Deer limit themselves
According to Hilton, a CKWRI study found that whitetails will eat up to 40% of their daily diet as whole cottonseed and then self-limit.
When to feed cottonseed to deer
There's no single date on the calendar. The right time depends on what the deer need and what the land is already providing.
Texas A&M AgriLife's Supplemental Feeding of White-Tailed Deer (2016) lays out the logic:
- Stress periods. One main reason to feed is to support deer through summer, winter or drought.
- Protein when it counts. Protein supplementation is "not particularly useful when antlers are not growing or does are not lactating."
- Native forage first. Feed may not be needed when native forage is adequate and hunting isn't allowed.
- Baiting for hunting. If the goal is to draw deer in for hunting, feed shortly before the hunt.
- Texas allows it all year. Many states limit or ban feeding deer, but in Texas deer may be fed year-round.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research at Overton has also noted that many wildlife managers offer whole cottonseed free-choice from late summer through midwinter. That stretch overlaps the breeding season of most native and exotic deer, which matters because of gossypol.
When to stop
No source sets a fixed stop date. The AgriLife guidance ties feeding to need: protein matters most during antler growth and lactation, and feed may be unnecessary when native forage is adequate. The gossypol research below is a further reason to feed it on purpose rather than free-choice indefinitely.
Gossypol: the main caution
Gossypol is a yellow pigment found in the cotton plant, including the seed. Animals with a single stomach, like pigs, are the most sensitive. Ruminants, including cattle, goats and deer, are somewhat more resistant, but they aren't immune (Overton; CKWRI, 2020).
Here's what the deer research shows:
- Fallow bucks (Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Overton). Bucks fed all the whole cottonseed they would eat were compared with bucks fed a cracked corn and soybean meal ration matched for energy and protein. The cottonseed bucks had lower body weight, body condition and plasma testosterone. Their total antler weight averaged about 161 g vs. 336 g, and average antler length 22.2 cm vs. 36.0 cm. The researchers advised caution with self-fed whole cottonseed for deer.
- White-tailed deer. AgriLife's feeding publication notes that one study found the effect less harmful in whitetails than in exotic deer, but still urged caution about large-scale cottonseed feeding. Hilton cited CKWRI work showing deer eliminated 93% of the gossypol from their bodies within five weeks. He acknowledged that what happens with the remaining 7% is not well understood.
Hilton raised a few more concerns:
- Fawns. Young ruminants without a functioning rumen are susceptible to gossypol, so it stands to reason fawns could be too.
- Fertility. In male cattle, goats, fallow deer and red deer, gossypol has been tied to sperm abnormalities and suppressed testosterone. The animal doesn't look sick.
- Uneven loads. Even when a load passes a gossypol test, levels aren't evenly distributed through it, and it isn't known how they change the longer the seed sits.
- Dogs. Hunting dogs have had complications when their feed was top-dressed with cottonseed meal.
None of this means cottonseed is off the table. It means you feed it on purpose, not by default.
Buying, storing and feeding
Buy in bulk. Whole cottonseed generally can't be bought in 25-pound bags. Hilton noted it's typically sold by the trailer load. Some sellers offer 250-pound bags, but the buyer usually fills them.
Plan for labor. Filling feeders by hand is part of the cost.
Storage. Hilton called cottonseed relatively easy to store and relatively weather-resistant. Feral hogs do find storage sites (Campbell et al., above), so keep them out.
Ask about aflatoxin. Seed sold to dairies is tested for it at some gins. A Texas gin marketer told Farm Press, "we test the cottonseed to protect the dairy herd." Ask the seller whether a load has been tested.
Mind disease risk. AgriLife warns that concentrating deer at feeders can spread disease. That includes bluetongue, epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and chronic wasting disease.
Texas rules on baiting and feeding
Texas Parks and Wildlife's 2026–27 Outdoor Annual says it is legal to bait for game animals, nongame animals and upland game birds. The exceptions are wild turkey in the East Zone and migratory game birds. Baiting is unlawful on most public property, so check the rules for any public land you hunt.
Other states set their own rules, and some limit or ban deer feeding. Check with your state wildlife agency before you fill a feeder.
Where to find whole cottonseed
Gins store and market the seed they gin (Farm Press, 2024), so a nearby gin is a logical first call to ask whether it sells whole cottonseed, in what quantities, and when.
Gin listings by area:
- Cotton gins in Jones County, Texas
- Cotton gins in Runnels County, TX
- Cotton gins in Hill County, Texas
- Cotton gins in Lubbock County, TX
- Cotton gins near Lubbock and the South Plains
- Cotton gins in the Texas Panhandle
For the livestock side of cottonseed and other gin byproducts, see Cotton Gin Byproducts for Animal Feed.
Cotton markets, every trading day. Cottonseed value moves with the cotton market. The Cotton Wire brings you that market every trading day. Subscribe to The Cotton Wire
FAQ
When should you feed cottonseed to deer?
Feed it when deer need extra nutrition and native forage falls short. Texas A&M AgriLife points to stress periods such as summer, winter and drought, and notes that protein feed matters most while antlers are growing and does are nursing.
Do deer eat whole cottonseed?
Yes. In Texas A&M field trials, white-tailed deer ate whole cottonseed readily. Hilton cited CKWRI work showing whitetails eat up to 40% of their daily diet as cottonseed before self-limiting.
Do hogs and raccoons eat cottonseed?
Less than they eat corn. A Texas A&M study found cottonseed unpalatable to feral pigs and raccoons at feeders. Feral swine have been documented visiting cottonseed storage sites, though, so store it securely.
Is cottonseed bad for deer?
It can be, in large amounts. Free-choice whole cottonseed reduced antler growth and body condition in fallow bucks because of gossypol. Effects in whitetails appear milder, but researchers still urge caution.
Is it legal to feed cottonseed to deer in Texas?
Texas allows baiting game animals on private land. Baiting is unlawful on most public property. Check TPWD's Outdoor Annual for the current season's rules.
Where do you buy whole cottonseed for deer?
Gins store and market cottonseed, and it is typically sold in bulk, often by the trailer load. Call local gins to ask what they sell and in what quantities.
Sources
- TomeÄek, J. M., and L. A. Redmon. Supplemental Feeding of White-Tailed Deer (RWFM-PU-169). Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Feb 2016: reasons to feed (stress periods), protein timing, deer may be fed year-round in Texas, feed shortly before hunting when baiting, cottonseed and nontarget species, nuisance species at feeders, disease risks. https://mytexas.ag.tamu.edu/publications/supplemental-feeding-of-white-tailed-deer/
- Schreiber, C. "Cottonseed Good Deer Feed, Vet Says More Study Needed." Livestock Weekly, June 11, 2020, published by Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute: Dr. Clay Hilton on nutrient content vs. corn, self-limiting at 40% of diet, 93% gossypol elimination in five weeks, bulk purchasing, storage, fawn and fertility concerns, uneven gossypol in loads, open questions on aflatoxins and ochratoxins. https://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/publications/article/cottonseed-good-deer-feed-vet-says-more-study-needed
- Taylor, B. D., E. Lyons, D. Rollins, C. B. Scott, J. E. Huston, and C. A. Taylor. "Consumption of Whole Cottonseed by White-Tailed Deer and Nontarget Species." Human–Wildlife Interactions 7(1), 2013. https://doi.org/10.26077/gz6n-s948
- Campbell, T. A., S. L. Bullock, D. B. Long, D. G. Hewitt, and M. K. Dowd. "Visitation to Cottonseed Storage Sites by Feral Swine and Evidence of Gossypol Exposure." Human–Wildlife Interactions 4(1), 2010. https://doi.org/10.26076/vsj1-7239
- Brown, C. G., D. A. Neuendorff, A. W. Lewis, and R. D. Randel. "Consuming Whole Cottonseed Affects Growth and Reproduction of Male Cervids." Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Overton: managers feeding whole cottonseed from late summer through midwinter; ruminant vs. nonruminant sensitivity; fallow buck results. https://legacy.research.agrilife.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/article170.pdf
- Shannon, W. "Cottonseed: What do cotton and milk have in common?" Farm Press, Dec 6, 2024: gins take possession of and market cottonseed; 2023 U.S. production 3.68 million tons, 54% to dairies; gin aflatoxin testing. https://www.farmprogress.com/cotton/cottonseed-what-do-cotton-and-milk-have-in-common-
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Outdoor Annual, "Hunting Means and Methods" (valid Sept 1, 2026 – Aug 31, 2027): baiting legal for game animals except East Zone turkey and migratory birds; unlawful on most public property. https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/general-regulations/means-and-methods
