I had the idea of placing some alfalfa hay to attract deer but do not know if they will or can eat it.

Anyone know?

YES ...they eat it ...but cannot live on a strick diet of it , but they do eat it ! They chew on our bails a lot ! HAHAHAHA

I have a field of alfalfa and the deer love it.

I have a mixture of clover, alphalfa, and chicory and it seems that there is always something for them to eat and they eat it bare every winter.

We planted Beets and they cleaned the plot right out and left the clover and chicory for last

They will eat it, but they can't survive on it. They also need an alternate food source.

For wild deer there are a few thing to consider. First thing is the location and local agriculture surounding your area. If there are already a few feilds of alfalfa within a square mile. What forage is already available? What equipment do you have to properly cultivate your field for top nutrition of the deer? There are alot of variables that come into play on what you should plant. Deer will really use an alfalfa field if it is in the right location. They will forage for their other needs if available. You can contact me anytime and I would be more than happy to give you my .02.