Monitoring the nutritional well-being of free-ranging white-tailed deer has become an essential part of big game management. This study aimed to compare the nutritional value of the main forage species used by white-tailed deer in a microphyllous desert scrub. A bromatological study was conducted in a wildlife conservation unit. Forage samples of the species with the highest relative frequency found in the diet were collected from 10 different random sites. Nutrient concentrations were analyzed using analysis of variance, with comparison of means. All shrubs had high crude protein (CP) values (11.8-15.96 %), while grasses and succulents showed lower values (5.2-6.9 %). All forage species exhibited high crude fiber (CF) values (20.7-34.2 %), which is typical of plants from arid zones. Metabolizable energy (ME) values showed very similar concentrations (2.07-2.59 Mcal/kg). The total nutrient intake in the emulated diet averaged 10.95 % CP, 7.95 % ash, 2.88 % ether extract, 27.41 % FC, as well as 2.28 Mcal/kg ME, and an in vitro dry matter digestibility of 60.46 %. Our data support the hypothesis of an adequate nutritional balance for white-tailed deer in the summer at the study site. In addition, shrubby plants are essential forages to meet the nutritional needs of the white-tailed deer.