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Post by featherduster on Feb 5, 2011 19:15:22 GMT -5
If feeding deer means I might burn in H_ _ L someday, then so be it. I cannot stand by and watch things that bring me enjoyment have to dig through 2' of frozen snow just to get the last few kernels off an old corn cob. I eat beef and I eat deer.
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Post by freedomhunter on Feb 5, 2011 20:15:42 GMT -5
it has never made much sense to me. The only starving deer I have ever seen were in the old days of Brown CO. SP Just never figured I would be doing them a favor by compromising the natural survival skills. I have every chance to feed them but actually enjoy seeing how they adapt to conditions, amazing animals.
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Post by bigrutdog on Feb 5, 2011 20:23:48 GMT -5
I've been feeding deer from the last day of the archery season till around the first week of april for six years now. It's funny you say farmed deer! They are free to leave at any time.. I can't even begin to count how many pics i have of deer feeding on a daily bases that I've never seen in person. Some of these deer/bucks have returned to feed two and three years in a row without ever being seen by me or my hunting neighbors during the hunting season. It's very exciting every January to see what survived and who made it through our long shotgun season again... I will never stop and look forward to running cameras over the feed every year post season
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Post by ridgerunner on Feb 5, 2011 20:29:20 GMT -5
How is the corn I get from my farmer buddies grain bin any different from the picked corn field corn that most deer often switch to in the late season for high carbs and energy?...
I've hunted 25 yrs and come December - March every year the deer are hitting the picked cron fields hot and heavy feeding on corn...I've heard it before about the enymes, and PH, but I don't buy it, here in the midwest deer feed on corn from November up until Spring if they can find it... ( which isn't too awfully hard in the midwest)...I'm callling BS!
I'll keep feeding in January and February, like I have for the past 10 years...
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Post by freedomhunter on Feb 5, 2011 22:00:37 GMT -5
I watched deer this winter walk through picked cornfields to decimate any beans that were left standing in low areas until they were completely gone, imo it is a waste of money to supplement with corn or anything else for that matter, that old doe shows the yarded herd how to survive and they are better for it
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Post by boilermaker on Feb 6, 2011 6:45:11 GMT -5
I can't find the article, but I believe in Colorado the DNR dropped food pellets from the air a few years back to feed the mule deer and elk when there was deep snow. It seems like there are contradicting philosophies from one state to another on herd management.
We feed corn when the snow gets deep. It is generally the same corn that came off of that farm. So what is the difference between the corn under the snow and the corn put on top of the snow for them? I might be adding in some beans next year due to the higher nutritional value.
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Post by raporter on Feb 6, 2011 9:49:17 GMT -5
Pretty sure they feed the elk at Jackson Hole.
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Post by Decatur on Feb 6, 2011 10:24:29 GMT -5
The only thing about out west is that they don't have the crop residue for deer, plus, they usually have a lot more snow than here.
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Post by dsayer on Feb 6, 2011 10:31:50 GMT -5
I can't find the article, but I believe in Colorado the DNR dropped food pellets from the air a few years back to feed the mule deer and elk when there was deep snow. It seems like there are contradicting philosophies from one state to another on herd management. We feed corn when the snow gets deep. It is generally the same corn that came off of that farm. So what is the difference between the corn under the snow and the corn put on top of the snow for them? I might be adding in some beans next year due to the higher nutritional value. The Colorado DOW did do an emergency feeding operations in Jan. 2008. It was a pretty extreme winter at high elevations where snow pack is many feet deep and they expected an "unacceptable level of mortality" if there was no supplemental feeding. The program was successful with I think about 80% survival rate over the winter. However, in subsequent years they have made a point to discourage feeding for the same reasons posted in the original article. I can't find the original DOW article, but here is a short article that mentions the feeding. www.wildlifemanagementpro.com/2008/01/17/emergency-wildlife-feeding-of-deer-and-pronghorn/
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 6, 2011 13:34:28 GMT -5
Congrat's to many of you that are not only deer hunter's but are now much more. Food plot's, mineral supp., food supp., habitat improvement etc. You are steward's of our land. You and many other's will reap your effort's. I also do all the above and have for past 7 year's on our farm. All the wildlife that frequent our farm benefit from it. Not only do we see and harvest larger deer but have more rabbit's,quail,squirrls, bird's and almost any critter you can think of. I take much pride and get endless enjoyment for my effort's. There are alot worse thing's in this world to throw our money at then trying to help out our wildlife.
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Post by racktracker on Feb 6, 2011 23:58:01 GMT -5
It ain't life or death for the deer. I just enjoy watching them.
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Post by muzzyman on Feb 9, 2011 11:01:51 GMT -5
EXTREMELY WELL SAID Boonchaser!
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 15, 2011 10:00:59 GMT -5
Late winter early spring hardest time for deer. Have been seeing deer in yard near house eating anything and everytihing. (Shrubs, grass, fruit bearing tree's etc.) If you do supplemental feed, supplement lick's this is a great time to step up and provide them with a little extra nutrition. Been putting out corn and alfalfa cube's all winter long along with mineral lick's. Deer have been using heavily.
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Post by raporter on Feb 15, 2011 11:32:59 GMT -5
Just got back from the mill with corn and sunflower seeds. Got a shock on the sunflower price. $22.50 for 50# bag. Looks like I will be cutting back on the bird feed.
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 15, 2011 13:16:50 GMT -5
Yea that seem's high. Think last bag I bought on sale was around $10.00.
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Post by Genesis 27:3 on Feb 15, 2011 13:17:17 GMT -5
I have been hunting this farm for the past 7 years. The first three years I did not do any feeding and for my lack of effort I got watch the deer just pass through the property. For the past four years I have been giving supps, planting food plots, leaving corn and beans standing and designated a sanctuary on the property. This year it finally paid off. I had the best season ever on this farm! I got to watch the deer stay on the property and grow in numbers and size. Before, I would have to settle for whatever happened to walk into range, but now my options are a little more open. And I owe it all to feeding the deer...even in the winter.
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 15, 2011 14:20:38 GMT -5
Agree with you. Do all you can to make your property attractive for deer giving them all they want to survive. Give them cover,food and water and they don't have much of a reason to wonder to far off. Take's some time and money but I feel like I get it all back with quality hunting experience's.
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Post by whiteoak on Feb 15, 2011 14:48:21 GMT -5
I put out 2- 5 gallon buckets of corn and put a trail camera in front of it and got over a 1000 pictures of 3 does and 25 turkeys standing there and eating the entire pile in about 3 hours time.
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Post by saltydog on Feb 15, 2011 15:07:03 GMT -5
I too for the last 20 yrs. on the same 125 acers fed not just the deer but other wildlife. I have pics of coons, deer, variety of birds and turkeys and bobcats. Not goin to change a thing. My receipe consist of bird food, corn, acorn rage, lucky buck,trophy rock. have 1000's of pics of the animals listed above.
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Post by scrub-buster on Feb 15, 2011 15:45:03 GMT -5
I put out about 2lbs of corn every day or two in the edge of the back yard for the deer. It isn't enough to draw them in like livestock. It is more like a little snack for the group of does that pass through. A 50 lb bag will last me a few weeks. I only do this during the winter when there isn't much else to eat. We don't have any crops around us. I stop putting it out at the first sign of green in the spring.
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