Winter rye use during the winter

[bueller]

I got up to my place this past weekend and as expected found zero use of my rye plot. There are tracks going across but no signs of feeding through the snow, which is only 5-6" deep. The deer by me simply do not dig through snow for rye. It's been this way for as long as I've planted it. Even for gun season in November if we get a couple inches of snow before hand the plot turns off.

I really don't mind because I'd rather the deer spend the winter browsing on someone else's trees and shrubs instead of mine. As soon as the snow melts and spots begin to open up in the plot the deer will be all over it again.

Do your deer use winter rye during the winter?

 

[Barndog56]

This fall was my first planting of winter rye and there hasn't been any use of it. Just walked my plot yesterday. Had to dig thru the snow with my boot to check it and it's still nice and green. They are walking right thru to get to my turnips.

 

[bueller]

Mine gets hammered from the time I plant it until it gets covered with snow. Like yours it stays green under the snowpack just waiting for early spring when it gets hammered again. Once it starts reaching for the sky in the spring usage drops off.

Like you when I plant turnips they will dig for them, but not the rye.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Ours has been getting hit since October and it still is. It's right next to our brassica plot & it looks like they go back and forth - eating from both. At least they're hanging around and using them.

 

[sandbur]

Brassica is ignored and rye gets some use. they like corn and alfalfa for now.

 

[Bluecollaroutdoors]

They are pawing through snow to get to a crappy alfalfa field, whatver green is mixed in with marsh grass and some hemlock I cut down.

Late December my dad had a fawn pawing through my 10 yard by 10 yard rye plot. Tracks showed it was not the only one. No brassicas by me this year.

 

[scott44]

Mine gets hit all winter, this was taken just before Christmas.

 

[Tree Spud]

I got up to my place this past weekend and as expected found zero use of my rye plot. There are tracks going across but no signs of feeding through the snow, which is only 5-6" deep. The deer by me simply do not dig through snow for rye. It's been this way for as long as I've planted it. Even for gun season in November if we get a couple inches of snow before hand the plot turns off.

I really don't mind because I'd rather the deer spend the winter browsing on someone else's trees and shrubs instead of mine. As soon as the snow melts and spots begin to open up in the plot the deer will be all over it again.

Do your deer use winter rye during the winter?

What you are seeing now is dispersal of deer because of mother nature. Snow, lack of green, limited browse, ag fields being harvested will cause the deer to move to areas where they can limit movement (conserve energy)) and find protective cover (thermal bedding).

There are many who post about "deer digging through snow, ice, etc to get to rye, beets, turnips, etc". The reality is that deer will move were they can spend the least amount of energy to get at a nearby food source that has some reliability as they adjust to the change in weather conditions. A Heavy snow amd 3-4 days of really cpld freeze can cause them to move ... they need to eat.

Right now with the accelerated thawing conditions and lots of snow melting covering up ground food, they may be looking for above ground browse.

As a general rule, WR is great when you have thawing conditions allowing rye to be exposed and green up. people post pics of digging in snow, I can too, but this is really just supplemental, not primary food.

The other rule of thumb is that if there are other better sources of food, deer will move ... Hinge cut a few trees and you will be amazed at 2-3 days of deer activity and the top of the tree on the ground ...

 

[Peplin Creek]

Yeah I have two grain plots (oats and wheat, the other rye and oats) about 200 yards away from my turnip radish and Winfred plot. I have Spartan cell came over them. We have had over a foot of snow on plots and I would swear up and down that the deer have left the property because they aren't in those plots. I checked my brassica plot that I listed above and it's been crushed almost everyday.

I would say that even my clover plots have more use than my rye plots but it's not by much. I will still continue to plant rye plots though...For some reason they seem to be my best draw right when the rut starts. I can have deer in my clover plots up until the last week of oct. Then all of a sudden they really aren't used for 2-3 weeks and they hit them hard again until snow. Where as the grain plots seem to be great right away when they are planted, die off when the acorns drop and then that last week of oct into November, deer flood those plots bring in the cruising bucks.

So it seems to me that once the snow hits the ground their diet changes pretty quick and I am sure that's a survival instinct of some sort.

 

[bueller]

What you are seeing now is dispersal of deer because of mother nature. Snow, lack of green, limited browse, ag fields being harvested will cause the deer to move to areas where they can limit movement (conserve energy)) and find protective cover (thermal bedding).

There are many who post about "deer digging through snow, ice, etc to get to rye, beets, turnips, etc". The reality is that deer will move were they can spend the least amount of energy to get at a nearby food source that has some reliability as they adjust to the change in weather conditions. A Heavy snow amd 3-4 days of really cpld freeze can cause them to move ... they need to eat.

Right now with the accelerated thawing conditions and lots of snow melting covering up ground food, they may be looking for above ground browse.

As a general rule, WR is great when you have thawing conditions allowing rye to be exposed and green up. people post pics of digging in snow, I can too, but this is really just supplemental, not primary food.

The other rule of thumb is that if there are other better sources of food, deer will move ... Hinge cut a few trees and you will be amazed at 2-3 days of deer activity and the top of the tree on the ground ...

I understand what you are saying but the deer are still here, just not digging for the rye. We've had no new snow for some time now yet I have fresh and old tracks throughout. Not a single spot in the rye where they have dug since the snow fell weeks ago. I'm sure if I check my hazelnuts, oaks, and sumacs I'd find browsing. I do every winter. As I said before, I'm actually pleased that the deer aren't spending a bunch of time on my plots and therefore browsing the heck out of my trees and shrubs along the edges and in the nearby bedding.

I find the variety of winter rye use during the winter that we all see interesting. Just like how some deer won't touch turnips while others devour them. And some deer don't bother white pines while others eat every one they find. Sometimes I think we are spinning our wheels trying to explain why the deer do or don't do certain things in certain areas. Best practice seems to be to pay close attention to what YOUR deer do and work off that to meet YOUR goals on YOUR properties.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

The deer on my land pretty much moved on. Prior to the holiday hunt, I had deer in my plots for day and night. I went up this past weekend, there were random tracks crossing my land, but no digging in the clover, rye, or turnip/radish plots. But I think they have wiped out all of my white pines I planted last year. I didn't get a chance to cut any trees down, because my heater wasn't working, so that was my main focus.


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[S.T.Fanatic]

I planted a plot of oats,rye, and peas this past fall. In hind sight I planted it a couple of weeks to early. (first attempt with cereals) That plot got absolutely hammered. unfortunately it was by a heard of black angus that escaped the neighbors property. I checked it the other day and there has been little to no use this winter (little snow cover)

I have two soybean plots the deer wiped out by christmas that I over seeded with rye as the leaves were turning. The rye was short in these plots but a good carpet none the less. Same thing litte to no use.

I was chalking it up to the "learning curve" since I hadn't planted cereals in the past.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I agree, Bueller - post #10. I read guys on here have deer eat all their pines. Our deer don't touch them. Rye works for some - not others. Same with turnips. A lot of our woods are mature - out of browse reach, so maybe that's why we see more winter plot use. I know when we did our logging in 2015, the tops on the ground got KILLED !!! Deer bedded right in those tops and just stood up to eat.

You hit it on the head with conserving energy. If deer can get all they need by travelling no more than 500 yards, why move ??

 

[Tree Spud]

I understand what you are saying but the deer are still here, just not digging for the rye. We've had no new snow for some time now yet I have fresh and old tracks throughout. Not a single spot in the rye where they have dug since the snow fell weeks ago. I'm sure if I check my hazelnuts, oaks, and sumacs I'd find browsing. I do every winter. As I said before, I'm actually pleased that the deer aren't spending a bunch of time on my plots and therefore browsing the heck out of my trees and shrubs along the edges and in the nearby bedding.

I find the variety of winter rye use during the winter that we all see interesting. Just like how some deer won't touch turnips while others devour them. And some deer don't bother white pines while others eat every one they find. Sometimes I think we are spinning our wheels trying to explain why the deer do or don't do certain things in certain areas. Best practice seems to be to pay close attention to what YOUR deer do and work off that to meet YOUR goals on YOUR properties.

Now you are getting it, many come on hear and want concise specific silver bullet answers then are frustrated when they try everything suggested, the deer do not behave as expected. I have multiple food plots, all with WR & turnips. Only one of the plots shows signs of deer digging to get to it and the turnips.

We are dealing with animals in an ecosystem that has constantly changing variables and many behavior influences ...what works today, may not tomorrow ...what works for one, may not work for others ... ;)

.

 

[Peplin Creek]

Now you are getting it, many come on hear and want concise specific silver bullet answers then are frustrated when they try everything suggested, the deer do not behave as expected. I have multiple food plots, all with WR & turnips. Only one of the plots shows signs of deer digging to get to it and the turnips.

We are dealing with animals in an ecosystem that has constantly changing variables and many behavior influences ...what works today, may not tomorrow ...what works for one, may not work for others ... ;)

.

Yeah if we all understood what our deer wanted and when we would all be poor from the taxidermy bills.... am I right?

 

[Tree Spud]

Yeah if we all understood what our deer wanted and when we would all be poor from the taxidermy bills.... am I right?

That's why they call it hunting and not ranching ...