Feeding deer

[4wanderingeyes]

Just wondering what you all thoughts are about feeding deer when they are having a rough hard winter with cold, and deep snow. In my area baiting, and feeding deer in small quantities is legal. I know with CWD feer, and other reasons it is best to not feed the deer, but it hard times, if it were legal, would you? What would you feed them? I know they preach corn will bloat and kill them, yet deer eat out of corn fields during the winters. Would it be better to give them grains? Sunflower seeds? Or best not to feed them at all?

Normally I go in the woods and cut a bunch of trees down, or hinge cut trees for them, but this year there is too much snow to even get back into the woods to safely cut trees. I havent been in the woods much to see if deer are even in my woods to even worry about feeding them, as most years they move west a half mile to a farmers field. But I do have some good cover, that they may still be bedding in. I guess my thoughts were if the deer are bedding on my land, I would toss out something for them. If the deer are not bedding, or using my land right now, I would probably not put out any food, so I am not to draw them away from their comfort area for a short term meal.

Thoughts? Especially those from the north that have the deep snow, and cold temps.

 

[willy]

The corn won't hurt them if they have truly been eating it corn regularly for weeks prior. They have the gut flora to digest corn without issues. I am feeding corn to deer on my place as they have for the first time in since ehd hit(2012) cleaned out the plots I have planted for them and we have 18" of snow on the ground. I've cut trees down as well but felt they needed more caloric intake with the weather and snow that's been here since mid Jan. Another reason is my weak heart when I see 4 deer trying to survive gun shots and wanting to help them survive.

 

[Baker]

I get into this debate on this site and others frequently...there is NO harm to feeding deer. I've been feeding deer for decades. There has been literally millions of tons of protein pellets fed to deer and uncountable tons of corn fed with never a reported problem. There have been studies done on supplemental feeding of deer by some of the finest research institute in the country including the Noble Foundation, CKWRC, TWA and others. Never a reported problem . It is only ' theorized' that feeding ' might' cause a problem, yet no research to support this has ever happened.Feed whatever your pocket book and situation support.

Willy's comment on corn is worth considering. Deer do need to develop gut flora if not a part of their regular diet. Build up slowly at first. But corn would be a good choice for the time of year when deer need energy especially in conditions as you describe.

All this from a southern boy where cold means almost freezing and snow is sprayed on a Christmas tree from a can.

 

[MRBB]

my 2 cents
feeding can be fine and or can be a issue
there are many variables
one of the main things I believe is
like feeding anything
if you feed them enough to ALTER there normal feeding habits
, this is where problems can happen, all the more so if you STOP feeding them after they alter there normal habits
in dead of winter this IMO can lead to HUGE issues

as in winter time, they MIGHT wait for more food to come, till it past the point they can leave to go find food
corn can also give deer a false sense of being full, when maybe there not
more a issue in very COLD places! where they might burn more energy than warmer places!


I know many hunting camps and clubs that have put corn out in winter time for decades, and most times its NEVER an issue
but, I have seen it draw deer from far and wide and a LOT of fights break out, injuring many deer, fighting over feed piles!
Gather fighting is a pecking order deal and some what natural, but it also is more enhanced by feeding

the FACT we now have illness's that really were NOT common yrs back
is another issue more so today than yrs back
so what ONCE maybe was OK< then, might NOT be the best idea now

bottom line is, IMO
a little corn being pout out now and then, is different than folks TRYING< to FEED DEER in winter time

all animals I think can BENEFIT from a easy meal now and then, but I don;t think it ever works out as well as planned, when you try feeding them a LOT

mother nature has its own ways of weeding out the sick and old and injured,
feeding maybe alters this and well??
could lead to problems,illnesses that maybe spread due to contact, that comes from corn piles/stations, when higher than normal deer numbers spend too much time next to each other!

 

[H20fwler]

I feed year round.
I have noticed most of the hunting shows filmed in Canada show them feeding corn and hay to shoot over.

 

[Baker]

I feed year round.
I have noticed most of the hunting shows filmed in Canada show them feeding corn and hay to shoot over.

What do you feed ?

 

[Livesintrees]

I take probably 4-5 pound worth of corn and all
Stock sweet feed and “make it rain “ down into the woods up by the house from seasons end up until about 2 weeks from now. Then I’ll get them back on the mineral sites. And I do it with that little amount in three separate spots over an 80 yard area. Let’s a couple different doe groups come together without fighting. And gives them just a little extra during hard months. I will not do this during season. And I do not bait. When it’s done this way by the house they come freely at any time they want and there’s no association with a bait pile that everyone else here uses and spook deer off of.

 

[SD51555]

I don't do it. Can't. Live too far away. Used to partner with a neighbor that did, but he quit it. I think this is a key reason a good late season food plot is so important in the north.

I can't do a damn thing about an extended winter, but I can certainly delay the start of one by having food into December. However, that may not even save bucks who are dead set on a 4am screw party late into the third rut. This means thinking second tier favorites like sorghum, oats, pumpkins, squash, and PTT instead of radishes and beans.

I also try to cut trees as early as possible after gun season to try to get fresh browse outta the sky and on the ground before the deer head out for the winter. They may never use it once it's down (some years they're still around), but perhaps the years after there'll be new browse if I can ever get enough acres of regen going that it can outrun their stomachs.

 

[yoderjac]

Just wondering what you all thoughts are about feeding deer when they are having a rough hard winter with cold, and deep snow. In my area baiting, and feeding deer in small quantities is legal. I know with CWD feer, and other reasons it is best to not feed the deer, but it hard times, if it were legal, would you? What would you feed them? I know they preach corn will bloat and kill them, yet deer eat out of corn fields during the winters. Would it be better to give them grains? Sunflower seeds? Or best not to feed them at all?

Normally I go in the woods and cut a bunch of trees down, or hinge cut trees for them, but this year there is too much snow to even get back into the woods to safely cut trees. I havent been in the woods much to see if deer are even in my woods to even worry about feeding them, as most years they move west a half mile to a farmers field. But I do have some good cover, that they may still be bedding in. I guess my thoughts were if the deer are bedding on my land, I would toss out something for them. If the deer are not bedding, or using my land right now, I would probably not put out any food, so I am not to draw them away from their comfort area for a short term meal.

Thoughts? Especially those from the north that have the deep snow, and cold temps.

Personally, I don't think it is a good practice. When me manipulate habitat in a such a way that it benefits a particular wildlife species in a sustainable way, we are increasing the Biological Carrying Capacity of the land. When we simply provide supplemental food, it is much more temporary in nature. Does it end up allowing more deer to survive than the land can carry? Does it contribute to boom and bust? Does it congregate deer (depending on how it is done) in such a way that increases disease spread?

Maybe there are some special situations where it may have value. It just doesn't seem like a good general practice. I know people do it all the time. I would think long and hard and consult some local professionals before doing it.

Thanks,

jack

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I wouldn’t do it on a regular basis. But when there is 3 feet of snow on the ground, and temps have been below 0 more then above for the last month or so, I would like to help if possible.

 

[weekender21]

I wouldn’t do it on a regular basis. But when there is 3 feet of snow on the ground, and temps have been below 0 more then above for the last month or so, I would like to help if possible.

I definitely don’t have links to peer reviewed articles on the topic but that is the exact time you don’t want to start feeding them from what I’ve read/heard. Whether that’s based on real scientific research or assumptions I can’t confirm. Some “experts” claim in the wrong scenario, like yours above, it can even kill a deer.

It’s been mentioned already but at least in theory they require several weeks of a “new food” before it helps them more than it hurts. For this reason, feeding them well in advance of the harsh weather is what’s recommended.

I’ve also read the only real way to benefit deer with a supplemental feeding program is to feed year round.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Natty Bumppo]

It is my personal belief based on my own experience, that feeding deer, done the wrong way, will do more harm than good. Over the past 18 years or so I have found 4 or 5 younger deer dead in the woods that had huge impacted masses off corn and protein pellets in their stomachs. I think what happens is that baiters, and maybe even well intentioned feeders, begin throwing deer food out suddenly during deer season or once the deep snow hits. To mature deer that have been around and have larger stomachs this probably isn't as harmful. To younger deer that have never been exposed to corn or deer feed this sudden change in diet I think is fatal. There could, of course, be other factors. I have no ag around here at all. So corn is only available when the baiters do their thing.

Feeding deer gradually and slowly and then doing it year round or at least long term throughout the harshest months is probably harmless.

Throwing out a 100 lb. bag of corn all of a sudden when it gets cold and the snow gets deep, IMHO, not a good idea.

 

[TreeDaddy]

to feed or not to feed........

adding this to my timeless debate thread

bill

PS i feed year round....... protein from Jan-August.......corn/soybean Sept-december

 

[H20fwler]

What do you feed ?

Shelled corn

 

[davidhelmly]

to feed or not to feed........

adding this to my timeless debate thread

bill

PS i feed year round....... protein from Jan-August.......corn/soybean Sept-december

Don't blame you TreeDaddy, everyone has their own opinions. I have fed 20-30 tons of protein feed per year on our lease in Ga for the past 12 years and never seen any problems. That being said we are cutting back on the feed budget this year and adding that money to our foodplot budget.

 

[Catscratch]

I just started feeding for the first time a few weeks ago. I'm putting out a couple of cups of homemade mix every night next to the house. It's a mix of corn, sunflower, and protein pellets. I'll be honest... my hope is that some brave yearling buck will wonder close to the house every night and get better than average nutrition for 6yrs and be a trophy, then I'll shoot him from the deck. It's not going to work, but it'll be a fun project. :)

 

[Baker]

In mexico we feed protein pellets year round. We control the population to about what it was prior to when we initiated the feeding program though it has expanded some. Unarguably though we have a far healthier herd that doesn't experience the boom bust times created by the deep droughts the area is prone to. Absolutely we have managed the environment to goals appealing to us...which I think is a common theme with with many.

In La. I feed the stress periods. Again, while the herd has increased from the days when rampant poaching annihilated it, overall the herd is well within what any biologist would call 'effective carrying capacity'. Starting in January I am feeding a combination of 50/50 corn and whole soy beans. { Got a couple of super sacks for free} After green up about late April I will shift to 18% protein pellets and feed that thru Sept. This includes antler growth, fawning, nursing and weaning thru the brutally hot deep south summer. { kind of the opposite of deep snow winters } On net I feed in La. about 5 or 6 months out of the year varying by the intensity of the winter. A program does not have to be year round to be effective!

The deer readily include the supplemental feed in their diet even though there is far more food plot acreage than they can consume. By most metrics our herd is in peak health certainly when compared to the rest of the state. Have we manipulated the habitat to our desires...absolutely. Have we manipulated the environment to anythings detriment.....No! Health of herds go thru long term oscillations as a result of man living on the planet whether we manage for deer and other wildlife or not.

Can supplemental feeding be done poorly...sure but its not rocket science. Any ranchers out there supplementally feed their stock during stress periods? For every deer that had a toxicology issue with a pile of corn countless have benefitted supplemental support especially during stress periods.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

the FACT we now have illness's that really were NOT common yrs back
is another issue more so today than yrs back
so what ONCE maybe was OK< then, might NOT be the best idea now

There is no way to prove this as fact because deer were never tested yrs back. It is also a stretch to state that in todays deer herd disease is common.

 

[Freeborn]

For you northern guys, when significantly changing a deers diet.

https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/documents/winterdeerfeeding.pdf

 

[H20fwler]

Well hell yes I feed em!