Food plots for feeding deer

[No-Tox]

Here's a good video on how a deer's nutritional diet can have on their growth.

 

[Baker]

Here's a good video on how a deer's nutritional diet can have on their growth.

Amen!

I have followed and filmed numerous bucks from young age till death thru the years watching how climatic conditions, rut recovery, habitat conditions, personality, and age effect their growth. There are differences in the way different various sub species around the country age. There are differences in individual bucks ability to age. Nutrition effects their growth year to year as well as generationally. I once filmed a buck from 4 when he was a beautiful 160 class clean 10 pt till I shot him at 10 as a double drop 15 pt. scoring 205. Perhaps a whole new thread on this. Someday I need to cobble all the video together of growth patterns.

For now here is a buck from 4 - 7 showing growth changes. I didn't give him a chance to get past 7.

 

[Catscratch]

Baker, feel free to cobble together as many growth pattern videos as you want. They will be watched intensely and much appreciated!

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[yoderjac]

Here you go.

https://www.drovers.com/article/chronic-wasting-disease-time-bomb-agriculture

What happens when China starts crossing out states and counties that have CWD, effectively banning Ag exports from the whitetail range?


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I did not see anything in there that is new. In fact it indicates that there is no evidence yet of CWD crossing the species barrier like Mad Cow. That doesn't mean it can't. That has been the dooms-day scenario we all feared from the beginning.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[SD51555]

I did not see anything in there that is new. In fact it indicates that there is no evidence yet of CWD crossing the species barrier like Mad Cow. That doesn't mean it can't. That has been the dooms-day scenario we all feared from the beginning.

Thanks,

Jack

Waste Management won't allow their workers to get near carcasses and watershed managers won't allow dumping in their jurisdictions to keep prions outta the aquifer, I pay attention. This is the quagmire the states are in. On one hand they want us to kill and eat all these animals, and on the other they keep telling us we're one mutation away from extinction.

 

[SD51555]

Banks are still financing construction in Miami, so apparently global warming isn't really a thing. And Jeffery Epstein didn't kill himself.

 

[yoderjac]

Waste Management won't allow their workers to get near carcasses and watershed managers won't allow dumping in their jurisdictions to keep prions outta the aquifer, I pay attention. This is the quagmire the states are in. On one hand they want us to kill and eat all these animals, and on the other they keep telling us we're one mutation away from extinction.

This is the same dilemma we've been in for a while now. No evidence that CWD can jump the species barrier, but a similar disease, BSE has. CJD is the human equivalent. I think it is prudent to take precautions especially with carcasses. Probably the highest risk to humans, if there is one, is eating or contact with bone marrow from a symptomatic deer. The problem is the incubation period for this disease is so long and the disease could be spread from asymptomatic deer. Personally, if I was in a CWD zone, I would probably eat meat from an asymptomatic deer but would not cut bone with a saw like I do now.

The science is not solid yet on how this disease will progress. Taking precautions is just prudent. No baiting, no supplemental feeding, no urine for hunting, no transport of carcasses out of CWD zones, heavy governance of penned deer, are all reasonable precautions. I can also see liberalizing harvest in hot zones, but it is debatable whether this will be effective.

I got very nervous when you talked about a specific strain jumping the species barrier. That is worst of all outcomes. It goes well beyond wildlife management and puts humans at risk. This would be a whole new ball game.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

My worst nightmare, a thread designed to discuss the impact of food plots has devolved into a discussion about CWD. Ugh!

Be patient, Rusty

we will get around to tubes v cages in a page or two

all threads end there eventually

bill

 

[Telemark]

No evidence that CWD can jump the species barrier

Do you mean specifically to humans, or just other species in general. Apparently CWD has been transmitted to other deer species, as well as cattle, pigs, and monkeys.

 

[WeedyJ]

Just lightening things up. I'm just hoping my wife wants new blinds for Christmas

 

[SwampCat]

I only have 400 acres so I realized I cant really manage deer in the sense of planting food plots and growing bigger deer. My best results seem to come from planting a lot of food and attracting as many deer as I can to my property. The more bucks I attract - the more likely I am to attract a couple pretty good sized bucks - right. I went from four does and one fawn on camera surveys in 2013 to 26 does and six fawns this year. I used to be able to grow soybeans for high protein summer plots - but now, the deer eat them up as soon as they emerge from the ground. I utilize durana clover now - and it provides a decent growth all spring and summer - when our southern deer need it the most. While I never thought my small scale would improve the quality of the deer - I am beginning to wonder. I have three almost identical 9 pt, 1.5 yr old bucks. Never seen a 9 pt on my place in 15 years that I thought was a 1.5 yr old deer. I know it could be coincidental - the weather and natural forage conditions just could have been perfect.

I live in south Arkansas - not an area noted for producing quality antlers. This is commercial pine timber country because it is not suitable for ag - But, We are seeing more and more quality antlers. I am not talking about just because people are letting deer age before shooting them - I am comparing same age deer now with same age deer 20 years ago. I dont know if it is the widespread use of food plots, supplemental feeding, long term weather patterns, epi-genetics - or something in the water. But something is changing.

 

[Baker]

I only have 400 acres so I realized I cant really manage deer in the sense of planting food plots and growing bigger deer. My best results seem to come from planting a lot of food and attracting as many deer as I can to my property. The more bucks I attract - the more likely I am to attract a couple pretty good sized bucks - right. I went from four does and one fawn on camera surveys in 2013 to 26 does and six fawns this year. I used to be able to grow soybeans for high protein summer plots - but now, the deer eat them up as soon as they emerge from the ground. I utilize durana clover now - and it provides a decent growth all spring and summer - when our southern deer need it the most. While I never thought my small scale would improve the quality of the deer - I am beginning to wonder. I have three almost identical 9 pt, 1.5 yr old bucks. Never seen a 9 pt on my place in 15 years that I thought was a 1.5 yr old deer. I know it could be coincidental - the weather and natural forage conditions just could have been perfect.

I live in south Arkansas - not an area noted for producing quality antlers. This is commercial pine timber country because it is not suitable for ag - But, We are seeing more and more quality antlers. I am not talking about just because people are letting deer age before shooting them - I am comparing same age deer now with same age deer 20 years ago. I dont know if it is the widespread use of food plots, supplemental feeding, long term weather patterns, epi-genetics - or something in the water. But something is changing.

I think you results are typical for a lot of people around the country. I'm gonna make a bold statement that might cause fever for some. I bet most of the top end bucks taken around the country every year are taken where they eat high quality planted crops most of the year { Be it ag or food plots as deer cant tell the difference! } . You simply don't see many top end deer coming from forested areas where they don't have ag irrespective of how well the forest is managed. There are a few exceptions to this but not many. This excludes South Tx. where the explosion of trophy bucks in recent decades is directly correlated to the explosion in protein supplementation....food plot in a bag.

 

[No-Tox]

I only have 400 acres so I realized I cant really manage deer in the sense of planting food plots and growing bigger deer. My best results seem to come from planting a lot of food and attracting as many deer as I can to my property. The more bucks I attract - the more likely I am to attract a couple pretty good sized bucks - right. I went from four does and one fawn on camera surveys in 2013 to 26 does and six fawns this year. I used to be able to grow soybeans for high protein summer plots - but now, the deer eat them up as soon as they emerge from the ground. I utilize durana clover now - and it provides a decent growth all spring and summer - when our southern deer need it the most. While I never thought my small scale would improve the quality of the deer - I am beginning to wonder. I have three almost identical 9 pt, 1.5 yr old bucks. Never seen a 9 pt on my place in 15 years that I thought was a 1.5 yr old deer. I know it could be coincidental - the weather and natural forage conditions just could have been perfect.

I live in south Arkansas - not an area noted for producing quality antlers. This is commercial pine timber country because it is not suitable for ag - But, We are seeing more and more quality antlers. I am not talking about just because people are letting deer age before shooting them - I am comparing same age deer now with same age deer 20 years ago. I dont know if it is the widespread use of food plots, supplemental feeding, long term weather patterns, epi-genetics - or something in the water. But something is changing.

Don't be fooled. You don't need thousands of acres to be able to grow bigger deer. What you need is a good mix of nutrition, browse and bedding on the acreage you do have. It helps if neighbors are on the same game management plan as you to see the bucks get to their prime but even if not, you still have an impact on the local herd and as you said it gives you a better chance that one of those bucks will be in front of you during the season.

 

[Catscratch]

When Baker says mega bucks come from ag I believe he is mostly right in that closed canopy forests aren't great at producing big nutritional advantages. I feel that diverse plant population grasslands and early successional environments are very capable of providing enough nutrients to grow large antlers though.

I also don't think a person needs large acreage farms to provide the nutrients, but you do need them to provide the age structure.

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[BenAllgood]

While I don't disagree that most of the largest antlered bucks come from ag, I don't believe that is a requirement to grow mega bucks. I'm sure we've all seen first hand or examples of mega bucks that live in places with zero ag. It occurs in places with a developed age structure. And, the natural food is probably good too. There's a place a few miles from my home in south Louisiana that has loads of big bucks. Don't let the high fence fool you though. It's a plant where only part of it is high fenced. The one dead was hit by a car.

 

[Catscratch]

Wow!

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[ksgobbler]

I think people are more selective in harvest than they used to be in many parts of the country. It allows deer to live up to their genetic potential.

 

[WeedyJ]

Wow! Is that a radioactive plant??? I saw what that radiation could do watching those movies in the 60's :-)

 

[IkemanTx]

Not in North Texas. I talked to a TPWD biologist that is taking samples locally and he says closest is up in the panhandle and one area around the hill country.

There are deer in your area that have it. They just haven't tested the right deer yet. It is everywhere and the sky is not falling.

Now that is a blanket statement without any proof.....
If he is in North Texas, which is where I am at, he is a LONG ways from CWD. There have been a total of 6 deer in the state test positive for CWD thus far. One cluster of 3 deer location in the panhandle (near Dalhart TX), and another cluster of 3 in the El Paso area. The dalhart is over 400 miles from here... the El Paso cluster is close to 600 miles away.

CWD isn’t “everywhere”... it is a growing problem that will most likely end up being “everywhere” but it isn’t yet.


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[BenAllgood]

Wow! Is that a radioactive plant??? I saw what that radiation could do watching those movies in the 60's :-)

Ha! No, this is a chemical plant. But, we do have a nuclear plant close by that has some monsters as well.