How are the deer doing, what are they eating?

[BuckSutherland]

I hunt and own land between Leech Lake and Grand Rapids, MN. Winters of 2013 and 2014, were brutual and killed a lot of deer by us. We have a finally have a great crop of bucks by us, but they are young, and if they can make it to next year there will be more "shooters" than we have had in close to a decade. Snow is maybe 3-6" deep in most of the woods, and temps for December have been very mild after a cold November. Rest of December looks like a cupcake.

Are the bucks done with breeding for the year and starting to recover yet? Are deer already burning fat reserves or is there plenty to eat yet? Are they eating mostly woody browse from here until spring green up? Temps lately are around 25-30 for highs and lows around 10. I think we will be just fine if we can avoid the deep snow. If its a really easy winter we could have some real brusiers next year. Might go scouting after christmas if the ice isnt ready for my house.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

With 6 inches of snow, deer just scrape that away and eat what ever they want. They are still brushing the snow away and eating the green winter rye in my plots.

 

[sandbur]

For good Antler growth and also pregnant doe health, an easy winter and an early spring are important.

I doubt there is much rutting up there after this time of year. I grew up in the same deer zone as you know.


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[BuckSutherland]

One thing I really noticed this year is the way bucks avoid our ground from all the habitat work. If I go down the road on state land I usually had more bucks than does on camera. The habitat down the road isn’t great and our’s is very good for the area. Plenty to eat, browse and hide with great travel corridors. The big guys just don’t tolerate all the intrusion by us and the neighbors and their dogs. I don’t want to mess with food plots anymore. I like clover on our trails but would like to put the plots in grass and mow trails, edges and scrape trees.

 

[sandbur]

Intrusion is not the solution!


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[S.T.Fanatic]

The fields where I hunt didn't get tilled up and the neighbor does no till. That equals several hundred acres of waste grain to pick through. They got on my bean plot heavy and wiped it out in the past 2-3 weeks. (Its between bedding and the un plowed crop fields) If we have a mild winter next year could be exciting.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

You should try staying out of your property after green up this spring and see if it makes a difference.

If you can get a bunch of doe groups to call your place home I'd think that you would bring those bucks in during the rut. Does seem to respond better/quicker to habitat improvements, but bucks seem to spend their time wherever they are least likely to see a human.

 

[H20fwler]

I completely let the deer have the woods from end of April through fall only sneaking in to swap cards out once a month.

 

[Rit]

I completely let the deer have the woods from end of April through fall only sneaking in to swap cards out once a month.

This is my plan every year. But I struggle mightily to stay out. I love to look at the different stages of growth from different projects I did over the winter.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

X-2 with Ben on doe groups setting up shop on your property. Does & yearlings = buck magnets.

 

[JFK52]

A farmer has left up two separate corn fields that total about 10+ acres. I believe he chops this corn as needed during the winter. I have about 5 acres of RR soy beans left from the 8 acres I planted. Two of the smaller fields, 1 and 2 acre respectively, have been entirely eaten by the deer. My dwarf Essex rape is gone as is the winter rye. I have black oil sunflower and Egyptian wheat standing right now. There are some soy beans with pods on 20% of the beans in the RR Eagle Northern managers mix I planted on 4 acres. The deer will eventually find and eat these soy beans. The snow depth started out at 8 inches in Central WI but has melted down to less than 3 inches.
So for the time being, the deer on my land have it good. Ample food sources close by and a lack of deep snow. Each day with these conditions makes it easier for the deer to get through a winter.

 

[PoorSand]

Here is a photo of one of my turnip fields this past weekend.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

This it the first PTT I’ve seen eaten in 3 years. Not sure what the driving factor is but some years they pound them other years they are left untouched.

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[trampledbyturtles]

So far so good here

Dec has been better weather wise than Nov.
Making ice fishing a challenge to find solid ice tho.

Open crop fields an free pickings have deer out 2 hrs before sundown.

Only issue is the deer must of missed the memo I left them. They have munched down all 127 of my spring elderberry planting to sticks. This is with spraying them with plantskyyd in Aug.
Hoping they can get a jump on them next growing season with another year in the ground. Didn't notice any browsing pressure during the growing season.

 

[bowhunternw]

In your neck of the woods you are exactly correct. Woody browse is their only option and living on body fat. The deer always look so terrible in April and May, skeletons with mangy fur coats. I agree with the others though that they should be in decent shape this winter unless we have another relentless late spring.

 

[PoorSand]

There is still an occasional crabapple on trees around here.

 

[Livesintrees]

Deer by me are doing great. Minus the lack of doe population do to a major EHD outbreak last year. Over 20 different bucks on the property with a very very good outlook for next season if they can all make it one more month. They are hitting the natural browse hard. They are using the hinge cuts that I began last year (first year owning the land) and following the travel routes I began laying out to a “T”. Body weights all look excellent with no signs so far of any struggling animals. Have one buck that lost one side but the rest are still holding full racks. Food plot trail is wiped out down to dirt. My immediate plans once season closes is get more light to the food plot trail. Then hinge some larger trees in the bedding area. Once im happy with that I’m gonna get 100 or so Norway’s in the ground in and around ge bedding areas. Other then that it’ll be trail maintenance and cleaning add a small watering hole, and start looking into prepping a site for future Apple trees and chestnuts.

 

[Livesintrees]

This is my hopeful for next year. He’s done well avoiding all the hack job neighbors so far. Fingers crossed as he’s a good buck for my area.

 

[PoorSand]

Nice!

 

[4wanderingeyes]

12 inch plus snowfall for later this week. If it stays cold, and we get more snow that will make it tough on deer if we have a late spring like last year.

So Wisconsin DNR decided giving out 11,000 plus doe tags in my county wasn’t good enough, so they decide to have an extended holiday hunt, and extend bow hunting until the end of January. My observation is deer numbers are down in my land.