Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Good to hear 4WE. That log pile is a windbreak most likely, and they like that little spot of calm air. Are they eating anything in that plowed area? Anything exposed for them?
Hungry deer
- Thread starter 4wanderingeyes
- Start date
GMan5465
5 year old buck +
We had a lot of ice and heavy snow bend some trees and break others off. Had to go through and clear all my roads again. It was so thick, you couldn’t really tell it was a road or trail. The benefit was that it put a lot of food down at the deers level. I knocked trees down and cleared about 5 miles of roads with the plow. Heavy tracks on all the roads since the deer are able to move around easily. We have a 25 acre corn field that has been barely touched, assuming it’s because there is still so much easily accessible food in the woods. It’s been a few weeks and there is still a lot of snow on the trees. Can’t see very far in the woods. Hopefully that will help them hide from predators. Plan to go in and drop some aspen in the next couple of weeks.
Brian662
5 year old buck +
This is the second worst winter for snow fall and temperatures we've experienced in my area in the 10 years we've lived here. I am not seeing as much activity on camera, but I'm afraid the deer polished off my standing corn and beans before winter got nasty. Wish I could get my tractor through this snow to clear off a foot or more snow to help them get the brassicas easier.
The good news is the does we harvested last weekend of muzzleoader season all had a nice 1"+ fat cap on their backs, so hopefully they were all in good shape going in.
The good news is the does we harvested last weekend of muzzleoader season all had a nice 1"+ fat cap on their backs, so hopefully they were all in good shape going in.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I was going to buy some deer pellets today, but at $22 per 50 pound bag, I figured I will only draw more in and I will have to keep buying more and more. I may try to get out with the saw tomorrow, but it’s suppose to be a high of 2 tomorrow, and -17 for a low, so I won’t bet on me doing that.
Fair oak
5 year old buck +
Yeah it’s one of those things where you just have to decide if you want feed and count on spending 1000-1200 bucks between now and May or just let Ma nature do her thing. The 50# bags me and a buddy have used in the past were 12-14 bucks. They are now 20-22. I believe they were Sportsmans choice pellets. We always figured about 2-3#s per deer each day so it gets expensive in a hurry when feeding 8-10 deer. With 30” of snow on the ground, I wouldn’t expect to many “new” deer to show up but you might gain a few. For the most part they aren’t moving far I wouldn’t think.
The deer around my property migrate so at least I don’t have to worry about overbrowse and feeding in the winter but if they stayed around I wouldn’t hesitate to drop a couple acres of trees during severe winters. I think that is probably the most realistic approach.
The deer around my property migrate so at least I don’t have to worry about overbrowse and feeding in the winter but if they stayed around I wouldn’t hesitate to drop a couple acres of trees during severe winters. I think that is probably the most realistic approach.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I’m chomping at the bit to get to my land with the chainsaws but wife is due to go into labor any day now so It’ll have to wait
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bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Could ask around for bulk feed from farmers. Soybean meal would be much better than corn.
Used to cut down trees this time of year, so the deer could eat the buds off of them. Cut em all down, chunk up what you can. Then get it in the summer when the ground wasnt a muddy mess. Lived on the north side of a mountain, so spring and winter tractor errands were always a bit exciting.....
Used to cut down trees this time of year, so the deer could eat the buds off of them. Cut em all down, chunk up what you can. Then get it in the summer when the ground wasnt a muddy mess. Lived on the north side of a mountain, so spring and winter tractor errands were always a bit exciting.....
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I decided to not feed them, and it has been so cold and the snow is rather deep yet, so I haven’t dropped any new trees for them. They are looking rather plump yet, so I am not overly concerned. But, I went and bought a new chain saw today, and I plan on breaking it in now that the temps will be in the mid 20’s or warmer during the days for the next 10’days. I will probably get out tomorrow and play with the new saw, and at least drop a dozen or so trees, cutting them up will depend on ease of walking in the woods. I would say there is still 18-24 inches or so.
Fair oak
5 year old buck +
That will be a big help for the deer no doubt about it! They will be all over it. Also easy on the heating bill!
Long ways to go yet this winter but overall it’s been fairly mild. Hoping for a nice March and April! That’s probably my favorite time in the woods. Stay safe and enjoy the new saw!
Long ways to go yet this winter but overall it’s been fairly mild. Hoping for a nice March and April! That’s probably my favorite time in the woods. Stay safe and enjoy the new saw!
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
I think you are located pretty close to me GMan? I live north of Brainerd. We also had such heavy snow here that stuck into the tree tops and bent so many over to the ground.....or broke many branches off as said. I drove my tractor thru about 2 feet of snow to make some trails for the deer. My trail cams show snow up to their bellies....and getting around for them really takes allot of juice out of them. I need to do a little survey on the status of our deer.....but I suspect a 25% winter mortality unless things change pretty quickly. We do have a big warming trend coming right now.....with temps in the 30's for several days. Anything to reduce that snow pack would be huge now. Sunshine is our friend.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
If I still owned a snowmobile I would compact some trails for them around my land, I may need to invest in one for next year.
The daily visitors have thinned out, I now just have a doe and a fawn that is bedding by my log pile. I see those 2 several times a day. About every 2-3 days about 10 more will show up and hang for the day and move on.
The deer have been packing down trails on their own in the woods, luckily we haven’t had any heavy snow falls in a couple weeks to add to it. The deer are still following roads, and plowed driveways for the most part.
I think in my area the herd is doing pretty decent for February , they look plump. While winter is far from over, but realistically after February the sub below 0 temps aren’t very common. We can still get several feet of snow between now and May, and I am sure we will get a couple heavy snow falls yet this winter, but the break in heavy snowfalls the past few weeks, and now temps above 20 for a week or so will help them.
I know me dropping some trees will help my local herd out as well. I am sure that some of the neighbors have been feeding them, since they aren’t very afraid of houses, or people.
The daily visitors have thinned out, I now just have a doe and a fawn that is bedding by my log pile. I see those 2 several times a day. About every 2-3 days about 10 more will show up and hang for the day and move on.
The deer have been packing down trails on their own in the woods, luckily we haven’t had any heavy snow falls in a couple weeks to add to it. The deer are still following roads, and plowed driveways for the most part.
I think in my area the herd is doing pretty decent for February , they look plump. While winter is far from over, but realistically after February the sub below 0 temps aren’t very common. We can still get several feet of snow between now and May, and I am sure we will get a couple heavy snow falls yet this winter, but the break in heavy snowfalls the past few weeks, and now temps above 20 for a week or so will help them.
I know me dropping some trees will help my local herd out as well. I am sure that some of the neighbors have been feeding them, since they aren’t very afraid of houses, or people.
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GMan5465
5 year old buck +
Yep, I’m south of Brainerd. Going to get out this week and start dropping some trees. Need to do some edge feathering and thinning. Went for a long walk yesterday and pulled chips. The deer still look healthy and are using the plowed trails heavily.
cavey
5 year old buck +
The deer are really starting to push out to the roads now, you see them in the woods just off the road ways now night and day - especially day time -- hitting those areas that have been avoided most of the year. They are hungry when they start losing there fear of being around people.
No on the hay. It's worse then corn. My neighbor thought he would help the deer by putting 6 big round bales out for them. He said he found 6 dead bucks in his little field( didn't say how many does) said he couldn't believe they died with all that food. They couldn't adjust to the hay and ended up killing them. If you can cut down some trees so they can browse on the tops.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Our camp isn't feeding deer with hay or any other "placed" food. Our food plots do a pretty good job, along with acorns and whatever natural browse they can get. I only asked about the hay for the benefit of others on here - if they were so inclined to put feed out. I didn't know hay was a bad choice though!!
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I’m feeding, I feed year round.
My little piggies are going through 400 pounds every week to two weeks at each farm.
Doesn’t just benefit the deer EVERYTHING seems to enjoy free food this time of year.
Late spring and summer is when that part of feeding gets slow here. They are hitting everything we have planted then.
My little piggies are going through 400 pounds every week to two weeks at each farm.
Doesn’t just benefit the deer EVERYTHING seems to enjoy free food this time of year.
Late spring and summer is when that part of feeding gets slow here. They are hitting everything we have planted then.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I have 3 food plots, but they are under at least 2 feet of snow. I plowed a path through one of them, but it is so packed down, that they wont be able to dig through it. Although they do use the plowed path a lot for traveling, and there is a few bedding right along side of it, under a wind blown over tree.
It is not just the north country, either. We had an extreme drought last year - Arkansas. I got less than two inches of rain from June 11 through mid October. All the clover in my food plots died - and it did not come back. This is a picture in a 7 acre wheat/clover plot I planted in late October. Clover has not added anything to the forage base - yet. I have seen as many as 35 deer in this food plot at one time in the past month. Our deer would not starve to death - like they might up north - but they sure enough gravitate to the easy feeding when stressed. Typically, most of my bucks lose their antlers early February. Almost all my bucks lost their antlers by mid Jan this year. I have read in the past bucks will drop antlers earlier in the year when stressed.
