Here is an anecdotal observation of the differences between native habitat , summer food plots and protein pellet supplementation . This may be unique to my poor soils.
To frame it up I compare my Louisiana farm to my adjoining neighbors farm . Both are about the same size a bit over 1300 acres. Both have been intensively managed for decades. My property is about 70/30 hardwoods to pine while his is 90% hardwood. I'm mostly poor sandy loam while he is mostly red clay. We both do year round food plots and supplemental feed from February till end of August. I have done annual timber thinning for 30+ years. He has done essentially no timber thinning thus his forest land tends to be overstoried with very little understory. Because I thin timber annually when hurricane Laura hit 3 years ago I had profound extensive damage because the wind could whip thru the trees so much easier. I'm convinced a significant % of my deer population got killed in the storm. His damage was much less. He has a higher population of deer than me.As a result I have a giant thick jungle I am still trying to clean up . Both of us are high fenced thus good control over age structure.
Here is what I observed this summer. On my place I saw 1 bachelor group all summer. Hardly saw any bucks at all and no big ones. Very unusual. Rarely saw deer in the food plots even though had great summer production. Does and fawns everywhere but the bucks stayed out of sight. Pellet consumption was almost nonexistent till July. Then it picked up but was only strong for about a month . Cameras on me showed 2 bucks both known that were big...one upper 70's the other maybe 190. A good spattering of 'regular' bucks. My ratio is about 1/1 so I know I have a buck population equal to the number of does I was seeing.
On my neighbors property on any given afternoon we could slip around to his beautiful clover plots and every one held a bachelor group. His deer lived in the clover fields. His pellet consumption high all summer. His herd looked outstanding. At least 12 bucks over 170 with a good showing of 180's and a couple 190. Big fun!
My logic suggests this. I think my bucks mostly fed on native habitat all summer with modest time in the clover, peas etc. Modest pellet consumption. Neighbors deer simply don't have the native browse so they relied heavily on quality plots and pellets. This strongly suggests to me that native habitat...here at least...simply isn't as nutrient dense as planted legumes and protein pellets. On my property it seems unlikely for deer to reach their full potential on native browse yet when nutritional plane is elevated magic happens.
Of course I could be wrong on all this.
To frame it up I compare my Louisiana farm to my adjoining neighbors farm . Both are about the same size a bit over 1300 acres. Both have been intensively managed for decades. My property is about 70/30 hardwoods to pine while his is 90% hardwood. I'm mostly poor sandy loam while he is mostly red clay. We both do year round food plots and supplemental feed from February till end of August. I have done annual timber thinning for 30+ years. He has done essentially no timber thinning thus his forest land tends to be overstoried with very little understory. Because I thin timber annually when hurricane Laura hit 3 years ago I had profound extensive damage because the wind could whip thru the trees so much easier. I'm convinced a significant % of my deer population got killed in the storm. His damage was much less. He has a higher population of deer than me.As a result I have a giant thick jungle I am still trying to clean up . Both of us are high fenced thus good control over age structure.
Here is what I observed this summer. On my place I saw 1 bachelor group all summer. Hardly saw any bucks at all and no big ones. Very unusual. Rarely saw deer in the food plots even though had great summer production. Does and fawns everywhere but the bucks stayed out of sight. Pellet consumption was almost nonexistent till July. Then it picked up but was only strong for about a month . Cameras on me showed 2 bucks both known that were big...one upper 70's the other maybe 190. A good spattering of 'regular' bucks. My ratio is about 1/1 so I know I have a buck population equal to the number of does I was seeing.
On my neighbors property on any given afternoon we could slip around to his beautiful clover plots and every one held a bachelor group. His deer lived in the clover fields. His pellet consumption high all summer. His herd looked outstanding. At least 12 bucks over 170 with a good showing of 180's and a couple 190. Big fun!
My logic suggests this. I think my bucks mostly fed on native habitat all summer with modest time in the clover, peas etc. Modest pellet consumption. Neighbors deer simply don't have the native browse so they relied heavily on quality plots and pellets. This strongly suggests to me that native habitat...here at least...simply isn't as nutrient dense as planted legumes and protein pellets. On my property it seems unlikely for deer to reach their full potential on native browse yet when nutritional plane is elevated magic happens.
Of course I could be wrong on all this.
