When winter food is a bad thing.

[Bill]

I'm starting to wonder what winter food plots are doing to my native browse and question if maybe it's hurting things.

This particular camera gets pretty consistent pics and with my own observation I can tell the deer using this area right now are about 400% more than spring through fall.

Yea it's great to have deer on my place but if their decimating the natural browse it could be bad.

The hard part is it's not like I can just shoot more deer to take care of the problem. Theses are transients and at green up their on to their normal stomping grounds only to return next winter when I can't hunt them.

The back of this field is starting to look like a feed lot with bare ground.

The boys in the AM

The girls in the PM

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[kl9]

I'd still rather have deer on my property than not... I see your concern though.


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[bueller]

My plots are covered with snow so the deer are no longer feeding on them. I actually prefer it that way so maybe they shift to the nearby farm fields and give my scrub oaks and young pines a chance to reach up out of browse height. They will be back early spring when my rye plots are exposed again.

 

[j-bird]

In your two pics you show more deer than i see in a hunting season - so I don't have that problem. But - yes - a high number of deer can damage your understory - especially if they are doing it outside of hunting season. I would consider backing off the amount of food and target a level where you have them during your hunting season but things are fairly well gone when you season finally closes. This would then force the deer to move on. I realize that isn't ideal but they will quickly wipe out your browse if you don't.

 

[Native Hunter]

It's something to think about, and I wouldn't want to be in a case where there was an overpopulation. But, I also like for them to be around and have a familiarity with a place. It's not a problem here. I'm no where near what the land will support.

Nice pics.

 

[ruskbucks]

I always wondered if food plots in the winter were better or worse for the native browse. I had a DNR forester walk through my land years ago. When he saw my food plots with brassicas, he said that they are good because they take a lot of browsing pressure off the woods. It makes sense, but if you are drawing in a bunch more deer to your land it could increase the browsing. I think this was the case when I planted 300 scotch pines to block the food plot from the road. I think the deer browsed 298 of them.

 

[John-W-WI]

I've had the same problem in the past. A few (5+?) years ago I counted 70 deer on a single field on my farm. We don't see or hold 70 deer from May - November. Probably 1/4 of that number. Much like you are seeing, the neighboring deer moved in for the food, ate everything in sight, and left in the spring.

I don't have the perfect answer, but I backed off on corn and beans, and increased my winter rye planting. If food is available but not plentiful this time of year, I think social pressure keeps them from "piling in". And as soon as the snow melts (unlike your place, we are a couple months away from no snow) the rye greens up for the resident deer to munch on. After that clover keeps them happy until the beans are planted and grow for another season.

One issue I have with this formula is how much snow we will get. If we have a light year like this year, it doesn't take much to keep the locals happy. If we have 4' it takes 2x or 3x as much just to keep the local heard fed and stress levels low. It's a guessing game. Never sure if I get it right but I try.

-John

 

[Bill]

Thanks for the input. I'm headed back next week. Going to take a few walks and try to get a good idea of how bad the buds and woody browse are getting no hit as opposed to the rye and beans. I'm can't imagine there are any beans left.

Snow may be the influencing factor to why the deer numbers are higher this year. Most years the rye is snow covered. I hadn't even considered that until it was mentioned. Like everyone we had a mild fall and the rye was nearly 8 -10 inches tall by the end of November. Hopefully that is what thier targeting.

 

[Bill]

Finally did some walking today. The woody brows is being eaten but not decimated.

Looks like I have enough beans to last into March and maybe beyond. Hopefully we don't get an ice storm.

I get this buck bed. On the edge of some thick hinge cuts, briars and generally a thick mess.

This one puzzles me, between two sorry hinge cuts and out in the open.
Sun is the only reason I can justify one laying here.

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[Bowsnbucks]

Maybe he's just using that open bed for daytime sun. He may bed in a more sheltered place between night time feedings/wanderings ? I see deer beds on sunny, south-facing slopes where they put their back up against a log or brush pile and face the sun to soak up the heat. But the area is usually otherwise fairly open. Easy escape if they have to bolt, I guess.

 

[Buckly]

I think deer prefer to bed in the open, especially when the open area is surrounded by thicker screening cover.

 

[strawhead]

I can't tell you when the last time is that I saw a deer bed in the open in the north woods. Even during breeding faze I don't find beds in the open. I am a little envious.

 

[Bill]

It was close to thicker cover. I think the sun is the ticket.

I can't tell you when the last time is that I saw a deer bed in the open in the north woods. Even during breeding faze I don't find beds in the open. I am a little envious.

No one has set foot here in 3 or 4 years (to my knowledge). I was checking out some old hinge cut areas and making plans for where to locate new ones. I'm sure I kicked him up and he was astonished to see a person.

 

[browndog]

Those beans look like a shed antler magnet!!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

YEP. ^^^^^^ ;)

 

[Bill]

Snow is making it tough to see them. 2 - 4 more inches tonight will make it impossible. :(

 

[bueller]

I find deer beds all the time in the open sedge meadows in my scrub oak/jack pine forest.