AR Bowhunter

We had a large amount of freezing rain here in Arkansas 5 or 6 years back. The trees, branches an tree tops were laying everywhere. The deer were struggling to get around an there wasn't much for them to eat.We found some deer laying around that did not make it through the storm.

early in

One arrow at a time!

gamehunter1269

man that just straight up suuckss

4TRACKS

You got to feal for the deer when it gets that bad .
Its nature and I believe it may make you a better experienced hunter .
Doesnt matter Deer, bear , fox , human or whatever . If you get soaked and cant find warm shelter to try to dry off and the temps are frigid , you will freeze .
We had an ice storm a few years back , it rained for 3
straight days and it was mid January,
Talk abought a freaky experience, all we herd was branches and tree smashing to the ground.
Sounded like shattered glass . Every thing was froze to the ground .
And no power for 14 days straight ..Realy was an eye opener ,
Still got the generator ready, you never no..[&o]

TJF

Deer will feed on grass and hay butunder stress it isn't enough to survive on. Alfalfais betterthen hay as the deer get more out of it.

Mostdon't feed in the tough times here.A few do but it is more for finding sheds then for the benefit of the deer.

1. The Fish and Game Department here doesn't recommend it and just as soon not see anyone do it.

2. It takes a long time for deer to be able to digest a new food source that is introduced. If they are already stressed when the new food source is introduced... by the time they could digest it effiecentlymost are long dead if stress conditions are that bad. In otherwords the one that would have died without you, more then likely would die with you in a short term sympathy feeding. You might actually be doing more harm then good.It is best if they stay on the same type of food source then introducing a new one in stress conditions.

3. You concentrate them. Deer will travel a long ways to food sources. It is best to keep them spread out. Once they find afeed station under stress conditions, there is a lot of competition which causes more stress.The surrounding area will be overbrowsed due to a higher unnaturalconcentration of deer... meaning less naturalfood that can be digested effiecently. Means more stress.

4. Most have no idea how much the deer need. Unless you are keeping enough food out there everyday so they don't run out... Read the paragragh above. How many can afford that??? We see herds of deer in the hundreds here. One of the guys that baits for sheds generally has 200 - 400 concentrated in a very small area. He quit baitingnow. Got tired of the smell of all the dead deerone spring after a tough winter. He couldn't afford to feed then. Game and Fish Deptartmentgave him a couple bails but recommended he stop baiting them in future years. He listened.

5. Once you start feeding... you shouldn't stop till the following spring. You have conditioned the deer to your feed station. Shutting them off means they have to go back toan" all "natural food sources.Again it takes a long time fordeer to be able to effiencentlydigest a different food source.

6. Diseases. Under stress conditions... diseases are more apt to show up. The deer are weak. Just common sense. Concentrating the deer at a feed station under stress conditions again could cause much more damage thenif they are left along.

There are more but this is getting long.

Troy... I am only talking deer. I am only talking for " my "area. No idea how feeding in the winter effects elk but I imagine elk are grazers verses deer being browsers. Probably a whole different ball game.Our areas are much different and our snow fall is not deep with our wind sweeped open country compared to yours. In no way am I saying you are wrong to do it inyour area for the elk or deer. Here we are better off planting trees to make wind breaks and provide moreshelter in this open country...which we have. The deer will benefit more from that then feeding them.

Tim