New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
01-13-2007, 10:25 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Findlay, Ohio
Posts: 3,286
New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
I asked this at the end of last winter, but really can't remember what everybody's response was and since we have alot of new folks here I figured I would give it another go around.
Was just curious if any of you guys supplement feed your heard in the winter and spring, or if you bait in the fall. I call what I do supplement feed and not baiting since I live in NW Ohio. Around here it is all corn, beans, and wheat too. I set up a gravity feed stump feeder. The deer hit it real hard in the spring and early summer months as well. The deer would empty it as fastas I could fill it, along withthe coons too. But as I thought would happen, when the corn put on its ears and the beans made there pods theydid not need my feeder at all. IN fact I filled itlate September and did not fill it again until November, and I think most of that was coons and birds. I said supplemental feeding is what I do cause I feel it has no advantage in the fall and I only do it for the deer in my area. I do not feel that what I do is baiting since I never even seen a deer at the feeder during the season.
So this month I am getting ready to set up a nice Moultrie feeder that will dispense with a timer and keep the feed dry, which is a problem I had with the stump feeder. I plan on using a product called deer chow that Reb recommended to me and also putting in soybeans. I read that soybeans have between 40 and 50% protein in them. But you have to mix it with something since they will not eat soybeans by themselves at first.
So lets here it, do any of you do things for the heard in the off season?
Was just curious if any of you guys supplement feed your heard in the winter and spring, or if you bait in the fall. I call what I do supplement feed and not baiting since I live in NW Ohio. Around here it is all corn, beans, and wheat too. I set up a gravity feed stump feeder. The deer hit it real hard in the spring and early summer months as well. The deer would empty it as fastas I could fill it, along withthe coons too. But as I thought would happen, when the corn put on its ears and the beans made there pods theydid not need my feeder at all. IN fact I filled itlate September and did not fill it again until November, and I think most of that was coons and birds. I said supplemental feeding is what I do cause I feel it has no advantage in the fall and I only do it for the deer in my area. I do not feel that what I do is baiting since I never even seen a deer at the feeder during the season.
So this month I am getting ready to set up a nice Moultrie feeder that will dispense with a timer and keep the feed dry, which is a problem I had with the stump feeder. I plan on using a product called deer chow that Reb recommended to me and also putting in soybeans. I read that soybeans have between 40 and 50% protein in them. But you have to mix it with something since they will not eat soybeans by themselves at first.
So lets here it, do any of you do things for the heard in the off season?
01-13-2007, 10:27 AM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: WC FL
Posts: 26,323
RE: New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
Caution Required When Feeding Deer in the Northern United States
Research in the northern United States has shown that rapid changes in the winter diet of nutritionally stressed white–tailed deer can actually kill them. This is particularly a problem with high–protein feeds which the bacteria in the deer’s rumen (stomach) cannot process following prolonged periods of nutritional stress. Therefore, deer can die with a full stomach of high quality feed. This situation can generally be avoided by beginning the feeding program during late fall or early winter before the deer become severely stressed and lose the ability to utilize high protein feeds. Regardless, rapid changes in the winter diet of deer should be avoided.
Research in the northern United States has shown that rapid changes in the winter diet of nutritionally stressed white–tailed deer can actually kill them. This is particularly a problem with high–protein feeds which the bacteria in the deer’s rumen (stomach) cannot process following prolonged periods of nutritional stress. Therefore, deer can die with a full stomach of high quality feed. This situation can generally be avoided by beginning the feeding program during late fall or early winter before the deer become severely stressed and lose the ability to utilize high protein feeds. Regardless, rapid changes in the winter diet of deer should be avoided.
01-13-2007, 11:03 AM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Thomasville, N.C.
Posts: 522
RE: New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
I use my moultrie corn feeder all winter and summer and only turn it off during the bow and gun seasons. I also put out mineral blocks in the spring and summer months and plant a small one acre corn field in front of my stand. I'm alsolooking for a cheap atv disk to pull behind my Honda to plant some oats in the old road beds this august or september for the fall and winter months. I believe you just can't do enough food plot planting. It's expensive and time consuming as well. The automatic corn or feed feeders are the easiest way to get out of a lot of work but deer like to browse on something and it keeps them in place longer too for a shot. Sooo, I don't know what's best. I try different things each year and so far I've been lucky and gotten nice bucks each year. But if I hadn't gotten any bucks at all, I still would plant food plots and feed with the feeder and use my game camera. (camera stays on year round. I want to know when they drop their racks and watch them grow the new ones. The camera makes it all worth it. Can't wait to see each week's pics.)
BBO
BBO
01-13-2007, 01:20 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Findlay, Ohio
Posts: 3,286
RE: New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
ORIGINAL: Rebel Hog
Caution Required When Feeding Deer in the Northern United States
Research in the northern United States has shown that rapid changes in the winter diet of nutritionally stressed white–tailed deer can actually kill them. This is particularly a problem with high–protein feeds which the bacteria in the deer’s rumen (stomach) cannot process following prolonged periods of nutritional stress. Therefore, deer can die with a full stomach of high quality feed. This situation can generally be avoided by beginning the feeding program during late fall or early winter before the deer become severely stressed and lose the ability to utilize high protein feeds. Regardless, rapid changes in the winter diet of deer should be avoided.
Caution Required When Feeding Deer in the Northern United States
Research in the northern United States has shown that rapid changes in the winter diet of nutritionally stressed white–tailed deer can actually kill them. This is particularly a problem with high–protein feeds which the bacteria in the deer’s rumen (stomach) cannot process following prolonged periods of nutritional stress. Therefore, deer can die with a full stomach of high quality feed. This situation can generally be avoided by beginning the feeding program during late fall or early winter before the deer become severely stressed and lose the ability to utilize high protein feeds. Regardless, rapid changes in the winter diet of deer should be avoided.
BuddyBo, I to tried food plots, but they just did not seem to get used much at all if any by the deer. I planted some whitetail institute stuff and it grew nice the first year and the farmer told me he never really seen much in it, and I only seen one deer in it the entire season. Just to much fall feed in my area I think.
I forgot to mention the mineral blocks as well. I put out trace mineral blocks and a cow block too. The trace mineral has enough salt in it, like 95% I think so that is why I do not put out a salt lick. And then the cow block that I buy has alot of calcium and phosphorus in it along with other things too. The deer really tear them up in the early spring and summer!
01-13-2007, 01:32 PM
#6
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: WC FL
Posts: 26,323
RE: New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
ORIGINAL: Hotburn76
Reb, do you think this is more so for the areas that have alot of snow and real harsh winters like Maine, Vermont and the other states in that area.
ORIGINAL: Rebel Hog
Research in the northern United States has shown that rapid changes in the winter diet of nutritionally stressed white–tailed deer can actually kill them. This is particularly a problem with high–protein feeds which the bacteria in the deer’s rumen (stomach) cannot process following prolonged periods of nutritional stress.
Research in the northern United States has shown that rapid changes in the winter diet of nutritionally stressed white–tailed deer can actually kill them. This is particularly a problem with high–protein feeds which the bacteria in the deer’s rumen (stomach) cannot process following prolonged periods of nutritional stress.
I also mix Soybean Meal and Salt (80 to 20%) so they will not consume it to fast!
80% Soybean Meal to 20% Salt!
01-13-2007, 01:46 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: arkansas
Posts: 3,147
RE: New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
Seems like here in Ar. they quit hitting the feeders when the acorns drop. I've read that wet corn can harm them and my pvc type feeders are bad for holding wet grain. Food plots are a problem near where I live as there are more rocks than dirt. I did read of what sounds like a great idea for a grain feeder on Excal forum. You take a 5 gal plastic bucket w/ lid, drillan inch and a halfhole in bottom, take 15" by 1"wood dowel and drill hole 2-3" down from one end to put a couple of nails in. You put dowel thru hole in bucket w/ a little peanut butter on the end, supposedly they learn to nudge the stick to get the grain to fall. Keeps the coons and birds out of it and feed stays dry. I'm going to try a couple, as going and clearing pvc types every time it rains is a major pain and I feel disrupts the deer.
01-13-2007, 01:48 PM
#8
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Western OK
Posts: 856
RE: New Topic... Supplemental feeding?
i feed year around when i am not on the road working. Do not consider this baiting. We never shoot a deer near the feeder or in a food plot. There is no acorn crop this yearand supplemental feeding is important.We fill the feeder with apple flavored corn-the deer love it.The quail and squirrels eat it too.We also have plots of wheat, turnips and winter oats that are grazed heavily by the deer-not enough turnips. The grass on the place is big bluestem-this stuff gets five feet tall. We keep a couple of isolated acres ofit brushogged so it will stay green and tender for deer browse. It turns brown in the fall.
Our place underwent an uncontrolled burn on 17 November, 2005 when a wildfire raced over it. It killed a lot of mature oak trees in places. Now much ofit is coming up in oak brush, sumac, wild plumand green briars.
Our place underwent an uncontrolled burn on 17 November, 2005 when a wildfire raced over it. It killed a lot of mature oak trees in places. Now much ofit is coming up in oak brush, sumac, wild plumand green briars.
