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Feeding strategy


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Deer seasons not that far off now . I usually feed a little corn each year and also have a small food plot here and there that usually consist of a hap-hazard mixture of pinto beans , annual rye grass and cowpeas.

With corn @ $10 and rumored to be @ $12 by hunting season,has anyone elses strategy changed or been completely wrecked like mine? If it doesn't rain soon however,i'll be able to simply hunt our stock ponds.

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To be honest, I don't have a clue what I'm going to do. The creek on my lease was still running about two weeks ago. I need to check it again. If it dries up it's going to be rough. Obviously, without some moisture, planting anything is a waste of time and money. I've heard reports from around the west of Waco area of some really nice racks which doesn't make a lot of sense. I've not even put my camera up to see what I've got this year. In February I had some great horns but whether they make it through this weather is going to be a huge question mark. Praying for rain.

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going to be an interesting year thats for dang sure.

was going to ask, anyone know where the CHEAPEST corn is? poor boy here

Me too. The cheapest i've seen is $9 a 40lb bag at Academy but, its due to go up before the season is what i've heard.

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^ Why hunt when one may be able to find plenty of naturally prepared crispy critters without firing a shot?

 

 

^ Yea 'hares' if it were season you might be able to find whole herds of venison in one spot,some already medium well!

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If supplements were not so dang high this year it would be an excellent time to put them to full use with the lack of native food and the acorns that are producing being such a poor quality. It is going to be really rough this year. Most of the deer in our area have went totally nocturnal to avoid the heat. Hopefully with the cooler weather it will turn things around a little. If you can afford the food supplements, they should really pay off this year for sure!!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

If supplements were not so dang high this year it would be an excellent time to put them to full use with the lack of native food and the acorns that are producing being such a poor quality. It is going to be really rough this year. Most of the deer in our area have went totally nocturnal to avoid the heat. Hopefully with the cooler weather it will turn things around a little. If you can afford the food supplements, they should really pay off this year for sure!!!

 

Thanks 'Medman' thats food for thought!

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I was lucky enough to have some rain down in Elkhart earlier this week and got a small food plot in just before it rained. I wasn't going to plant one this year but with the extra dry summer and corn being so dadgum high I couldn't risk not having anything. I will put my camera up here in a couple weeks and start using the feeder alot later than normal and feeding a lot less corn than usual. Whoever gets a deer this season is definitely going to have some luck on their side.

 

With how dry it's been there won't be many acorns or anything really for the deer to eat so I think feeders are going to be a huge plus to anyone who uses them.

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Food plots in extreme drought conditions

 

 

icon_Biologist.pngQUESTION: We are experiencing an extreme drought here in northeast Oklahoma. Our rainfall is well behind normal and our acorns are not producing. I hunt in cattle country where the cows are eating most of the green vegetation. The land owner will allows us to plant food plots but we can not fence out his cows. What can I plant that the deer will eat but not the cattle, if that is possible? I do not have access to any kind of equipment except my ATV and I do not have any implements. Also, how will this kind of drought affect the deer? - Jim

 

11atb_drought.jpg

 

ANSWER: From all I've heard it sounds like you folks in Oklahoma and Texas are having a tough time of it this year. You have my sympathies.

 

Given your constraints, I think it would be difficult to impossible to plant anything that will benefit deer if you can't fence it in. You can't plant anything in a drought; and if it weren't a drought, most anything you plant the cows would eat. I would suggest you ask the landowner to reconsider allowing you to erect feeders and place fences around them. If you put the feeders on bare ground and only fence in a small area - 100 - 200 square feet - I don't see what possible harm that could do to the cows. But it could certainly help the deer. If he does permit it, I would recommend you start small to give the deer a chance to adjust to a new diet.

 

To answer your other question, the drought will affect deer in several ways. Less water means less and less nutritious food. That translates to less healthy deer. Antlers will be smaller than they could be, and some research suggests this phenomenon can carry over into the following year. Body sizes will be less in both sexes and if the drought persists, does will give birth to fewer fawns next year. Deer will also likely experience higher natural mortality from disease, starvation and predation. The best thing you can do is pray for rain.

 

I gave up and filled up a feeder yesterday. I will just have to put it on low output. I also have some pea plants popping up but they sure could use a downpour!

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well i have been feeding all year long and i have some good deer coming by but in the last 3 weeks these #### things have showed up...........

 

 

Been there before. They are great fun for target practice but it sure messes up the deer hunting. They are expensive too when corn is $8-10 a bag.

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  • 3 weeks later...

deer.jpg

I had this guy show up a couple weeks ago. He was a six pointer last year that didn'tshow up until the acorns were gone. I also have a five point, another deer that lost one side of his rack that has 4 on the other and a spike. There are also four does that were around last year as well. This is in Anderson county. But what I have noticed is that they showed up at the feeder really early this year because of the dry summer and very few acorns on the ground. I have more pics of him during the day also but this one is the best cause he's looking at the camera One point is hidden but he is a nice 8.

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well i have been feeding all year long and i have some good deer coming by but in the last 3 weeks these #### things have showed up...........

 

 

By the motion sensor light made by Wildgame Innovations and available at Academy, mount it to your feeder or a nearby tree and go and have some fun. A couple of night hunts and they won't be coming around near as often at night.

 

The light does not spook the deer or hogs or at least that has been my experience.

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