Recreating a Deer Woods

Elkaddict said:
We are at 35” for this storm and it’s not done. I found 3 fawn jaws last time I was up. Expecting more bad news with snow this deep. Coyotes will have a field day if they can run on top when a crust forms.... Guess that’s life in the north country.
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Ouch! 35 inches in one storm after all the weather the deer have already endured is scary. If the snow stays soft though even the coyotes can't get around. Coyotes and Deer alike are liable to just bed down there and hold tight for a few days. Let's hope you get sun with that 40 degrees; that could get the snow down quickly and with the ground warmed up a little it will be melting from two directions. North Country winters are an up and down ride for sure but I think barring any long cold spells soon, the herd in your area will be fine.

We lucked out here with twelve hours of continuous snow and blowing, it only added up to maybe 6 inches, borderline of even bothering to plow this time of year. It just seemed to be "falling" sideways towards Chummer country; it likely evaporated though before it got there. That would be a long way for snow to travel with only a few feet of elevation. Now if Chummer's property got 35 inches even now that could be trouble as it just doesn't melt there as it does along the lake area.
 
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We only got 3-4" out of that storm. Snow pack is 20" in woods, 12" in fields. Excluding any more snow I am hoping to get out next weekend. I have a tenetative buyer for the new land he wants to walk it when snow is gone. I had a few trees blow down blocking trails so I need to get in there.
 
That is a beautiful sight there Lak. As expected here the snow is melted in half of the fields already. Had a beautiful sight here just a few moments ago. Well over forty-three deer (counted to forty-three and then they started moving on me) were in the alfalfa field and close to the road and just by me slowing down the truck they all ran at once into a huge huddle and then stopped. Then as if directed by a conductor the entire symphony of them simultaneously exploded running in all directions. I get to see the sea of white tails sometimes in the spring like now and I'm sure you have seen it also where there are so many deer in the air at once it looks like they are still and the ground is moving beneath them. I have seen as many as two hundred at once jumping like that but still each time is as exciting and exhilarating as ever, even when there is only fifty or so.
It was quite a moment! Some things just don't get old.
 
Chainsaw said:
That is a beautiful sight there Lak. As expected here the snow is melted in half of the fields already. Had a beautiful sight here just a few moments ago. Well over forty-three deer (counted to forty-three and then they started moving on me) were in the alfalfa field and close to the road and just by me slowing down the truck they all ran at once into a huge huddle and then stopped. Then as if directed by a conductor the entire symphony of them simultaneously exploded running in all directions. I get to see the sea of white tails sometimes in the spring like now and I'm sure you have seen it also where there are so many deer in the air at once it looks like they are still and the ground is moving beneath them. I have seen as many as two hundred at once jumping like that but still each time is as exciting and exhilarating as ever, even when there is only fifty or so.
It was quite a moment! Some things just don't get old.
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I get excited when I see 6 white tails running. My record was before that first bad winter (4-5 years ago) 18 eating apples weekend before deer season.
 
Chummer said:
I get excited when I see 6 white tails running. My record was before that first bad winter (4-5 years ago) 18 eating apples weekend before deer season.
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Chummer, the amount of deer we will see during the green up which is happening now is a once a year deal. If we didn't live here we likely would miss it most years. What happens is as the very first fields green up, seemingly all of the deer come out of the woods to join in on the feast. Thus hundreds of acres worth of deer can be seen concentrated in the few acres of fields. The fields have some green areas while the woods are still snowed in and it is only a small percentage of the fields that are growing. This condition usually lasts from few days to two weeks at the most and then they disburse back into the woods as the snow melts. The really great thing, the important thing is that they are currently afraid of people and cars and are bounding joyously at the slightest intrusion. Some years they are too weak to care and just stand there like you weren't even there. That is not the case this year here.

And the good news for me is I too get excited to see six deer running and if 18 deer are seen the week before hunting season, that too is a grand event. For now though a short drive around the neighborhood at peak deer movement on most days can reveal a hundred or even two hundred deer and this is an excitement level all to it's own.

It is pretty normal for seemingly everyone to get all worked up that wow look how many deer there are, the population is back; in reality in a few weeks about half of these deer will be miles away at or heading to their non-winter homes.
 
Chainsaw said:
Chummer, the amount of deer we will see during the green up which is happening now is a once a year deal. If we didn't live here we likely would miss it most years. What happens is as the very first fields green up, seemingly all of the deer come out of the woods to join in on the feast. Thus hundreds of acres worth of deer can be seen concentrated in the few acres of fields. The fields have some green areas while the woods are still snowed in and it is only a small percentage of the fields that are growing. This condition usually lasts from few days to two weeks at the most and then they disburse back into the woods as the snow melts. The really great thing, the important thing is that they are currently afraid of people and cars and are bounding joyously at the slightest intrusion. Some years they are too weak to care and just stand there like you weren't even there. That is not the case this year here.

And the good news for me is I too get excited to see six deer running and if 18 deer are seen the week before hunting season, that too is a grand event. For now though a short drive around the neighborhood at peak deer movement on most days can reveal a hundred or even two hundred deer and this is an excitement level all to it's own.

It is pretty normal for seemingly everyone to get all worked up that wow look how many deer there are, the population is back; in reality in a few weeks about half of these deer will be miles away at or heading to their non-winter homes.
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Thats exactly whats going on over here in VT too. Groups of deer (Im amazed when I see 8) are coming out to the newly exposed fields and people are posting all over social media about how see, there are tons of deer here in VT now! Im like no, same deer just concentrated, give it a few weeks and they will "disappear".
 
I know what you mean when you say they don't care if you are there. It seems for a month after the snow melts you can get pretty close and they don't move. Even turkey hunting they will feed in the plots when they know I am 30 yards away. They have more important things to worry about than the annoying guy staring at trees in cages.
 
dtabor said:
Thats exactly whats going on over here in VT too. Groups of deer (Im amazed when I see 8) are coming out to the newly exposed fields and people are posting all over social media about how see, there are tons of deer here in VT now! Im like no, same deer just concentrated, give it a few weeks and they will "disappear".
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The reason we see very large numbers besides the deer all focusing on the few fields open is that we are fairly close to Lake Ontario and generally many deer come to this area from many miles away as well as even only two miles away to spend the winter here. Our property is two miles long and on one end in the winter it is rare to see tracks while on the other it is rare not to. So we are right on one of the borders of migrate out for the winter as well as migrate in for the winter. Spring browse surveys can be tricky when checking for population numbers relative to browse being produced because of all of the temporary from away deer.
 
similar to you all - 30" in that last storm. 8-10" expected over the weekend.
I've stayed away from the farm. I put a trial cam in the middle of my fall planted 2 acre rye plot when it thawed in FEB and have not been back. Hoping it didn't' tip over in the thaw. last big snows shut me out again - just as well - no need bouncing them deer around. Will be prepping fields in a month,

ELK - you used rutabagas right? Did you give a source for those seeds? I want to give it a try this year -
 
FH, I get them from Deer Creek Seed. Mix 50/50 with Winfred (also from Deer Creek). These take longer to mature and grow much larger than typical brassicas. I think late June is an ideal planting time in our neck of the woods. Growth and usage is fantastic!
 
Elkaddict said:
FH, I get them from Deer Creek Seed. Mix 50/50 with Winfred (also from Deer Creek). These take longer to mature and grow much larger than typical brassicas. I think late June is an ideal planting time in our neck of the woods. Growth and usage is fantastic!
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Thanks for sharing that with us Elk,
That sounds good to me. I'll give it a try. I like the late June date as there is nothing else that I plant at that time and late June is the earliest I dare to work the fields due to fawns hiding in the plot growth.

Farm hunter and Elk, hope your snow melts quickly. We are really lucking out here. While it's been snowing regularly here, the last couple of weeks haven't added up to more than a foot and right now there is just a couple of inches on the ground. We got our share early this year. Currently the deer are pawing thru the snow on and off all day and feeding in both the Alfalfa field and the rye field mostly.
 
The Deer Creek website looks fantastic. So user friendly and the selection is awesome ! I’ve never ordered from them, but that will probably be changing for this season.
 
Seed and service have been outstanding although where they overlap products, I think Welters is cheaper.
 
Chainsaw said:
Thanks for sharing that with us Elk,
That sounds good to me. I'll give it a try. I like the late June date as there is nothing else that I plant at that time and late June is the earliest I dare to work the fields due to fawns hiding in the plot growth.

Farm hunter and Elk, hope your snow melts quickly. We are really lucking out here. While it's been snowing regularly here, the last couple of weeks haven't added up to more than a foot and right now there is just a couple of inches on the ground. We got our share early this year. Currently the deer are pawing thru the snow on and off all day and feeding in both the Alfalfa field and the rye field mostly.
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You are lucky! Our deer are going to take a major hit here Im thinking. We were warming up with bare fields, seeing multiple deer regularly and then over the past few days have gotten nailed with close to 2' of snow in my area. Bad time of year for the deer to get this type of weather. They are flirting with another nor'easter next week. Cant catch a break.
 
This is shaping up to be the worst March in the 15 years I have been on the hill. Three foot snow pack as of today and a very snowy 15 day forecast. Bye bye to last years fawns and another hit of the reset button. I am ready to check out property in Florida.
 
dtabor said:
You are lucky! Our deer are going to take a major hit here Im thinking. We were warming up with bare fields, seeing multiple deer regularly and then over the past few days have gotten nailed with close to 2' of snow in my area. Bad time of year for the deer to get this type of weather. They are flirting with another nor'easter next week. Cant catch a break.
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Yes we are lucky this year and generally we are just on the outside fringe of any nor'easters usually getting only a few to eight inches; pretty much just a regular day. The deer here have rebounded with these unseasonal thaws. Hopefully the sun will lower the snow quickly in your area as well.
 
wow - that is a lot of snow! Will the deer even fight through to get brassicas in that much snow?

Also 40-50 deer at a time, that is a LOT of deer. My goodness in my area of Ohio if I see 10 I am giddy! We have a lot of deer but they just dont seem to herd up like that.
 
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