Antler growth protein feed

[catscratch]

So for those of you that do have significant feeding programs.....do you feed in plot areas? Do you see an increase in the pressure on the plot and the surrounding browse?

IF I was to start I would simply make some small DIY feeders and use them simply for trail cam pics. I can't afford the $5k+ I think it would take to implement a full blown feeding program. I can afford some PVC parts for feeders and $100 a month in corn/nuggets. I wouldn't expect to see any real condition change in the deer....

I'm doing pretty much exactly what you are talking about. I haven't spent much money and I'm not going to. They do run out of pellets, but since I'm doing it 100yds from the house I can dump out more every couple of days.

I'm dumping it 20yds beyond the edge of a plot. Trailcam pics show that there are no new deer showing up, just the same old groups as usual. They graze back and forth between the plots and the pile, don't spend a whole lot of time in any one spot but I it appears they spend more time in plots than on the pile. My plots are in route to bean fields. They hit the the plots/piles in the evening, spend the night in the beans, then come through the plots/piles in the morning again on their way to daytime loafing area's. Observations suggest stomach contents would be full of beans/corn/wheat/clover/pellets. I'm also currently observing a ton of deer with their heads down in the pastures (mid morning and early afternoon), native forbs are probably also a large component of their diet right now. With all that said; my program is cheap and certainly a supplement and NOT a feeding program.

 

[DocHolladay]

We have 2 on plot edges and 4 in the woods. They tend to eat in the plots until they get to the feeders or eat at the feeders and move to the plots.


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[Baker]

So for those of you that do have significant feeding programs.....do you feed in plot areas? Do you see an increase in the pressure on the plot and the surrounding browse?

IF I was to start I would simply make some small DIY feeders and use them simply for trail cam pics. I can't afford the $5k+ I think it would take to implement a full blown feeding program. I can afford some PVC parts for feeders and $100 a month in corn/nuggets. I wouldn't expect to see any real condition change in the deer....

Studies have been done in South Texas by the Ceasar Kleburg institute where supplemental feeding is heavily practiced that showed no material difference in grazing pressure on the most preferred forbes or brush species in the vicinity of feeders . I feed in plot areas all around my farm as well as around irrigated oat fields at the ranch. Common to see deer start the afternoon wandering up to a feeder hanging around 10-15 mins then drifting to the fields. Once acclimated deer will visit feeders regularly even if they are by pea or bean fields.

I think your approach is wise. Studies have shown that unless supplemental feeding is on a scale to impact the diet of a significant # of deer the benefits are marginal to nonexistent . There are plenty of ways to benefit deer before supplemental feeding becomes valuable. While I know conventional wisdom is that deer only get a fraction of their diet from plots or supplemental feed I believe a well designed plot and supplemental feeding scheme can meet a significant and impactful part of deers diet making a profound difference,

 

[davidhelmly]

So for those of you that do have significant feeding programs.....do you feed in plot areas? Do you see an increase in the pressure on the plot and the surrounding browse?

IF I was to start I would simply make some small DIY feeders and use them simply for trail cam pics. I can't afford the $5k+ I think it would take to implement a full blown feeding program. I can afford some PVC parts for feeders and $100 a month in corn/nuggets. I wouldn't expect to see any real condition change in the deer....

We have been on a pretty solid feeding program for 10+ years and most all of our feeders are on the edge of plots or not very far from them but all are located where a truck can get to them for easy access.
We feed 18-20% protein from Jan-August with the exception of turkey season which is a little more than a month I believe, we could feed during hunting season as it is legal here in Ga now but choose not to and I can't really see a difference in the use of plots when we are feeding as opposed to when we aren't.
The body weights on our deer have certainly gotten heavier since I got the place in 07 and we have some pretty good bucks every year but I can't tell you like a lot of people do that it's because of the feeding, we have also gone from 4-5 acs of pretty pitiful plots to around 40 acs of almost year round plots and this property also went from a brown it's down gun club that killed 20+ bucks a year to a bow only club that manages for older deer and probably average killing 2-3 bucks a year. That being said I certainly don't think the feed hurts anything but in my mind more acreage in plots and trigger control are the main reasons for our better, heavier deer.
We have a large private property that borders us that does zero feeding but has several hundred acres in plots and is very strict about shooting older deer and very small numbers of them and they routinely have better deer on camera and kill better deer than we do.

 

[MarkDarvin]

This topic is interesting for me. I'm too far away, and don't have the $$ to feed the deer that would congregate if I could be there. Boom and bust in forages are about as bad as can be up by me. A good winter is one where the deer don't die. If they don't die and produce some fawns, it's a great year. If a big buck grows outta that system it's an amazing year.

Winter checks our carrying capacity. Best I can hope for is to delay the start of the lean season with good fall food. This also gives us a huge surplus of native browse in the growing season if you manage for it. I wonder what the browse situation is for guys that are able to bridge the winter stress period.

 

[THE LLC]

Winter stress? What is that? LOL

 

[shawn cox]

Winter stress? What is that? LOL

when deer season is over and you have to wait for it to begin again lol. That's my winter stress

 

[THE LLC]

LOL. That’s what “Habitat Improvement Season” is for.

 

[shawn cox]

LOL. That’s what “Habitat Improvement Season” is for.

for sure. I enjoy it as much as hunting. Just started freshening up old mineral sites and getting some new ones established. I am in process of building 5 new trough feeders that will hold 500 lbs of protein each. I am trying to get a feeder for every 80 acres on our lease now. Also going to make some plots bigger and start working on getting the edges of a lot of our road system tilled up so we can get some more food planted. we will have a total of 15 feeders this spring now on our 1350 acre lease. Oh yes I also am fixing to start trapping the property. Got 6 raccoons off 2 feeders last weekend. More to follow this weekend and then it will be go time for all of the property and my neighbors 900 acre lease to be trapped heavy.

 

[THE LLC]

That’ll get you to at least March 15. Then what?

 

[shawn cox]

That’ll get you to at least March 15. Then what?

Then it’s hog management
Turkey management and kill a bunch of mosquitoes
Then catch some crappie and bass lol
Oh yes and try to catch up on the honey do list


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[THE LLC]

Honey-do list. I forgot about that!

 

[Drycreek]

Coons have been a real problem to me. They climb the legs of my Boss Buck gravity feeder and rake the pellets out where their accomplices eat it up. I’ve discovered a guy that makes different type legs that, although the coons can still climb them, with these offset legs they can’t reach the spouts. Trouble is, he’s changing his design and has none until summer. I’m going to my welder buddy next week and get some made. They won’t be exactly like his, but they’ll work just the same. I only have a 200 lb. feeder here at home because I can fill it anytime I need to. At my lease I have a 300 lb. Banks feeder but I as far as I can tell, the deer haven’t eaten from it yet. It’s only been there since summer so maybe they will take to it soon.......

 

[THE LLC]

Best thing for coons is dog-proof coon traps. Effective and A LOT of fun.

 

[Jack Terpack]

Coons have been a real problem to me. They climb the legs of my Boss Buck gravity feeder and rake the pellets out where their accomplices eat it up. I’ve discovered a guy that makes different type legs that, although the coons can still climb them, with these offset legs they can’t reach the spouts. Trouble is, he’s changing his design and has none until summer. I’m going to my welder buddy next week and get some made. They won’t be exactly like his, but they’ll work just the same. I only have a 200 lb. feeder here at home because I can fill it anytime I need to. At my lease I have a 300 lb. Banks feeder but I as far as I can tell, the deer haven’t eaten from it yet. It’s only been there since summer so maybe they will take to it soon.......

I had the same problem. I took three pieces of 4 inch pvc pipe and cut them about 4 feet long. slid the legs into those and the coons can't climb it. A tree blew over though and totaled that feeder. The new one came with large funnels that slide up over the legs. Same affect.

 

[Drycreek]

I’ve tried the pvc pipe, and it stymied them for a while, but they eventually started climbing them too. I tried Shark Teeth, bloodied their feet, but a coon is relentless. Tried the coon traps, caught one or two and they stopped even taking the cups off the top. I guess the protein was easier to get to, or my coons are smarter than y’all’s coons.

 

[Patrick]

There are a few good mineral supplement brands out there that can make your bucks really pop after a few years, but there's also a lot of fakes companies out there that say their stuff works magic but its 80% salt. I wrote an article about what these companies are selling and what we should actually be using according to a few experts..https://omegaoutdoors.blog/mineralsupplements

A lot of people on here really know what they are talking about so I love seeing what you guys are using.

 

[DocHolladay]

This is the analysis of the mineral I make, minus the vitamin content. I asked for it but they forgot to do it. It has vitamin A, D, and E in it too.

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[THE LLC]

There are a few good mineral supplement brands out there that can make your bucks really pop after a few years, but there's also a lot of fakes companies out there that say their stuff works magic but its 80% salt. I wrote an article about what these companies are selling and what we should actually be using according to a few experts..https://omegaoutdoors.blog/mineralsupplements

A lot of people on here really know what they are talking about so I love seeing what you guys are using.

Where in Georgia are you at?

 

[Baker]

Regarding minerals, I use a course granular mineral from Redmond. Its the exact same mineral quarried from the same mine that Trophy Rock comes from...but at a fraction of the cost. Doesn't have a pic of a big buck nor does it say trophy or giant or any of that stuff. Just same ingredients.

I don't know if mineral supplementation does any good. I've never seen a study supporting benefits. But it gives me another thing to do in the spring, the deer eat it and I feel like I'm contributing. Doesn't cost much.