What should i feed whitetail deer

Productive, high-protein food plots in peas, beans or lab-lab can provide up to 35 percent protein when properly fertilized and are also very palatable, so your deer are able to digest most of the protein and nutrients that they consume.

When planting these annual plots in late spring, be sure to think beyond summer and take advantage of combining some later-maturing grain sorghum, corn, or milo to the plots. These larger-seeded grains can be planted together with the legumes, but I prefer to plant them by themselves in small patches or in strips along the edges of fields.

By keeping them separate, seed production in the grains and leaf production in the legumes can be maximized. By using the grains to border the fields, you also provide cover and edge habitat around your summer plots. Supplemental feed in summer is also extremely important. If you have to pick one time of year to provide your deer with supplemental feed, summer is it.

Be sure that your feeders are accessible by fawns, as they are the most critical deer in your herd to feed. The feed should be as high in protein as you can afford but does not need to exceed 20 percent. Mineral supplements will be utilized regularly during the summer and should be refreshed at least once during this period. One item typically not mentioned when talking about deer nutrition that is extremely important in the summer is water.

Many states experienced record drought and heat waves in the summer of Providing your deer herd with areas to water is important throughout the year, but it's especially critical in the summer. The best way that I've found to achieve this goal is to simply dig or push out a hole in a natural drain.

The hole should be at least 6 feet deep on the "deepest end" and should be built in the early fall so that it can "capture" as much rain as possible prior to summer. If you have extremely porous soils, you may need to line the site with clay or a synthetic liner. Deer will utilize these water holes almost immediately and with great frequency in times of drought. Fall is when bucks are preparing for battles and breeding, does are trying to get in shape for pregnancy and fawns are attempting to put fat on their frames to endure winter.

Overall, every deer in your herd is trying to increase fat stores, and to do that they need "energy. Simply put, energy comes from fats and carbohydrates and is among the most important components of a deer's diet, second only to water.

Energy is required for all bodily functions and physical activity to take place. Carbohydrates and fats are what give whitetails the energy needed to survive, and they can be stored as fat throughout the fall for use during the rut and succeeding winter. Bucks use this fat as stored energy during the rut, when they abandon food sources to chase females. After the fat stores are gone, the buck's body will begin to burn muscle tissue for energy, which weakens the buck significantly going into winter.

Does use the stored fats for energy to hold them through winter and help them in delivering proper nutrients to their developing fetus. Fawns simply need to increase fats so that they do not lose any of the muscle they worked all spring and summer to produce. Mother Nature does a great job providing carbohydrates and fats to deer in the form of acorns and hard mast production -- most of the time. Agriculture in parts of the country also plays a key role in carbohydrate and fat production through grains such as corn and milo and other crops like sunflowers and peanuts.

Food plots, however, often provide the deer with the proper forage in the fall to help digest those carbohydrates more easily and efficiently. Your summer plots will likely remain viable into the early fall and might even produce beans or peas that will be utilized throughout fall. Overall these negatives can be avoided by habitat improvements, doe management, and predator control, ultimately making the benefits far outweighing the negatives. Make an informed decision. Take a walk on your property or hire a deer and habitat biologist to assess whether or not you need to start a feeding program.

A good place to start is a trail camera survey and browse impact study get a grasp of you deer population and its effect on the habitat. Supplemental feeding of deer in the winter can give life, or take it away. It all depends on the area and your situation. Take the time to look into this topic in depth before you start feeding deer in your backyard. You might do more harm than good, or more good than harm. What you think about using molasses. I got spot kinda close to the water source.

If you can get the same spot everyday, carry a plastic coffee can full of corn and acorns in your backpack and spread it near where the deer are coming past.

Once they find it more than once, you can move where you spread it to where you will have a good shot. This has worked great for me. I spread 1 full can every 3 days. I even dropped a few drops of doe urine to make them feel safer. Our game warden informed me of these conditions last year.

I have since changed my winter feeding habits. Great info!!! No no no you need to use Critter Lick. I have been reading articles on wildlife feeding for a while now.

I did not get it until I read this one. I get it. Thank you for the real life perspective. What do you think of feeding roared soy beans.

I want to attract and feed the deer on my property just to watch them. No killing them. Can you tell me briefly the best way to do that? I want to thank you for the article on feeding deer in winter… I probably never would have done it your way which is the right way… It could have been a disaster… Now onto hunting……… I quit hunting quite a few years ago…………… It makes me SICK when I see how people hunt today….

Baiting of animals…. Tree stands…. If someone is not planning to hunt and doesn't have a hunting permit, they are still allowed to use bait to simply view or photograph wildlife A good example of above ground deer feeder - Texas, June 14, Research finds fewer ticks at feeders because the feeders attract other animals such as turkeys and possums that eat the ticks.

With more animals there is more poop that may contain disease agents, so poop should be removed. June 10, If the ordinance goes through, Fish and Game plans to trap and relocate the healthy deer population. This is to acclimate the deer to a natural migration pattern Effects of supplemental feeding on the fecal bacterial communities of Rocky Mountain elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - Plos one, We discerned no significant changes in the population that shifted from natural forage to hay supplementation, or in the populations that changed from one type of hay to another.

Our results suggest that supplementation with alfalfa pellets alters the native gut microbiome of elk, with potential implications for population health Persimmons bear fruit from late August through October An Above Ground Deer Feeder. Hangul is the only surviving breed of red deer and these were once present in thousands across the mountainous range of Kashmir Manchester leaders mulling penalties for feeding wildlife January 12, Connecticut, Hartford Courant.

Near the end of this last rut, Denver sadly lost his mate Shae to Corn Toxicity but their young baby deer Ethan from last year is still with him. Denver is staying close to baby deer Ethan this winter.

When Ethan is old enough to leave his adopted Mom Lana Shae's sister this Spring, he'll likely join his dad Denver to begin learning how to be an adult buck. Feeding deer, individual plates. January 6, About 20, elk are fed on the federally-managed refuge and on 22 state-run feedgrounds in Teton, Sublette and Lincoln counties To help sustain a deer herd through winter, Brownville created a deer pantry where hoofed friends can stop by for a snack.

With daily feedings at 9 a. The state started the project in More News about Feeding Deer. Risk of Inappropriate Feeding. Shae's baby deer, Ethan, is severely ill with Corn Toxicity, a deadly disease that is caused by people feeding deer corn or similar carbohydrates like wheat bread. It is not contagious. An elk was found dead Jan.

The animal died from rumen acidosis A dead deer was recently found in the San Luis Valley with stomach contents containing corn and grain They say someone fed the animals corn to help them during the cold, winter months. But deer don't have the proper bacteria in their gut to digest corn in the middle of winter, so they bloated and died They [the families who feed the deer] just didn't know any better It will not happen when deer are fed from late fall, as their digestive system will remain conditioned to handle the feed Feeding winter wildlife can have deadly consequences February 2, Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror.

Test results revealed the trophy 6-by point bull died of rumen acidosis, a condition caused by the sudden introduction of carbohydrates into the animal's system As the rut nears, bucks shift their focus from feeding to patrolling their territory and waiting for the first does to come into estrus.

Mature bucks are healthy and fat at the beginning of the rut, using their stores of energy to survive the demanding weeks that follow as they chase does, fight with other bucks and remain on the move both day and night.

As the rut winds down and hunting season draws to a close, bucks begin trying to regain some of the body mass that was lost during the stress of the rut. So weight loss can be significant as the demands of the season take their toll. When the rut ends bucks are left depleted going into the leanest time of year.

Most deer managers are more than willing to plant their plots in the spring and summer. The weather is pleasant and the anticipation of the fall hunting season serves as the necessary motivation to plant food plots. These plots are generally maintained through the beginning of the hunting season, but when the bucks are beginning to think about does and hunters are preparing to pursue bucks, food plot maintenance typically dwindles.

With the exception of the brief period of intense energy expenditure during the rut, there is no more stressful time in the life of a whitetail buck than winter.

In northern climates snow covers much of the ground after the end of the rut, making it even more difficult to find food. Already depleted and worn down from breeding activity, bucks face the prospect of surviving the difficult winter months with a limited supply of food. Extremely harsh winters can make it impossible for bucks to gain back the body mass lost during the rut, leading to increased risk of disease or predation or, in some cases, death.

For deer managers, winter is largely ignored. The hunting season has ended, the deer are tagged and processed, and the snow and cold weather have come. In northern regions the days are short and temperatures are low. At that point many deer managers are waiting for spring, looking forward to hunting for shed antlers, planting food plots, and warmer weather.

It is important, however, not to forget about managing your deer herd during the winter months. Bucks that survived the hunting season face the prospect of many difficult months with poor forage and the constant caloric burden of maintaining body heat. This stress can last throughout the winter as deer are constantly trying to catch up, always trying to find enough food to sustain them through these difficult times. During the winter months deer growth rates drop dramatically. In essence, deer are simply surviving the cold months in preparation for spring.

The impact of winter can be affected by your latitude as well. Regardless of your location, whitetail bucks are burning energy and calories during the rut and are entering winter depleted. Ideally, these deer would have a ready food source and would be able to rebuild the fat stores necessary to cope with the stress of winter.

In cold northern climates deer eat to survive, trying to find enough food to keep them alive until the weather turns better.

Supplemental feeding in winter becomes even more essential in areas where deer face extreme cold and lots of precipitation. There are a variety of winter stressors—snow, cold temperatures, and a lack of food. Heavy snows can be deadly to deer herds, as snow makes traveling more difficult at the cost of valuable calories and heavy snows can cover food sources.

Deer that have to navigate through and dig below piled snow are using more calories than deer in areas with little snowfall. When accumulated snow levels reach a point where deer have to expend tremendous energy to find their food there is a serious risk for winter die-off, particularly among bucks that are already depleted.

Antler genesis begins again in the spring as days begin to lengthen and temperatures warm. Additionally, does are giving birth to fawns at the end of winter and are lactating, which also places metabolic strains on deer that may already be depleted from winter.

With bucks, antler growth is secondary to body condition, so if bucks start the spring in a depleted state, full antler growth may not be achieved. If you are serious about deer management it is essential not to neglect the winter. This critical time of year makes a big difference when you are trying to grow big antlers and heavy body weights.