feeding deer
01-03-2003, 03:40 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: sandown nh USA
Posts: 40
feeding deer
I have a small herd that comes by every night, do you guys think I should put some feed out, the snow is 16inches deep with another 20 tonight.More on sunday If so what type of bails and should I rope them up on a tree or leave it on top of the snow.after tonight they will be draging there belleys in the snow.Or how about corn??.
01-03-2003, 06:21 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Severn MD USA
Posts: 159
RE: feeding deer
I put corn out (when I have it) for my 6 buddies. We have had one good snow fall here in MD. They are so accustom to where it is that they dug it up. I had three bare spot in my back yard where the dug it up, because they knew where it usually is when its out. I think if you feed them regular that they will find it.
P.S. I put it out the day before the snow fell during the night. They didn't get it by morning, but they had dug it up by the following morning. My wife thinks the tree rats help point them in the right direction and they did the big digging.
P.S. I put it out the day before the snow fell during the night. They didn't get it by morning, but they had dug it up by the following morning. My wife thinks the tree rats help point them in the right direction and they did the big digging.
01-03-2003, 07:17 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Sunapee NH USA
Posts: 41
RE: feeding deer
It is my understanding that feeding deer in the winter is not a good idea, at least in the north where the deer yard up. NH Fish & Game Dept. definately discourges the idea. Apparently the deers metabelism slows down considerably in the winter...and "real" food will mess up the natural process. In addition, it takes them out of their deer yards, which means that they burn more energy. Also, it is a lifetime commitment for you since "once you start, you cannot stop" in that the deer will get used to/dependent upon your feeding them...and the young ones will learn from their mothers to go to your area to get "free food". I will email you an article from F&G.
BTW: nice pics on prior post...typical big-bodied NH.
BTW: nice pics on prior post...typical big-bodied NH.
01-03-2003, 10:27 PM
#4
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Oct 1998
Location: Hughesville, PA USA
Posts: 18,322
RE: feeding deer
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
It is my understanding that feeding deer in the winter is not a good idea, at least in the north where the deer yard up. NH Fish & Game Dept. definately discourges the idea. Apparently the deers metabelism slows down considerably in the winter...and "real" food will mess up the natural process. In addition, it takes them out of their deer yards, which means that they burn more energy. Also, it is a lifetime commitment for you since "once you start, you cannot stop" in that the deer will get used to/dependent upon your feeding them...and the young ones will learn from their mothers to go to your area to get "free food". I will email you an article from F&G.
BTW: nice pics on prior post...typical big-bodied NH.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
Good post,
He's right, it's discouraged.
If you deem it necessary, corn isn't your answer and just any hay won't do. You'll want clover or alphapha. Deer are more likely to bed in grassy hay rather than eat it and like mentioned above, if you start, don't stop.
<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>
<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>
It is my understanding that feeding deer in the winter is not a good idea, at least in the north where the deer yard up. NH Fish & Game Dept. definately discourges the idea. Apparently the deers metabelism slows down considerably in the winter...and "real" food will mess up the natural process. In addition, it takes them out of their deer yards, which means that they burn more energy. Also, it is a lifetime commitment for you since "once you start, you cannot stop" in that the deer will get used to/dependent upon your feeding them...and the young ones will learn from their mothers to go to your area to get "free food". I will email you an article from F&G.
BTW: nice pics on prior post...typical big-bodied NH.
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
Good post,
He's right, it's discouraged.
If you deem it necessary, corn isn't your answer and just any hay won't do. You'll want clover or alphapha. Deer are more likely to bed in grassy hay rather than eat it and like mentioned above, if you start, don't stop.
<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>
<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>
01-04-2003, 04:01 AM
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 15,452
RE: feeding deer
Feeding verses starvation.Hey as a human being with a heart I'm going to feed them.I use goat feed,some corn,roasted soybeans,sorgum and varied grains.I dont use hay cause when it gets wet it molds,not good. Once you start dont stop.You have to dedicate yourself to do it everyday till spring. Worse then letting them starve is to start feeding then stop in the middle of the winter.I cant watch anything starve due to a bad winter.How would you feel if you were hungry and starving? And your neighbors with food refused to help you.I feed all the animals in my back yard.All the garbage that is food I put out in the woods behind my house.The coons,possums,skunks,rabbits, eat it up every night. Even the worms love the potatoe peels. Better then filling up the land fills.So I quess I'm at odds with the game commission on this.I can remember years ago when we had bad winters the PGC would helicopter drop hay.Now I know someone is boing to bring up the CWD issue.Hogwash this disease has been around since creation.It is just in the past several years they decided to check deer.If they would of checked deer 50 years ago they would of found a few cases also.I remember when the pigs in South texas in the mid eighties had a disease and the armadillos and lepersy.Hey nature took care of it.And there both back in large numbers.
01-04-2003, 06:53 AM
#6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: sandown nh USA
Posts: 40
RE: feeding deer
the deer are yarding up here and my nieghbors piece I just want them to be weak when the coyts follow them those coyts walk in there tracks two years ago we had a big kill from all the snow. and last year they handed out more doe tags, well it didnt work the deer around here were reduced to almost nothing 3 deer per sq. I went three weeks before see a deer. I have plenty of oaks in there the deer were eating them noe there eating small white pines stripping the bark..
01-07-2003, 07:51 AM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Adirondack Moutains USA Member since sept/02
Posts: 1,639
RE: feeding deer
I'm with you Cardeer just because the government says don't do it doesn't mean they're right. If you feed the deer atleast you're giving them a chance if you don't feed then what chance do they have. When the government steps in and tells us all that we have to give up our guns I suppose they'll be right about this also???????????<img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle>
01-07-2003, 02:32 PM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW Michigan
Posts: 1,906
RE: feeding deer
Yep Cardeer, I'm going to bring up CWD. Just did a pretty extensive review paper on the subject, and not very comforting. The disease was confined pretty well for 30 years, but within the past 10 has started to rapidly spread eastward.
Not too worried about the deer-human transmission, which has yet to be confirmed. However, there is some evidence that it may be transmitted to sheep and cows. If it mutates, we may end up with our own version of Mad Cow disease. The beef farmers in this country would be devasted---the farmers in the UK have never recovered.
The prion protein is also heat resistant up to about 450 degrees C---remember that water boils at 100. The prions are very resistant and apparently very resilient, with long dormancy periods. With the source of transmission still a mystery, feeding areas are highly discouraged. An infected deer today may transmit a prion to a deer in the same feeding yard 5 years from now---that is a scary thought.
Once CWD gets here, feeding will fuel the spread. And unfortunately, the reintroduction of elk to some Eastern states may have increased the spread of the disease to our region of the country.
Sad part about CWD is we don't have enough case history to logically or statistically compute whether CWD CAN be transmitted to humans. Even worse, most infected deer appear to be healthy for at least 2-3 years after infection. Here in the Northeast, hell we're lucky if we see many 3.5 year old bucks---how are we going to know we're eating contaminated meat??
BUT if you must feed, set out some deer blocks. They're relatively cheap and contain all the inert minerals, vitamins and a good energy source. You can spread out 4-5 in the winter, thereby somewhat de-concentrating the feeding areas. Local hardware/farm supply/Walmart stores should have a few varieties from which to choose.
Try to stay away from corn or hay, unless you can place in a trough-type feeder with a cover to protect from the wetness. If you really want to, you can build one pretty inexpensively with a sheet of 3/4 plywood and handful of 2x4s.
Easiest thing to do is just put out some bird feeders. Trust me, they'll find 'em in the winter <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>.
S&R
Not too worried about the deer-human transmission, which has yet to be confirmed. However, there is some evidence that it may be transmitted to sheep and cows. If it mutates, we may end up with our own version of Mad Cow disease. The beef farmers in this country would be devasted---the farmers in the UK have never recovered.
The prion protein is also heat resistant up to about 450 degrees C---remember that water boils at 100. The prions are very resistant and apparently very resilient, with long dormancy periods. With the source of transmission still a mystery, feeding areas are highly discouraged. An infected deer today may transmit a prion to a deer in the same feeding yard 5 years from now---that is a scary thought.
Once CWD gets here, feeding will fuel the spread. And unfortunately, the reintroduction of elk to some Eastern states may have increased the spread of the disease to our region of the country.
Sad part about CWD is we don't have enough case history to logically or statistically compute whether CWD CAN be transmitted to humans. Even worse, most infected deer appear to be healthy for at least 2-3 years after infection. Here in the Northeast, hell we're lucky if we see many 3.5 year old bucks---how are we going to know we're eating contaminated meat??
BUT if you must feed, set out some deer blocks. They're relatively cheap and contain all the inert minerals, vitamins and a good energy source. You can spread out 4-5 in the winter, thereby somewhat de-concentrating the feeding areas. Local hardware/farm supply/Walmart stores should have a few varieties from which to choose.
Try to stay away from corn or hay, unless you can place in a trough-type feeder with a cover to protect from the wetness. If you really want to, you can build one pretty inexpensively with a sheet of 3/4 plywood and handful of 2x4s.
Easiest thing to do is just put out some bird feeders. Trust me, they'll find 'em in the winter <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>.
S&R
01-07-2003, 06:28 PM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: sandown nh USA
Posts: 40
RE: feeding deer
The way I see it It is no differant then people who plant food plots, this way might even be better, Ill be keeping them alive.the deer cant eat the summer food plots In winter then what do they do starve.are they only programed to eat somebodys alfalfa field? I dont think so, I dont want to feed them yearround just get them though the winter I think Ill go to the agway.