lfranklin62

this may be a stupid question, but will deer eat from a bale of hay???...i put out shelled corn for deer, it is gone in 2 days, gets expensive....i can buy a bale of hay for 2 bux..but do deer like it and will they eat it at all ???just curious

James B

They will sure eat bales of hay. They live in the haystacks in the winter up here in the North. However at this time of year I suppose it is more available than other sources of feed. I am sure grain will draw them better. Its not legal up here to use feeders or bait of any kind. It is however legal to sit near the Haystacks or even up on top of them.

TeeJay

Better find out if it is leagal to bait with hay. Most states it isnt especially up here in the north

johnch

Yes deer will eat hay.
To get them used to it ,brake up the bale and put some corn on it .
The next bale you should not have to add corn.
Good luck !

IL Rancher

I've unrolled 2000 pound bales during the winter on some sandy ground I have to get some OM built up. The deer come. Seem to like Alfalfa hay more than the Barley hay but they really like the Oat Hay that we had one year. We didn't need to "train" them to eat it with corn, they know all about hay around here.

onebullet

hey tj nice to meet ya- i live near fairmont mn, sounds like our interests are the same(i read profile)
we can feed the deer just cant hunt near where you feed em
deer like pretty much the same thing a cow does -clover- alphalpha-hay-grains-

halcon

My fields are pretty heavy in clover so deer don't seem to bother with grass hay much . They will eat alfalfa hay pretty good though .

Beagle001

deer around here eat it pretty good when snow is on the ground

cardeer

I feed in offseason.I find that the conditioned hay is better,but they go for the grains first.I found that they love roasted soybeans.

Coastie

Before feeding anything, check with the wildlife biologist at your local DNR office for feeds that are appropriate for your area. The enzymes in a deers' digestive system change from season to season and although they may well eat something to fill their stomachs, it may not do them any good. Regional differences in climate and naturally occuring foods will determine what they can benefit from. Also be careful when buying corn for supplemental feeding, if corn is not certified for use for animal feed, it may do more harm than good as in killing any wildlife that eats it. Turkeys are a prime example of wildlife that may be harmed by corn, there are molds that can effect even certified feeds if it is allowed to set too long or get damp and these have killed every Turkey in an area nearly over night.
Now is the time to begin thinking about mineral supplements for the Deer herd, in about six weeks you may wish to begin setting out your mineral licks to help the does with the fawn crop for this year and the bucks with antler development. Many hunters put out the minerals in August and later but that is too late to help with either antlers or healthy does and fawns.