luckyone

Just looking for some other thoughts here. I have a place (about 75 acres land and 24 acres water) next to a wildlife mgmt are. Have only had the place for a few months. In late November, I couldn't go into the place without seeing a dozen deer. However, as the snow moved in, it's rare that I see anything. Pretty much chalking it up to not having food on the place and corn in the WMA. Am thinking about planting some tecomate alfafeast and lablab plus. Any thoughts about how to bring them in and get them use to the food? Maybe throwing out an alfalfa bail periodically this winter?

thanks,
luckyone

farm hunter

Is it Open Hardwoods?

Alfalfa bales only attract mice and cattle in my area in the winter.

luckyone

two 20 acre shelterbelts on each end of the property. 90% cottonwoods

Dan O.

luckyone; where are you located? If it's in a heavy snow area deer may yard over winter and you won't see them outside the yards until spring comes.

Dan O.

luckyone

I am in Eastern Nebraska. We get quite a bit of snow. I am seeing them bunched up all over (about 800 yards away) in the wildlife mgmt area we border. We are talking over 100 deer in the evenings, but not many in our place. The WMA has some picked corn and weed beds.

StrmChzr

i'm planning a 10 acre food plot smack dab in the middle of the section (640 acres) that i hunt/manage.... there's 220 acres of native grass, cedar thickets, and buckbrush immediately surrounding the food plot. i'll probably only hunt the trails from the food plots to bedding areas to reduce pushing deer outta' the area...

i wouldn't worry about the deer not being on your place (100 deer would annihilate most plots in an weekend anyways), especially in the middle of winter.. just be sure to pull 'em back to your place this summer and fall w/ the green stuff (clover, brassicas, etc.) and forget about the corn... you probably can't compete w/ the size of a WMA corn field. plus, the "green stuff" alternative should have the deer on your place when you can do something about it (i.e. oct. and nov. hunting season)!

luckyone

Thanks for the response StrmChzr. I had put out a few bales of alfalfa earlier and didn't see much action for about a week. I thought they would find it sooner. The cleaned up that bale in 2 days once they found it. I think the clover blends will be very effective in the fall.

crew

food plots work but have you tried feeders for the deer, where i hunt we have 5 ponds but not alot of food except for acorn from trees the people next to use had food plots and were killing and seeing many more deer than we had so we planTed a food polt of clover and rye grass and we have seen and killed more deer on that food plot that any where else

RonM

Check out farm hunter's pictures about planting some corn and how it stands up during heavy snowfall and the deer sign shown in the pictures. I would consider renting the land out to a farmer with an understanding that it get planted in corn and he leave strips at designated spots in the field for wildlife. Monitor his actions closely, walk it with him and say this strip gets left in corn, here and here and so on, have a clear understanding of what you want...