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    It's a SUPPLEMENT!!

    I hear it all the time - "feed free choice or you're just wasting your time". Really? My deer would beg to differ.

    First of all, it's supplemental feeding, NOT life-sustaining feeding. If you have to feed tons and tons of protein to carry your herd, you're probably carrying too many head. Unfortunately, most hunters don't have much say in deer harvest numbers and leases/hunting areas with bad buck-to-doe ratios make supplemental feeding a losing proposition in trying to grow horns. I mean, who wants to feed 10 does to maybe see an extra few inches on the few bucks? So, maybe protein is fed as an attractant with a tiny bit of nutritional supplement and there's nothing wrong with that.

    Unless you feed your deer as a business with a way to recover that cost, it's a hobby - a charity - and as with any charity, you give what you feel comfortable giving to help the herd do better. I'm not ignorant and I do understand that natural browse nutritional value varies from region to region as does the carrying capacity in those regions, but more important than feeding is controlling the population and managing genetics/age if you're in it to grow bigger racks. Throwing feed is not the magic bean.

    Where I hunt, we have a good ratio. I think we carry a few more deer than we should, but that's going to happen when you raise them to 6 or 7 years old. And we have to make up for the extra mouths with protein to see the 140's and 150's every year.

    Lots of us use free choice feeders but they don't always have feed in them. Some of us use timed feeders or timed free choice feeders to stretch our protein out to fit our budget. Everyone has their limit regarding how much they spend on feed and everyone has their own strategy for how they feed. But, regardless of what the individual limits are or the method of feeding, WE ARE NOT WASTING OUR TIME. Our deer get bigger every year and more of that is likely due to age and genetics than feeding. The feeding just helps.

    Carry on.

    #2
    I feed as much as possible. I think that once the body stop growing the rest goes to their antlers. I also believe the more you feed your deer a good supplement feed the bigger they can get. Choosing the right supplement feed can make a difference or at least it has for the ranch I am hunting now. Here is an interesting article I came across.
    Attached Files

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      #3
      Originally posted by hammer63 View Post
      I hear it all the time - "feed free choice or you're just wasting your time". Really? My deer would beg to differ.

      First of all, it's supplemental feeding, NOT life-sustaining feeding. If you have to feed tons and tons of protein to carry your herd, you're probably carrying too many head. Unfortunately, most hunters don't have much say in deer harvest numbers and leases/hunting areas with bad buck-to-doe ratios make supplemental feeding a losing proposition in trying to grow horns. I mean, who wants to feed 10 does to maybe see an extra few inches on the few bucks? So, maybe protein is fed as an attractant with a tiny bit of nutritional supplement and there's nothing wrong with that.

      Unless you feed your deer as a business with a way to recover that cost, it's a hobby - a charity - and as with any charity, you give what you feel comfortable giving to help the herd do better. I'm not ignorant and I do understand that natural browse nutritional value varies from region to region as does the carrying capacity in those regions, but more important than feeding is controlling the population and managing genetics/age if you're in it to grow bigger racks. Throwing feed is not the magic bean.

      Where I hunt, we have a good ratio. I think we carry a few more deer than we should, but that's going to happen when you raise them to 6 or 7 years old. And we have to make up for the extra mouths with protein to see the 140's and 150's every year.

      Lots of us use free choice feeders but they don't always have feed in them. Some of us use timed feeders or timed free choice feeders to stretch our protein out to fit our budget. Everyone has their limit regarding how much they spend on feed and everyone has their own strategy for how they feed. But, regardless of what the individual limits are or the method of feeding, WE ARE NOT WASTING OUR TIME. Our deer get bigger every year and more of that is likely due to age and genetics than feeding. The feeding just helps.

      Carry on.
      You aren't changing your genetics. You are changing your age structure. The more you feed up to a certain point per unit, the more it will raise the antler bar. You can lower the units and feed less, or feed more per unit by raising feed.

      Many feed programs are in fact wasting their time because they fail at the other things.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by hammer63 View Post
        I hear it all the time - "feed free choice or you're just wasting your time". Really? My deer would beg to differ.

        First of all, it's supplemental feeding, NOT life-sustaining feeding. If you have to feed tons and tons of protein to carry your herd, you're probably carrying too many head. Unfortunately, most hunters don't have much say in deer harvest numbers and leases/hunting areas with bad buck-to-doe ratios make supplemental feeding a losing proposition in trying to grow horns. I mean, who wants to feed 10 does to maybe see an extra few inches on the few bucks? So, maybe protein is fed as an attractant with a tiny bit of nutritional supplement and there's nothing wrong with that.

        Unless you feed your deer as a business with a way to recover that cost, it's a hobby - a charity - and as with any charity, you give what you feel comfortable giving to help the herd do better. I'm not ignorant and I do understand that natural browse nutritional value varies from region to region as does the carrying capacity in those regions, but more important than feeding is controlling the population and managing genetics/age if you're in it to grow bigger racks. Throwing feed is not the magic bean.

        Where I hunt, we have a good ratio. I think we carry a few more deer than we should, but that's going to happen when you raise them to 6 or 7 years old. And we have to make up for the extra mouths with protein to see the 140's and 150's every year.

        Lots of us use free choice feeders but they don't always have feed in them. Some of us use timed feeders or timed free choice feeders to stretch our protein out to fit our budget. Everyone has their limit regarding how much they spend on feed and everyone has their own strategy for how they feed. But, regardless of what the individual limits are or the method of feeding, WE ARE NOT WASTING OUR TIME. Our deer get bigger every year and more of that is likely due to age and genetics than feeding. The feeding just helps.

        Carry on.

        I tend to agree with you. Protein feed is meant to be a supplement to feed not a replacement to feed. I feed approx 1200 Lbs a month if they eat it all in a day well they got to wait until next month. Im pretty sure its not hurting them any and I don't feel I am wasting time.

        Comment


          #5
          I'm one of the folks you have probably heard it from.

          I don't know what to tell you. You lose so many benefits when you ration feed to a deer herd long term, that I don't see it as worth it.

          Lower fawn crops, lower body weights, lower buck survivability, higher tooth wear, weaker antlers in poor years...

          Time spent enjoying yourself in the outdoors is never a waste...

          Money spent on something that isn't giving you the results that you think it is definitely is.

          Is a little feed better than no feed? sure... is that little bit(big bit) of money worth the little bit of improvement?

          remember a FULL feeding program raises the bar 15% over about 7 years... but that 15% isn't realized until the first set of fawns born into a full feeding program have a chance to get to maturity..

          how much are you feeding? how much are your average body weights improving? How much are your antlers improving?

          If the second two questions can be almost ENTIRELY explained by improved age structure habitat due to lower density... then why are you even spending that little bit of money?
          Last edited by Encinal; 03-04-2016, 09:03 AM.

          Comment


            #6
            I tend to agree with Hammer. Controlling the population is probably the most important thing bc once it's within the lands carrying capacity, then browse and forbs will tend to increase. It also means more protein for each deer. Managing age is probably the second most important thing bc they won't get big unless they reach 6.5yrs +.

            Comment


              #7
              Encinal - Define "full feeding program." Protein available 24/7, 365?

              Comment


                #8
                I am one that believes free choice is the only way to go. They eat protein as a supplement to their diet and eat it as needed. If its not available when a particular deer prefers to feed he may not be getting the benefits of the protein you are feeding. I feel that the little bit of extra money is well worth the return. But I can definitely see from a financial stand point where a timed feeder is much preferred. And if we had a bigger place with more feeders they would probably be considered. But we only have 2 protein feeders on 250 acres so they dont break our pockets books.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I am one that cant afford free choice 24/7/365, I fill my protein feeder when I can and expect it to be solely an attractant because I know my neighbors aren't doing it. if having protein and supplements other than corn will keep deer closer to me then its worth it.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Ok.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Protein is great and all and we try to feed it year round, but a quality habitat is going to provide better nutrition than protein pellets because a deer will only eat a small % of his diet at a feeder (25% or less).

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Ok. No argument here.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by bgleaton View Post
                          Protein is great and all and we try to feed it year round, but a quality habitat is going to provide better nutrition than protein pellets because a deer will only eat a small % of his diet at a feeder (25% or less).
                          That's not true.

                          3lbs/deer/day isn't 25% of their diet.

                          Full feeding program... Perhaps that's the wrong terminology. I don't anyone has ever put out another feeder and had their consumption stay flat.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Encinal View Post
                            That's not true.

                            3lbs/deer/day isn't 25% of their diet.

                            Full feeding program... Perhaps that's the wrong terminology. I don't anyone has ever put out another feeder and had their consumption stay flat.
                            I'm pulling that number from studies done at Tecomate and Caesar Kleberg. They both say that feeding protein pellets is great and will definitely improve antlers at around the 7yr mark, but that quality native habitat coupled with protein feeding is the best way to improve your deer herd. It also states that deer are naturally browsers and that they will not eat more than a certain % at a protein feeder. Over time, I'm sure they get more and more accustomed to eating protein, so maybe that % goes up over time. Who knows...

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Encinal View Post
                              That's not true.

                              3lbs/deer/day isn't 25% of their diet.

                              Full feeding program... Perhaps that's the wrong terminology. I don't anyone has ever put out another feeder and had their consumption stay flat.
                              What's your deer per acre ratio?

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