Originally posted by RRagan83
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I hate you having so much turkey problem, but it's a relief to know I'm not the only one. Adjusting the feed times like you did is the single best thing I've done and I bet you'll see good results like I did. Last year I also started encouraging my lab to chase them and now it's his favorite thing to do. We'll just ride around and when we spot them near a feed area he gets after them. You can see the joy on his face.
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They have really been slowing their protein consumption down lately. Normally at our All Seasons trough, the go through 1,000lbs in about 3 to 4 weeks. My dad went out there this weekend to top the feeders off as he was only able to put one bag in the trough, which means they have only eaten around 50lbs in the past two weeks. I know there's lots of native forage, but I didn't think they would slow down this much. Maybe they are in such great shape from the mild winter that they haven't had to play catch up with their bodies...who knows.
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Building Varmint Cages
Well...we installed a couple of the 14in x 14in square varmint cages back in October on our big feeders, but the raccoons were still able to reach in and spin the spinners. In fact, one of our 1,000lb Krivoman feeders only lasted about a month because the raccoons were spinning it every evening. I have since made some new varmint cages out of horse panels and they are 22in by 22in. I welded and wired everything together, so it should definitely hold up to the raccoons. I also welded a couple of hinges on there for a little access door. My welding is not pretty, but I think it will do the job. All I have to do now is get a 24in x 24in steel plate to mount it to and we should be in business.
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4/26/2016 Update
I went to the ranch this past weekend to do some turkey hunting and to install the new 24in by 24in varmint cages that I built a couple weeks ago. The protein consumption has gone down quite a bit, which is probably due to the 10in of rain we have received in March and April. We received 3.5in last week, so it's really green out there and we saw lots of good forbs (i.e. rain lillies, wine cups, engelmann daisy, bush sunflower, redseed plantain, rock daisies, penstemons, skeletonplant, purple dalea, etc.) and good browse (i.e. acacia, kidneywood, bumelia, sumacs, etc.).
I was able to shoot a gobbler that had a little over a 10in beard and an inch and quarter spurs:
My turkey hunting buddy:
Pictures of the native forbs/browse:
Winecups
Plantains
Purple Dalea
Rain Lillies
Roemer Acacia
Bush Sunflower growing through Ephedra
Picture of the new varmint cages on our Krivoman feeders:
Picture of the big pond (around 5 acres):
I dumped a bag of Record Rack minerals at each feeder and 50lbs of cottonseed range cubes. These spring rains should really help the antler growth this year.
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It's crazy to see the reduction in protein consumption from this March through April compared to the past couple of years March through April. I think it's most likely due to two things:
1. Lots of rain...duh
2. The mild winter this year = lots of forage throughout the winter, which means bucks were able to recover quicker and haven't had the need to eat a ton of protein.
Is everyone else seeing decreased protein consumption? I saw the protein consumption thread and was surprised to see how many people were seeing an increase in consumption.
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Originally posted by bgleaton View PostIt's crazy to see the reduction in protein consumption from this March through April compared to the past couple of years March through April. I think it's most likely due to two things:
1. Lots of rain...duh
2. The mild winter this year = lots of forage throughout the winter, which means bucks were able to recover quicker and haven't had the need to eat a ton of protein.
Is everyone else seeing decreased protein consumption? I saw the protein consumption thread and was surprised to see how many people were seeing an increase in consumption.
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