When to Stop Protein

[Mexico]

We stop this month. Pick it back up in February.

[FCTrapper]

I think if you can run protein feeders all year long that is the most beneficial, no doubt. Unfortunately for most it isn't finically feaseable and don't feed much after they shed their velvet till after the rut. We have tried it both ways.... If you want to have a VERY conservative harvest year then feeding during deer season will help your goal because you only see about half your bucks. LoL We only stop feed now because it was impossible to kill our mature bucks because they stay nocturnal due to the amount of feed available. A well fed whitetail is a hard animal to kill. My Management point of view is that you have to be able to harvest to control your numbers effectively. If your building a higher deer density or not targeting a large number of mature bucks to harvest then I would feed all year around.

[Mexico]

I think if you can run protein feeders all year long that is the most beneficial, no doubt. Unfortunately for most it isn't finically feaseable and don't feed much after they shed their velvet till after the rut. We have tried it both ways.... If you want to have a VERY conservative harvest year then feeding during deer season will help your goal because you only see about half your bucks. LoL We only stop feed now because it was impossible to kill our mature bucks because they stay nocturnal due to the amount of feed available. A well fed whitetail is a hard animal to kill. My Management point of view is that you have to be able to harvest to control your numbers effectively. If your building a higher deer density or not targeting a large number of mature bucks to harvest then I would feed all year around.

The exact reason we stop...target bucks feed all night during season. When we stop the protein we kick on the timed corn feeders so it enables us to see our target deer and they become more visable.

[bloodtrailer28]

Year round here except on out place in Childress. We just switched to straight corn up there.

[DT50]

I have driven to the Mereta Cotton Gin and I have also had a buddy bring a load up from Waco, TX (Cape & Sons). You will need to call ahead of time to see if they have any because a lot of it is under contract. There are some feed stores that sell it in bags, but the price is almost the same as 20% protein, so I normally go to the cotton gins and buy it by the truckload.

What are yall paying? ive been buying it bagged at comptons whse and its pretty high but its close!!

[bentlimbs]

Just on the notion that browse is not there in winter in most parts. All deer need as much food as they can get especially during and after the rut, bucks and does. They also come into Spring in a much healthier state being well fed. You just have to get off of the feed stations and catch the mature bucks on the trails. The largest consumption of protein comes in Dec, Jan and Feb, main reason to keep feeding if you can.

[hammer63]

I'll let my feeders continue to feed daylight-to-dark free choice until October, then switch timer to feed free choice for an hour each morning and evening. Come January, we'll pour the feed and cotton seed to 'em until April to recover from the rut.

[rtp]

I never had a problem with my bucks going nocturnal once the weather cooled off and hunting season started. If this is the case I recommend feeding year round. If you have target bucks that go nocturnal and feed at the protein feeders at night then I would stop it for hunting season but have it up and running as soon as my target bucks were taken or the day after the season ended. Those bucks need that good stuff as soon as they are done with the major rut.

[Mexico]

I never had a problem with my bucks going nocturnal once the weather cooled off and hunting season started. If this is the case I recommend feeding year round. If you have target bucks that go nocturnal and feed at the protein feeders at night then I would stop it for hunting season but have it up and running as soon as my target bucks were taken or the day after the season ended. Those bucks need that good stuff as soon as they are done with the major rut.

Exactly what we do.

[PondPopper]

Stop when your neighbors start shooting every buck that jumps the fence. It's pointless.

[lovemylegacy]

Just wanted to check and see if you feed protein year round or do you stop at some point.

Yes, year round

[In Rut]

The ranch I am hunting feeds all year.

[Brad75]

We will stop feeding in the protein pens middle of September. I move there feed in small rations to our hunting locations. Although I am cutting the protein pens down, I am not cutting all of their protein out all together. I feed them as much as they can eat in the evening and morning. We try to finish up harvesting our quota as early as we can. We will then fill protein and cottonseed up in the pens and start it all over. This may be November or even into December. The earlier the better. I think it is great to feed year round if one is able to but, by moving there feed where we hunt, we make the mature animals more visible. Just my 2 cents.... Good luck everybody.

[brrdnk]

We stop when the deer are hard horned. Want the deer on the corn not the all night buffet at the protein feeder. Start back up as soon as the season is over.

[gingib]

I never had a problem with my bucks going nocturnal once the weather cooled off and hunting season started. If this is the case I recommend feeding year round. If you have target bucks that go nocturnal and feed at the protein feeders at night then I would stop it for hunting season but have it up and running as soon as my target bucks were taken or the day after the season ended. Those bucks need that good stuff as soon as they are done with the major rut.

I like this! Mine go nocturnal and hence why I am stopping protein this year before Oct 1