Help! Food plot too small???

[tef]

Due to cattle, I'm going to be restricted to appx. 1/4 acre on my food plot. Need opinions as to whether it will do any good being so small. I had been planting about an acre and the deer utilized it extremely well, not sure if the smaller size will even last long. I planted cowpeas last two spring/summers and they usually had them wiped out by June. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[wellingtontx]

IMO any little bit helps. However, you may want to consider a protein feeders in addition to your food plot efforts.

[skime]

IMO any little bit helps. However, you may want to consider a protein feeders in addition to your food plot efforts.

Right on

[tef]

Oh yeah, absolutely. I keep protein going year-round plus corn/golden nugget mix. But it really seems like they prefer those greens about early June and leave the feed alone again until about Sept. Maybe they will lean more into the feed when the plot is gone earlier. Idk. Thanks for the help.

[tef]

By the way, do you feed the protein "labeled" for deer etc. or reg. calf creep feed which is appx same % protein. I'm assuming they'll eat it just the same???

[Lowe]

Depends on the deer density, if you don't have a way to keep them off of it until it has a chance to mature you are wasting your time and money IMO. I lost a 5 acre plot of lab lab a few years ago.

[bcdawg1]

By the way, do you feed the protein "labeled" for deer etc. or reg. calf creep feed which is appx same % protein. I'm assuming they'll eat it just the same???

Haven't feed the calf feed but last year fed 20% sheep/goat pellets that have nearly identical nutrient content (with the exception of some trace minerals and vitamin a) but bigger in diameter. My deer hammered them and they used to be $1/bag cheaper. So far this year appears to be only a quarter/bag difference so haven't bought any.

[canny]

Haven't feed the calf feed but last year fed 20% sheep/goat pellets that have nearly identical nutrient content (with the exception of some trace minerals and vitamin a) but bigger in diameter. My deer hammered them and they used to be $1/bag cheaper. So far this year appears to be only a quarter/bag difference so haven't bought any.

Just a note that you may want to look into. Feeding goat feed to deer can have some some serious negative impacts. This is attributed to the low copper requirements of goats, and thus the goat feed has just the right amount of it for goats.

However deer need more copper, and this can actually cause a copper deficiency. Which is bad because copper is very crucial to maintaining their immune system, muscles, and nerves. A copper deficiency can lead to a weakened heart and blood vessels.

[Pearl Snaps]

If you're worried about the deer overeating, try using an electric fence setup. There's a company that advertises in Trophy Hunters all the time and it's suppose to be cheaper than barbed wire. Don't know anyone who's used it, but it looks promising.

[DeerGeek]

This topic came up last week......my thoughts:

I have learned the hard way over the years and now fence off all warm season plots. Even my 25 acre warm season plots (Lab Lab, I&C Cow Peas) would get overgrazed at the 4 leaf stage and would never comeback.

IMO, Warm season crops need to be fenced (or not planted). Don't plant warm season plots unless you can invest $$$ in fencing. Cool season cereal grains (wheats, oats; etc) do not need fencing....crown is below ground and can continue to grow with grazing pressure.

The 1/4 acre food plot would work with cool season ceral grains. Plant wheat/oats the last week of September.

[wellingtontx]

I just put out Antlermax. The difference in price between a true product made for deer and a cattle feed was really insignificant - even considering the possibility of filling the feeder once a month.