Game Managment Polk County

[kornsqueezer]

Trophy7 and I just got on a new lease for the first time in 12 years. The reason I joined was because the Club is going to start protein feeding . We are under the 13" rule and the club has already raised the bar to 14". I know it will take a lot of work but I left a lease in Llano 12 years ago when we had change the basket rack population (100 lb) bucks to 18" 165 pound . What are some of the other things we can do to improve the herd besides let them grow. The other clubs around us started feeding protein either last year or theyear before from what I have been told.

[smokey]

Read thread Texas deer and land management there is some awesome information there. Spring and Fall plots along with protein feed would be ideal.

[FlingingArrows]

I thought this was interesting, if you have not seen it before. The nutrition and age sections particularly.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/game_management/deer/

[Eason]

In East Texas, the most important thing you can do in my opinon is to let the bucks get mature. For the most part the genetics and nutrition are there, but people just wont let them get old enough.

You can try and feed protein, but most deer in East Texas will not eat protein if they were not raised around it as a fawn. From my personal experiences, coons and hogs waste more protein than the deer will eat, so I think it is a better idea to plant food plots.

[hoythunter02]

And I would add that keeping a year round feed program will help to keep the deer in your area. Letting the deer age and mature to full potential is the other side of this. I know it's hard sometimes to do this, especially where we hunt in East Tx, Nacadoches cty. But the bucks are very smart and we have several great deer that will be bruisers this year and we've only seen them on cameras at night and early morning.

[q2xlman]

X2, but I have found a mineral lick that the bucks used very frequently here in East Texas and last year was my first year to use it!
2 part trace mineral salt
1 part stock salt
1 part dycal (calcium phosphate)
Dig a 6" deep hole about 2'x4' and just layer the mixure in with the dirt.
Use about 15-20 lbs at a time and replinish every month or two.

Oh, yeah, the hogs and racoons don't seem to mess with it too much!

[kornsqueezer]

Thank for the information . Keep it coming!!!!!

[hoythunter02]

Plant oats around feeders and I also use the Salt blocks from TSC and break them up, toss pieces out around feeders. The deer hit the salt blocks pretty hard in nacodoches cty where I hunt.

[Sit-n-Sleep]

I hunt in polk county and at least where I hunt the hunting is pretty tough. The older bucks don't hardly come to corn or protein, and we know they are there we get them on camera. I plant oats and a few other food plots for low light conditions. I have not used minerals yet and a pack of wild dogs ate my apple flavored corn block. Got those on camera also.

[HNT ETX]

A hunting buddy of mine feeds allot of protein in East Texas. At first, they had no luck, deer would not touch it. after wasting allot of money they figured out that they had to give it to them slowly. They started out with 90% to 10% Corn/Protien ratio, and kept adding more protien until they were on straight protein.

East Texas deer are very finicky. Sometimes when they start a new feed location, they have to repeat the process even though some of the same deer are feeding at both locations.