It's a SUPPLEMENT!!

[Big Mike M]

I have worked in that area before. No doubt great country over there. But I think we both agree free choice is best, and a timed/limited feed program is better than nothing. But Imo you can't beat Mother Nature when we get the timely rains.

I disagree. We have average years at best on "Wet" years. When Mother Nature gives us average rainfall, we normally have bigger bucks. Our bucks eat higher protein browse on drier years. When it's really wet years, our deer eat the "candy" browse with not much nutrition. I will take an average/drier year than a really wet year everytime.

[Encinal]

I disagree. We have average years at best on "Wet" years. When Mother Nature gives us average rainfall, we normally have bigger bucks. Our bucks eat higher protein browse on drier years. When it's really wet years, our deer eat the "candy" browse with not much nutrition. I will take an average/drier year than a really wet year everytime.

This must be a difference in soil types. Are you a heavy clay soil?

On our sandy soils, our VERY best years are the highest rain years (with a heavy spring rain component)... usually the biggest pops we get are a dry year immediately followed by an extremely good year...

SOME deer do really well in dry years... some absolutely melt... different deer have different tastes and eat different things according to what is available...

[Stick Flicker]

I feed protein and corn 365 more fawn's and bigger horns I know it makes a difference

[8pointer]

Feed what you can afford and don't get caught up in whatever anyone else is doing. Anything is better than nothing.

[hammer63]

I'm gonna throw this out there - not once have I stated that timed feeding was as good as true free choice because it isn't. But, we gotta be totally honest and understand that true free choice means feed in the feeder 24/7/365. Letting free choice feeders lay empty 1 out of 4 weeks between fill ups is rationed feeding, just like being on a timer. Too many people claim that they feed free choice, but don't mention that their feeders are empty half the time.

I hope to be in a position one day to feed unlimited, but in the mean time, I manage the budget I have and feel like I understand the results I can expect for my efforts.

I have good fawn recruitment, good body weights, good ratios and age structure. I'm just guessing, but I'd say we have 1 deer/10-12 acres...not bad for Del Rio area.

I am not debating free choice vs. timed/rationed. I'm simply saying that I feed 2000# per month on a 400 acre pasture of a 20K LF lease and I do it with a timed free choice feeder and I think that 2000# per month is doing some good. Free choice would probably do more good but it's not in the budget. And even if it was, I don't know if the pounds, miles and dollars would be worth the inches.

[Big Mike M]

This must be a difference in soil types. Are you a heavy clay soil?

On our sandy soils, our VERY best years are the highest rain years (with a heavy spring rain component)... usually the biggest pops we get are a dry year immediately followed by an extremely good year...

SOME deer do really well in dry years... some absolutely melt... different deer have different tastes and eat different things according to what is available...

We are not heavy clay but do have a lot more rocky areas on our pasture. For some reason we have some issues with non nutritous weeds in really wet years. About 5-6 years ago we had a few bucks shed there horns and start to re-grow them in Sept. Biologists came to the conclusion it was from a weed that grew in really wet years that caused it. We don't feed 24/7/365. We are more of a supplement type pasture.

[KactusKiller]

Feed what you can afford and don't get caught up in whatever anyone else is doing. Anything is better than nothing.

My philosophy as well. Whether it helps physically or just as a recruitment tool it helps the herd.

[BrokenJ]

I'm gonna throw this out there - not once have I stated that timed feeding was as good as true free choice because it isn't. But, we gotta be totally honest and understand that true free choice means feed in the feeder 24/7/365. Letting free choice feeders lay empty 1 out of 4 weeks between fill ups is rationed feeding, just like being on a timer. Too many people claim that they feed free choice, but don't mention that their feeders are empty half the time.

I hope to be in a position one day to feed unlimited, but in the mean time, I manage the budget I have and feel like I understand the results I can expect for my efforts.

I have good fawn recruitment, good body weights, good ratios and age structure. I'm just guessing, but I'd say we have 1 deer/10-12 acres...not bad for Del Rio area.

I am not debating free choice vs. timed/rationed. I'm simply saying that I feed 2000# per month on a 400 acre pasture of a 20K LF lease and I do it with a timed free choice feeder and I think that 2000# per month is doing some good. Free choice would probably do more good but it's not in the budget. And even if it was, I don't know if the pounds, miles and dollars would be worth the inches.

I don't think anyone here is try to argue about what's best it's about what you can afford. We truly free choice feed February to October because that's what the budget allows and deer are not of top importance (quail being #1). Monitor consumption and fill or top off weekly. we would feed hard for those months, rather than spread it out over the entire year.

[RRagan83]

I run 2-2000#, 2-300#, free choice and one 2000# timed I adjust my timed protein based on consumption and game camera pics in three weeks my two 2000# lb free choice feeders fed 1200# and my timed unit 1000# in the same amount of time if you take out the amount that I lost to non target animals at my free choice feeders I would bet the amount consumed by target animals are fairly close protein helps the animals as well as improving the natural habitat do what you can comfortably do pick a plan and stick to it food plots and water stations are another way to improve your herd feeding protein without water negates a lot of the potential gains good luck to all as there is more then one way to get positive results

[coffmanbr1]

Feed what you can afford and don't get caught up in whatever anyone else is doing. Anything is better than nothing.

x2

Wish I could run protein year round, but unfortunately some of us can only afford yellow gold and food plots.