Heat, drought, protein/corn,water

[GIL HUNTS]

With the oppressive heat, lack of rain and high prices of feed what are y'all doing to keep supplement your hunting areas?

It's not optimum, but we're trying to keep the wildlife fed as best we can. We're fortunate enough to have water on all the properties we manage. Not putting out as much feed as we'd like, bu we're doing what we can.

[flywise]

I fortunate to hunt a ranch with 3 year round creeks so water is never a problem. As far as feed, so far Mother Nature is doing good enough

[Rwc]

Water and more water……..then feed all we can.

Rwc

[doghouse]

Water is no problem. As said above feeding all we can afford.

[Bdub25]

We are pouring the cottonseed and protein to them. Some of us have added water stations as well.


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[Bone Thug]

I fortunate to hunt a ranch with 3 year round creeks so water is never a problem. As far as feed, so far Mother Nature is doing good enough

Is your lease in a drought?

This is the worse drought I’ve seen next to the horrible drought of 2011.

We keep the numbers under control the best we can but the pasture is in horrible shape. We’ve only had a few rains since the first of last November.

As hunters we should be more than just takers, we should give back as much as possible. IMO.
We are feeding as much as we can afford.

[Low Fence]

Water. I got it

Corn is the equivalent of a candy wrapper. I’ve fed year around as long as I can remember but it makes no sense honestly…. The animals were m feeding now…. Will be miles from me when the velvet comes off. It’s a fact I’ve documented for years in small properties.

If numbers are kept in check, they will be fine and you will have more money. They are a glorified goat and can live off anything. IF you kept numbers in check

IF prices come back to reasonable… will see, but I suspect I don’t see one difference in antlers that I could have influenced or tags filled by stopping/greatly reducing feeding

*** one part of protein is you don’t get the full BOOM! until they are mature… and my neighbors ain’t passing anything 3.5 and 120”….
This year they will kill smaller and skinner deer I can promise that!

[Texashookset]

What bdub said. Going thru about a ton a month combined pellets and CS in each of my pens.

[Big pig]

I am putting out what protein I can within my budget. We fed cottonseed until recently.
Still throwing a little corn. We don’t have too many deer and no exotics, so that is a blessing right now. Surface water is not a problem, but I am making sure all troughs stay full.
Unfortunately, the cows come first snd I am facing to feed them more than normal. Luckily we are not overstocked and I can rotate.
Chance of rain next week amid all the 100 degree days and dry wind.

[60 Deluxe]

I'm not doing anything at the moment. There are minerals out that they can utilize. I'm north of San Angelo about thirty miles. Yes, it is about as dry as it can get, but; there was some rain a few weeks ago and the native grasses have come up. There also is an abundance of mesquite beans. The deer are not fat but they are not starving, either. I am not an trophy hunter so nutrition for antler growth isn't even a concern for me. If they start looking poor, I'll find some feed to get them through for awhile. If the body condition is thin, I won't shoot any deer come fall.

[RMW]

Deer are absolutely devouring the protein at my feed stations they are eating 2 tons a month. Little over 600 a ton at the coop, getting very expensive.

[kyle1974]

We have a lot of water sources. It’s one silver lining of this drought that as the tank levels drop, Forbes and weeds pop up along the new shoreline edges. That and as much cottonseed as we can put out.

It looks horrible out there though. If we don’t get some decent rain soon it’s not going to be good

[arrowsonly88]

Deer are absolutely devouring the protein at my feed stations they are eating 2 tons a month. Little over 600 a ton at the coop, getting very expensive.

Yeah I was going through a ton every two weeks. Decided to go to timed protein bc I just couldn’t afford that anymore. 1000# looks to be lasting about 6 weeks now


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[doghouse]

Got lucky about 2 to 3 weeks ago and got close to 2 inches of rain in Mills county. Deer slowed down on protein, but have now gone back to hitting it hard. No rain in forecast and over 100 degrees the next 5 days. Lord, please let it rain. Not only for wildlife but for the farmers and ranchers!

[bboswell]

Water seems to me to be my biggest issue, I put water troughs out but my deer won’t touch them so I keep pouring the protein to them.