feeding of the deer 2020

[thecfarm]

I was getting some wood from the wood pile and saw a bunch of deer. It has been an odd winter here. I don't think we had more than 48 hours in the single numbers and that was only once. Than not much snow, I only have about 6 inches on the ground now. 
Have not seen many deer. the wife has pictures of 30 deer about 2-3 weeks ago,but that was only once. Well there are 30 deer down there now. I went and got a bag of grain and fed them. Before anyone thinks that I feed them to keep them here during hunting season, first off I don't hunt and only let the stepson and whoever they want to bring hunt here. These guys know how to hunt but 20 years hunting here and none has even got a shot at one.  
Last year I had a steady 50 deer each night.

[Chuck White]

The DEC has changed the rules here, regarding feeding the deer!

In the past it was illegal to feed the deer (although many still did), now it is legal to feed the deer (in this area), but you have to feed more than 300 feet from a public roadway!

[thecfarm]

About 5 days ago I saw 3 bucks with horn.
I found one shed today,so there are 5 more horns out there. I looked around for some more,but did not find any. This was about 10 feet from where I feed the deer. Seem like most of the sheds I found last year was around where I feed them.

[A-z farmer]

That is good finding the sheds every year Thecfarm.
Around here I have only found a few but that was in a tractor tires.The other afternoon I saw 50 deer next to our orchard eating in our hay field .We do not have put out feed for the deer here because they seem to eat everything we grow from soybeans ,corn and alfalfa to stripping our trees.

[braucher]

I have protein tube feeders out and mineral spots filled .
Deer are seemingly very healthy and I am going to hinge cut a few more trees this month.

[Peter Drouin]

With only 4 or5" of snow my deer are not coming in much.

[1countryboy]

We have no deer here!!!!!!!!!!!  :D :D :D that is what my new (at that time 20 yrs ago) son in law said.   He used to hunt SE ohio (acorns)  for food. .   Now he won t even think about SE ohio deer.   

Poor things on our farms only have alfalfa hay (in bales), also fresh in the field,  Corn silage,  Soybeans and corn available 24/7 as a buffet.  I laugh when I see special buck (horn) feed sold at high prices at the shows.  My seed corn that is planted cost $240 dollars per 80,000 seed count in a bag. That will plant 2.2 acres.  

Damage from deer, turkey, ghogs etc is severe.  We raise the deer and the Ohio Dept of Natural resources charges hunters to hunt those deer on my property.   Go figure.   ??? ??? ???am going to read my :P hunting regulations now. :laugh: 

Yes, we hunt and also take lots of wildlife pictures.  It is NOT unusual to see twins and triplets in the spring and summer with the doe.   Our deer eat and look like our beef and dairy animals.   Very well fed.

[Wood Shed]

Can not imagine having to feed our deer either as most farmers in the area bale the large round bales and always leave a few at the edge of a field every year.  Most years the snow cover in north central Ohio is not enough to limit access to any feed sources.

Only know of a period in the winter of 2015 when we and most of the mid west states had sufficient snow coupled with a very deep freeze that caused harm to wild life like wild turkeys and quail.  Many wild turkey starved to death that winter.

[WV Sawmiller]

 It is NOT unusual to see twins and triplets in the spring and summer with the doe.   

Often what appears to be twins and triplets may actually be fawns from 2 or even 3 does as our does will nurse fawns from others. I watched 2 does and 3 fawns out my back window last summer and all three fawns would run from one to the other does nursing. The does may have been a mother/daughter pair but they did not care which fawn nursed. Pretty neat to watch.

[Wood Shed]

According to what I have read over the years about white tail deer single births are common to the very young and very old doe and twins and triplets are more common.  The issue of does feeding fawns other than their own must also be true as I have heard wild life officers say not to worry about an orphaned fawn as they will survive better if left alone in nature.