The Forestry Forum

Not food plots,just grain.
I've been feeding them for years here. Last year I had 40,only seen 25 this year and the last week have only seen 10 at one time. But no snow,well maybe 4 inches here.
There are a lot that feed the deer. I work in a hardware/grain store. We go through some grain for the deer. I just throw it on the ground,like feeding chickens. I put the grain in a bucket and put my hand in and throw it as I walk. I feed them in a line,about 50 feet long. This keeps them from driving off the small ones and fighting so much.
We do sell that Record Rack grain. But most shy away from it,40 pounds and more money than a bag of cow grain and 50 pounds too. Than we have a Wildlife blend,but again more money. We have 2 customers that buy a ton of cow grain and we deliver it to them.
I have seen four bucks this year!! Two have,or had some nice horns,two was just spikes horns. My Grandson girlfriend found a shed here. So they are dropping thier horns.
Yes,I may have 40 deer when there is snow on the ground,but I have no idea where them 40 deer are during hunting season. I don't hunt,but the step son sure does try. He says they are here,but can not even get a good shot at one.
Probably the best one he saw was when I had my sawmill going. Deer,me and house. Not a good shot.
I would like to just scratch up some ground in the woods and plant some beets and carrots for them. Should lay down some lime for these areas. Just about as wide as a rake or two wide. Maybe 6-8 feet long. These will be left in the ground for the deer to eat all winter. Works in the garden.
One year I cut some of the bog off. There was some cedar trees in there. I would drag them out and back up a few times,to break of some limbs and bring them out to the landing.The deer really liked that. The deer would be eating down at the bog when I got back. Than at night they would come up to the landing and eat.

Just be careful with the grain. Like a cow you can create acidosis in a deer, even easier actually given how much lignin is in their normal diet. I don't think a little world cause an issue, but buckets full this time of year probably would be bad. 

In our state(NY) this is illegal and the DEC will summons you if caught  ;D ;D. Now in all honesty, it's a fine line and depends on the Ranger, but mostly this is intended for fringe areas where bringing wildlife into a neighborhood would not be helpful for anyone. My Dad in his last years really enjoyed getting a hundred pounds of corn to put out for the deer during the bad winter weather and he would sit in his den and watch them. I don't see that planting a small crop of something in the woods is anything like "feeding the deer" just because they happen to find it and eat it  :D. Some may think the law here is stupid, BUT there is always that one person who such laws are written for. This past summer there was a woman about 2.5 miles through the woods from me who got several citations and a very stern one-on-one educational program because she was feeding the bears dog food ........ on her deck...... her second floor deck...... outside her sliding glass door ..... next to her kitchen. One of her neighbors called the DEC about unusually high bear activity that was just about every day and seemed to be increasing. The reason the woman was doing this was because she felt that feeding them dog food would keep them from tearing her garbage apart (which she was apparently leaving out in spite of the fact that EVERYONE around here knows you can't do that without cleaning up a mess every time you do) I don't know if she had some kind of written agreement with the bears, it was not mentioned in the police briefs section of the paper. 
 I am thinking of putting in some kind of easy, healthy food crop for the deer in the hopes they may leave the saplings alone. I also expect it will never work out.

I am not a rich man. Maybe three gallons a night is not much for 25 deer. The state of Maine discourage feeding the deer too.
And yes,I have heard of game wardens telling someone to stop feeding the deer. They was trying to cross the road. Notice the trying word. Was a high number of deer kill in that area. :(  So yes,must be careful. I am on a dead end dirt road,and by the looks of the not many tracks across the road from me,the deer come from behind my house.They have a couple beat down trails to follow. But they was here long before I was. I use to snow shoe in to see how they was doing. They kinda go in the same area.

Some areas don't allow deer feeding because it can spread disease quicker with CWD (chronic wasting disease) being the biggest problem. Apparently the disease can be spread by saliva so bunching the deer to a pile or feeder is the problem, I would think by spreading it out farther would lessen this.

Not to argue,you,they are right. But either they eat 100 feet from the house of a ½ mile down in the bog. ??? That is one of the trails they have. I followed it into the bog the other day. Just about the same trail that I use to follow before I built a house here.
Just came in from the nightly feeding.I saw that nice looking buck with the nice set of horns. So there is at least one with horns.

DO NOT FEED DEER....please. Look at the Maine Fish and Game and Game Biologist data.
Any wild animal becomes dependent on being fed artificially. We have too many deer in Maine, too little culling by hunting recently due to prosperity,
lack of interest from kids sitting on their butts on indoor electronics, and the usual ill informed anti hunting groups.
Feeding them doesn't help deer survive the wild.
P.S. We don't hunt (had my time with firearms and ordinance). We do encourage hunting on the woodlands here.
I don't want to start a fire fight....but.............
JMNSHO

Keep right on enjoying those deer Ray. If i were you, id be doing exactly what you are doing. Those deer are not retarded and not surviving on what you feed them. Its like giving sugar cubes to a horse. They enjoy it, and you enjoy it because they do, but they aint going to die without it.

Not a thing wrong with recreational feeding no matter what those over educated but lacking of common sense officials say.

Quote from: Pulphook on December 30, 2018, 09:10:41 PMWe have too many deer in Maine

Have you ever read any of Helen Hamlins books from back in the '40's?  The deer population in Maine was much higher then and the moose population was much lower.  Has a lot to do with the makeup of the forest and the available "edge" area that transitions from open ground to wooded land - habitat - more than anything.  

Quote from: thecfarm on December 30, 2018, 07:16:13 PM
I am not a rich man. Maybe three gallons a night is not much for 25 deer. The state of Maine discourage feeding the deer too.

@Pulphook (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41166),I quoted myself,did you miss it?? I have read that page too. ::)  Last year I had 40 deer and still feeding 3 gallons a night. I was not a rich man either last year. ;D
As I said my stepson hunts on my land,and paper company land on top of the hill. He has brought his Father and a few friends and they bring thier Fathers. I have had 6 hunters in my house wondering where all the deer are.And it's kinda odd in April the deer will stop feeding. I go out to check and the food is still there.

Maine increased the deer hunt this year from their pop. survey. Deer have large territories, ranging for miles. It's fun to track BTW.
There are hunters who have the skill to hunt and then those who don't; too many.  Deer hear and smell us. The skilled hunt with knowledge of what they are hunting. No scents, quiet stands, no smoking, unwashed clothes, moving silently; sounds a little like you learned in training ?
We even have the "heater hunters" on our back roads.
Don't feed.
JMNSHO

Your Maine deer must defy the longtime knowledge of whitetails in other regions. It has always been widely documented that a whitetails home range is usually no more than one square mile. They are creatures of habit and once they find a home where they have what they need, they will spend their entire life there unless given cause to leave.  FEED THE DEER.  Putting a little corn out is a treat for your deer. most all landowners that try to maintain a deer population know you don't feed large amounts of grain to deer in the winter its just a little bonus for them for living on your lands. It attracts them to where you can see them and when you can see them you have a good idea on how they are doing by their numbers and appearance.

Too many deer, too little browse at here in northern Maine.  Deer range further than said IF there's no browse...much further.
Deer feed where there's salad such as the many many new built homes in their territory with new rich plantings that deer see as "salad".
Read Jim Sterba: Nature's Way about how we build where perhaps we should not ( e.g. CA fires ).
Wildlife biologists universally recommend NOT feeding. ( Inconvenient truth: we do feed birds ).
It's illegal and unethical to feed from stands anyhow.
JMNSHO

Something must have changed here in New York with regards to "feeding deer"!

There is a local who another local turned in, to the DEC for feeding the deer behind his house!

Game Warden visited the accused and promptly issued him a ticket which read "Feeding deer within 300 feet of the road"!

So, I guess it's legal unless you're within that 300 foot mark!

The managed land down here put out minerals and protein, corn does little more than make happy deer.  That is the source of some of the horns I posted elsewhere.

About the distance deer range.
Especially bucks in the rut in the vast untracked adk wilderness areas.
The Massett brothers, Joe Dinitto from Central NY, the Horn Hunters from the Glens Falls area and several others are trackers and very successful.
I have hunted a little with Tom and Jim Massett when I was somewhat younger and they say it is common to track for many miles and they sometimes stay overnight in the woods., not my cup of tea.
The does and fawns are of course another story.
It is still illegal to feed, bait or put out salt for deer here, but food plots are OK.
I have a small one with clover and it is seldom used, too many corn and alfalfa fields close to me. 
No CWD in the wild herd here yet but it is only a matter of time.

IMHO After rut I use tube feeders with 20% protein pellets .
Keeping mineral sites going , I quit feeding in April 

Quote from: Chuck White on December 31, 2018, 09:56:27 AM
Something must have changed here in New York with regards to "feeding deer"!

There is a local who another local turned in, to the DEC for feeding the deer behind his house!

Game Warden visited the accused and promptly issued him a ticket which read "Feeding deer within 300 feet of the road"!

So, I guess it's legal unless you're within that 300 foot mark!

I have been sick in the house for 4 days now. Going nuts watching decent weather slip through my hands. About the only thing I have been able to do is spend MANY hours reading new and old threads here on FF. Chuck's comment about the NYS law made me go look it up because I thought I knew the rules, but then realized I had never really read them. Baiting of course, is alwasy illegal, but here is a quote from the NYS DEC site: 
"NYS Environmental Conservation Law prohibits:

NYS Codes, Rules and Regulations Part 189 (https://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/2494.html) further prohibit feeding of wild deer or moose except for several specific circumstances (e.g., agriculture, wildlife food plots, raising livestock, DEC permitted research, or management activities)."
 So thanks Chuck, this was very useful information.  Now I have to get out the tape measure. Up to now I only drop off very occasional treats like apples and such. But if the winter gets tough with very deep snow, I don't mind pitching in a little to help them stay healthy until the regular food sources come back. It's not a regular thing though.
 You learn a lot reading this forum.

Bucks in rut can hardly be used to determine an average home range.

Quote from: Jeff on December 31, 2018, 02:42:32 PM
Bucks in rut can hardly be used to determine an average home range.

Kinda like teenagers

I don't range far in rut. ::)
...nobody feeds me.

I wonder what the definition of "management activities" is.

Quote from: petefrom bearswamp on January 01, 2019, 11:34:49 AM"management activities"

Meddling

Quote from: Jeff on January 01, 2019, 01:17:59 PM

Quote from: petefrom bearswamp on January 01, 2019, 11:34:49 AM"management activities"

Meddling

Management activity are those activities that manage the health and sex ratio of the herd.  Most unmanaged areas have an over population of does to buck because of the macho "gonna get me a big buck" while does keep growing in number.  In a managed area a count is made throughout the year, to get an idea of the ratio, and then a number presented to the members as to how many of what to kill.  Usually, here in Texas anyway, there is an extended season, longer than the regular season, to achieve those numbers.  One ranch here in Polk County has a 3 to 1 ration of doe to buck, 90 some odd doe to maybe 30 bucks.  The results are bigger body weights, better trophy horns for the "gonna" group, and a healthy herd.  All under the advice and control of the Texas Parks and Wildlife.  Good for meat hunters, and horn hunters alike.  Ratio is important due to the carry capacity of the land, to many does and the herd eats itself out of home, browse lines on trees show those areas where the "gonna" hunters don't take out enough doe.

There is still a little subsistence hunting in east Texas, but leased land and private hunting areas restrict the number of places for the less wealthy to hunt, so the state runs open lands for anyone and they are well used.  But not managed, so success rate is low, and the crop is the old style lighter weight animals.  Night hunters take care of themselves.

Average hunting lease rates are going up, unmanaged land is around $10 an acre, high fenced managed land is what the market can bear.  To draw those prices the lease has to be productive with good animals.

I'm talking the gubermental variety of meddling.

I have only heard the "one square mile" territory for deer applied to does and their kin.  The bucks come and go from miles around.

QuoteI am thinking of putting in some kind of easy, healthy food crop for the deer in the hopes they may leave the saplings alone. I also expect it will never work out.

Deer feed on all sorts of stuff in the wild.  Grasses and forbs, hard mast, soft mast, grape, briars, honeysuckle, hedge, berries, pokeweed.

If youve got all conifers then oak sappling has no hope unless you provide alternatives.   in a hardwood stand its very easy to get them off your baby oak.  Just cull some of the shade tolerant understory stuff at the stump or hinge cut it.  In appalachia anyways deer are bananas for coppice sprouts off red maple, black gum and sourwood.  Its the top of their deep winter food list, and simultaneously the bottom of my  desireable timber list.  a match made in heaven.  With the entire woods floor covered in tufts of baby maple,  i couldnt get them to nibble an oak if i tried.  When there is a foot of snow over the corn and grass theyll still find your stump sprouts and gnaw them right down.


I got a little buck a few days ago on my property.  Eating my red maple, while full of someone elses shelled corn at $7 a bag. I never buy maple sprouts and never run out.  The deer leave my itty bitty place [5acre] for various reasons but always come back for the browse when the other food sources dry up.  Deer are always in a state of flux based on food and it can change quickly.  If you are supplying their favorite flavors youll have the deer. If too much pressure theyll go nocturnal but they'll visit for snacks until the pressure subsides.  Add water and bedding cover and theyll rarely leave.  Control predators and your herd will flourish.

When deer are chewing bark, theyre starving. Just like a horse.  You need to shoot a few or improve the landscapes browse production.

De brief sum up: don't feed any wild animals.
We feed birds only for our entertainment. Never feed deer, turkeys, or bear....it's not for them, not helpful for their survival.
Final.

Quote from: doctorb on January 01, 2019, 04:30:04 PM
I have only heard the "one square mile" territory for deer applied to does and their kin.  The bucks come and go from miles around.

They taught us in Wildlife Biology classes at AU the average home range for whitetails for a doe was 1 square mile and 1.5 square miles for a buck. Not to say they did not range a good bit further when alarmed or when feed was scarce or such. 

   For management for us we were taught to spend more time managing the habitat. No reason to try to maintain or increase the numbers of a game animal if the food and cover he wanted was not present. Get the conditions right then concentrate on the animal through restocking, regulating kills, etc. as needed. 

Yes I am feeding.......in front of my stand.  And the corn pile is coming closer when black powder season comes in next week.

Feeding at stands ain't hunting.
Besides you get hemhoroids (sp.) sitting on your butt. :-[

Just wondering how many bear you have harvested while stalking them? 

Quote from: Pulphook on January 03, 2019, 03:07:22 PM
Feeding at stands ain't hunting.
Besides you get hemhoroids (sp.) sitting on your butt. :-[

Ya know, yer starting to pith me off and it just aint me. Your opinion may matter in your house, but it don't hardly matter here.  I have opinions on lots of things, but I don't necessarily subject them as law like you are trying to do. 

In Kansas, the deer are too thick.  I finally put a ranch hand bull bumper on and have or nearly hit 3 in the past year.  My buddy just got a newer car per insurance since old Yucon was totaled after second hit.  I did not get to hunt this year, but when I do I usually only get 1 or 2 days and then if I don't get anything, I feel like I spent time away from my family with nothing to show for it.  I get the challenge of hunting, but if you are trying to put food on the table you cannot afford to spend a week for nothing.  My buddy Dallas hunts with bow and he takes the week off.  I had Amish putting up a fence and they take the whole family and live in a big tent.  These Amishmen hunt with bows and told me I was not a hunter, but simply a killer of deer since I use a rifle.  Fortunately I could see the smile on his face.   :laugh:.  I had a friend from high school going to medical school and man could he sing.  After a late shift, he was driving back to our home town to sing the next day at a funeral, and was killed when he hit a herd and rolled his car.  As humans we are also part of the eco system.  God Bless!

   Many years ago I took a trip to Rochester NY on a project and driving up the interstate I found I suddenly started seeing many more dead deer on the side of the road in PA after I left WV. I told myself "They must have a lot more deer up here than we do." Then I suddenly realized "No, the economy is just better up here and they leave them lay while we stop and pick them up and take them home to eat."

   Our state has the highest vehicle insurance rate for deer kills in the country. They opened up feeding/baiting for deer several years ago on private land to help reduce the herds. We also have special city hunts where deer killed in our larger cities do not count against your limits. They now have special hunts in the larger state parks because so many were starving there. We had special antlerless hunts for youth (8-14 y/o) who hunted with an adult. They have now opened these 3 days up to 65 and older also. Those deer don't count against your limits. 

I bought a welder off ebay years back and drove down from mass to eastern PA around the delaware water gap to get it.  The deer herds in fields on the side of the interstate were enormous. hundreds of them huddled together like penguins, i thought it was a commercial game farm at first but no fencing.

Worst rate of automotive deer kill ive seen would be the merrit parkway through richieville CT.  and maybe some stretches of 81 south of hazleton PA.  

Here in middle TN weve got thousands of acres of forest and pastures as far as you can see. Hardly ever see a daylight deer. But youre sure to pass 3 ladder stands per acre if you hike around a bit.

My only concern about feeding deer is that coyotes figure out how to ambush the corn bucket too.  Atleast with browse the deer tend to be less concentrated and a little more random in their movements.  It probably doesnt amount to nearly the impact of fawn predation by coyotes tho.   

The addition of a "supplement" to a deer's diet should be just that , an "addition ," a portion of a " holistic approach " to land management and heard management .
Simply stated, feeding corn is to supplemental feeding , what Gummey Bears are to your child's balanced diet. IMHO After a few years of doing it I can tell a difference . :P

Watched them eat this morning from the stand.  Didn't shoot.  Observing lets me see what is out there along with game cameras.  That lease doesn't have as many does but at the house I am overrun.  The BAIT will let me decide which older, barren doe to harvest with black powder which is about to begin.

   Our season ended Monday but somebody forgot to tell my DIL and she killed one Thursday with her car. Did about $4200 worth of damage. She hit it pretty much in the middle of town on a new major highway by-pass they recently opened in Beckley WV.

   I miss the TV show where the guys in Connecticut and such were archery shooting them in the suburbs. I think the name of the show was "Chasing Tail". I loved it when they'd have to sneak in and get a dead deer off some PETA executive's swimming pool and such. It seemed like most of the high end residents were happy to get rid of them after having several wrecks and losing all their flowers and such.

Well it happened.  Almost home at 01:30 and slammed on brakes and missed the first two deer, the last one ran strait into my front passenger door, still ran off.  air leak sound and smooshed in door.

That's too bad. Them critters can cause some damage.

Did you try and resusitate him?

I stopped and backed up,  did not see the deer.  I was not happy but at least the damage was mostly if not completely to the door.  It must have sprung something since I can hear air like it is not shut.Had he been laying there, I am not sure resuscitation is what I had in mind!!  They were all three pretty small.  Might make jerky out of em in a few years.  In my younger days, I had a 1972 2 door galaxy 500, you remember those, about 30 feet long.  I got slowed to about 70 before I hit this deer.  His head got my hood, shoulder got my grill, body got my fender legs got my door, and hair got all tufted in between my tire and rim.  

Walnut cookie to support a European mount for my buddy Jim.  We brew beer together.  pronounced in Ks as your-rope-ian.



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Sadly, not the little deer who smashed my door this am

Too many deer, not enough hunters here.

There was a "village" hunt in Castine, Maine 2 years ago. The swells in the town wanted only bow hunting to rid the marauding deer ( McMansion plantings BTW ). Can't have those gun toting rednecks in their town.
Now these bow hunter gibones IN TOWN put on their $$$ camo gear, face paint, and carbon bows. No kills. Fun to watch them 'stauking' (sp) on paved sidewalks and streets.

   I loved it on Chasing Tail when they would set up a "Stand" on somebody's back deck or they would shoot a deer and it would run 100 yards next door and die on the cover of the swimming pool of some animal lovers yard and one guy would distract the owner in front while the others sneaked it and got the deer before anybody realized it was there. I don't know if they had security cameras and what the owner thought if they looked at the tapes later. I think they had to stop hunting at the golf course at 8:00 am as that is when they opened to the public. I saw one episode where the "hunter" tracked his deer down then hired a taxi to take it back to "Deer Camp". I don't know if those places have opened crossbow hunting in those areas yet.

Never saw the show, but as a hunter I think that sort of behavior - distracting the owner and sneaking in - does not do any good for hunting in general.  I know I would be completely ripped and would pursue all legal options if someone pulled a stunt like that on me.  

What a life!!
At least 30 deer tonight. I just stood there and watched them eat the food I put down. Two nice looking bucks was there with horns. They seem to be hungry tonight. They came within 20-25 feet of me. The headlamp didn't seem to bother them . Had many just turn their backs side to me and walk away.

They were probably looking for their cousin from Kansas who said he was on the way last they knew... :D

Southside,

  I am sure they were just trying to keep the guy from being traumatized. I am sure he would not have been happy if he had found the dead deer there and had to pay somebody to haul it off even though the hunter had not done anything wrong or illegal up to that point. As I remember the episode this was right after Superstorm Sandy had hit the area and the guy in front was an arborist who presented himself as interested in removing uprooted and broken trees and actually got a contract to do the work while the hunter got the deer out the back way.

  Yes, the proper way to have handled it would have been to go to the guy and apologize and ask to remove the deer. They had previously asked permission to hunt and been denied violently while the neighbor begged them to come thin them off his place because of the damage they were doing to his place.

   I have my property posted but if a wounded deer came over and died on my place I would be fine for and would expect the hunter to come get him and if he came to me I'd even take my ATV and Sampson, my 13 lb rat Terrier, up there and help him look for him and bring him out but that's just me.

I would, and have, allow someone to come and get a deer, no problem at all - even carried out one of a pair of hounds last week when they got lifted by the cow fence and found shelter under a planter, the owner saw on his tracker they had shut down in the field and came and found me, but the key is you ask me first - this is my castle, like you I have served and earned the right to call it mine and nobody will persuade me otherwise.  I am not going to enter into the back yard of another without permission unless there is some sort of imminent and real harm I am trying to stop and I demand the same respect from others.    

New here and thought I'd add to this thread. 

I've been feeding deer on my property for few years now. I'm in somewhat in a remote area with few neighbours and I like it that way. I give deer a variety of pulse like Faba beans, soy beans, peas, lentils and grains but no corn. All depend what I have on hand. 

Been looking at the deer and how the act around the feed. What I have noticed is that deer will come and eat only for a short while and then go off and finish the night in my hay field.

I spread the feed and always careful not to pile the feed. Feeding the deer help them during winter months but I try to make sure they aren't dependent on my feed. Just a little help to keep them healthy.

Anyway, just my 2 cents... ;D

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, frazman!

Don't be an "armchair biologist ," get the facts, gather intelligence on your property and implement a plan. Supplemental feeding is definitely a good thing, but not a substitute for good habitat management.  IMHO  :P ;D

You are right about the way they eat. 
When times was better,I would go out in the day light hours and feed too. Still was not a hugh amount with the amount of deer coming. During daylight hours 2-3-4-5-6 at a time would come and eat. Stay 10-15 minutes and wander off. About 20 minutes later repeat. And so on all day. People would come over and visit and be bummed out,no deer. I would tell them to keep watching,they will come out. And they would.
Seem like at night is when they come all at once.  
They still have horns.

The rangers at camp always tell the boys not to feed the chip monks.  i think in the summer is not a bad deal, the critters will not loose all their wild instincts that fast.  In town with all the roads and buildings, we are devistating habitat and nature way worse than feeding a few deer. We feed the squirrels some, and have not seen the numbers dropping off.  maybe we just compensate for the fact that we have cleared square miles of natural habitat to build houses and roads.  Only seems fair!


bon_fire



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this is my corn cob feeder modeled after my 850 John Deer.  When they eat, it looks like they are driving the tractor.



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Love ERC.  blends with nature, have tons in Ks.


Have never eaten squirrel but my dad told me it looks like chicken.  i would if I had to.  At least when i hit one (accidentally) with my truck, not as much damage.

Oh my, I remember the times when if we had not eaten squirrel, we would not have eaten.  They were the only thing between us and hungry.  Squirrel, rabbits, and bullfrogs.  We carried the possums and coons to the sharecropper because that family needed to eat too.

There were no deer nor turkeys back then which was in the 50's.

Doc - tell me you didn't use metal to fasten that beautiful feeder to that one day sawmill log in your picture!!  :o

That's why they are called Yard Trees. ;D

Quote from: Magicman on January 12, 2019, 05:36:26 PM
Oh my, I remember the times when if we had not eaten squirrel, we would not have eaten.  They were the only thing between us and hungry.  Squirrel, rabbits, and bullfrogs.  We carried the possums and coons to the sharecropper because that family needed to eat too.

There were no deer and turkeys back then which was in the 50's.

A local friend who bow hunts on our place loves "Maine squirrel pie". It needs besides a .22, at least 6-12 gray squirrels. Not much meat in 1.
Just thought you'd like to know.

Quote from: Magicman on January 12, 2019, 05:36:26 PM
Oh my, I remember the times when if we had not eaten squirrel, we would not have eaten.  They were the only thing between us and hungry.  Squirrel, rabbits, and bullfrogs.  We carried the possums and coons to the sharecropper because that family needed to eat too.

There were no deer and turkeys back then which was in the 50's.

I got out of the service and returned to Missouri, where, in the first deer season I had been in, I killed a doe.  Within a week I received letters from the county judge congratulating me for the first deer killed in the county since the '30's.  Paper ran an article on it.  The south ate dang near all the critters going into the '40's.

Southside. there is one wood screw in each feeder in a couple of elm trees.  If I mill (and i hope they stand for the next 25 years so I won't) them, I know where the metal is.  if not, some other poor bass tard will have to change a blade. lol.   do you have a better suggestion???  .   :D  .  These are in my back yard.  We love to watch and it entertains our dogs as well.  if times are tough, we at least have a nest egg of meat.  I almost feel I owe it to my dad to try it.   fudd-smiley
all in fun, thanks for the words of caution. 

Quote from: doc henderson on January 12, 2019, 08:22:02 PMdo you have a better suggestion??

I have read on these very pages of someone who was being paid to have a log sawn and when the sawyer struck metal and was adding up the cost of the replacement bands, that he admitted he was the one to put the metal in the trees!!  So just saying.....  Maybe someone can come up with a hard poly / plastic screw that would work in such an application.  Won't be a structural solution but it could "save the planet" - or in the very least prevent a few bad words from being mumbled after the loud "Zing".  arg-smiley

Oh and it's Elm!!  Man oh man - that band is gonna climb like the squirrel with your dog in hot pursuit after that strike!!   :D

gotcha!!!  great idea on the poly screw.


sling_shot

Drywall augers.  They also work great to replace all your missing pop fastener in the fenderwell or on you broken ATV fenders

I have put screws in trees to hold feeders!

I check them once in a while and if they start to imbed, I get my cordless and back them out a couple turns or move them to another spot!

On jan 12 I took photos of deer crossing the ice 2 km away. I knew they were headed to our homestead. Jan 18 they landed in our field to yard for the winter. Hopefully more is on their way. We usually have 10 to 15 deer. Next summer I am hoping to make a food plot and a guy up the road is shooting coyotes. Hopefully we will increase the herd. Here is a documentary of the deer in my area.  I don't feed by putting one pile of apples.  The deer here have access to rose hips, apple orchard and grass,  Next year I will plant several acres of chicory, cloves and turnip. This will help the deer because it is spread over several acres.  

Below is a deer documentary of the deer in our area.  

A deer documentary (https://youtu.be/djEKfp5Nsug)

Anyone going to any hinge cutting for food end of Jan or Feb  .
I am planning some edge cutting and some bedding areas.
:new_year:

Hinge cut now.  The deer need all the food they can find to survive.  Maple and black gum are among their favorites.  Oaks will do, poplar they wont touch. 

  Strange about your deer not eating poplar. They love the leaves when I cut them here in the summer. The old does will even park their fawns in the tops and limbs where they are close when they are eating. I never noticed if they ate the tips or such but I assumed they did. My mule and horse strip the bark off the poplar, ash and some basswood tops and limbs I dragged down last week.

   I throw hay out to the horse and mule every day and am surprised the deer don't touch that but they are browsers not grazers so they don't care for the grass in the hay. The turkeys will be going through it in the next few weeks getting seeds and worms. 

A nice score today. We have a restaurant right next door,we share the same dumpster. I went to throw something away and saw 2 boxes of apples!!! I would guess 2 bushels. They won't last long,but they will enjoy the apples.
The deer still have horns.

Poplar bark is known as a natural wormer for cattle and horses, I would guess the same is true for deer. 

   The leaves are preferred feed when they are green too.

Its probably like firewood, people with oak wont bend over to pick up a piece of pine.  Go to the NW and its normal heating wood.  I imagine deer tastebuds are regional.  I hinge cut a lot of material and really made a study of activity the past two years.  Gum, sourwood and red maple get chewed to nubs in my yard.  Ive never seen a poplar hingecut with a bud missing.  Theyve all grown to have multi leaders popping up along the trunk.  

As for grasses, they feed in the pasture behind me every evening once acorns are gone.  If thats snowed/iced over then i see branch tips get hammered on my hingecuts.  

Quote from: Southside logger on January 12, 2019, 09:55:35 PM

Quote from: doc henderson on January 12, 2019, 08:22:02 PMdo you have a better suggestion??

Raptor, Senco, and maybe a few others make a nail gun that will shoot composite nails and staples. They're great for the spoil board on a CNC, not to having to worry about running a tool into metal is a nice feature. They can be cut and sanded with damaging anything.
 
They aren't real cheap so a person probably wouldn't buy one without having another reason to.

thanks jem

While I won't reveal my opinion here on feeding deer and other wildlife-and I also think that opinion will be obvious-I will say-I am surprised to see so many "foresters" excited about deer.  In my world, they are nothing but a scourge, affecting the composition of forests in a vastly negative way, now that their numbers are so artificially boosted by civilization.

Here in Wisconsin, our deer herd-even on so-called "off years"-is far, far higher than what the land can carry, and much higher than at time of Euro-settlement.  At least insofar as not damaging that land.  Right back to forest composition.

You guys really think deer need  you "feeding" them, huh?  I'm not here to necessarily make friends, but rather, to exchange info and ideas.  As an idea goes, I think feeding deer is a poor one.  So do most deer experts.  Maybe not into experts here?

tom

I think most guys here enjoy nature.  I think some feed animals to be able to see them and enjoy them.  some are feeding deer to compensate for civilization and the habitat that is lost.  some do it to get them in close for the sport of using a bow, or muzzle loader to harvest and control the populations, as well as to put meat in the freezer.  We are all part of the ecosystem.  I believe in protecting resources and picking up after myself.  The bit of corn put out by some, does not compare with the wide open fields of hay, alfalfa, corn ect.  They are already depending on human grown food.



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Was just helping my buddy Dallas build a deer blind for next years bow season.  Still have to replace my right truck door, after the third deer in a group ran into the side of my truck! smiley_cry.   Tom, I appreciate your point of view.  Experts are great, but so many of them have the point of view, and then get into research and become experts.  Global warming is a good example.  Obama passed regs. that did not allow grants to go to persons not trying to prove GW.

"Obama" did no such thing.  Presidents don't sit on science advisory councils, as a general rule.  But more importantly, there are no actual scientists disputing the topic in the way you suggest in your post.  And we've said that roughly one million times now-but I'm sure we'll be saying it many more times.

"Feeding deer" is one of the primary means by which CWD is spreading in places like Wisconsin, full of folks who "love wildlife" and somehow miss the "wild" part.  Oh, and "civilization" is not diminishing habitat for such generalist species as white-tailed deer.  Just the opposite-it has greatly expanded their opportunities....which I did mention in my previous, apparently unread or unbelieved post.

tom

The deer will gather at the bog or where I am feeding them. Take your pick.My maybe 5-8 pounds a night does not go far with 20-30 deer either.

My background is biology.  No one dare question global warming, or is it climate change now, because like so many other things, it is not pc.  Not to bring politics to a forestry forum, we are so divided.  It is not inadvertent, but part of the plan by some.  How can habitat not be reduced if we are all living in huge houses, compared to 200 years ago.  federal research grants were slanted toward the pro climate change people, so you cannot even do a "non biased" study at this point.  I still appreciate your point of view, but I disagree.  I think increased numbers may be due to less predation.  Fewer coyotes ect.  Most deer are killed by SUVs.  Most hunters put down a bucket full of corn every day or two, just to increase their chances at getting a deer for the freezer.  It is not enough to increase populations, and usually only a few at a time.  Mule deer still roam in herds of 40- 50 in western Ks.  every thing we do prob. has some effect on something else.  We all make our own choices, and no one wants to be told what to do.

I said decreased habitat, meaning relative to the deer population, and you said too many for the land to support?  kind of the same thing.  what is your background?  Maybe I missed a post where you made this clear.

I got more deer than I would like consuming my alfalfa & corn.   Id be thrilled to see them dwindle by half.  Course This hill country speckled with small fields lots of edge habitat and productive forest  is nearly ideal for them.

I am sure with all our opinions, we will end up somewhere in the middle, usually not a bad place to be!  Tom I saw your profile and it looks like this is your thing.  Regards.

   My degree was Wildlife Biology. I remember learning in classes there were more deer in America than when the settlers arrived. There are way more now than back when I was in college. There may be less of other species such as bison and such. Deer are very adaptable and will continue to increase based to carrying capacity which is constantly changing. I remember in one of our classes we learned the deer herd in Fla was kept in check by the screw worm so when we eradicated the screwfly the deer herd there increased significantly. The deer herd, as with all animals is kept in check by food, brood raising factors, disease and predators. If your exceed the food supply the herd weakens then disease or predators remove the weaker ones first. Lacking predators disease will increase to keep things in balance. The numbers will always be fluctuating from year to year and season to season. Humans are the only predator that tries to harvest the biggest and strongest animals vs the weaker ones. 

   I worked and vacationed a lot in Africa and my guides there thought we were crazy to get concerned by by trophy hunters killing the biggest and most impressive animals. Most of those had already been kicked out of the herd by younger, stronger bulls and they were no longer part of the breeding population anyway so removing them did not adversely affect the animal population and such hunting hugely affected the local economy and the local population often got the meat.

   Doc mentioned it but the feed most of us put out for deer is not to sustain them but to attract them so we can see and/or kill them easier. Baiting was not legal here when I moved to this state but as the numbers increase our DNR approved the practice on private land as a tool to help increase the harvest. 

I believe in feeding the deer.  


...to my family. 

Been following this tread from the beginning and would like to add my 2 pennies.

Back in 1993, my wife and I purchased 76 acres in Syria (Madison County), Virginia.  And I can tell you that for the first 8 to 12 years the deer hunting was terrible.  I think in that time frame, myself and 3 other hunters killed maybe 8 deer.  For us, using feeders was hard because of the bears.  They continually tore them to hell and back.  Couldn't keep one running for more than 2 months at a time.  This summer is a prime case in point; had one down need the house and thought I had it fairly "bear proof."  Wrong answer, they had in down and totally destroyed in 5 weeks.  Still haven't figured out how it/they got to it.

About 10-12 years after we purchased this place, the property just down river from us was timbered.  I called their timbering method as a clear select cut.  Some areas they took everything, while others they only took the real good stuff.  As you guys know this created a huge amount of undergrowth.  Well about 2 years after this we started seeing and killing a lot more deer.  None of them of any real size or racks.  I think one opening day, 4 of us killed 5.  Well, as "they" say, all good things must come to an end.  Starting about 5 years ago, we noticed there seemed to be a lot less deer.  Last year and this year were typical in that we only got 1 each year.  But.....both of them appeared to be bigger deer.  As a matter of fact, the one killed this year was the biggest bodied deer we have killed in 30 years.  It had one messed up rack on it.
We have talked about this many times and the only things we can think of: (1) The canopy on my land is 26 years older and is shading out the undergrowth making for less feed.  We have noticed there seems to be a lot less spice brush down in the lower area.  Which is mostly yellow poplar trees. (2) The timbered property has grown up in non-feed type plants like ailanthus.

Bruce

To add to your observations there Bruce - how heavy has the dog hunting been over your way the past 5 years or so?  Around here nothing lives much past 2.5 years given the heavy pressure we get from the tri-cities area.  

Quote from: Southside logger on January 25, 2019, 09:14:09 PM
To add to your observations there Bruce - how heavy has the dog hunting been over your way the past 5 years or so?  Around here nothing lives much past 2.5 years given the heavy pressure we get from the tri-cities area.  

Most of the time it's bear dogs doing the running.  When they are out and running, they keep the deer really spooked.
Bruce

I do not feed the deer in the summer. The deer will stop coming where I feed them,or they have for the last 18 years. Come late April,I put food out and go check on the food and it is still there in the morning. That tells me they are done. Now the garden they like to dine in.... But they was doing that long before I started to feed them and built a house here. I think I mentioned I would like to plant a few areas of turnips and carrots. Just a couple hand rake widths and 6-8 feet long. But never have yet. I know some of you guys plant acres of food for them.  I have heard of some doing that around here too.

Sunflowers - plant sunflowers they love to eat the buds off of sunflowers before they open up and the plant will respond by putting out several more leaders and smaller flowers, so you still get the sunnies, the birds, and the deer are happy.  

Sunflowers?  Had them in the garden each year. Small ones make a great cut flower. Will have to try it.

I find this thread to be very interesting to follow.

As for in my area, deer population is just starting to get better. We had a terrible winter kill a few years ago and the hunting season was adjusted accordingly.

Anyway, I try and do my part in helping the deer population grow. I see no reason in not feeding deer any type of pulse as they are feeding in some of my neighbours field for soybeans left over from the harvest...

Ray, since you are in a deep winter state you are probably seeing them come in for thermal shelter in young dense pine patches. When winter breaks theyll move off to feed on hardwood regen, grasses and ag fields elsewhere.  When the ag is cut, grass is iced and cold returns, the corn and thermal cover will always win them back to you.


The herd reduction mentioned in virginia is likely coyote predation on the fawns born to whatever does survive hunting season.   Take up coyote hunting, [mating season is now] hingecut or sever low grade maple, black gum and sourwood about a foot off the ground for coppice regen to provide food and thick brushy cover.  Get some sunlight on your briars and poke weed clumps and if no water nearby, put out a few plastic cement mixing tubs in shady spots.  

If you can thicken it up in there for cover, reduce predators and include water your does will fawn there and the fawns will grow into deer who are inclined to stay unless something forces dispersal.

Sowing some switchgrass and/or native wildflower seed near your already brushy patches and maybe field edges will really up the holding potential.  Switchgrass with random flower colors hides fawns extremely well.  Theyve got matching cammo and wont need to move for feeding.  If they stay put theyll survive.  Coyotes climb up on round bales in summer to scratch the fleas and mange on their bellies while waiting for mice to scurry out of the bale.  Theyve got eyes to spot a fawn on the field edge from really far off so thats why i say try to break up the field edge and not leave the fawn a reason to wander out of your designated fawning sanctuary. 

Habitat loss is a big issue here. Folks clear cut mixed hardwood stands and replant them to loblolly pine, which is subsidized via a tax paid by sawmills. Not much for a deer to eat once that plantation is sprayed and the canopy closes up.  Fawn loss is an issue but the incredible hunting pressure and non harvest losses from buckshot play a major role in our herd health and size. 

Cfarm, I have friends around, that like me feed the dear,  ;D We had a meeting.

Now we all feed the same stuff to them. the last count was 28 head, When the sun goes down we call each other, 4 dear here 6 over toms 10 over mikes. Bunch and bunch of them all over.
To bad Anns not here to see what we're doing. 
It's getting better for me cfarm. 
Customers banging down the door for lumber.
Take care, my friend.

I have neighbors that feed them too. One wants to get a paint gun and than ask me it I saw that yellow one,blue one and so on. ;D
Glad things are going good for you.
This year I think I only have 20,last year I had 40. Get 40 deer around me,it's kinda of a odd feeling. 

Good to hear from you Peter.  

cfarm,

   I like the paint gun idea. let us know how it works.

    7-8 years ago my wife and I vacationed in southern Africa and stayed at a campground in Namibia on a river with Angola on the other side. The camp was infested with monkeys that would steal anything they could get. The campground manager would make rounds with his paintgun shooting them. It was funny when they'd see him and they'd give the alarm and every monkey in the camp would skeedaddle. As soon as he left they'd be right back. Our last breakfast there we had one piece of kudu sausage and one piece of French toast left and me, my wife and our guide were all looking at it wanting it but trying not to be greedy when a monkey came down and solved our dilemma by stealing them both. When we went to pack up I walked to the back of the covered pick up to put some gear in and found a monkey in there who charged, I ducked and he jumped over me and headed for the trees.

sounds like you have had some real adventures WV.

Doc,

   Unfortunately in many cases I have the scars to prove it. Lots of things are more fun to look back at now than they were to go through at the time. It has been a very interesting life so far.

I am a big "that which does not kill us, makes us stronger", kind of guy.  Not always popular in current society with mom hanging hand sanitiser gew  around their children's neck.  continue to keep it interesting.  Best regards WV.

Quote from: wisconsitom on January 25, 2019, 02:02:31 PMI'm not here to necessarily make friends,

That is beginning to become plainly obvious.

Quote from: wisconsitom on January 25, 2019, 02:02:31 PMMaybe not into experts here?

 And I'm not here just to look pretty. Be careful or the exchange from this end may look like a blank screen.

My viewpoint is simply that of a forester.  I am not interested in artificially-high numbers of a few select game animal species.  In my view, that's not supportive of healthy forests...or nature generally.

I'm out on this one....forever.

tom

As a forester you should know that a forest is not all about timber. As a Forester you should understand that Forests can be managed for many different goals. As a Forester, you should take into concideration the forest owners goals first. As a forester you should use your expertise to advise versus dissuade. As a Forester you should have a better public attitude on the largest Forestry Forum in the world.

updated pics of my buddy Dallas's deer blind.  unfinished installed WRC door.  covered with WM camo cover.



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Nice deer shack as we call them around here so well camoed (probably not a word) that I wouldn't be able to find it .Looks very well built

I just hope my buddy can find his way home.  One night after 10 pm, his wife called and asked me to go look for him.  He was tracking a deer and did not hear his phone.  He has hooks, shelves, bucket stile porta-potty ( his daughter has killed more deer than I ever will)  It is insulated and blacked out on the inside. he spreads manure for a business and he is neat as a pin.  

That sure beats sittin on a log in the rain!

Nice blind! Will make for a comfortable hunt.

The feeding continues.
This time with maple tops. I am cutting a few maple trees within a couple hundred feet of where I feed the deer. I've done this a few years ago,with great success. I drop the tree,take the big wood and leave the tops for a couple days for the deer to feast upon. Then after a few days I haul the tops out and cut down some more trees. This is in an area that I am kinda keeping clean. This is not like across from the driveway,where I bring a trailer through and pick up the branches. But I don't want a bunch of brush in this area either.
I have a deer with only one horn!!! Wed night I was doing my nightly feeding and thought there was only one horn, but I could not tell for sure. I was trying to get the light on him and even stood down there with the light off hoping he would come to the food. But he did not show up. I had today off and I went down with some food in the morning. I wanted to see him!! Ayup he came out and now I know for sure ,only one horn!!!.

Cfarm Would you have any room or desire to hinge cut a few of those maples .The deer enjoy them almost year round shelter and food.

 I am out in the woods at least once a week in the summer and I leave them things to eat. There are many trees that should not be allowed to grow.And my land is a challage to get around on. Between the leave trees,rocks,sharp knolls,wet holes,it can be hard to get a road through. Hinge cut a few trees and it would be that much harder. But it is a good idea. Most times I am out in the woods all winter too. Would be a great year,but I've been on the lazy side,for some reason.

Edit,I did forget to mention,all the ugly trees I cut sucker out. The deer really likes them. Than when I see them get some height to them,I saw them off and the cycle goes on.

cfarm, you feed so many, we had choke cherry jelly with breakfast this morning.  cannot wait until the next Christmas contest

I just hope Brenda is up to making some more. That is why only 2 kinds. She did not make any strawberry or grape this year. Just was not up to it.   Some berries spoiled because she could not get to them. She meant well,but could not do it. I am the picker now.

"Nature's Way" , Tom Sterba , also NYT author of a book on 'Nam.
The book is an account of how we have artificially encouraged species' survival  when we build in their habitat, making suburbs and rural homes with "salad" plantings. Excellent read.

Yep.

Quote from: Pulphook on February 08, 2019, 08:16:26 AM
"Nature's Way" , Tom Sterba , also NYT author of a book on 'Nam.
The book is an account of how we have artificially encouraged species' survival  when we build in their habitat, making suburbs and rural homes with "salad" plantings. Excellent read.

Yea, so what?

The snow is getting deep in the woods here . The last week I to have started cutting a Maple each time I go out . I am about to hang it up for the winter we are at 36 inches on the ground and its just to much to move around in . I will still run the skidder out and cut a Maple for feed . Just a few skid trails all leading to a deer stand .

Deer will migrate from harsh winter areas to lesser up this way. When we had deer in large numbers up until mid 80's, you could easily see this. One example is where we used to fish in an area, known as the Christmas Mountains, near the North Pole River. Pretty much an area with many small creeks which join it and later feed into the Mirimachi River and other steams feeding other rivers. Near dead centre of the northern half of New Brunswick. It is NB's great watershed divide. In fact, all the large rivers in NB feed off that area. Very deep snow and very cold region. Very remote and too rugged to ever settle, granite boulders through the woods and golden (full of mica or vermiculite) glacial sand under it. Snow until almost June. If we have 2 feet of snow depth here, they have near 5 feet, no January thaw. Lots of deer trails, in fact that is how a human got around in those woods in summer was on deer trails, literally. And the woodland caribou started most of them trails, the deer found opportunity. You could find deer in the summer by the 100's on fresh harvested areas. Come winter, that was another story. And I mean not in mature timber with thermal cover and little hardwoods to nibble either. Them deer all migrate either down the Tobique watershed or down the Mirimachi. Not a deer track to be found in the harshness of winter. Any old hunting guide will verify that. Many of them were trappers to. That country is just too tough. In fact, up here in NB deer are all migrants, was never a deer seen here before ~1910.  ;)

Ain't no deer wintering in that snow my friends. This is just over the hill so to speak near the great divide at gramp's camps.

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I was with gramps on more than one instance where a car had struck a deer. In those years we had lots of deer. There it is suffering, floundering about. The folks so traumatized by the whole ordeal and no means to put the animal down or the courage to do so. So out comes the buck knife gramps always had on him to end the deer's suffering. Had to be done, just the way gramps was. Most folks will get over it eventually. ;)

Quote from: submarinesailor on January 25, 2019, 08:43:59 PM
For us, using feeders was hard because of the bears.  They continually tore them to hell and back.  Couldn’t keep one running for more than 2 months at a time.  This summer is a prime case in point; had one down need the house and thought I had it fairly “bear proof.”  Wrong answer, they had in down and totally destroyed in 5 weeks.  Still haven’t figured out how it/they got to it.

Monkey bears, they sure are here. Claw marks up oak, aspen, ash, black cherry and fir. Climbing trees a lot. They are smart critters to. :D

Getting back to the deer. The population has declined so bad in northern zones here, including the tip of that North Pole area (rest is buck only), that no deer hunting has been allowed for 25 years there. It was amazing times in there during the 70's and 80's when we fished there, deer to no end and nice trails to walk. Nice trout fishing to. It was artificial fly only on those streams, but you only needed a bare hook and the water boiled with trout. Best years of my life.  :)

Estimates now are 74,000 deer province wide, down from 275,000 in the early 80's.

Has the moose population increased in a similar fashion during that time?  I know there was hardly a moose but lots of deer around 9 Mile Bridge, St Pamphile, Clayton Lake, etc back in the 30's and 40's, it was more of a balance between the two in the 80's and by the 90's more moose than deer it seemed living in that country.  The deer would travel for miles to yard in the cedar thickets, could see several hundred between Ashland and Portage, same thing around Round Pond.  Just my opinion but the spruce bud worm and subsequent management change had a lot to do with that.    

Moose population seems to be pretty steady for most of those years. Declining some in southern NB though. But the last 3 years or so they have granted more tags in certain zones. But here in the NW of NB the moose heard is strong. I say heard, when you see 8-12 at once. :D Where I live here the deer numbers was always low, but lots of moose here. Even 30 years ago 3 or 4 deer together here was quite a site. Never 50 or 100 deer in a bunch. Only have those numbers in heavy mature softwood forest , but not much more than 70% crown closure with birch and red maple mixed in. They need the hardwood mix for little saplings to grow up to eat in winter along with the old man's beard on those old fir. You drop one of those old fir or a cedar and they'll clean both. :D

Moose? I saw one track,yes,only one track a few years ago. I can't even remember the last time I have seen a moose around here,even driving.
The turkeys have found the food. Or what is left. ;D  I only feed at night. The deer do a very good job cleaning it up. Well I say only at night. The step son will be here today.I'll put some food out so the deer will come. When company comes,I put some food out for the deer too. But I have put food out and no deer will come out during daylight hours.
Years ago,when times was better,I would feed the deer in the day. Had some feeding off and on all day. Most times during daylight hours,only 2-3-4 maybe 6 would come out at one time. The deer would eat for about 15 minutes than wander off and another bunch would come in and do the same thing.

In New York you can legally provide deer with cut browse. If someone cuts a White Cedar in the winter, Just take some of those lush green boughs and hang them upside down in the lower limbs of other trees so deer can reach the foliage. And do it out away from the roads to keep the deer and motorists safe. 

On about the moose thing, they are seriously in decline in Nova Scotia, so bad that they want to make sure the only land connection between the two provinces is free for the moose to use as a corridor to migrate from NB. Of course nothing says they don't all want out of NS to. :D

Not getting into the debate about feeding wild animals after the flaming here.

Some wildlife facts:
Moose and deer don't do well in the same habitat.
In Downeast Maine at least, whitetail hunting has drastically declined ( wealth ? the internet ? easy meat availability in stores ? generational ?).
Too many deer-vehicle interactions; deer often run into the sides of vehicles.
Chronic wasting disease is taking down deer in other parts of the country.
Maine moose are inundated with ticks ( look up those who have hit a moose) .

End.

Moose here are actually being tormented by winter mites but I read the phrase often 'winter tick is a mite'. Well no, a tick is a tick a mite is a mite. A blue jay is not a chicken. :D

Buck i got this season was crawling in stuff and things i didnt care to eat. Coyotes didnt seem bothered. 

Hope this is another dry year...ticks like moisture.
For those of us spending time in the 'bush' it is easy to be paranoid about ticks. Change clothes, spray, do the usual crevise check, shower.
Hate them. Did I say "I hate ticks " ? Hate.
A friend, a minister, spent two years with the tick bourne disease; devastating for him.

I stopped counting at around 28 bites last year.  Had one on me yesterday actually.  I got a few chickens this year free ranging around. I hope they help.

It's the deer ticks you can't see that worry us. ( Is this another reason to not encourage whitetail population ? )
Deer are part of the tick vector.

So far so good here, never been bit, in the woods all day when the snow ain't on the ground. But the boss got bit last year he said. I found 2 or 3 dead moose last spring on thinning blocks and I think them mites are half the problem, major stress in winter when food is scarce. A bear had hid one of them in a big hole beside the road. Bear crap all around the place.

Don't feed the ticks. :o
Maine wardens find moose devastated by ticks. Deer are part of the tick vector yet deer are not affected by ticks.
In this part of the world, ticks are a deadly serious problem for humans. Fish and Game recommends not to feed deer.....here.

The horse is dead,stop beating it!!!     :)

Well said cfarm smiley_thumbsup 

None to feed around here this time of year, they moved out for the winter. :D

Quote from: Pulphook on February 17, 2019, 07:16:16 AMNot getting into the debate about feeding wild animals after the flaming here.
...........

End.

Quote from: Pulphook on February 18, 2019, 06:07:11 AMFish and Game recommends not to feed deer.....here.

Quote from: thecfarm on February 18, 2019, 06:09:58 AMThe horse is dead,stop beating it!!!

Well he did quit beating it for almost 24 hours.  ;D

@Pulphook (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=41166)  Enough of your trashing of this topic.  thecfarm started it to tell us about something he truly enjoys. Many of us do. Including myself. We DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU THINK about this because you obviously do not care what we think. If you did, you would keep your flippin fingers from typing crap that is obviously annoying other members. You are done here. Kapeesh?  Don't make me make you done everywhere on the Forestry Forum. Don't be crying about being flamed here when it was me addressing you.  That is not flaming. I own the joint. Understand??

OK Jeff. "You own the joint".
No trashing ....it's an opinion based on sharing some facts. You want to own it , fine.
No one is trashing anything.

Pulphook left a great big greeting card on the forum this morning. I happened to be setting here when he hit the post button. I think @Raider Bill (http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=4445) was the only one else to see it before I removed it. I also removed Pulphook. Permanently.

Well I guess I am safe to say,I got some more apples. This time they was just dumped by the dumpster. I would say about 25 gallons worth. I put out 5 gallons when I got home at 6:30pm. Checked the furnace around 9:30 and the apples was all gone.

I'm worried about our U.P. deer. The eastern end of the U.P. where I hunt is getting hammered with winter since Christmas.  I got a message on facebook from one of the neighbors up there asking if I was planning on coming up at all this winter.  I responded back saying I didn't think so, Why? do you need something brought up?  And he says no, just wanted to let you know the snow is now over your gate pipes.  I got a picture from him he took from the road about a month ago that wasn't quite that deep. Over the gate chains and up to the top of the porch. He says the poles are gone now.  In the picture the cable attaches to the posts about crotch high.


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Dang


You better pray for some Gorebull warming.

Jeff I think that's a valid concern for the deer herd. Dang that's a lot of snow 

Will it make for some floods when it thaws?

That's what I like about the South!

Quote from: LeeB on February 19, 2019, 11:11:00 AM
Will it make for some floods when it thaws?

Nah, but it will be wet for a spell. If you could get up a 100ft high at the cabin, you could see lake Huron to the south, and the Saint Mary's river heading for Lake Superior to the North. Lots of room for the melt to go. :)

I looked out my back door a little bit ago had three rearing up on their hind legs eating cedar.

I would imagine the cedar is getting a good high prune this year.

Is that like a yooper high water mark?  Cedars with 13ft clear buttlogs?   :D

The few cedars I have behind the house are trimmed up to 5' or so. They haven't been touched for a few years. When I was out tonight putting out corn and sunflower, I noticed that a row of 10' high white pines were also trimmed up to head height. The deer look pretty healthy this year besides a couple fawns that showed up last week, they are a little gaunt. We feed corn,sunflower and pumpkin from end of Nov. til Spring thaw. I've never seen them go after the pine before, but I do remember in the late 80's my Dad shot a nice buck that had a stomach chock full of pine needles, it was tradition to take a peak at what the animal was surviving on. Even as a little kid I remember thinking that was an odd diet?

Thats got to be a ramen night for them.

This is old but it is still good for a chuckle:

ORIGINAL - Please Move The Deer Crossing Sign. - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFCrJleggrI)

I could not listen to it all.  ::)

glad I don't work in an ER near them.  What do you bet the guy filming is missing and arm and a leg.  Ads new meaning to the phrase "costing and arm and a leg"  sorry to clarify, I watched the next video of guys running a huge band mill, in Vietnam and pushing it by hand and wearing sandals, on top of a 6 foot diam. log.

My wife fed some deer last evening, she made it into tacos and fed it to me!

Lynn,

  Your sign reminded me we have taken pictures of road signs all over the world where we vacationed. One of our most unique ones was near Capetown in South Africa that said something to the effect "No stopping in this area as car jackings are common". You guessed it - we had to stop and get a picture of the sign. ???

That wasnt a picture of a sign, it was an audio video link.

   I know it is an audio link but I saw the road sign of the deer crossing on the cover of the link which triggered my reminder.

   Edit: And the whole topic of the audio link is about deer crossing signs.

Heeeers your sign.  

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I have been cutting a couple of Maples every day to help my herd . looks like a cow pasture around them the next day . I have to keep logging just to feed my deer .

Quote from: Magicman on February 20, 2019, 09:36:33 PM
Heeeers your sign.  

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/IMG_1197.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1474139411)

Lynn,
Isn't that a road map of how both houses of congress works.
Bruce

[Edit 10-4 boss]


I thought it was a bad tribal tattoo design

Political lean to this topic. Don't go there.

If anyone is able or cares to now is the time to hinge cut some soft maples for them.
This is about the toughest month

I will be cutting some wood. But it's in an area of just about all soft wood. Just white pine and red pine.

I've seen deer around here munch on hemlocks I've cut down too. And they are mostly all trimmed up 5' or so also.

So Cfarm, How are the deer doing over there??
Mine are running around'
This guy will be out soon.  ;D

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I think he will eat more than the deer.  ;)

Deer are doing fine. I have a steady 30 still coming. When the snow starts to melt,they will slowly taper off and than there will be no deer. There are a few deer out there now.
I am cutting some red pine for the OWB. The deer are coming in there to eat. Nothing like if I dropped a white maple.
Not many bear in this area. My Father hunted this area for years and never saw tracks or a bear. He farmed here too and was outside alot,but never saw one.I had one that came to the feeder a couple years ago. First one I have seen here. Brenda saw one a long ago. I stopped at the stop sign,looked left and she looked right and said,look a bear. By the time I looked right it was gone.

We have a bunch of bears here. Never had a lick of trouble from them.

I am noticing more road killed deer this year .
Anyone else seeing this or maybe I am looking more 
I am in northeast Ohio

   More road kill deer on the road is a clear sign the economy must be better in your area. :D

Some call the Whitetail Deer "fast-food", but sometimes they're not quite fast enough!

The state used to pick them up , then cover with wood chips and lately nothing .
Seems odd to do nothing  ???

Went up to look around they had the place all riped up. Melting snow with green something under it.
I see Mr. coon tracks out around the mill too.

Quote from: braucher on March 14, 2019, 04:40:34 PM
The state used to pick them up , then cover with wood chips and lately nothing .
Seems odd to do nothing  ???

In farm country the quickest way to get rid of road kill is to place out in an open field so the buzzards/vultures will land there and stay at it.

We have a animal park about 20 minutes from me. He picks up all the road kills he can. Farm critters too.Dew Haven in Mt Vernon ME

Quote from: gspren on March 15, 2019, 07:25:43 PM

Quote from: braucher on March 14, 2019, 04:40:34 PM
The state used to pick them up , then cover with wood chips and lately nothing .
Seems odd to do nothing  ???

In farm country the quickest way to get rid of road kill is to place out in an open field so the buzzards/vultures will land there and stay at it.

Any that do get left around here typically will get covered in lime by the county workers. If you don't do something with them and just leave them lay your road kill amount grows with possums, coons, foxes, free ranging dogs, buzzards, hawks, eagles, etc. getting killed too. I like the idea of them going to a local zoo.

   My BIL in Alaska used to work with a church group that would get called by the state troopers and such for fresh road kill moose and such and they would go harvest and butcher them and distribute the meat to the needy. I guess with the cooler temperatures up there they had a little more safe response time.

   We have a Norwegian daughter (Former foreign exchange student) who has a certified search dog and the state sometimes calls her to go track down an injured animal. She can keep or sell the meat. In Norway to hunt you have to have or have access to a certified tracking dog so if you wound an animal you go get and put the dog on the track. The DNR equivalent lays a track of sheep blood or such with different degrees of difficulty, waits 24 hours then puts the dog on the track and it has to successfully follow the track then the dog gets certified.

I have a Catahoula that is very good on blood trails old or new

Buds will be out soon and the deer will be happy  ;D
Have a good spring . It's been a long winter here in Ohio

Update Your Browser | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EpochTimesAsean/videos/410596823043782/?t=10)

WOW!!!!

The deer seem to feed themselves here although my bil puts out some carrots during "hunting" season, last fall he dropped off several 50 lb bags and came back two days later to put them out in the woods, 1/2 the carrots were gone by then.

We had 14 deer in the yard on Sunday morning, the most I have seen at one time so far. I managed to get the camera and snap a picture before they moved to the field but can only see 13 in the picture.


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Now is when deer start needing salt when they get a little woody fiber  ;D

Hi C farm, I went to check on the deer food on Saturday. Was empty thought the turkeys were eating it? So I went back to the house to get more food. When I got back 4 deer were standing there waiting for me.  :D
When I got out of the truck they ran off about 50 yards stopped and watch me fill the dish.
I set up a game camera to see who is coming to dinner. ;D
They look good, I have yet to see any new babies running around.
I hope all is well with you and family. 

All is fine here Peter. Deer are out in front of the house,in field,eating grass?? Still brown,but had 30 there the other night. I am still feeding, I have a few bags left and that will be it. I don't see much more than 20 pairs of eyes looking at me when I feed at night. Most times only 10. I only feed at night,but the turkeys will come and scratch and find food. 

Turkeys will eat all you put out if they can.

Came out for me to take a pix.

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What do the think the bald spots are from?

Shedding its winter coat I think?

   They will be dropping fawns around here starting any day now. We've seen a couple of very pregnant does in our local travels. They are all looking pretty shaggy. In a month or so they will lose their brown winter coats and get red summer coats.

Quote from: Peter Drouin on April 26, 2019, 06:30:44 AM
Came out for me to take a pix.

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What do the think the bald spots are from?

SHe looks like about 2 years old. Might have had a rough winter and not much to eat. I had a gal like this last spring and all summer that would come around while I was working and hang out and browse, sometimes on the same tops I was cutting while I was cutting. Never came closer than a dozen feet. She was looking a little frowzy when we first met and I worried about her, but she plumped up in a few weeks and still looks good. She was hanging around me for about 45 minutes as I was bucking firewood Tuesday evening until a big buck came along, took exception to my presence and scared her off along with his harem. She should come around when the food improves hopefully.

The deer are done eating the food that I put out. I saw at least 5 set of eyes when I went to feed them. In the morning most of the feed was still there. More for the turkeys.  ;D  Only have one bag left. Have not seen them in the field the last 2 nights. 

The deer are done eating whatever you put out food wise but they need salt now to help digest all the woody fiber they are eating . 

They went through 40lb of whole corn in 7 days, I put out another 40lbs.

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Had them all winter. 
Some times they run through the mill yard with customers here. :o :o :D :D :D :D 

I put out a trace mineral block,50 pound. I used the white one,but that sticks out like a sore thumb. :)  I like to put it on a stump. The salt goes into the stump and all the animals can dig at the stump to get the salt.

Some say the deer will fight when close together eating. In the pics they look like they are getting along.  ;D

Have not seen a bear yet.

The deer that I feed will fight. But I have 50 coming at one time. That is why I feed in a long line,50-75 feet long. And they still will be on thier hind legs with the front feet going.
I have not seen a bear,but the bear and the post for the bird feeder met a bear 2 nights ago. :D  Post is up right again. The bear only bothers the feeder for a few weeks. Than things will start to grow in the woods for them to eat. Never had a problem with bears and my feeder until a few years ago.

Quote from: braucher on March 13, 2019, 07:41:40 AM
I am noticing more road killed deer this year .
Anyone else seeing this or maybe I am looking more
I am in northeast Ohio

I've noticed a lot more this fall and winter, 18 into 2019, during my travels of the lower 48.

I am seeing a lot here in Ohio it appears the state no longer picks them up.
Nature and the coyotes do a pretty good job

 
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 I've got pictures with the coons sitting on the feeder while deer are eating sometimes 

A lot of feed consumed by those guys. ;)

And the turkeys 🦃, squirrels 🐿 and raccoons 🦝 😊

Just remember when people say that money is what makes the world go around, poppycock!

We've all got to eat! 

Yep 😂. I probably spend about 300-450 on corn 🌽 for the two 800 lb feeders. The pickup load I got awhile back was around 3.90 a bushel. Last year it was around 2.70. When the deer come in and winter that's when they hit it pretty good 

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I've tried some of these high protein pellets a few different times. When you have moisture and rain they turn to mush. At 14-21 bucks a bag that can add up. Pretty tuff to beat good old corn. I did mix in some milo. Threw some on the ground by a game camera and the deer went nuts over it. That corn 🌽  is just fantastic for moisture resistant 

New York has a ban on feeding deer and they are enforcing it. It is legal, however, to cut browse for them. When I can get some from someone cutting down a cedar tree and it is cold winter weather, I put out White Cedar boughs for them. They will only eat it when it is cold and snowy; then they really go for it and it is good for them. Corn is good, though too much can can cause acidosis.

That's nice of you 😊. Where my feeders are they have cornfields right next to them. Even know it's picked there is plenty of corn 🌽 out there for them. It's interesting how much different stuff they browse on in the woods

TR, I wonder just how many have caught the Sasquatch part of that analysis ::)

Quote from: Tacotodd on November 25, 2020, 07:56:15 PM
TR, I wonder just how many have caught the Sasquatch part of that analysis

That was the purpose.

So how do you  keep  the sasquatch from eating it ?

Back in the nineties when the snow got deep, like 2-2.5' in the swamps, my brother and I used to harvest a lot of silver and red maples. We'd drop 5-6 good size trees, and with most areas frozen so we could sometimes drive thru the wettest areas, most times we had to cross on a roadway we had built and using a winch, pull the whole tree less the smaller limbs up to the tractor and then out to a field where we bucked it into rounds. Then we'd later haul it to the wood yard to stack and dry for next year. When we just bucked, it often took us between 10-15 minutes before we returned. In Jan and Feb, especially when the snow was 2'+ deep the deer would always be at those tops eating the buds. We'd have usually 6-10 and sometimes 15 or more munching as we drove back in. They would run off a short ways and watch, while we cut another and limbed it, then hauled it out. The next time back in there would be the deer again, often more than the first time. As a general rule we only would do that for 1.5-2 hrs on any given day. We figured that way more deer would get the nourishment thy needed over a longer period of time.
Needless to say, those deer were not being hunted at that time, but if they had been it would have been easy to harvest one. That was long before I had to first start getting nuisance permits.
Now days, out in open fields both behind my brother's farm and by my blueberries (about 1/2 mile to the east) we see at times up to 30 and sometimes more deer feeding shortly before dark in the open fields.
We would try to do that every 3-4 days when the deer were in greatest need for better feed. Soft maple buds are one of their desired foods in mid to late winter, especially silver maples.

That was very nice 👍 

When I did wildlife control I often would remove squirrels from houses and then trim tree limbs away from the roof. I would bring those limbs home in winter and put them out for the deer. They surely did love soft maple; also apple, Norway Maple, Basswood. They wouldn't eat Box Elder, Buckeye/Horsechestnut. It was a contest between the deer and the rabbits as to who got to the apple first.

I am feeding the deer. Not much snow here, maybe 4 inches in the open, under some of the evergreen just about bare. I just feed maybe 3-4 gallons a night. Turkeys are there during day light hours. Wife said she saw 10 deer feeding. I have only seen 4 deer feeding. They will come as the snow gets deeper. The deer are pawing for the acorns too. Deer can go anywhere they want. There is one trail beside the sawmill, as there is every year. I have not been down in the bog, but I bet there is a path there too.

The 3 deer that was around here pulled out for the winter this week. Seen them in the field headed south to the lower Presque Isle drainage. Won't see a deer sign up here until next spring. ;D Turkeys are down the road 3/4 a mile eating in the corn field, 30 probably. Just scattered them off the road a bit ago when getting some sand/salt. 4"snow here at the most, can walk easy in work boots.

Turkeys are cleaning up what the deer did not eat in the night. Squirrels and birds been there too.

I came across this live cam with audio on youtube of someone who feeds a herd of Whitetails up
northwest of Bangor in Brownville. 
Late afternoon they start feeding . Check in occasionally as they come and go.

Deer Pantry "Close View" - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5RGNRWiMrM)


There is also a "trough view for closeups:

Deer Pantry "Trough View" - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CNRg2nHhRs)

WOW!! I was feeding 50 one year. But that was at night. My feeding is only 3-4 gallons of grain.  :(

A fella wants to be careful around them buck deer. A man was gored to death here by one in 2011. Not a pretty sight for the wife to see her husband lying on the ground with multiple antler punctures. He was out feeding the deer.

They feed from a 4x4 buggy with a hopper with a chute on it. Saw him doing it one day, doesn't even 
get out of the buggy. And the deer hardly move out of the way.  
Those deer are noisy eaters when you watch it from the trough view.

I feed because of these does nursing.  This one nursing twins.


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Quote from: woodroe on December 26, 2020, 06:07:19 PM
They feed from a 4x4 buggy with a hopper with a chute on it. Saw him doing it one day, doesn't even
get out of the buggy. And the deer hardly move out of the way.  
Those deer are noisy eaters when you watch it from the trough view.

So here is the Brownville deer feeding operation. At about 6:55 mins in they show and talk about the 
automatic feeder.
The Oatmobile ride. - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqbTtGGOfxA)

Talk about over the top feeding. WOW, Just oats and the deer block?
smiley_clapping Good job. Have the fish and game come to see you?
Do they like what you're doing or not?

Not many deer coming to my place. Only 4-5 that I can see. I work in a hardware store and we sell grain. The few that are feeding say the same thing. I say a few feeding, because not that many are feeding. Might be 4 inches of snow on the ground, temps are above freezing or in the high 20's each day at high noon. Most do not feel sorry for the deer. ;D

I like look'n at'm, but I don't feel sorry for'm. ;D They can make their own living. :D :D My deer here usually high tail it to the south, but I did see one last week 1/2 mile away in a spud field. :)

It says in the bible the birds don't harvest food and put it up.  but they all eat. The father feeds them all. deer too, But he makes some of us with a big heart that wants to help everyone and thing.
I feed everything here from a mouse to a bear, moose even the homeless people. 8)

Quote from: Peter Drouin on January 10, 2021, 08:11:17 PM
It says in the bible the birds don't harvest food and put it up.  but they all eat. The father feeds them all. deer too, But he makes some of us with a big heart that wants to help everyone and thing.
I feed everything here from a mouse to a bear, moose even the homeless people. 8)

Your a class act 👍

Do I care about the deer 🦌 and respect them. You bet I do! Do I spend money feeding animals in nature and don't expect anything in return. You bet I do! Do I like to hunt and eat venison.  Absolutely! And I have big wall of beautiful mounts. I love animals domestic and wild!

I do too.

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 Ann and I feed them all  ;)

Have to be careful feeding the deer  If you start now it could cause more harm than good.  Starting giving them anything other than brouse in the middle of winter could kill them. 

Absolutely beautiful pictures Peter 👍

I feed out whole corn #40lb bags will last 4 weeks or better. They have eating the farmer's corn up the road all summer.

Quote from: trapper on January 10, 2021, 10:45:54 PM
Have to be careful feeding the deer  If you start now it could cause more harm than good.  Starting giving them anything other than brouse in the middle of winter could kill them.

That's never been a problem 

It's legal to feed the deer here and quite often socially acceptable among the hunter crowd. I've been accused of being a member of PETA. And I fully agree. It puts them in shock when I tell them my definition of that acronym: People Eating Tasty Animals! 😲 Oh, the looks I receive from some folks. Me, I don't care. I KNOW where grocery store stuff comes from and how to feed myself! Quite a few things are better from wild stuff anyway. Think Pokesallet. I guess that's how you spell it. Just cook it proper and then no poison. Taste kinda like spinach but grows everywhere around these parts.

Feeding them grains are not harmful, but hay is. Up here the more harmful thing is concentrating them where the coyotes have easy pickings or if they have some contagious disease to spread to others, or getting killed in front of the house by traffic, or killing the driver. Our climate up this way is a lot different than some places will a lot more deer. We used to have a huge amount of deer, but the winter habitat that supported them has mostly disappeared along with coyotes over running the place. I wouldn't worry over killing deer with grain. Like you all said, they eat it all summer off the farmer's fields. But theirs lots of wild feed, just need a winter home and less predation. ;D


Pete I like your bears. Do yours steel your tools like mine do, or chew handles? I've got a lot of bears, mine are like tree dwelling monkeys. :D I don't feed them neither. There were 3 bears around on the woodlot trails here and have been visiting my new little winter shelter. One left his teeth prints on my shovel handle. :D :D Quite the critters. Guy asks me this fall, 'ever see any bears?' Me, 'you kid'n?, this place is full of bears. :D  See that little oak over there on the knoll with the brown leaves on top? What do you think done that? :D I said bears, they come there every fall.' Guy says: 'just learned something today'. Feed'n bears? They help themselves. :D

Meet Ralph, I don't feed him neither. I want him to eat some snowshoe hares. As many as possible :D

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Grouse behind the house, we seem to have 3 that come around the last 3 years. I have video on youtube of all 3. I don't feed them either. ;D

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Turkey roosting in a tamarack behind the house. :D Not feeding them neither.

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Pheasants last summer in the garden, I guess they just helped themselves. Yep, I seen hen with chicks later. And yes dusting in my vegetables was not my idea of fun.:D

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A real treat once in a while is a pair of herons flying past the porch between the river and a beaver pond, or a bald eagle flying past my big dormer window once in awhile. No photos of them yet! Some day. ;D

Lord knows I don't need to feed these things. No sapling is ever sacred with them around. :D :D

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Too many of these, wish something ate more of them. Coyotes.

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I have never seen a turkey in a tree.  In fact when they came back to Maine, I always saw them walking. Never knew they could fly  ::) until they showed up here.
I saw 9 deer the other night. Still a lot ways from the normal 20 I have each year. Still not much snow.
As I said either they gather up by my house or the bog 1000 feet away. They come to dine and than head for the bog.  ;D

Watch the turkeys in the early evening just before dusk and you may see them fly into the tree tops to roost for the night. I've had them land in the tree with me a number of times when I've been bow hunting from a tree stand.

yes the way they walk, you would wonder.  if they are walking in your yard, let a German Shepard out to chase them, and you will see them fly.    fly_smiley smiley_turkey_dancing  running-doggy

15 deer at 4pm. The almost singles numbers at night must be bringing them out.  ;D 

I did forget to post, we have horns, 3 horns.  :D  One buck has a nice rack, for this area and one buck only had one horn, looked more like a spike horn. I put some food by a rock that is flat and about 3 feet high. I would like to see a horn by it.  ;)

 
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 A couple little guys sparing, another little guy and the bigger guy I wanted to let go. He should be pretty good this year 

I once found an antler frozen in the ice age. Moose. ;D

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I do almost find one antler a year when thinning, I don't think it has been every year, but close, maybe 2 out of 3.

 Lots of nice deer out your way Walnut Beast. I have not seen large herds here at the farm, but up in another region north of here, 50 or more deer in a fresh clearcut was common.That's been 30 years.

Please do post some sheds of antlers 👍. The deer moved in late this year. There's probably 80 + down in my creek bottom 

My 3 or 4 deer around here all migrate down stream. Not a deer track up here in winter time. I remember one winter we cut cedar on the edge of the US/Canada boundary. We had deer come in and not long after they was starting to hang around the coyotes moved in, that was the end of that.

Walnut Beast, nice racks!!
The bucks still have horns. No racks like you posted. 
I had 15 deer here last night. I feed in a long line. One of the bucks was walking the line.  ;D  All the other deer moved out of the way.

That's pretty awesome 👍

I meant to post the Grandson put up a game camera. He has 13 different bucks coming to the line.

Went out to do the nightly feeding and found a shed!!! Hope to find more. Seem like I find more where I feed the deer then out in the woods.

Good morning I am working on the first ton of protein pellets in my tube feeders .
I will do that till turkey season . Going to hinge cut some trees as soon as weather permits.
Has been to cold trees may break .

I am still feeding. I was back to my normal 30 deer. We had about 4 inches of wet snow about a month ago and than rain. That made a hard crust and the deer could not paw through the crust. I think that brought my numbers up.
There was about 20 there this morning.
I took a short walk and about 50 feet from where I feed, I found a shed!! The biggest one I have ever found. I had to go back to the house to get a hammer because it was packed down in the one of the trails the deer made.
The deer here will stop coming to my feed when the ground gets bare. I put food out at night and if it's still there the next morning, that tells me they are done dining out at my house.  ;D
I came home last night and had to wait for the deer to get out of the driveway up by the house. They get so confused, they don't know which way to run.

Deer in the headlights   :D

Sorry, last night at 6:30. Still light out here. But have seen the same thing after dark.

I put out a 40lb bag of whole corn last fall and 1/2 is still there.
Snow here was no more than a foot deep all winter. 
I don't think the deer yarded up this year.

I work at a hardware/grain store. Our deer food grain is way down this year. Yes, on the not yarding up this year. The only time I had 30 deer was when we got about 4 inches of wet snow and than rain. Made a very hard crust that the deer could not paw through.
I heard from quite a few customers, no deer. One guy said they stopped coming to his feed.
I doubt we had a foot of snow on the ground all winter.

I have 20 deer at around 5pm each night. First thing in the morning too. The snow is melting, but really no big bare spots in the woods. But will be soon with some high 50's temps. What little snow there is, is soft.

Won't be much snow left in fields by next Saturday. Tonight will be on the cool side , but then 40's and 50's, so the snow depth will drop, even in the shade. ;D

Our snow is just about gone, by the weekend it will be hard to find any that wasn't piled up with a plow. When the snow melted off by our lower field I spotted a shed off an 8 point in a mowed area near a winter wheat field, after I picked it up I looked around and saw the other side in some weeds. That's the first set I've found in years.

The deer are probably looking forward to spring 

If you get a chance get a couple pics of the sheds you found 👍

I wont see my first deer here until May when they migrate back up from the Charleston cedar swamps. There are a few out by the river, but they are staying in a deep gully with lots of cedar in it. I have zero deer tracks up here in the winter after mid December. Might be a couple moose around on the woodlot, but have not gone back in too deep to find them. Wouldn't be surprised.

About three weeks ago I hinge cut about a quarter acre soft maple.
It ranged in size from two to six inch . Went back about a week later 
and was amazed how they ate .

Thought about putting some corn 🌽 in the deer feeders that have been empty for a long time. Elevator cash price 7.54 bushel. They might just have to settle for the food plots trying to come up

Small food plot of the buck forage oats thanks to Walnut Beast, they seem to agree with this buck palete.


https://rumble.com/v1q9ffc-buck-eating-forage-oats.html (https://rumble.com/v1q9ffc-buck-eating-forage-oats.html)

Seems to be enjoying it, while being alert to any does in the area. Glad to see a few nice bucks showing up in the daytime now. 

Awesome little honey hole where you have them planted. Glad your getting some good action. Great video! When snow has it all covered up later on down the road they will be digging and pawing to get at it to eat

With being in a drought and lucky to have a little rain awhile back the Buck Forage Oats are coming along good due to the circumstances. Been through several freezes and down to 16 and 18 a few times they are doing good . The rain we got was about a week ago. Would have been nice if it would have been after it was planted
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It's rare not to see a deer in my yard year round (I don't feed them), the most I have seen at one time is up to 18 now.

My BIL will set up to shoot a deer in the woods behind my house so he bought 14 50-60 pound bags of cull carrots for bait for the season and dropped them off in my yard to put out 5 days later. Apparently the deer could not wait, there was only about 50 pounds left yesterday when he came back.


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This guy was around chasing some does before the carrots arrived.

 
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I don't put out feed. I have about an acre of "lawn" that is Timothy Hay and they like it as well as in another area closer to the house that has something I haven't identified that they like. Like many living in the country in Maine my lawn is field grass.

In New York it is generally illegal to feed deer or bears. You can legally give them cut browse. I live near suburban areas where people put brush and wood out by the road for the town, village, city DPW to take away. When cold weather comes, (after deer season) I'm on the lookout for fresh-cut White Cedar boughs. I stuff some in the pickup and bring them home and hang them just off the ground from the lower branches of trees in the back yard. When the temps get down in the teens and it is snowy the deer love it. My house is well away from the road; I'm hard-pressed to see any harm in it. When the  deer have eaten the foilage, the branches go on my brush piles where a lot of birds take refuge from the cold and wind. I share my piece of the rock with the birds and critters.

Our back yard is about a acre and bordered on one side by woods and the back blends into a wooded pasture, don't see deer every week but occasionally. There is a spot near the center of the yard where I burnt a huge pile of tree tops and root balls from clearing for my building and the grass I planted there with a lot of ashes mixed in is still much darker than the grass I planted around the building using the seed from the same bag. The deer seem to like that dark grass and no chemicals or fertilizers were used, just lots of ashes.

Some perspective on New Brunswick deer populations.

https://nbdatapoints.ca/natural-resources/forestry/the-missing-deer

Hi cfarm. smiley_wavy How many head you feeding now? and how many bags of grain a week you go through?
 I hope you two are all well.

No more than 20. And that is a high number. More like a steady 15. Not much snow around here, so can find food.
I try to keep it to about a 50#bag a week. Not a rich man here. ;D
I put out about 3 gallons a night. If 2 comes they make out good, if 20 comes they better eat fast.  :D
Brenda had an operation on her thumb. Might take 6 months to heal.
Then before that she broke a couple ribs. So I have been the dish washer, keep the house clean and cook and all the other duties that is in the house. The outside stuff has really taken a back seat.
She is really one handed. No sweeping the floor the Dr said. No nothing!!!
If you come visit, the house could use a cleaning.  ;D
I've found 2 sheds so far. Just found one the other night.

Sorry to hear about Brenda, hope she gets well soon.
The outside work will wait for you, don't worry. ;D
I had no snow to speak of, last night got 4"
They have been eating some of the corn I put out. #40 lb last 10 days'
But, I only have 4 or 5 here, all does. 

Ray's camera is broke and the deer run away from cameras. ;D

The new lawn here is all timothy and clover, haven't seen a deer on it. But there has been in the old grassy area where the old barn sat in years past. That grows neck high down there, I bush hog it though.

Wow Ray, I had those duties after PatD broke her arm, but not nearly to the extent nor length of time that you have and will have.  Stay strong my friend.

PatD and I wish Brenda the best with her recovery. 

Quote from: beenthere on October 27, 2022, 11:21:07 PM
Small food plot of the buck forage oats thanks to Walnut Beast, they seem to agree with this buck palete.


https://rumble.com/v1q9ffc-buck-eating-forage-oats.html (https://rumble.com/v1q9ffc-buck-eating-forage-oats.html)

Seems to be enjoying it, while being alert to any does in the area. Glad to see a few nice bucks showing up in the daytime now.

Today I got out the rototiller and worked up the patch of ground that I planted the forage oats in last year. Had a trail camera there so combined some of the camera video into this one video for kicks. Put out more forage oats along with some other seeds to monitor what might become of the effort. 
Planting food plot 2023 (https://rumble.com/v2tu292-planting-food-plot-2023.html)
ps thecfarm
Hope that Brenda is doing better now with the thumb healing. 

Thumb healing is really done.
She can do house work now.  ;D
I don't mind doing it, but hard to work outside and inside too.

Looks fantastic! You have a nice system. Now a little rain