Summer Deer Preparations
Topic:
Help Your Deer Get Through Summer
The hot Florida Summer is here and the dry weather is hard on white-tailed deer habitat. That means the deer will be hitting supplemental feed sources where they are available harder than ever. I’ve already heard from numerous friends and landowners that the whitetail population is really hammering protein feeders, even on property where they have always had lots of habitat.
Because we are now in the antler-growing season for bucks, all over the state, this need for high protein will continue. Reports that I have been getting from other hunters and friends indicate that the majority of bucks have several inches of antler growth and that there are still a number of does that have not yet to given birth. Some farmers that I talked to and several game cameras that I have access to have also been seeing a number of fawns already on the ground. We all know that the natural food supplies are low and deer need a lot of high-quality nutrition to make it through the stressful times of this Florida summer heat and drought that we are experiencing. If there was ever a time to supplement deer browse with choice protein pellets, that time would be now. Many deer managers will tell you first-hand what the addition of Protein Pellets has done for whitetail deer found on their properties. Respectable research from many different camps has found that protein pellets (16+%) really do make a difference for white-tailed deer in many ways. I have been feeding a 20% protein pellet during the doe lactating and Buck antler growing season. After that season is over, I drop down to a rut blend in the cooler months. These pellets have 16% protein with a higher carbohydrate content to give the deer the energy they need during the rut.
There are many reasons to feed protein pellets; the most frequently mentioned of these is increased antler growth for bucks. Other positives of this form of supplemental feeding include improved body condition, which translates into more milk production for lactating does and better muscle and skeletal growth for fawns. Deer that get a good start in their first year of life will be superior animals in the future. With natural food supplies running low and deer nutritional requirements on the rise, feeding protein to deer seems like the thing to do right now.
Keep in mind that there can also be some issues that arise as a result of this management practice. The first of these is, well, cost. Let’s face it; the price tag of the feed is expensive. I personally have seen corn prices soar the last couple of years because of the increased use of Ethanol fuel. The cost of a 50lb bag of corn is now around $14.00 dollars in some feed stores. The lowest I have seen it is $12.00 a bag. If you buy the better food source for your deer herd you will not only save money but your deer herd will be stronger and healthier than ever.
My source for protein pellets is Purina Antlermax 20 with the watershield tha
t helps protect from the humidity that we have here in Florida. The best price I have seen in town is Shell’s Feed on Nebraska Ave. in Tampa, FL. This is a very knowledgeable family feed store with all your pet, garden and hunting feed needs.
Feeders for Protein Pellets: The battery operated automatic feeders that most people use to dispense whole corn are not the best tool for protein pellets. The reason for is that they just do not put out enough feed at one time for the deer. Some clubs are now using covered troughs to feed, but the most economical way is to use a gravity feeder that is high enough for only the deer to eat. This type feeder will help keep the Wild hogs out of your protein.
interested in What a Deer Diet Consists of?
Here are Some Descriptions:
Browse: This classification refers to the growing soft portion (stems and leaves) of perennial woody plants, trees, shrubs, vines and plants typically referred to as brush fall into this category.
Forbs: These are pants that are often called “weeds” by farmers, ranchers, landowners, and those that love well-maintained urban lawns. These plants are herbaceous (non-woody, normally broad-leafed, flowering plants. Forbs include all flowering herbaceous plants that are not grasses.
Mast: Refers to the fruit of the plants defined as browse species. Mast includes things such as oak acorns, Palmetto berries, persimmons, wild black berries and similar items. As a group, mast is seasonally important in deer diets and can vary greatly from year to year.
Grasses: This includes grass and herbaceous grass-like plants such as sedges and rushes. Grain Crops: This food class includes forage items that are planted for farming, grazing, or specifically for wildlife in the form of food plots. Cool season crops typically include clover, vetch, wheat, oats, and ryegrass. Common warm season crops include peas and other legume varieties, mile, and millet.
Commercial Feeds: This includes sacked feeds such as true supplements or those simply considered deer hunting attractant. The most common sacked supplement is a deer pellet that is at least 16% protein and is distributed through gravity feeders. The most common deer hunting attractant is whole corn distributed with timed deer feeders prior and during the white-tailed deer hunting season.
Whole Corn vs. Other Supplemental Feed:
Most people I know feed their Deer herd whole corn from feeders year round. The talk now is that whole corn fed to deer is not really helping the deer at all. The problem comes from their digestive system. The deer can have a bad reaction to a belly full of corn. The studies have shown that deer fed corn in colder months can have a problem digesting their hardier winter browse because the good bacteria and rumen in their stomachs has been destroyed by acidosis caused by large quantities corn. No one really seems to know how much corn is bad for them. There is also talk that is causes them to have bladder stones like goats. These bladder stones can block their bladder and they will not be able to urinate, which in turn the bladder will burst and kill the deer. Most deer in the south seem to have grown accustomed to eating whole corn, but there are better things we can feed our deer herds to help them grow strong during the stressful months.
My goal is to help our deer herd benefit this summer by slowly taking them off the corn diet and mixing the corn with a choice protein feed. Eventually I want to have a more beneficial feeding program that would include protein pellets, mineral blocks, food plots, and most of all, habitat improvement that will benefit the deer. This may include mast tree plantings, controlled burns, and clearing more open forest browsing areas for the deer. You will see better bucks and have a stronger deer herd for years to come if you change from our old ways and give more scientific feeding programs a chance. Good luck and have a safe & bountiful hunting season!
The hot Florida Summer is here and the dry weather is hard on white-tailed deer habitat. That means the deer will be hitting supplemental feed sources where they are available harder than ever. I’ve already heard from numerous friends and landowners that the whitetail population is really hammering protein feeders, even on property where they have always had lots of habitat.Because we are now in the antler-growing season for bucks, all over the state, this need for high protein will continue. Reports that I have been getting from other hunters and friends indicate that the majority of bucks have several inches of antler growth and that there are still a number of does that have not yet to given birth. Some farmers that I talked to and several game cameras that I have access to have also been seeing a number of fawns already on the ground. We all know that the natural food supplies are low and deer need a lot of high-quality nutrition to make it through the stressful times of this Florida summer heat and drought that we are experiencing. If there was ever a time to supplement deer browse with choice protein pellets, that time would be now. Many deer managers will tell you first-hand what the addition of Protein Pellets has done for whitetail deer found on their properties. Respectable research from many different camps has found that protein pellets (16+%) really do make a difference for white-tailed deer in many ways. I have been feeding a 20% protein pellet during the doe lactating and Buck antler growing season. After that season is over, I drop down to a rut blend in the cooler months. These pellets have 16% protein with a higher carbohydrate content to give the deer the energy they need during the rut.
There are many reasons to feed protein pellets; the most frequently mentioned of these is increased antler growth for bucks. Other positives of this form of supplemental feeding include improved body condition, which translates into more milk production for lactating does and better muscle and skeletal growth for fawns. Deer that get a good start in their first year of life will be superior animals in the future. With natural food supplies running low and deer nutritional requirements on the rise, feeding protein to deer seems like the thing to do right now.
Keep in mind that there can also be some issues that arise as a result of this management practice. The first of these is, well, cost. Let’s face it; the price tag of the feed is expensive. I personally have seen corn prices soar the last couple of years because of the increased use of Ethanol fuel. The cost of a 50lb bag of corn is now around $14.00 dollars in some feed stores. The lowest I have seen it is $12.00 a bag. If you buy the better food source for your deer herd you will not only save money but your deer herd will be stronger and healthier than ever.
My source for protein pellets is Purina Antlermax 20 with the watershield tha
t helps protect from the humidity that we have here in Florida. The best price I have seen in town is Shell’s Feed on Nebraska Ave. in Tampa, FL. This is a very knowledgeable family feed store with all your pet, garden and hunting feed needs.
Feeders for Protein Pellets: The battery operated automatic feeders that most people use to dispense whole corn are not the best tool for protein pellets. The reason for is that they just do not put out enough feed at one time for the deer. Some clubs are now using covered troughs to feed, but the most economical way is to use a gravity feeder that is high enough for only the deer to eat. This type feeder will help keep the Wild hogs out of your protein.
interested in What a Deer Diet Consists of? Here are Some Descriptions:
Browse: This classification refers to the growing soft portion (stems and leaves) of perennial woody plants, trees, shrubs, vines and plants typically referred to as brush fall into this category.
Forbs: These are pants that are often called “weeds” by farmers, ranchers, landowners, and those that love well-maintained urban lawns. These plants are herbaceous (non-woody, normally broad-leafed, flowering plants. Forbs include all flowering herbaceous plants that are not grasses.
Mast: Refers to the fruit of the plants defined as browse species. Mast includes things such as oak acorns, Palmetto berries, persimmons, wild black berries and similar items. As a group, mast is seasonally important in deer diets and can vary greatly from year to year.
Grasses: This includes grass and herbaceous grass-like plants such as sedges and rushes. Grain Crops: This food class includes forage items that are planted for farming, grazing, or specifically for wildlife in the form of food plots. Cool season crops typically include clover, vetch, wheat, oats, and ryegrass. Common warm season crops include peas and other legume varieties, mile, and millet.
Commercial Feeds: This includes sacked feeds such as true supplements or those simply considered deer hunting attractant. The most common sacked supplement is a deer pellet that is at least 16% protein and is distributed through gravity feeders. The most common deer hunting attractant is whole corn distributed with timed deer feeders prior and during the white-tailed deer hunting season.
Whole Corn vs. Other Supplemental Feed:
Most people I know feed their Deer herd whole corn from feeders year round. The talk now is that whole corn fed to deer is not really helping the deer at all. The problem comes from their digestive system. The deer can have a bad reaction to a belly full of corn. The studies have shown that deer fed corn in colder months can have a problem digesting their hardier winter browse because the good bacteria and rumen in their stomachs has been destroyed by acidosis caused by large quantities corn. No one really seems to know how much corn is bad for them. There is also talk that is causes them to have bladder stones like goats. These bladder stones can block their bladder and they will not be able to urinate, which in turn the bladder will burst and kill the deer. Most deer in the south seem to have grown accustomed to eating whole corn, but there are better things we can feed our deer herds to help them grow strong during the stressful months.
My goal is to help our deer herd benefit this summer by slowly taking them off the corn diet and mixing the corn with a choice protein feed. Eventually I want to have a more beneficial feeding program that would include protein pellets, mineral blocks, food plots, and most of all, habitat improvement that will benefit the deer. This may include mast tree plantings, controlled burns, and clearing more open forest browsing areas for the deer. You will see better bucks and have a stronger deer herd for years to come if you change from our old ways and give more scientific feeding programs a chance. Good luck and have a safe & bountiful hunting season!
