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Post by boonechaser on Dec 12, 2013 15:15:53 GMT -5
Been a great year of hunting for me so I shut hunting down on the farm for the year around the 1st Dec. and have started putting out earred corn in a harvested 2 acre corn plot I put out earlier this year. Actually what i did was hand picked couple 50 gallon drum's full of the corn off the plot before the deer ate it all. Mid Oct I started bushhogging a few row's a week untill early Nov. when the plot was finished. Also have a 1/2 acre plot of turnip's that set's beside corn. Now that I have begun throwing out the earred corn the deer have just been tearing up the corn and the turnip's. Pulled trailcam card and had 400 plus pic's in 4 days. of course alot of the deer are repeat customer's but it's pretty cool to see all the activity. I have enough earred corn to put out for couple more week's, then I have a large battery operated feeder that i will put out in corn field that depense's corn in the morning and evening. Been winter feeding on a schedule for last 3 year's and it's funny that the deer know when that feeder is gonna kick on. (They show up like clock work.) Usually leave feeder out till mid march when things start to green up, But it's a great way to inventory what deer survived hunting season and what kinda deer we are gonna have for next year.
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Post by lugnutz on Dec 12, 2013 19:48:29 GMT -5
awesome
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Post by henson59 on Dec 16, 2013 10:52:25 GMT -5
We also run a feeder in the winter. This year we are actually adding a second feeder to one of our other pastures.
When we take inventory we usually put out corn on the ground along with apple flavored horse treats. The deer go nuts for them!
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Post by 10point on Dec 16, 2013 13:39:04 GMT -5
This got me thinking. A lot of guys are not having a good season. I wonder if by doing this you are making hunting challenging for anyone near by. Not trying to start anything. I've been out 5 times in the last week and haven't seen a thing and it got me thinking, what if someone is feeding the deer near by.
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Post by boonechaser on Dec 16, 2013 15:35:41 GMT -5
 ? Don't know. But I doubt the amount that I supplement is enough by itself to keep deer on my property, but with the additional food plot's and cover with no hunting pressure now. Maybe?? (If I was a deer i'd pretty much stay close.) As deer are free ranging animal's by nature most have a couple square mile home range they use, but alot depend's on the season and food soure's available. Most deer I am seeing now are in group's (yarding up)for winter. My experience this time of year is "feast" or "famine" if you hit the right food source you may see alot of activity on the flip side you may not see anything of your not. |
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Post by throbak on Dec 16, 2013 18:45:12 GMT -5
common sense says yes or why would you be hunting food sources?? acorns early ,then corn and beans, picked crops then cover crops every one to the Man (or woman) will say hunt the food source this time of year so why wouldn't it make a difference ?? natural or artificial food is food
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seabee
Junior Member
Posts: 34
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Post by seabee on Dec 18, 2013 21:10:04 GMT -5
Been a great year of hunting for me so I shut hunting down on the farm for the year around the 1st Dec. and have started putting out earred corn in a harvested 2 acre corn plot I put out earlier this year. Actually what i did was hand picked couple 50 gallon drum's full of the corn off the plot before the deer ate it all. Mid Oct I started bushhogging a few row's a week untill early Nov. when the plot was finished. Also have a 1/2 acre plot of turnip's that set's beside corn. Now that I have begun throwing out the earred corn the deer have just been tearing up the corn and the turnip's. Pulled trailcam card and had 400 plus pic's in 4 days. of course alot of the deer are repeat customer's but it's pretty cool to see all the activity. I have enough earred corn to put out for couple more week's, then I have a large battery operated feeder that i will put out in corn field that depense's corn in the morning and evening. Been winter feeding on a schedule for last 3 year's and it's funny that the deer know when that feeder is gonna kick on. (They show up like clock work.) Usually leave feeder out till mid march when things start to green up, But it's a great way to inventory what deer survived hunting season and what kinda deer we are gonna have for next year. Do you plant the corn or do you have someone do it? I have been thinking about doing this, But I am not a farmer. Wondering how much work/what type equipment is involved in planting a few acres of crops every year? |
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Post by boonechaser on Dec 18, 2013 21:45:02 GMT -5
I do my own. I have a couple tractor's but a small tractor would work. I have a 2 bottom plow and a disk. I borrow neighbor's old 2 row ford corn planter. It has a dry fertilizer box so all I do is add fertilizer and seed and go. I know a couple farmer's who also sell seed corn who give me a couple sample bag's of round up ready corn seed. (Follow it up with some weed spray if needed.) I'd guess the corn is 70-80 bushel corn per acre. Gonna increase to 4-5 acre's next year. Price wise $100 acre, maybe a little more depending on fertilizer you need.
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? Don't know. But I doubt the amount that I supplement is enough by itself to keep deer on my property, but with the additional food plot's and cover with no hunting pressure now. Maybe?? (If I was a deer i'd pretty much stay close.) As deer are free ranging animal's by nature most have a couple square mile home range they use, but alot depend's on the season and food soure's available. Most deer I am seeing now are in group's (yarding up)for winter. My experience this time of year is "feast" or "famine" if you hit the right food source you may see alot of activity on the flip side you may not see anything of your not.