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Post by welder on Feb 20, 2022 8:24:42 GMT -5
I have no doubts food is more scarce this time of year. With that being said, I seriously doubt if more than a dozen deer die from starvation per year statewide.
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 20, 2022 8:37:09 GMT -5
I have no doubts food is more scarce this time of year. With that being said, I seriously doubt if more than a dozen deer die from starvation per year statewide. Not necessarily about death, but does occur. Does in poor health can miscarriage as well , but i'm more concerned with the overall health of local deer. As a landowner, anything I can do to draw, hold and help improve overall health I'm more than happy to do. That includes improvements to habitat, providing food sources, minerals, and supplemental feeding. Not for everyone, but I get lots of enjoyment out of and reap the benefits of having lots of wildlife in area. Throw a couple of neighbors in with similar goals and passion, and we have created our own management zone.
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Post by BOBinIN on Feb 20, 2022 9:06:01 GMT -5
Boonechaser... I like how you think!
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Post by esshup on Feb 20, 2022 9:37:05 GMT -5
Are you in a heavily wooded area with little agriculture? Biologist say that Late Feb. through spring Greenup is hardest time on whitetails nutritionally. Very few food sources left. Most deer rely on Woody browse and grasses to survive during this time period. You know pickings are getting slim when you see them eating conifers... I expect to see that in the North Woods where there is no agriculture or grasses, but here I think it's a sign that things are getting tough, food wise. Just how much food does it take to keep a deer healthy per day? (not adding or losing weight) I know it will be different depending on the nutritional value of the food, but say for instance, how much grain per day?
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Post by greghopper on Feb 20, 2022 9:54:31 GMT -5
Biologist say that Late Feb. through spring Greenup is hardest time on whitetails nutritionally. Very few food sources left. Most deer rely on Woody browse and grasses to survive during this time period. You know pickings are getting slim when you see them eating conifers... I expect to see that in the North Woods where there is no agriculture or grasses, but here I think it's a sign that things are getting tough, food wise. Just how much food does it take to keep a deer healthy per day? (not adding or losing weight) I know it will be different depending on the nutritional value of the food, but say for instance, how much grain per day? A good high grade hay works great also.....
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 20, 2022 10:58:01 GMT -5
You know pickings are getting slim when you see them eating conifers... I expect to see that in the North Woods where there is no agriculture or grasses, but here I think it's a sign that things are getting tough, food wise. Just how much food does it take to keep a deer healthy per day? (not adding or losing weight) I know it will be different depending on the nutritional value of the food, but say for instance, how much grain per day? A good high grade hay works great also..... I use 2 free access feeders my place over winter. (April,May I run 4). I'll feed anywhere from 1500-2500 lbs. a month. ( Mix consists of whole and cracked corn, oats, protein pellet, and mineral added in. I hay farm, so have lots of high grade hayfields available. (Currently have 12 acres alfalfa and alfalfa mix). Rest mixed grasses and red and white clover. I have read a adult deer will eat 5-10lbs of food per day depending on size.
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Post by greghopper on Feb 20, 2022 11:09:42 GMT -5
A good high grade hay works great also..... I use 2 free access feeders my place over winter. (April,May I run 4). I'll feed anywhere from 1500-2500 lbs. a month. ( Mix consists of whole and cracked corn, oats, protein pellet, and mineral added in. I hay farm, so have lots of high grade hayfields available. (Currently have 12 acres alfalfa and alfalfa mix). Rest mixed grasses and red and white clover. I have read a adult deer will eat 8-12 lbs of food per day depending on size. So you put out hay for the Deer also or just grains?
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 20, 2022 11:16:19 GMT -5
I use 2 free access feeders my place over winter. (April,May I run 4). I'll feed anywhere from 1500-2500 lbs. a month. ( Mix consists of whole and cracked corn, oats, protein pellet, and mineral added in. I hay farm, so have lots of high grade hayfields available. (Currently have 12 acres alfalfa and alfalfa mix). Rest mixed grasses and red and white clover. I have read a adult deer will eat 5-12 lbs of food per day depending on size. So you put out hay for the Deer also or just grains? No I do not put out hay. They do graze alfalfa and clover fields pretty much down to nothing by spring.
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 20, 2022 11:26:20 GMT -5
My hay farming funds my deer mgt. I'll do between 4500-5500 square bales and 75-100 round bales per year and sell 90% of. Keeps me in shape as well. Lol
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Post by sculver7 on Feb 21, 2022 8:24:27 GMT -5
My hay farming funds my deer mgt. I'll do between 4500-5500 square bales and 75-100 round bales per year and sell 90% of. Keeps me in shape as well. Lol Small square bales suck. I worked for a farmer through college (2010-2014) whose dad would not let them switch to big round bales or big square bales as they were "not efficient for feeding." That being said, they had 3 dairy farms with over 2000 head of cattle and we did 100,000 to 120,000 small square bales every year. IT SUCKED. They farmed 800 acres of hay every year. The father has since passed away and the first year that he was not around, the two boys decided to switch to big square bales. And actually, 3 years after that, they got rid of the dairy farms altogether.
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 21, 2022 9:08:14 GMT -5
My hay farming funds my deer mgt. I'll do between 4500-5500 square bales and 75-100 round bales per year and sell 90% of. Keeps me in shape as well. Lol Small square bales suck. I worked for a farmer through college (2010-2014) whose dad would not let them switch to big round bales or big square bales as they were "not efficient for feeding." That being said, they had 3 dairy farms with over 2000 head of cattle and we did 100,000 to 120,000 small square bales every year. IT SUCKED. They farmed 800 acres of hay every year. The father has since passed away and the first year that he was not around, the two boys decided to switch to big square bales. And actually, 3 years after that, they got rid of the dairy farms altogether. Definitely hard work and fewer people square baling which creates a good market for them. Most clients are horse people but have some show cattle and goat clients. Hard to get help as well , many days just me or me and wife.
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Post by trapperdave on Feb 21, 2022 10:48:12 GMT -5
Small square bales suck. I worked for a farmer through college (2010-2014) whose dad would not let them switch to big round bales or big square bales as they were "not efficient for feeding." That being said, they had 3 dairy farms with over 2000 head of cattle and we did 100,000 to 120,000 small square bales every year. IT SUCKED. They farmed 800 acres of hay every year. The father has since passed away and the first year that he was not around, the two boys decided to switch to big square bales. And actually, 3 years after that, they got rid of the dairy farms altogether. Definitely hard work and fewer people square baling which creates a good market for them. Most clients are horse people but have some show cattle and goat clients. Hard to get help as well , many days just me or me and wife. Surprised a dairy that size uses baled hay. I haul milk for a large dairy..milking 3k iirc, we,they, chop all our hay (haylage) and corn (silage). You'd s..t yourselves if you seen the mountains of each we have along with the additives mixed in daily. We fill 5 to 6 6,000 gallon tankers a day
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Post by sculver7 on Feb 21, 2022 11:22:47 GMT -5
Definitely hard work and fewer people square baling which creates a good market for them. Most clients are horse people but have some show cattle and goat clients. Hard to get help as well , many days just me or me and wife. Surprised a dairy that size uses baled hay. I haul milk for a large dairy..milking 3k iirc, we,they, chop all our hay (haylage) and corn (silage). You'd s..t yourselves if you seen the mountains of each we have along with the additives mixed in daily. We fill 5 to 6 6,000 gallon tankers a day We also chopped a crazy amount of silage to feed with the small bales, but the silage was mostly used for the non-milking cattle. Most of the silage was fed out in the fields while the hay bales were the primary feed source in the dairies.
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 21, 2022 12:34:43 GMT -5
Surprised a dairy that size uses baled hay. I haul milk for a large dairy..milking 3k iirc, we,they, chop all our hay (haylage) and corn (silage). You'd s..t yourselves if you seen the mountains of each we have along with the additives mixed in daily. We fill 5 to 6 6,000 gallon tankers a day We also chopped a crazy amount of silage to feed with the small bales, but the silage was mostly used for the non-milking cattle. Most of the silage was fed out in the fields while the hay bales were the primary feed source in the dairies. Dairies feed a ton of alfalfa. I raise 10-12 acres alfalfa annually. Great for deer and recover some $$ selling hay. WIN, WIN
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 21, 2022 12:39:36 GMT -5
One of our older bucks. 7.5 plus. Went backwards this year. Pics on trailer found yday other last years.
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Post by esshup on Feb 21, 2022 13:53:42 GMT -5
I saw more deer this morning that were hit on the road last night than I have since the rut started.
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Post by nfalls116 on Feb 21, 2022 16:16:50 GMT -5
Definitely hard work and fewer people square baling which creates a good market for them. Most clients are horse people but have some show cattle and goat clients. Hard to get help as well , many days just me or me and wife. Surprised a dairy that size uses baled hay. I haul milk for a large dairy..milking 3k iirc, we,they, chop all our hay (haylage) and corn (silage). You'd s..t yourselves if you seen the mountains of each we have along with the additives mixed in daily. We fill 5 to 6 6,000 gallon tankers a day 5-6… I remember when I had my first beer too
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Post by deadeer on Feb 22, 2022 1:24:04 GMT -5
I saw more deer this morning that were hit on the road last night than I have since the rut started. Noticed the same thing! Quite a few roadkill in last couple days.
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Post by boonechaser on Feb 22, 2022 17:45:27 GMT -5
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Post by parkerbow on Feb 22, 2022 19:11:44 GMT -5
I saw more deer this morning that were hit on the road last night than I have since the rut started. One was mine.
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