Helping the deer herd

[ItemB]

Getting a crp contract renewed is next to impossible is my understanding, I know of 800 acres coming out next spring, because it won't be re-newed the producer wants to keep it in but wouldn't get no payment

Thanks Obama��

 

[SDMF]

Fill a bunch of hamster watering devices full of Dr. McGillcuddy's and place them on trees here and there. They nip a little here and there and it keeps them warm.

Why not just a whole bunch of roaming St. Bernards carrying brandy under their chin? Then the deer don't get predictable by coming back to the same Schnapps tree every day. Plus the dogs can sniff out the weak ones that can't make it to the liquor tree and make sure they get their share.

 

[db-2]

A patch of sweet clover stands up good and grows tall.
Have not a lot of luck growning but do have patches next to one of my plots and the deer will spent time in lt including beding.
But again you need enough and surrounding cover to keep it from filling up.Db

 

[tman]

I agree with everyone 100 percent habitat and cover and food plots are the best route to go but I'm pretty positive everyone of us can go buy up every acre of land inND and plant it to all that stuff right now but it ain't going to grow and do absolutely no good to any wildlife this year. What my original post and question being was and still is is there any way a guy will be able to help them get through this winter by feeding them and if so what should a guy feed them to help them get the most protein and nutrients?

 

[KDM]

Well Tman, I guess the best way to go about it if you're going to try something is to find where there's a concentration of deer, get with the landowner, and work out a deal to buy feed. Keep in mind that once you start, you have to keep it up and expect the number of deer you are dealing with to triple before it's over. I go through about a bushel a day of whatever I put out and I only deal with a couple dozen. I go through a square bale of hay about every week so to feed what I have it costs me about 30 bucks a week at current crop prices just to give you some actual numbers. Would it help?? I think it would based on what I've seen around here. Hope this is more of what you were looking for.

 

[tikkalover]

Soybeans, sunflowers, barley, peas, screenings, and some form of hay for roughage. As far as how much of each grain I would do 15% of the first 4 and 40% of the screenings.

 

[johnr]

Is feeding deer even legal? I for one reason or another was under the assumption that it was not legal.

 

[deleted]

Is feeding deer even legal? I for one reason or another was under the assumption that it was not legal.

Aboslutely

 

[BrokenBackJack]

They will really appreciate alfalfa. Hay doesn't seem to do much and most will lay on it over eating it. At least that is how it was when we had them in our farmstead over the winter. We gave them all the corn and barley they wanted and had to also buy alfalfa big round bales when the winters were bad several years ago. They wouldn't eat the hay we gave them, so ended up buying alfalfa bales. Had 200-400 head in the yard and they ate our small evergreen trees too. Really bad winters and they herded up fast.
If you are going to start be prepared to do it every day or few days or every week. The herd in our yard went through a 1200-1500 lb alfalfa bale every 1-2 days. Pretty expensive at $50.00 a bale is what we had to pay at the time. Either had to feed them or they would have all died. G&F came out and wouldn't do a thing or contribute anything. Said it was natures way. Told them easy to say when you don't have to watch them starve to death out your back window. Did get some pellets from a company that they donated to us. They really liked them too.
We also took our bobcat and snowblower and backhoe out in the fields to move snow so they could try and get down to eat what the combines missed but that was a joke as wind would blow it shut everyday or every other day.
Deep snow and cold temps are really hard on them. We even opened the doors on our old quonset building to let them go inside to try and get some protection.
Bad deal for them on hard winters and darn expensive for you if you are going to do it. Don't start it unless you are prepared to go all the way otherwise you are doing more harm than good. Hated to spend that kind of money but if we didn't the whole herd would have died. When you have to buy corn, barley, and alfalfa bales it gets expensive fast. Plus we had to replant our evergreens 3 years in a row because of the deer but that was small potatoes compared to the price of the other feed.
We even had garbage cans full of apples in one of our building that we would throw some out everyday. They really liked them and ate them fast even though they were frozen. Wife had some fake fruit out by some buildings and by the mail box and was funny watching them pick them up and try to eat them but also was very sad knowing they were that hungry and would eat or try to eat almost anything! We collected the apples from people that had the trees and didn't want the apples. You could get a lot of free apples in Bis/Man in the fall as quite a few give them away. Just a thought for the future if anyone is interested.

 

[gst]

Still looking for people to come and shoot does. Kids and parents/relatives are especially welcome. Had a couple pretty big smiles last week on "first" deer deals. Heated elevated 8x8 stand. Shoot me a message. If that is not your thing you can do the cold weather hunt in the hay yard.

 

[Enslow]

They will really appreciate alfalfa. Hay doesn't seem to do much and most will lay on it over eating it. At least that is how it was when we had them in our farmstead over the winter. We gave them all the corn and barley they wanted and had to also buy alfalfa big round bales when the winters were bad several years ago. They wouldn't eat the hay we gave them, so ended up buying alfalfa bales. Had 200-400 head in the yard and they ate our small evergreen trees too. Really bad winters and they herded up fast.
If you are going to start be prepared to do it every day or few days or every week. The herd in our yard went through a 1200-1500 lb alfalfa bale every 1-2 days. Pretty expensive at $50.00 a bale is what we had to pay at the time. Either had to feed them or they would have all died. G&F came out and wouldn't do a thing or contribute anything. Said it was natures way. Told them easy to say when you don't have to watch them starve to death out your back window. Did get some pellets from a company that they donated to us. They really liked them too.
We also took our bobcat and snowblower and backhoe out in the fields to move snow so they could try and get down to eat what the combines missed but that was a joke as wind would blow it shut everyday or every other day.
Deep snow and cold temps are really hard on them. We even opened the doors on our old quonset building to let them go inside to try and get some protection.
Bad deal for them on hard winters and darn expensive for you if you are going to do it. Don't start it unless you are prepared to go all the way otherwise you are doing more harm than good. Hated to spend that kind of money but if we didn't the whole herd would have died. When you have to buy corn, barley, and alfalfa bales it gets expensive fast. Plus we had to replant our evergreens 3 years in a row because of the deer but that was small potatoes compared to the price of the other feed.
We even had garbage cans full of apples in one of our building that we would throw some out everyday. They really liked them and ate them fast even though they were frozen. Wife had some fake fruit out by some buildings and by the mail box and was funny watching them pick them up and try to eat them but also was very sad knowing they were that hungry and would eat or try to eat almost anything! We collected the apples from people that had the trees and didn't want the apples. You could get a lot of free apples in Bis/Man in the fall as quite a few give them away. Just a thought for the future if anyone is interested.

Couldnt agree more with everything stated here. The NDGF is glad to sell tags and bring in revenue but they do literally nothing for the deer when they need it most. They are an agenda driven bunch of hacks down there in bismarck.

- - - Updated - - -

Still looking for people to come and shoot does. Kids and parents/relatives are especially welcome. Had a couple pretty big smiles last week on "first" deer deals. Heated elevated 8x8 stand. Shoot me a message. If that is not your thing you can do the cold weather hunt in the hay yard.

This is very nice offer wow! This day in age offers like this are a rarity!

 

[pluckem]

I agree with everyone 100 percent habitat and cover and food plots are the best route to go but I'm pretty positive everyone of us can go buy up every acre of land inND and plant it to all that stuff right now but it ain't going to grow and do absolutely no good to any wildlife this year. What my original post and question being was and still is is there any way a guy will be able to help them get through this winter by feeding them and if so what should a guy feed them to help them get the most protein and nutrients?

Yeah sorry it got sidetracked. If you are looking to purchase alfalfa bales try to stay away from the first cutting. The protein and nutritional content is less than what would be found in the second cutting. So while the deer might be eating a first cutting bale and obviously better than nothing. A second cutting bale will provide more nutrients. Oats is also another feed that comes up a lot as a top feed for the winter. Soybeans will provide a protein source that might be needed if the main diet has been corn which is lacking in proteins.

The article below has some good information, however might not be able to be applied in most of ND due to lack of trees. However if you have access to a stand of trees or woody browse you could figure out ways to gets that food into the reach of deer.
https://www.qdma.com/provide-emergency-winter-deer-food/

 

[3Roosters]

I am of the camp that nature/ life can be brutal. Feeding, if done incorrectly, can do more harm than good. Could make them dependent on handouts. Humm..that could be political.#$%^&>