Well I'm not an expert, but I will say that feeding deer in winter is an all or none type of thing. Once you start, YOU MUST CONTINUE UNTIL SPRING!! I can't stress that enough. The reason is that you will concentrate the deer and the environment could imprison them with deep snow. If you stop feeding them, they will starve. So if you can't go the distance you're better off not starting. Another thing to think about is that the number you will be dealing with WILL GROW as the winter progresses. 10 will become 75 real quick. I snow blow paths and feeding areas so the feed doesn't get buried in snow and the deer aren't fighting each other in close quarters to get it either. They do fight with each other and if you try to pack them all into a feed bucket, the fur will fly and many of the small fawns will die when the older deer keep them out of the food and they have no where else to go. You need to have a good open area where you spread the grain so all the deer can get some. You can see how big the area is that I blow snow for them. You don't need to fill their stomachs, you just need to give each of them just enough to get through. All of this takes time, money, and effort. Right now I spend about 20 minutes a day to put out the grain and make sure the snow is kept in check. As far as what I provide, it's a blend of corn, wheat, grass hay and alfalfa hay. The main staple is the hay, which provides a sustainable nutrition that more closely resembles the browse that the deer naturally switch to in winter. The grain is for a few quick calories the deer can burn to keep warm. The deer that I have will come in and grab a few mouths full of corn, then hit the bale, and then wander off to browse. They will continue this rotation throughout the day/night. I don't know about over feeding them, but I know I don't find any carcasses or hair piles in the spring to indicate a die off. Corn right now is about 7.50 a bushel and I'm going through about a bushel and a 1/3 per day with around 30 deer rotating through near as I can tell. This is along with free selection hay. An alfalfa bale runs about 75 bucks and a mix bale is around 50. Do the math and you will see what kind of commitment is required of you should you desire to start your own program. As you can see they have shredded about half of the bale I have out there now. I will be putting another bale out there after the first. That has been a pretty good recipe to keep the small group that camps out in my back yard in good shape throughout the winter, but with this early cold and deep snow, I'm getting loaded for bear. That means I expect the number of deer that will show up to triple. That said, I already have standby corn and wheat available should I need it come late Feb-April. Those spring ice storms are the devils own spawn for the critters so I'm prepared to deal with them should the need arise. I'm also not in this by myself. I have some neighbors that drop a few bales in strategic locations to help the deer and other critters in winter. I don't think I could afford doing this on my own without spreading the wealth so to speak. Being responsible for a bunch of wildlife isn't for the faint of heart. It takes time, effort, and money. Missing any of those ingredients and the critters will be better off without you. I hope this helps and Thank You for the kind words. Stay Safe Out There!
