GOT DEER FOOD? Need help/advice:)

[Stoned Cold]

I had NO idea where to put this, so move it elsewhere if you see fit.

So I've got a family of deer that basically lives in my field. The problem is that we've had so much snow, they're hardpressed to find any snacks. I just had to yell at one from about 25 feet away, to get outta the road and quit actin' stupid. I usually shake apples off the treetops for em, but their pretty much gone as well. My question here is what kind of foods do/will these guys eat, that I may have in the cupboard? I'm not TOO excited about buyin any food for them, but if I must, is there an inexpensive treat I could get them?
Thanks much for any suggestions, these ignorant ****ers are gonna get run over tryin to find grub, I gotta hurry!

 

[Insomniac]

I know there are quite a few of commercial feeds out there, but they might be expensive. My family has always bought certain seeds to grow out plants for them (such as alfalfa..etc) You could always buy a bag of apples at the store to throw out for them.. A Salt Lick could also be bought, but I do not know about the nutritional value behind them. Just try some random food and see what they like.

 

[Stoner4Life]

there is a deer kibble for feeding them available either through your local hardware stores or call your DNR (dept. natural resources) and ask them where to find the proper feed.

as far as stopping them from being killed? That's a tough one because as soon as the deer realize that you're putting out feed they'll cross the road (assuming they habitat on the other side of road also) constantly to get to your place to eat, I've seen huge amounts of deer kills/hits in front of two homes that put out feed for winter food. even if some deer get hit by your home due to the feeding you can be sure that survivng deer will be healthier due to your feeding. also your DNR will tell you if they really need to be fed at this time, they may be going to the roadside for a 'salt fix' from road salting bro, the woods might still be full of the food they eat. call the local DNR & get the real scoop on feeding. survival of the fittest has its place even in times of scant food.

best of luck

 

[Jack D Ripper]

I have over 10 whitetails that visit my feeder every night, and even saw a 10 point buck a couple days ago!! (hopefully he'll leave his sheds out back for me)

my feeder is basicly a 3' x 3' mesh table with a bunch of rotting food in it and an A-frame roof over it.

I put a salt lick on the ground (the taste will be in the soil for years) and fill the feeder with feed corn (like $5 for 100 lbs.). I also throw any old veggies and apples into it when they start to go bad. The deer love me. =)

 

[George Hayduke]

don't feed them.

if they can't get through the winter themselves thats a part of nature.

we have enough deer already.

 

[JJScorpio]

Are there any farms nearby that you could pick up a few bales of hay from? You could also go to a feed store and pick up corn but that can get expensive.

Remember, once you start feeding them others will show up, and if you don't keep feeding them they will be worse off because they will be bunched up. You can also go out and cut down some evergreens for them to nibble on....

 

[mudvaynefan]

Id check cabella dot kom, any hunting\conservation websites, they make good, attractive deep feed, big bags.

The only way to really lure them away is to bait a spot over and over, most hunters\game reserves use a auto feeder to spread the pellets.

Takes a minute or 5 to really change thier behavior, they are going where they rembember food is, so You have to give them a new place to remember.

Household food is a little pricey in the amounts you will need to truly lure them away. Try some of the other cures, maybe predator urine?

They sell alot of that synthentic smell stuff on line, but theres not cheap way to keep them out if the scent thing doesnt work.

Get a dog that isnot afraid to chase some deer, even if he isnt an attack dog. sometimes shiny, or noisy objects can deter for small time, you may be able to use alot of little fixes to make them un comfortable, then scare them away with a dog or something.

Really, the only way to ensure your crop is to start eating deer meat.

Or tall fence, maybe horse wire.

Horse wire will work, provided they are afraid the first time toucing it, ant dont learn to jump over it.It doesnt hurt them, Im not for hurting animals.

I dont have a problem in hunting one for food though.

Been hunting for years, and my gratitude and respect for the animials that feed me are un measurable.

Thats a tuff one, but deer feed for about 2 months away from your patch will get them thru these times, maybe they will forget your spot. I doubt it though, more food elsewhere.

 

[Stoner4Life]

don't feed them.

if they can't get through the winter themselves thats a part of nature.

we have enough deer already.

mostly I agree, but there are winters that require some deer feeding to keep the herd healthy bro. in northern MN we have brutally cold winters with extremely deep snow in some places, the winter kill in these spots decimates the herd. This might be fine if we didn't want to hunt them in these areas but we do & so we must feed them. When the snow is deep not only do they starve but they are preyed upon by wolf & coyote to the point of taking a decade to return the population. This has occured only 3 times in the last 20 yrs I'm in MN.

right now we have so many deer around here that my big game license allows me 5 deer, one buck & four doe.

 

[Stoned Cold]

Wow! Thanks for your responses everyone! Ummmmm....where do I start?....lol

Thumbs up to the salt-lick!
My problem is that the deer move from the field behind my house, towords the other side of the street, where they'll find nothing, but cars.
Generally I like to feed them no more than can grow on my property, but they got a pretty raw deal this year between mother nature and the local developements pushing them from their original grounds into refuge in MY yard. They're somewhat surrounded at this point, so quite honestly they wouldnt live much longer than I would condone/support.
I definately try to let nature take its course, but in the same breath, it is MY nature to help these disadvantaged creatures, whom have been driven from their homes, by the same people who blatently disregard/disrespect nature on the regular. I'm not a hippy, but these deer look to me as the only human being they know, who gives the slightest sh*t, and as a 'human being' I feel partially responsible for destroying their/our home.

Oh, and another thing; how many deer you ever heard of that DIDNT TOUCH a crop, after being simply threatened?....lol....I'm so serious; I told em there would be some harsh consequences if I found ANY damage to my crops and apparently it worked.....

Thanks again peeps, I gots to fly!

 

[D Rock]

I dont hunt but live in NC and am surounded by rednecks(nooffense anyone they are proud to be called a redneck around here. They also like to seewho's truck can stay the dirtiest the longest. Anyway all I ever hear them talking about is corn. You can get one of those huge bags of Deer corn at walmart or any hunting store for under 10 dollars. Also if you leave your scent around or pieces of clothing or bed sheets but then you would be attracting attention to your grow site which im sure you dont want to do So I say buy some corn. Or a Rifle.

 

[Guest]

don't feed them.

if they can't get through the winter themselves thats a part of nature.

we have enough deer already.

It can't be that simple, seeing as humans have cut up the ecosystem to begin with...so at what point can you just 'leave it up to nature' and not feed them to replace the loss of habitat and resources they have experienced...? It's a complicated mess, and the answer varies greatly I'm sure. I've always wondered about bird feeders and the like...at this point I just try to support the ecosystem in any way I can....garden & make flowers for the bees, make bee homes, feed the birds, feed the deer.....I see too much humanization around, and not enough wildlife...I figure I'm helping restore the balance somewhat..what a mess though either way it's like you're doin wrong..

 

[Verite]

Your 'help' as you consider it is only going to hurt them in the long term. Deer arent as stupid as you think. They will migrate to better feeding areas when they need to. If by your human interaction they decide to not migrate then you'll have to accept the responsibility for increased deer and possible human fatalities when they start getting hit by cars around your land because you found the urge to mess with mother nature.

Ecology and natural resource conservation begins by being a responsible part of nature. Theres nothing natural to setting out food for wild animals.

 

[Guest]

Your answer could work in one instance, and be wrong in another. Like I said, the right answer really depends on where you live. My birdfeeding isn't causing birds to get hit by cars more. My deer feeding isn't either. It depends on where you live and what you feed and what the state of that species is in within the ecosystem etc

 

[Verite]

You can rationalize it anyway you wish. Call up the DNR or any conservationist and you can be told how wrong you are by an authority in the subject.

 

[Guest]

Apparently this DNR is a-ok with bird feeders.
http://search.wi.gov/query.html?qt=bird+feeders&style=dnr

 

[PeavillePride]

You can rationalize it anyway you wish. Call up the DNR or any conservationist and you can be told how wrong you are by an authority in the subject.

.Right,Its illegal in some states to feed the Deer because of herd management.And its true,if you feed them you will have to keep feeding them or it will cause all kinds of bs.If you want to be real and eco friendly and more like nature,there are certain plants,trees and bushes that Deer naturally feed on,so do some planting and it will help the world all around.Salt licks are not for feeding Deer,they are for luring Deer in,usually to the same spot over n over again so it will be known where to set up for the kill because they are creatures of habit and will keep comming to that spot to taste the salty treat,but it will not get them through a tough winter if they couldnt find food and that was the only source of nutrition(or really the lack of).Rules and regulations as far as feeding, hunting or management of animal populations are there for a reason so imo they should be abided by.

 

[George Hayduke]

Birds a different species of animals.

Also where I am from we have plenty of deer and if their numbers get to high they can be bad for an eco-system thus we control their numbers by hunting them and allowing them to starve to death if they can't find food so something else can feed off it. Maybe up in northern Minnesota its different I'm just talking about around here.

 

[Stoned Cold]

Your 'help' as you consider it is only going to hurt them in the long term. Deer arent as stupid as you think. They will migrate to better feeding areas when they need to. If by your human interaction they decide to not migrate then you'll have to accept the responsibility for increased deer and possible human fatalities when they start getting hit by cars around your land because you found the urge to mess with mother nature.

Ecology and natural resource conservation begins by being a responsible part of nature. Theres nothing natural to setting out food for wild animals.

I'm not sure I explained myself.
There are about 5 deer here, that have NO WAY OUT. They do not have the opportunity to migrate, IN or OUT.

OK; so if I'm the irresponsible part of nature, what do we call those who have taken EVERYTHING these deer were born into?


Lets roleplay; You're a 10 pt. Buck whos been in the same spot for your whole life until the construction/destruction starts in and you're forced to either a small field with 1/10th the resource, or a busy street. You choose the borderline sufficient field, as the road is scary and unfamiliar. SO, seasons change (with the aide of humanity) and you get ****ed again with an almost non-existant fall. So, here you are with next to nothing, thanks to those 'responsible' folks and oh what's that?....3 feet of snow? Well, you can forget about food for a few months OR hang out in the road hoping to be put out of your misery. OR, some kind individual could give you an ounce of refuge, and a CHANCE at life.

And wait a minute. Am I responsible for the 'accidents'? or should we maybe hold the people accountable who FORCED THEM INTO THE ROAD? Or the folks who cant seem to do less than 15 mph OVER the speed limit?

Look, all I'm saying is that by the looks of it; Mother Nature is getting her ass kicked by an ignorant species, and could use a hand. It is MY nature to try and maintain the balance, so many have ungratefully offset.


....also, deer will very rarely reproduce in the absence of sufficient supplies.



....time for a smoke

 

[nycdfan042]

wow those deer are smart...any deeer that doesnt eat buds is cool wit me!!! i say hook em up with some food...why not? especially if man is encroaching on their space...just be lucky you have deeer to contend with and not a bear ...or an alligator!

 

[Stoned Cold]

wow those deer are smart...any deeer that doesnt eat buds is cool wit me!!! i say hook em up with some food...why not? especially if man is encroaching on their space...just be lucky you have deeer to contend with and not a bear ...or an alligator!

LOL...That's what I'm sayin'! They've shown me (deliberately or not) more respect than the assholes who ruined their/our habitat. Whatever, so I'm a dillusional nature lover.....LOL
We should not fool ourselves by thinking these animals ran out of space or food, but own up to the fact that we imprison them in the name of developement.