Feeding year round

Does feeding year round hurt or help. Last year we didn't feed year round. Pulled the feeders off the plots and didn't refill them. This year we switched to a new seed for the plots and filled the feeder year round. Don't really know if was a combo of this and the screwed up weather we had. But our harvest numbers were WAY down from last year.

It dang sure won't hurt the deer to feed protein year round. I dang sure won't let it hurt my wallet though.

Has nothing to do with feeding. Has to do with the numbers across the state not being what they once were and the DCNR wanting to stick their head in the sand about it.

I can assure you, if you fed them year round like you said, you would have as many...and much more likely...more deer than the year prior. After all, you would be "that neighbor" that is feeding them and pulling them all off of the adjoining properties. And that's not happening either. What IS happening is a prolonged period of a completely unrealistic "shoot every doe" mentality that will somehow make for better hunting. Don't be discouraged my friend, we're all in this together.

All of this. Feeding deer is not what is causing some hunters in Alabama to have reduced deer sightings while hunting. It is the ridiculously liberal bag limits on does and a gun season that is too long in general. They need to take a hard look at what Tennessee is doing in terms of deer herd management and adopt some of the same regs. Would help tremendously.

Dr Woods is against feeding period. WAste of your money,instead plant good plots year round. High forage plots will benefit the deer. Hold and attract deer. DO some reading there are plenty of things that will do thge job.

I didn't see a deer the last three weeks of season and that's NEVER happened to me before. Not a deer! My camera says they're there though. They are there. I left for work at 3 am this morning and saw 15 between my house and where 17 crosses coal fire creek in Kennedy (about 5 miles). I hunt from here to there. I own land between here and there. If I didn't know better I'd think we were over harvested too, but we're not. Just some FYI in case everybody doesn't run cameras like I do. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they're all dead. Not necessarily.

My experience the last two years when a neighbor started feeding in season was similar to yours and it is not over shooting of does, at least in the 1000 or so acres surrounding me. The deer are still there but have no need to spend the time in the woods foraging. Five minutes at a feeder can provide as much nutrition as a couple of hours of picking at greenbrier and privet tips.

I don't know that I buy into the thought that we are running out of deer, I saw more does this year than I have in the last 4 years and I hut several different places around central AL. I know this is just one persons view so I could be wrong about the deer population....

Deer sightings are a piss poor indicator of deer density. As stated before camera studies don't lie. Deer use feeders, but deer are browsers and won't spend all night eating corn, just as they wont spend all night in a plot or ag field. They browse and move along to something else. Year round food plots are the most economical way to feed your deer, not supplemental feeding. If you can afford it, have at it, i'll spend my money on other things.

I agree with that^^^

I've also heard multiple experts say that same thing. There are lots of native browses in the deer woods with incredible nutrition/protein value.

Yall's deer may be different,but the ones on our place won't eat corn or anything else once everything greens up. They will start back on it around August. I have found the best way to feed them is plant LabLab or some type of summer plot.

I think supplemental feeding has a place in management scenarios, but is pointless in 99% of cases. And if you have hogs, you're pissing in the wind anyway.

I tried the LabLab but they didn't even touch it. It grew three feet high and looked great. I don't think they knew what it was.

It takes deer a while to learn a new forage. My pea's will get tall until late summer, that's when our deer are stressed the most. Afterthat, they mow them down in a couple weeks.

Grant Wood is the authority on deer management and I admire his work. Been to his place several times and have used him as a consultant. But if you've followed him long enough, you will find that he promotes whatever and whoever is paying him at the time. I've read articles and seen videos where he bashes supplemental feeding, and others where he promotes it as a great practice to use during stressful periods of the year. Unfortunately he preaches for whoever is paying

does feeding corn, attract coyotes ?

exdamnactly.....all of em are like this^^^^^

"pointless in 99% of cases".....strong statement with no proof

some of ya'll just don't get it AT ALL...supplemental feeding is just that>>>>SUPPLEMENTAL...it is meant to add to the feed available and to take up some of the slack in stress times.

supplemental feeding is just a part of an overall nutrition program in addition to fertilizing native browse and trees, planting year round food plots, planting fruit trees, etc, etc, etc.

That's right. Everyone want a bunch of deer But nobody wants to feed them all year to keep them healthy And strong.

Definitely cost some money! I ran 4 gravity feeders all year and spent a lot of money. In our case the land could not support the deer that we had. The property was overgrown with little browse for deer. We have new owners that have thinned and clear cut some of the property which has created new browse. We are now seeing doe with 2 offspring instead of one which makes me think the herd is growing. Our food plots are being enlarged to add more browse. We have 10 to 15 different bucks of various ages that frequent each of the feeders. The deer eat less from the feeders during the summer months when it is hot. We feed protein pellets until the fall and then switch over to corn.

We kept two protein feeders going year around in the center of our ranch. Deer would come in from neighboring ranches to feed, mostly at night. After a period of time our game cams showed those deer (mostly does) eventually stayed on the property. One ranch rule was you could not hunt within 200 yards or withing sight of the protein feeders. Our main problem was coons. They poured more protein out through the gravity tubes than the hogs and deer could eat. So we bought a dozen of those leg hold traps. Many a coon met their maker that first year. When I left Texas, the others were making plans to build two large corrals to trap hogs.

If your running supplemental feeders to just help out with food, by all means go ahead, but if your supplemental feeding, thinking your making a difference in the rack potential, then i say good luck with that. It would cost thousands of dollars annually to do that.

Plant 4-5 acres of iron and clay peas in early may and you will feed them high protein from June thru Oct. at very reasonable cost

no it does not. When the deer have lot of native browse and food plots to eat they won't hit the protein feed hard. When they don't, then they will hit it.

We run protein feeders from late April to mid September and then change over to corn until turkey season. March and April have lots of browse with the spring green-up. We also plant summer crops, peas and hemp seem to work good for us. Only using protein for 4 months cut down on the expense. We use the 1200lb Boss Buck feeder so we can change from gravity to broadcast feeders with no problem. When we use protein we have to refill at about 5 weeks and with corn and the broadcaster we only have to refill in once in mid December.

Feed um year round every year and treat it for what it is. "Supplemental " feed . Budget your self yearly . Fertilize all you can in addition. Lime plots etc. any extras are better than none .