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Started By
Message
re: Feeders VS Plots
Posted on 12/9/23 at 12:32 pm to calcotron
Posted on 12/9/23 at 12:32 pm to calcotron
quote:I get it, but where do you stop? Recurve on horse back, stone age hunting?
this means sit in a shooting house on a feeder, I'm out. I want to find where they are coming and going and sit in a tree and hope it works out. Am I still using human cowardly sniper advantage? Yes. But I'm not watching 8 deer walk up to a feeder and picking the one with the most head growth.
The fact is, humans are smarter than other animals and have, at different stages, created methods and tools to make killing animals easier.
A gun and blind are tools just like the bow and horse(or climbing stand)
1
Posted on 12/9/23 at 3:28 pm to The Levee
quote:
That’s because it’s not native habitat for whitetail…….
What? Whitetail are absolutely native to south Texas. Mesquite is excellent browse for whitetail and south Texas is like 100% mesquite and cactus.
Posted on 12/9/23 at 3:58 pm to geauxbrown
I’m over in west central Texas.
Plots are very dependent on rain. Sometimes they don’t come up at all. Where we are, there is more grasses and browse than you might think. We don’t have any mash, but lots for them to eat.
What we generally do is 1/4 to 1 acre plots w feeders in an opposite corner. We do have some plots without feeders.
What I see is that our deer will go to the feeder for about 10 to 15 mins and then browse the plot.
Generally, you can see several plot and feeder setups from one stand. It’s very open and hilly here. A well placed stand can give you some amazing views.
My experience has been that these deer will hit a feeder, then the plot. Then head over to the next feeder, and plot.
They always work their way from north west to southeast in the evening and then return, maybe skipping some areas in the evening to the feeding areas. They don’t travel a specific path like I’ve seen Norther deer do, just easing along a general direction.
I think they have a general area they are headed to, and from and just browse along the way. That being said, these deer behave very differently than La and Ms deer that I grew up with.
Plots are very dependent on rain. Sometimes they don’t come up at all. Where we are, there is more grasses and browse than you might think. We don’t have any mash, but lots for them to eat.
What we generally do is 1/4 to 1 acre plots w feeders in an opposite corner. We do have some plots without feeders.
What I see is that our deer will go to the feeder for about 10 to 15 mins and then browse the plot.
Generally, you can see several plot and feeder setups from one stand. It’s very open and hilly here. A well placed stand can give you some amazing views.
My experience has been that these deer will hit a feeder, then the plot. Then head over to the next feeder, and plot.
They always work their way from north west to southeast in the evening and then return, maybe skipping some areas in the evening to the feeding areas. They don’t travel a specific path like I’ve seen Norther deer do, just easing along a general direction.
I think they have a general area they are headed to, and from and just browse along the way. That being said, these deer behave very differently than La and Ms deer that I grew up with.
Posted on 12/9/23 at 4:05 pm to geauxbrown
Corn brings in the hogs, so I’ve moved to just having a plot and it has been successful. More deer, less hogs
Posted on 12/9/23 at 4:08 pm to geauxbrown
We tried just doing food plots when we first got our place. Saw a huge drop in seeing deer. Now we do both.
Posted on 12/9/23 at 6:11 pm to bluemoons
quote:
What? Whitetail are absolutely native to south Texas. Mesquite is excellent browse for whitetail and south Texas is like 100% mesquite and cactus.
As far as “excellent browse” goes, I don’t know. I can tell you that the average deer/acre in that habitat would not be as high as it is without water tanks, feeders, and food plots.
Like ranches that have cows, how many cows/acre could you run in that area vs other places. People will get caught up on how big a ranch is in Texas, but the habitat can’t hold as many cows/acre. I know I’m not comparing apples to apples, but it is basically the same principle. Just how you could have only 20% Fawn recruitment or less on average years.
Posted on 12/9/23 at 8:34 pm to TheDrunkenTigah
quote:
would be perfectly fine if baiting were banned tomorrow if it was actually enforced, but only because that would save me $2K a year on corn,
Damn! That would buy 160 lbs of ribeye. I think I would skip the corn and just go sit in the woods on a full belly.
Posted on 12/9/23 at 9:08 pm to Outdoorreb
quote:
As far as “excellent browse” goes, I don’t know. I can tell you that the average deer/acre in that habitat would not be as high as it is without water tanks, feeders, and food plots
Agree completely. Mesquite is high in protein though, which is really beside the point regardless. I was just responding to the claim that whitetail aren’t native to south Texas and I didn’t understand where that idea came from.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 3:45 pm to GREENHEAD22
quote:
GREENHEAD
How much time did you guys go without baiting before starting back up?
Just curious
Posted on 12/10/23 at 4:08 pm to SportTiger1
I k ow exactly where to stop and I feel very comfortable with where my lines are drawn.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 5:27 pm to geauxbrown
A year. If you own you place and can put as much food plot in as you want then you may have better results. I can't recall the percentage but minimum of 5% in food plots seems to come to mind.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 5:47 pm to highcotton2
quote:
That would buy 160 lbs of ribeye. I think I would skip the corn and just go sit in the woods on a full belly.
You’re tellin me, but I haven’t been in the habit of choosing between them, especially at the camp. If I didn’t do this I’d have to play golf or some shite.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 7:35 pm to GREENHEAD22
quote:
A year. If you own you place and can put as much food plot in as you want then you may have better results. I can't recall the percentage but minimum of 5% in food plots seems to come to mind.
8-12% of your property should be food plots.
According to Deer University at MSU.
You have to fully commit and start with supplemental feeding along with your food plots and browse. Natural Browse is by far, the most impactful and largest food source for deer.
Fix your soil so you can grow anything, year round.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 7:47 pm to The Levee
I was going to say 10% is the general rule
Posted on 12/10/23 at 7:49 pm to tke_swamprat
And one year is a “college try”.
This post was edited on 12/10/23 at 7:50 pm
Posted on 12/10/23 at 7:52 pm to The Levee
Yes I agree, 10% is what we wanted to do but just not able due to it being a lease.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 8:21 pm to GREENHEAD22
Ah gotcha. Try planting the roads and everything that gets sun with rye grass and clover.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 10:50 pm to geauxbrown
Ive lived on 400 acres in MS since 2008 and have never fed, and I plant nutritional plots (non- rye grass) prescribed burn, disk for forbs, clear areas for lay up, establish sanctuaries, etc. Manage the land and the deer will flourish.
Bait is detrimental in several ways and it attracts pigs as well.
Bait is detrimental in several ways and it attracts pigs as well.
Posted on 12/11/23 at 5:56 am to PlaySomeHonk
Baiting often means more vehicle traffic to bait.
Posted on 12/11/23 at 7:20 am to PlaySomeHonk
quote:
Ive lived on 400 acres in MS since 2008 and have never fed, and I plant nutritional plots (non- rye grass) prescribed burn, disk for forbs, clear areas for lay up, establish sanctuaries, etc. Manage the land and the deer will flourish. Bait is detrimental in several ways and it attracts pigs as well
This is the way.
And this is what 100% of the wildlife biologists will suggest.
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