#1954408 - 06/09/10 11:55 AM
Re: Best Food Source
[Re: Football Hunter]
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Winchester
Non-Typical
Registered: 12/05/03
Posts: 25245
Loc: TN
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Yep, early browse is awesome, however it wont last forever and has to be cut back down every few years to keep the cycle going.
Acorns will draw deer to a very specific location like no ther food source.
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#1955364 - 06/10/10 08:11 AM
Re: Best Food Source
[Re: Winchester]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
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Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59548
Loc: Nashville, TN
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Natural foods: Acorns have to be tops, but acorn crops are seasonal and unpredictable. Natural early-stage succession growth (what BGG desribed) is tops as a year-round food source, although best in summer.
Planted foods: Fruits and many agricultural plants. However, the amount of food produced by planted food sources is rarely matched by what nature produces when you consider a large area. The planted foods may seriously outproduce natural forage in tons/acre, but how many acres of a total property are in planted foods versus natural foods?
My philosophy is, manage the natural habitat to produce all of the food volume needed to support the local deer population, and use values for what the natural habitat CAN prouce as the measure for what deer density to manage for. Ignore the food volume of planted foods in these calculations because planted food production is "iffy." Planted foods can fail due to drought and late spring freezes. Consider planted foods as a "bonus" both for attraction and nutritional value.
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#1956187 - 06/10/10 07:51 PM
Re: Best Food Source
[Re: BSK]
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richmanbarbeque
16 Point
Registered: 07/17/03
Posts: 12771
Loc: Middle, Tn
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Good Topic. This year I have spent more time noticing natural browse than ever before. The deer are hammering all of my plots and the browse around them. Amazing how much food there is when you let a little sunlight hit the ground.
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#1956301 - 06/10/10 09:35 PM
Re: Best Food Source
[Re: richmanbarbeque]
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JCDEERMAN
14 Point
Registered: 07/19/08
Posts: 7635
Loc: NASHVILLE, TN
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YUP...Natural browse! Thats why I kinda went around focusing mainly on food plots and select cutting about 70 acres of our place. We are still doing food plots, but I finally realized the deer will only eat a certain percentage of food plots compared to all the natural browse around the area, especially compared to the amout of natural browse around our place (and cover) THATS why we are doing the cutting....to get the browse and to get the cover. Cover is the main thing, but the browse is the next best thing. I want to hold them on the property as long as I possibly can. We will see what happens!
_________________________
Be nervous, but fear no one
In God we trust
God bless the USA!
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#1956550 - 06/11/10 07:44 AM
Re: Best Food Source
[Re: richmanbarbeque]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
Non-Typical
Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59548
Loc: Nashville, TN
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The deer are hammering all of my plots and the browse around them.
A study at Auburn found that deer spent 60% of their feeding time near food plots eating the fertilized and limed browse growing around the edges of the plot versus actually eating the crops in the plot.
_________________________
"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#1957586 - 06/12/10 08:23 AM
Re: Best Food Source
[Re: BSK]
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Football Hunter
18 Point
Registered: 10/22/07
Posts: 24550
Loc: Wilson Co/Perry Co
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The deer are hammering all of my plots and the browse around them. A study at Auburn found that deer spent 60% of their feeding time near food plots eating the fertilized and limed browse growing around the edges of the plot versus actually eating the crops in the plot.
_________________________
The best day to plant a tree,IS TODAY!
You wont know,if you dont go!
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