Cows

[buckmaster31]

What is ur alls opinions in cows do they affect deer moment. Do they scare them do they even pay em attention and I'm talking about the angus cows not the stray trespasser that ate one too many burgers

 

[FARMTOFIELD]

They pay no attention

 

[bigtex]

They see those cows probably every day. Ive killed a lot of deer with cows and horses nearby.

 

[Boll Weevil]

As a kid, we hunted around cows because we had no choice. But for the sake of comparison and because now we hunt on a cattle-free farm, there are indeed a few points that might be worth sharing:
- Cattle eat constantly. With the exception of certain grasses that deer just don't prefer, they compete for food. Looking back, our entire farm had a browse line where cattle had eaten everything within reach. Little food = few deer.
- Deer move around cows vs. the other way around and it can change patterns somewhat. Rotating cattle onto different pasture or recently harvested crop fields almost guaranteed fewer sightings in that immediate area.

I think deer live alongside cows just fine and simply adapt but my hunting experiences are far better without them. One definite pro I can think of is that cow poo is one of the best boot cover scents on the planet!

 

[oldmanelrod]

Been hunting a cattle farm for the last 25 years. These cattle are over the place woods and fields. The deer pay no attention to them. Good thing about it is the cow manure makes a great cover sent, one step in a pile for boot and a little on the bottom of the pants leg and you are good to go.

 

[plinker22]

Many years ago I had an amazing Honey Hole. It was a super thicket and it held tons of game. I was very new to deer hunting so I really didn't understand what a great spot this was.

Midway through the season, the farmer decided to reclaim this thicket for pasture. He opened two gates and allowed his cows to roam the thicket.

Let me tell you, that whole property changed in about a 4 day period. After about 4 weeks of the cows having their way with the thicket the farmer then brought in a bush hog and mowed the whole thicket down.

This spot has never regained it's previous Honey Hole status. :(

TBS, I have a Dairy Farm that I occasionally get to hunt in Ohio. The deer will sometimes walk right with the cattle.

Just hunt!

 

[Jcalder]

Last year I planned on hunting my aunts farm. There haven't been cows on this place in roughly a year. I put up a blind to take my daughter with and set up a stand for when she wasn't. I do all this and find out she's leased it. I can still hunt so no big deal. 2 weeks before muzzy starts and the cows get moved in. I didn't see anything. Had the cows been there the whole time I think things would have been different.

 

[Jaahspike]

I have always heard that cows mess up deer ppatterns. Not sure though. We have horses and I know the deer don't mind them and just walk right past them. Killed one of my biggest bucks during the rut within 25 yards of about 6 horses. Granted...He was chasing a hot doe so I think a band could have been playing music and it wouldn't have distracted him...lol

 

[gobblegrunt]

From my experience the deer kinda keep there distance from cattle. I remember on several occasions that I was covered up with deer, the cattle would move through and the deer would just move on to somewhere else. The deer didn't seem to be spooked at all. Hunt and find out.

 

[redblood]

they are detrimental to deer. they are beneficial for turkey and coyote hunting and neutral for squirrel. best turkey farm I have ever hunted was a farm where a farmer fed his heifers whole shell corn to keep them tame. turkeys would rummage through every cow patty on the farm to reclaim the undigested corn. not illegal to hunt over it as it was a normal agricultural practice