Plots-browsing

[richmanbarbeque]

This time of the year I always question myself about my plots. Are deer really "hammering" them or are the temps just knocking them back? This year I put my exclusion cages out when temperatures started dropping. In the last few months I have not seen a difference from the inside of the cages to the outside except for a few inches. When deer have been in them they browse for a few minutes and then kept moving. I'm sure they are getting used but are they getting " hammered"? Whatcha think?

 

[BSK]

Exclusion cages are the only way to know.

And it's normal for single digit temps to really knock plots down.

My plots look like they're being hammered, but they're not. Two deer we killed over the weekend are still full of red oak acorns and a little browse (primarily honeysuckle).

 

[TheLBLman]

Two deer we killed over the weekend are still full of red oak acorns and a little browse (primarily honeysuckle).

There apparently was a much better red oak acorn crop than thought previously. This bodes well for next year's antler growth, but sure reduced the late season deer movement.

 

[BSK]

I agree Wes.

 

[BowGuy84]

Im baseing my assessment on my plots being hit by the amount of tracks in them. Trough gun season my one new oat plot had almost zero tracks. In the last two weeks it is covered. It isnt real thick in growth due to the lack of early rain so tracks are easy to see. In addition the blade of oats have been nipped down...they were about 4 inches tall.

However, there are not many red oak trees around me. In TN on another track I got on deer around redoaks and their stomachs wer flat full of acorns.

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

The 4 pt I killed the other day had mostly browse, pine nettles and honeysuckle. I only found one acorn in him.

 

[Football Hunter]

I can ,or could tell a difference in my plots,but the plants inside the cages are wilted down,other eveidence,such as tracks,dropping also tell me they are in em a lot,so do my cams

 

[Football Hunter]

You got a camera on that bench clover plot Richard?

 

[Boone 58]

ours are down to the ground......will be that way until the first week of april and then will grow without incident until the wheat heads.......
same story every winter.

 

[tellico4x4]

Our plot usage has really picked up the past couple of weeks. Deer are focusing on the brassica it appears. I've watched several move from brassica plant to brassica plant while ignoring clover & wheat. Turnips are being pawed up and eaten as well.
3 mature bucks killed last week on plots, and another missed yesterday afternoon.

 

[Bayou Buck]

Mine were getting hammered Rich. Tons of tracks and I could see that every blade of wheat has been snipped off at ground level.

 

[Buckhunter72]

My Oat and Clover plots look great, but they are not getting used, much less hammered. They are hammering the red oaks though. I was worried while planting my plots this year that they where going to be a total loss for hunting purposes, due to zero rainfall. Then we got rain and they came up good, only for them to be a total loss for hunting purposes, due to a well above average Red Oak Acorn crop. Oh weel they will benifit from it when the red oak acorns are gone.