Hunting around Cotton Fields???

[Redraider]

Seems like the talk is picking up about feeding cottonseed for a supplement for deer. Does anyone have any opinions about hunting around cotton fields? Our farmer is turning some of our wheat to cotton in the spring. We have never hunted a place with cotton on it. There seems to be quite a bit of cotton planted throughout the state so somebody should have first hand experience. Is it better to hunt early around the fields when the cotton opens up or later once they have ginned it and there are seeds on the ground? I have a couple of friends and they say the cotton around their leases have deer in them.

[Royal]

We had a lease south of Turkey on the Pease river. The mulies and hogs seem to love the cotton field. To exit our lease you had to drive a road that ran thru the middle of a large cotton field. It was not uncommon to see 30+ muledeer standing on the sides of the road. Never saw any whitetails using the field though.

[47]

Seems like the talk is picking up about feeding cottonseed for a supplement for deer. Does anyone have any opinions about hunting around cotton fields? Our farmer is turning some of our wheat to cotton in the spring. We have never hunted a place with cotton on it. There seems to be quite a bit of cotton planted throughout the state so somebody should have first hand experience. Is it better to hunt early around the fields when the cotton opens up or later once they have ginned it and there are seeds on the ground? I have a couple of friends and they say the cotton around their leases have deer in them.

Over in Lohn where we hunt, most if not all the cotton farmers high fence their places to keep deer OUT.

While their wheat fields have no fence at all.

[comet]

I have seen deer crossing cotton fields but never eating in them, NEVER. Been in cotton country for awhile now.

It is possible when the plant is coming up that the would eat the tender from it but it is very stemmy not tender

[trophy8]

the bigges buck i have ever had a chance at was headed toward a cotton feild when i shot at him....middle of december there would be a ton of deer in that feild....never really saw them eatin it to be honest but then again i didnt pa attention that close...i was lookin for horns...but they were out there for a reason...and im talkin like 50-75 deer...and this was south of midland....i know muleys will eat it but...nothin like a peanut feild....

[Redraider]

That is what I have heard. Deer in the cotton but not eating it. If they feed cottonseed to the deer and they eat it then they must be eating the cottonseed in the fields. Just trying to be optimistic instead of pessimistic for the upcoming season.

[Jaspro]

Cotton is one of, if not the most environmentally unfriendly crop that man grows. Deer in a cotton field are NOT eating cottonseed. If they are in a cotton field its because there is a weed or something else growing in there that interests them. Some are there just for the water if the field is irrigated. In the summer drive out toward Levelland and look at the number of Muley's hanging out in the cotton fields with [ivots because the fields are cooler and have the water running on them. Nothing about the plant actually intersts them.

[bentman]

We have alot of cotton fileds where I hunt & I have seen the deer eating cotton leaves plenty of times.

[acearrow]

I have been told they will eat it when it is young but once the plant gets older that they will not eat it any more.
Don't know for sure myself though.