I need to get some help from you guys on feeding protein. My hunt club leases a 2200 acre low fence place in the northern part of the hill country. We have been managing for ten years and have seen a lot of improvement in the quality of our deer even though our neighbors on all sides have continued to increase the hunting pressure as our deer have gotten better and they still kill anything with horns and don't plan on stopping. Some of my members are wanting to start feeding protein next year but they only want to do it from February to May. From what I have read and heard you need to feed it all year long for several years to see real improvement and it needs to be from a free choice feeder? What type of costs are we looking at to feed protein and is it generally worth it on a place like ours?
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It is worth it anywhere. I am starting to do it on our 100ac ranch. Feed nonstop. I think I have heard Jamie Bone and Tuthdoc say their bigger bucks dont hit the corn feeders but only the free choice protien feeders. It does cost a pretty penny, but worth it in the long run. -
Either go all out or don't feed it.
On 2,800 acres, I'm running seven 1,000 lb free choice feeders year-around...cost about $15,000/yr bulk prices
Plus, 53 cottonseed stations at around $5,000/yr
Then, add in two 12 ton grain silos....and an air-blowing auger card thingy to fill the feeders up.
So, I probably have around $35,000 up front costs...and then $20,000 year to run my program.
As you can see...it's not cheap.Comment
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Jamie, YOUR MY HERO!!!! I wish we could get something like that going at BAO......Comment
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We feed year round on our 3800 acres. If you are going to feed protein, feed it year round. As stated above if you do it part time you are wasting your money. We go through 3000 lbs per week during the peak dry season. We are paying ~$15. per 100 lbs. as you can see it will get expensive fast. We are trying to get 1 protein station per 250 acres.....With some of the bucks you could see results soon but for overall heard increase it will take a few years to see the results overall.....The does will be the first to get the best results then the fawns will have the better start when they hit the ground.....Comment
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January through October is good. we've fed year round and have never really seen the difference. Plus you dont have deer eating at your stand at midnight on opening morning. Feed cotton seed also from march to august. it's great and cheap.Comment
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Originally posted by mesquitecountry View Post
From a pure management and $$ aspect why not just feed the other two months.Comment
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Protein
I can give you a small ranch perspective. We have been feeding protein pellets for 2 years now. We are a small private ranch that is 700 acres. We have three 300 lb. gravity protein feeders (one home made and two all seasons brand). Depending on how much money my Dad and I have for the month, we feed either Purina AntlerMAx 20% or if we are poor for the month, we feed a horse protein pellet that is 14% protein or we mix the two and call it 17%. We also put out deer mineral blocks at each protein feeder station (the ones they sell at Academy for $5.00). We pay right around $6.00 a bag at Wal-mart and Sams for the horse protein pellet (the deer love it the most!) and around $8.00 a bag for the Purina. We have to fill each of the 300 lb feeders once a week (900 lbs. a week). We are lucky that the one ranch that hunts around us feeds protein also and has a management program and the other 10,000 acre ranch on the other 3 sides of us does not hunt deer (only birds). I can say that from what we see in two years of feeding that our deer, in general, are healthier, even in drought times. I can see that our bucks antlers are showing considerably more mass and bigger bodies. The two mature bucks harvested this year were 165 lbs and 150lbs before field dressing. My Dad and I are typically out $200 a piece a month for the pellets and I think it is well worth it. We are looking at a food plot or two and cotton seed to help out the pellet feed bill also. I would recommend feeding pellets and will do what I can to keep it up. Hope this helps. I attached some game cam pics from the "improvement" we have seen in feeding pellets on our place.Comment
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We are feeding from Feb.-August, going through 9,000 lbs. in 90 days. They are tearing up the "Bullseye" protein.Comment
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bullseye protein
is this a brand of protein ..."bullseye"?Comment
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Well let’s do it Dale. I am running protein out of my feeder now. I decided to run the same blend there as I run on my grandmother’s place.Originally posted by Tuffbroadhead View PostComment
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Thanks guys. I can always find the people that know what they are talking about on the green screen. Are free choice feeders the only way to go or can you make it work in a broadcast feeder mixed with corn? Opinions?Comment
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spin feeders
Our javelinas eat it all up if it is spun out. and coons seem to have a rough time getting up the gravity feeder legs and have given up. i recommend gravity feeders or the like.Comment
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corn also lowers protein content. we are looking at putting out peanut hulls for protein and fiber. i hear some places beg for people to come get it!Comment
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If you are going to "bite the bullet" and start a protein program do not feed from a spin feeder. You are limiting what and when the deer will eat....feed protein through self feeders...let them eat when and how much they want....Comment
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