A year in the life of a farm

[elgato]

This photo speaks for itself. Hoping the feeder doesn't go under. What a mess.

[scott1022]

wow! so with them still going to a feeder even though they are walking through water like that, do you think that means there is a lot of competition at other feeders that are not under water? I know dominant deer will run of others during the season (pecking order)...guessing it's like that year round?

[Mex. Bowhunter]

We dealt with the Bad Flood two years ago on my Ranch and I wish that on no one. Hope The best for Ya Buddy

[deer farmer]

Of the thousand + pictures you prob have, I would have to save that one. Reminds me of a duck hunt in S. La I made one time when a doe came swimming across the field while we sat in the duck blind.
And I can relate to the flooded out food plots this yr I may try to plant a few plots again if it ever drys out.

[elgato]

AT LAST ! We can start working the planted plots. Sunny all week!

Will start with spraying a combo of Flex Star and Section on the soybeans. This will take care of both broad leafs and grasses.Then we will replant a soybean field that essentially rotted with a combo of sunn hemp, cowpeas, sunflowers and buckwheat. All fast growing so we can return to fall rotation in Sept.

Next will be mowing clover fields. They are head high with weeds etc. Fawns should be big enough so no problems there.

Still have several fields under flood water. Will replant them with the above combo if water recedes timely. Still saying more to come with a crest no earlier than June 8.

Bucks everywhere and looking stout. I probably have most of my neighbors deer on me because probably 80% of his place under water.

[EastTexun]

AT LAST ! We can start working the planted plots. Sunny all week!

Will start with spraying a combo of Flex Star and Section on the soybeans. This will take care of both broad leafs and grasses.Then we will replant a soybean field that essentially rotted with a combo of sunn hemp, cowpeas, sunflowers and buckwheat. All fast growing so we can return to fall rotation in Sept.

Next will be mowing clover fields. They are head high with weeds etc. Fawns should be big enough so no problems there.

Still have several fields under flood water. Will replant them with the above combo if water recedes timely. Still saying more to come with a crest no earlier than June 8.

Bucks everywhere and looking stout. I probably have most of my neighbors deer on me because probably 80% of his place under water.

Get after it and take a few pics to share for us

I thought I would chance one of my driest areas on Saturday and promptly buried the tractor not once, but twice in short order. So, back to the barn we went for another few weeks. Hopefully you have better luck than I did...and I was driving on sand hills.

[Sticks&Strings]

What river system and or tributaries/sloughs cause yall to flood? There is a thread in around the campfire about flooded land and the deer returning. Do you think your neighbors deer will stay on your place, or return to his? Obviously some will return, but what percentage do yall think does return? I can't remember, but he is on the same planting program as you too correct?

[elgato]

The flooding starts with the Red River , then Rigolette Bayou which flows in to it, then all the smaller bayous and drainages that flow in to it. Everything is backed up. The Red is not expected to crest till June 8 and could possibly rise 6 more feet.

I think all the deer will return to their home turf as soon as the water goes down. I grew up hunting a 10,000 acre property between the Mississippi River and the levee. Flooding is an annual event and there have been times when the entire property was under water. As soon as the water recedes the deer are back home happy and content.

We may have lost some fawns that happened to be just born where the floods came in. We can figure that out late summer. Frankly even that may be ok as population control is getting to be a challenge. With most of my property dry I will have enough fawns for the neighborhood.

[JAGR]

Do you feed pellets and/or cotton seed year round at your Mexico ranch? Why or why not?

[elgato]

Do you feed pellets and/or cotton seed year round at your Mexico ranch? Why or why not?

I feed pellets year round in Mexico. I feed cotton seed Jan-August. I use the cotton seed for rut recovery [ high in fat ] and as an extra feeder in each feed pen. I stop in August mostly because antler growth done but also because there is some belief that there is a chemical in cotton seed that could temporarily render bucks sterile. I doubt that is an issue but don't take chances.

I feed pellets year round because the nutritional plane in the brush country varies so much with rain. I want to keep the deer on 100% nutrition year round.

[GarGuy]

Thanks for the continued updates. This thread is the main reason i checked in on the forum through the Spring. Rolling Stone is going to be amazing this year! Sorry about the flooding. One of my places is totally flooded. It is high land right on the river bank and the last place to flood. The deer were pushed up onto a small strip about 25yds wide and 300yds long. Then we got another rain....I dont know how or if, they survived when that strip went under. its at least a 3 mile swim to dry ground in any direction across swift water. There were a couple of true giants in the making there that i have watched grow up. I pray they survived and return if the water ever receeds.

[JAGR]

I feed pellets year round in Mexico. I feed cotton seed Jan-August. I use the cotton seed for rut recovery [ high in fat ] and as an extra feeder in each feed pen. I stop in August mostly because antler growth done but also because there is some belief that there is a chemical in cotton seed that could temporarily render bucks sterile. I doubt that is an issue but don't take chances.

I feed pellets year round because the nutritional plane in the brush country varies so much with rain. I want to keep the deer on 100% nutrition year round.

We do the same with our cotton seed. I've read studies on that chemical (gossypol) and it seems they have varying results.

We feed pellets Jan-Oct. Only reason we cut them off is to see more deer during hunting season.

What are your thoughts on using timed protein feeders during the hunting season?

[Sticks&Strings]

We do the same with our cotton seed. I've read studies on that chemical (gossypol) and it seems they have varying results.

We feed pellets Jan-Oct. Only reason we cut them off is to see more deer during hunting season.

What are your thoughts on using timed protein feeders during the hunting season?

We don't feed cotton seed but feed same dates and same reasons as you with protein on our low fence side. And year round on our HF side. Our deer prefer protein over corn so I think it would be good. And would aid in them recovering faster and not getting as worn down during rut.

[elgato]

These are 6" tall soybeans planted mid April. The field is low lying and poorly drained so with all the rain most of the beans rotted with the remaining ones stunted. The deer worked on what little growth they had.

It is drying out now so I sprayed the field with Flex Star and Section to kill the broadleaf weeds and grass. Today I replanted the field with 20lbs sunn hemp, 20lbs cowpeas, 20lbs buckwheat, and 5 lbs sunflower { per acre } I left what few beans were there.

All are fast growing plants I hope will create a little organic matter and feed all the deer piled up from flood waters pushing them to the neighborhood. Around early October I will put the field back in to the fall crop rotation.

[unclefish]

Hey Rusty. Do those herbicides not harm your beans? Would love to learn more about them.

I hope this later planting does well for you!