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Winter is Happening, Protect Your Herd NOW!
As I sit here in my 68 degree office sipping hot coffee, the temperature outside is 2 degrees, and the “feels like” temp is -12 degrees. As I look through my morning inventory of trail cam pictures, I can’t help but feel for the deer that must survive in these kinds of conditions over the next several months. The good news is that we don’t have a huge snowpack yet, so food access is still relatively easy compared to when the snow starts to pile up.
This isn’t the case for some parts of the Northeast where snowpack is already being measured in feet, not inches. In those areas, the deer are already starting to “yard up” where they can utilize thermal cover collectively and work together to beat down trails in the snow for easier access to food.
What can you do as a land manager before the worst part of winter sets in? The best thing to do is give your herd the nutrition they need to build fat reserves, so they don’t have to deplete themselves. In areas where it’s legal to supplementally feed, using Ani-Supplement GOLD is a great way to give you herd the fat, energy, and protein to keep them warm and healthy. I also like to keep a CRUSH protein block out this time of year so that if I can’t make it out to feed there will still be something there providing nutrition.
Here are some helpful tips when you are feeding deer in this time of year:
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Try to keep fewer than 20 deer per feed site to reduce fighting stress.
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If feeding on the ground, spread it out in a line.
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Avoid feeding corn by itself. Corn has energy and fat but lacks sufficient protein. If you have been feeding corn, try mixing JAC with it.
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If you are introducing feed to a hungry herd, begin with a small amount, and work your way up to larger amounts as they begin utilizing it.
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Set up trail camera away from prevailing winds and use lithium batteries which hold up better to cold temps than alkaline.
In areas where feeding isn’t allowed, having standing crops like Pro Bean Blend are great for getting your herd fat, carbohydrates, and energy. We use soybeans that are shatter resistant, and even though we just had 50 mph gusts in our bean plot, the pods are holding strong.
I like to also have a green to grain transition in plots so that if you get a warm spell during winter, the deer have a green option to forage on. I like the Perfect 10 because it is a combination of cereal grains (Amazin’ Grains) and brassicas (Pro Brassica blend) and stays green with temps down into the 20s. Once the tops freeze the deer start to eat the tubers which are high in carbohydrates. The rut is winding down in most parts of the northern US so if you are looking to fill your tag, hunting over late season food is a killer strategy.
Here is a pic of the biggest buck using the Ani-Logics Research Plot of the Perfect 10 last year:
Good luck and happy hunting!
Products
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Summer CRUSH
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Mineral Dirt 180 - 20lb
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Whiteout Frenzy
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