Deer bait?

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saskboy

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What has everyone found to work best as deer bait? Usually dad's old barley pile leftovers work good, or even rotten canola. What else is everyone using that isnt from some store and costs a billion dollars.
 
Put a salt block out in the spring. 80lbs. of whole corn around here cost about $13, and the deer love it, and of course apples, which you can usually get free from peoples yards, or $10 for a 40lb bag from the farmer.
 
Right now my trail cam says they love the apples. Hitting every night and day.
I also cheat a little with a bag of Deer'cain, I know the does love it. I never had much luck with kernel corn, but I;m surrounded by it.

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I usually go to a farm CO-OP store and buy cow rashin it has mollases and a mixture of oats and other goodies the deer love for about 13$ for a 50-60 pound bag. When its all eaten and gone within days lush thick green grasses grow up from where it was dumped.
 
I have a salt block out this year. Deer here opens on Wednesday for archery. I think I'm going to try and find some apples.... Might hit the feed store too, that's a good idea.
 
Straight corn is not good for deer there is not enough moisture in it to break down properly in their stomach it ferments in their guts and can kill them.....using it as a bait not so bad in small amounts but if you run a feeder all year do not use just dry corn!.

here is a c/p from my buddy Steve's site backyardwildlife.ca

I have been using his mineral fountain and its working great does are licking the tree and bucks are digging up the ground around it I also use his rackstacker deer feed its a mix of cracked corn, oats and a few other goodies its goes for $20 for 2 bags and they weigh 45lbs.


  • Corn in the field contains up to 50% moisture while corn from the mill ONLY has 14%. Its harder for your deer to digest corn that you put out for them during the winter months without having adequate moisture.​
  • If adequate moisture is not in the feed that you are giving your local herd then Rumenitis may occur. Feed may ferment in the Rumen before being fully digested, often putting deer into a coma and killing the deer your feeding.​
Feeding your local deer herd straight corn or hay will do more harm then good.​

  • During the Canadian winter months Whitetail Deers water consumption drops dramatically once Lakes, Rivers and Creeks freeze up. Typically in Janurary through March. If your feeding you local herd straight corn with a lower moisture content, your deers Rumen is having to work harder to digest that feed. This will do numerous chain reactions in the body of the whitetail deer.​
  • First - the deer will go and bed with a full stomach. Being a Rumenant animal (4 stomach of digestion) they regurgitate thier food numberous times to break it down and to get out all the needed energy, carbohydrates, fat, protein as well as fibre out of the food. With food digested on a daily basis the deers stomach create heat. (keeping them warm)​
  • Second - While the deer is regurgitating that food it is thinking that everything is fine and that it trying to burn out the normal winter months and waiting until spring but in fact, the moisture level is not in the feed to digest the corn that it had ingested hours before and now is robbing the body of much needed moisture in order to digest it.​
  • Third - Now the corn is past the digest period, the deer still knows that it has feed in its stomach and is probably starting to feel some pain. Fermentation starts to happen in the Rumen. This is called "Rumenitis". ​
  • Fourth - Bad toxins are sent through the body of the deer. The deers body reacts and could cause coma and even death. It often takes 12-18 hours for this to happen so you won't know whats going on.​
Feeding your deer hay/clover/alfalfa mixtures during the winter could be harmful too.​

  • Whitetail deer need certain micro-organisms to break down the clovers and alfalfas. Because Whitetail deer feeding habits change daily their body adjusts to what it is eaten. If Janurary comes, its been a bad winter and you think well they where in the alfalfa field why don't I through out a bale to help out. DONT. During that time of year moisture content is up and the deer are use to eating fresh greens and their body can slowly adapt to what they are eating but it has been found in the past that deer (especially yearling deer) don't have this organism during the winter months to break down the feed you have given them. The deer have a full stomach of feed and don't feel that they need to eat. Their stomach stays full because their body does not digest it, resulting in starvation. Do you want to help out naturally? Cut some fire wood for yourself and drag the limbs to a feeding area. Deer are also attracted to an area where a chainsaw has been they know what is going on.​
There are feeds on the market that are sold at co-ops and local feed mills. They call them rations, and are often that. Sweepings from the floors, often the mix changes on a weekly basis and is inconsistant. you can't control anything that you are feeding your deer. I have even seen flipped beef tags that are fermented with "deer" on the back side writen in pen. I can understand the co-op trying to make their money back but it isn't fare to the deer.​
 
When corn is harvested (for grain), the moisture content, in the field is generally 10%-18%...not 50%. :eek:

And rumenitis/acidosis, isn't because of a lack of moisture...it is associated with a shift from a forage based diet to a high starch diet.

Just sayin. ;)

:bsFlag: Rations, made from floor sweepings...Yaaa OK. Has this guy seen the inside of feed mill...does he know procedures/sampling protocol.

Did I mention deer like apples? :)
 
When corn is harvested (for grain), the moisture content, in the field is generally 10%-18%...not 50%. :eek:
The moisture content of corn on the stalk during the summer months is close to 50% once the corn is dried and harvested its down to 10-18%.........

And rumenitis/acidosis, isn't because of a lack of moisture...it is associated with a shift from a forage based diet to a high starch diet.

Just sayin. ;)
Your right that's why its more of a problem in the winter months when leafy greens are not available for the deer to eat. If your running a feeder during the winter as a food supplement it becomes a problem. The deer may begin to rely on your feeder and if all they are eating is dry corn then they are not getting the proper nutrition they need to survive the cold winter.

:bsFlag: Rations, made from floor sweepings...Yaaa OK. Has this guy seen the inside of feed mill...does he know procedures/sampling protocol.
Oh I can guarantee you he's seen inside feed mills the deer feed he sells is custom blended for him by a feed mill.....have you taken a close look at deer ration from your local AG?.....I have and there is a ton of dust and small bits of useless junk.....There are no standards on deer feed..... Only feed for livestock have standards i.e. Beef ration and chicken feed.

Did I mention deer like apples? :)
Yes they do I get a truck load of apples every year they love their sweet treats!....problem is the big guys wait till its dark to come eat them....well that's my experience anyhoo....
 
Miracle mix for horses seam to work best oats/Barley/Molasses. You put some out and you bring in a herd. They must smell it on the first one that finds it or something. Baiting is illegal in Manitoba however and I actually give this as a suplement after hunting season to keep the herd heathly. I've also read that the better the nutrition of the bucks and the easier their life is during the winter, the larger the antler growth is during the warm months. Is baiting legal in other provinces in Canada?
 
Supplemental feeding is great in the winter months and that sounds like a good mix of feed!....With the harsh winters we have been having its a great help.

oh and

yes baiting is legal in Ontario its the only way some folks can keep deer on a 25-50acre bit of property long enough to shoot.....
 
srt4u2nv said:
....have you taken a close look at deer ration from your local AG?.....I have and there is a ton of dust and small bits of useless junk.....There are no standards on deer feed..... Only feed for livestock have standards i.e. Beef ration and chicken feed.
Click to expand...

Sorta off-topic...but having worked in a feed manufacturing facility for years, I can tell you this is false/misleading.

The texture of the feed and particle size are uncontrollable unless you "steam flake" all of the grains, which is cost prohibitive. "Small bits of junk/dust" are a normal part of the processing of any dry grain.

Processed feed is meant to be fed in a dry, stable environment...not dumped on the ground...pelleted feed is useless fed outside.

All feed produced in Canada is scrutinized by the CFIA, and subject to strict manufacturing/sampling protocols...and that includes deer feed. :)

Did I mention deer like apples. :redface:
 
How about pears. It makes sense to me that pears would work just as well as apples, and I can get my hands on a lot of them.
 
Used to work in a grocery store in the produce department so I used to take whatever was old out to the deer hot spot and saw what they loved.
In order of how much they loved them

All apples, pears and the like
Carrots
Beets
Corn
Sweet potatoes
Cabbages
Turnips/Rutabega
Banana
Potatoes
Pomegranate
Persimmon
Mango (not a bite out of the bushell)

Also if you can get your hands on sugar beets, they're great. Deer love them but not much else eats them and they're big enough and hard enough to eat that they last more than one night, so deer keep coming back for them.
 
beefman said:
Sorta off-topic...but having worked in a feed manufacturing facility for years, I can tell you this is false/misleading.

The texture of the feed and particle size are uncontrollable unless you "steam flake" all of the grains, which is cost prohibitive. "Small bits of junk/dust" are a normal part of the processing of any dry grain.

Processed feed is meant to be fed in a dry, stable environment...not dumped on the ground...pelleted feed is useless fed outside.

All feed produced in Canada is scrutinized by the CFIA, and subject to strict manufacturing/sampling protocols...and that includes deer feed. :)

Did I mention deer like apples. :redface:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info good to know there are standards but I have personally seen wet beef feed with the name crossed out and deer written on it....The feed Steve sells has very little waste dust and bits of junk you can tell a difference side by side with deer ration 100%....I do not dump feed on the ground I use electronic feeders the feed is not on the ground long.

Yes apples are the fail safe :D
 
bait

Apples all the way......!! I tried that c'mere deer stuff (in pellets), and they never even touched it..... put the apples down & shazam! I pick up windfalls every chance I get! :)

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Val
 
None of the suggestions are appropriate to the OP's question. He is from Saskatchewan. There are no apples or corn grown locally, and commercial steam rolled horse / cattle rations are expensive compared to whole grains. The best LOCAL and inexpensive deer bait is field peas, second is oats. Both can be purchased from local farmers for very little $.
 
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