Deer feed
- Thread starter perception007
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cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
Why do you need to know??? If you live in TO don't feed the deer! If you want to bait deer to trail cams now use a trophy rock..You can buy deer feed/ corn and molasses or whole kernel feed corn from any TSC store. Best source for apples try local Apple orchards and ask for "grounders" Apples that have fallen off the trees and have been damaged or bruised. Carrots try a framers market and buy in 50lb bushel bags... So you know baiting deer is a pain in the butt and can get stupid expensive, it's often more work than it's worth. You will find that most deer will generally hit bait after dark.
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- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Head up the 400 to Valley Fresh Farms on Hollancin Rd at the Holland Marsh. They sell #2 carrots and parsnips for $20 for a 1200lb crate. If you have a pick up truck the forklift operator will empty the crate into your pickup. A crate of carrots pretty much fills a pick up box.
This is $100 worth, 6000 pounds. I picked them up with the dump truck on my way home from a job in Newmarket.
This is $100 worth, 6000 pounds. I picked them up with the dump truck on my way home from a job in Newmarket.
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I would comment that "a lot of deer" not "most" deer will hit after dark. In our experience the bucks do tend to hit late but not always. If nothing else it helps to keep the deer either on your property or close by. Even when only does are coming out it provides us with something to do in watching. Many years ago we sometimes thought if we saw one deer in a week we were doing well. Last year I had 19 sightings and the year before 25 at the feed sites. Another hunter had similar numbers. Makes for great entertainment. If I get an antlerless tag this year I might even take one. Planting of feed was started last year in a small way and it seems to be working. We are using a 50 acre plot so are quite satisfied with the results.
Jim
Jim
I do feed deer starting pretty early in the season. Lay down "horse feed" (costs half as much as "deer feed" and aside from the tag on it, it's the same stuff in the bag).
The small critters, coons and birds eat more than the deer ever will, but my purpose is to get deer coming around for an easy meal.
A week out from the start of early bow (1 October in most of Ontario) I start laying down the apples - about half a bushel every few days (if you can get there to drop them). I have apple trees on my property, but most of the smaller country stores sell "deer apples" (culls) for 5 or 10 bucks a bushel.
Depending on what "your deer" are normally eating, carrots, other greens or even pumpkins might bring them in. I hunt dense hardwoods with the closest Ag fields being many miles away - "my deer" will watch a carrot or pumpkin rot before they would even give it a taste, but lay down a five pound bag of Acorn Rage and they are all over it. Chestnuts also work well - although not "natural" to the area they don't seem to see them as "alien" the way they do carrots or pumpkins.
As others have noted, while this does bring deer around, camera's have pretty well shown (where I hunt) that the big bucks are generally nocturnal - the only real time you get them in full shooting light is during the rut when they are trying to get some "doe tail"
Although I have taken a handful of bucks very early in the bow season (like the first 5 days or so) - all have come in to either apple or curiosity "scent sticks".
If you are going to feed plan on really feeding though. If you are just going to "toss some food" once in a while the deer won't pattern to the area.
Last year between the start of the bow and first week of the gun (had tagged out by then) we (two of us) had laid down 400 pounds of grain, easily 20 bushels of apples plus maybe 20 pounds of loose minerals and a couple of salt lick blocks. That may sound expensive, but at a feed store you can get 50 pounds of "horse feed" for about 10 bucks...
The small critters, coons and birds eat more than the deer ever will, but my purpose is to get deer coming around for an easy meal.
A week out from the start of early bow (1 October in most of Ontario) I start laying down the apples - about half a bushel every few days (if you can get there to drop them). I have apple trees on my property, but most of the smaller country stores sell "deer apples" (culls) for 5 or 10 bucks a bushel.
Depending on what "your deer" are normally eating, carrots, other greens or even pumpkins might bring them in. I hunt dense hardwoods with the closest Ag fields being many miles away - "my deer" will watch a carrot or pumpkin rot before they would even give it a taste, but lay down a five pound bag of Acorn Rage and they are all over it. Chestnuts also work well - although not "natural" to the area they don't seem to see them as "alien" the way they do carrots or pumpkins.
As others have noted, while this does bring deer around, camera's have pretty well shown (where I hunt) that the big bucks are generally nocturnal - the only real time you get them in full shooting light is during the rut when they are trying to get some "doe tail"
Although I have taken a handful of bucks very early in the bow season (like the first 5 days or so) - all have come in to either apple or curiosity "scent sticks".If you are going to feed plan on really feeding though. If you are just going to "toss some food" once in a while the deer won't pattern to the area.
Last year between the start of the bow and first week of the gun (had tagged out by then) we (two of us) had laid down 400 pounds of grain, easily 20 bushels of apples plus maybe 20 pounds of loose minerals and a couple of salt lick blocks. That may sound expensive, but at a feed store you can get 50 pounds of "horse feed" for about 10 bucks...
Head up the 400 to Valley Fresh Farms on Hollancin Rd at the Holland Marsh. They sell #2 carrots and parsnips for $20 for a 1200lb crate. If you have a pick up truck the forklift operator will empty the crate into your pickup. A crate of carrots pretty much fills a pick up box.
This is $100 worth, 6000 pounds. I picked them up with the dump truck on my way home from a job in Newmarket.
wow thats actually alot cheaper than my corn option ... know a good one for apples!?!? hahah they are my preferred bait!
But here is a couple successful baits for me were whole or cracked corn mixed with salt & molasses, somtimes i put the corn in a bucket put some apple juice and shook it up every few hours for a day or 2 and let it soak in, I am currently trying a new recipe that i will get the results back this week when i go check my camera's but this time i boiled apple juice with a lot of salt, brown sugar & Jolly rancher drink packets ( Kool aid works great too! ) Boiled it for a while trying to dissolve what salt would dissolve in the already salty liquid, than i soak whole corn kernels in it and put it out, wondering how this one is doing trying it with other corn piles with different items you can get in store... but i even had deers come into my bear bait this spring! Oddly enough they left the bear bait alone they went for the fishguts i had on a tree to carry scent through the air, the fisher took it all but the deer still licked where it was
Great to see that your first thoughts are to assume the guys is doing something wrong. Rather then try to help the guy you're giving him grief right off the first sentance.
FYI: there are many GTA residents who own properties up north that feed the deer when hunting, and pick up thier supplies locally. I do as well..
OP: I get my feed from from a local feed supplier.. just search for "feed" in your area and you will find someone who supplies Horses/Animals etc.
perception007
Regular
Thanks guys. I drive out of the Gta to get away from it all. I hunt in and around Arthur and grand valley. Finding suppliers and better prices was my main idea for the thread. Now the extra advice is definately appreciated. I've only did a few controlled hunts but those are over so quick. It's nice to have a longer season to fill a tag if your controlled hunt is also unsuccessful. I thought buying a few bags might be enough but I guess not lol. I need to buy a trailer now too pick up and drop off the feed.
If you are looking at more than one year for the planting then you should be putting in perennials. Personally I like a mixture of Alfalfa, Ladino Clover and Chicory for a mix. Make sure you've corrected for neutral ph as the alfalfa like non acidic soils.
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Ask Deerdr. He has an apple source. He picks up a 40' flat bed load of 4x4x4 skids every season.
I used to use a lot of sugar beets and the black sunflower seeds. Farmers in the area were more than happy to sell a half ton load at a time. Sugar beets were best if cut in half. Sunflower seeds went into a hopper like a giant bird feeder. Made them eat before they could get any more out. Plus easy to make.
quite a bit of clay in it around here, that good or bad?
Do you just let this stuff grow or do you cut it once in awhile? How tall does it get? Anything tall around here and it loads up with fat and I mean fat mice!
A
lright but not the best; as long as you don't have hardpan it should do ok. Alfalfa doesn't like clay as much as loam as the roots are long and don't penetrate as well but we have some clay here as well and we do fine. You shouldn't let it mature but keep it knocked back to about 6" for higher palatability.
lright but not the best; as long as you don't have hardpan it should do ok. Alfalfa doesn't like clay as much as loam as the roots are long and don't penetrate as well but we have some clay here as well and we do fine. You shouldn't let it mature but keep it knocked back to about 6" for higher palatability.
^ looks awesome and the doggie, too! Where do I get the seed mixture? We have a CPS in the area, not sure if they have this, will ph and see. How much do I need for 2 acres? Seeding while walking with the hand cranker ok? Plant in Spring only or ok in later Fall (Sept - Oct)?
cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
At this time of year brassicas are the thing to plant, till under in the spring then plant some type of clover should last 2-3 seasons. You will have to mow the clover once or twice a season.
