Feeding all year

[Crazy Horse]

For those of you that feed, who feeds year round? I do. It can get expensive, but I thoroughly enjoy it. I try to feed at least 50# each of corn and sweet feed weekly. In the past I have noticed a dramatic improvement overall by feeding year round. The deer droppings are a dark in color and more "rich" in texture. It is especially helpful to the pregnant and lactating does. The yearlings get a jump start having a steady additional food source and the bucks get some additional nutrition after the rut and during the antler growing season.
I plan on putting out a mineral site early next year.
By frequenting my stand on a weekly basis in the off season, they get used to my scent, the noise of my buggy, and the racket of filling the feeders.
Not to mention the benefits to the other wildlife...
AS long as I can afford it, I'm gonna do it.

[ottawacats]

I do feed all year around as well. However in the off season (Jan-Oct) I drop down to two feeds a day at a reduced rate. My Moultrie feeder it set for 3 seconds twice a day in the off season and then I bump it up for Oct,Nov,Dec. This helps my cost of feeding all year, it was $60 for the off season of whole corn.

[UPSMAN]

Feed year round at both of my hunting locations. 10 feeders in Georgia and 3 in Florida.

[gendoc]

feed every afternoon around 4:30.
my grandson feeds them while i'm outta town working
the deer get used to it sometimes there wondering around waiting if
we are late. we have a 2x2 on the trail to the plot and we can see
them before they see us if we are quite enough.
we use the 2x2 to wack a tree to alert them we are coming and they
just bounce off the plot.
5 minutes after we spread feed, there back for dinner !!!
I pull cards everyday to see the heard. watching them grow is awesome
and picking a couple out that need to be gone.
best pictures are the times between spreading feed until they
re-appear.
we broadcast the feed by hand also..........they know the scent well

[j.krug]

I will sometimes continue to feed after the season ends (Dec 31) until the spring, but not always. They eat enough of my uncle's corn and beans in the summer that I don't need to feed them all year.

[vixenmaster]

I feed yr around, 50-100lbs a month shelled corn in PVC feeder

[RexKay]

I feed all year. 40lb bag of corn every Friday on ride up at my gas and coffee stop.

[gendoc]

I estimate 80-120lbs a month.
we grow the feed, so its just a way to rid of the over spill.

whole-k corn, sweet feed, peanuts and soybeans.....they love it

[Bullzeye]

I do not look badly on those that do, but for myself I find that if your going to feed all year long you kind of take the "hunt" out of hunting. Again, this is how I feel and I do not look down on those that do feed all year. Saying that, I do have to add that I do put a salt/mineral block out in the spring which lasts all summer, and I will put out one bag (approx 70lbs)of corn during my hunting season split between three different stands, just to have a little bit of corn to stop a deer to get a good shot.

[vixenmaster]

I do not look badly on those that do, but for myself I find that if your going to feed all year long you kind of take the "hunt" out of hunting. Again, this is how I feel and I do not look down on those that do feed all year. Saying that, I do have to add that I do put a salt/mineral block out in the spring which lasts all summer, and I will put out one bag (approx 70lbs)of corn during my hunting season split between three different stands, just to have a little bit of corn to stop a deer to get a good shot.

Ah split bag of corn, feedin
I don't hunt off the Feeder myself i jus have a cam there to see who is comin around

[Crazy Horse]

To each their own...I live in an area that is known as "The Big Thicket". That's exactly what it is...a big azz thicket! We even have the privilege of having our very own "Big Thicket National Park" and all the red tape b.s. that goes along with the Federal Govt.
Can't feed on "their" land (that they confiscated by way of eminent domain from the good people of East Texas). Most all of the prime bottom lands belong to the Feds. Timber company land is about all that is left. Wildlife cant digest pine needles too good. Lets see...yaupons, briar patches,a few oaks left, they can use a little help around here. No big agricultural areas for them to rob the farmers blind...As ugly to the eye as they are, the clear cuts have been very beneficial to the deer. The new green growth is a deer magnet.
To me, feeding year round completes the hunt, as it gives the deer something a little extra when they may need it the most. It does not make the big,mature bucks any tamer or easier to hunt. Just my humble opinion.

[retrieverman]

I left one feeder running all year for the first time, but I only did it to keep getting game cam pictures. My son wants to feed protein this coming year, but with the natural food on/around my place in OK, I don't believe I can truly gain any antler or body growth by doing it.

We've had this land for 11 years, and it's naturally produced (5) 150 class bucks, (2) 160 class bucks, (2) 170 class bucks, and now a 180 class buck. In my opinion, that's not bad for a 360 acre tract of land with no supplemental feeding.

[Crazy Horse]

rman, I have seen some of the monsters that you have shared here. Yes Sir, you have got your own little slice of Heaven here on Earth! Something to be proud of. I agree that evidently they have got plenty of natural nutrients to forage on. Genetics are there too.

[BrotherRon]

I have tried to feed year round, but the snow usually gets too deep here and they generally leave our area once the snow gets over 20" deep. I do leave mineral out year round and they do show up periodically to hit them. Last year I planted some turnips and beets mixed with clover and other grasses. Once the ground froze they really tore up the ground for the turnips and beets. I started feeding about a month ago and will continue to feed until the end of December when they have left for their winter feeding grounds. The snow gets so deep that they have a hard time and generally stay pretty close to the few farm fields there are a couple miles from us.

[Pawguy]

WEll I am surprised not more posts as this is quite the hot issue. As a wildlife manager in Ontario who looks after numerous properties there is pro and cons .
I use corn for doing camera surveys and in real harsh winters for fawn survival.

pros.
1.with nutrition and minerals can enhance the body and quality of deer
2. great for camera surveys
3. allows people with property without food sources to see more animals , not just deer
4.can enhance hunts for disabled or less mobile hunters ( this gets lotsa responses)

cons
1. attracts all different type of animals especially raccoons
2. can be physically challenging hauling around 50-80 lbs bags so make sure u can handle that
3. when deer congregate so do predators
4. IF YOU HAVE CWD WITHIN A 100 miles don't even attempt sup feeding
5. can be illegal in your area
6. if you feed all year better then spot feeding . most people do not realize the deer as a rumen needs bacteria in stomach and if feed when deer have been in starvation mode can actually kill them
7. you might think its great to see more deer but trespassers can also

We don't have cwd in Ontario (YET) and its not illegal to feed. I find most people think they are increasing health and herd size but many other factors to take into consideration when all year feeding. just my opinion