Deer damage on hay field

pms

Member
I have a hay field planted in timothy and red clover.About 17 acres,usually see four or five deer feeding but now that winter is here and food sources for deer are limited I am seeing up to thirteen or fourteen deer at a time.This is rented ground not my own and landowner is down on hunting.Question is how much damage can that many deer do on a field that size.Thought about coating the field in lime to see if that would discourage the deer as the field needs to be limed anyway lol.

Thank's Paul
 
I had deer digging through the snow last year to get to the alfalfa then those spots had winter kill, I would think clover would be tougher then alfalfa but who knows, I don't know if the lime will deter them or not but if it needs it couldn't hurt to try.
 
That is not many deer on a field that size, takes alot more then that to do much damage I think.
 
I wouldn't worry on that score at all as long as the crop is tough enough to take the traffic. It will come up from the crowns in Spring and most of the deer will have moved off. I would still put some pressure on them just to keep them from getting to thick. Whatever you do, though, will just switch them to night time activity. Still think you are worrying about nothing.
 
This spring plant an acre of corn there. That will keep them busy. Put it where it would be quick and easy to remove a deer carcass in the event some die from bloat?
 
Thank's for info guys.If I had my way I would harvest a few of those deer...they look well fed.

Paul
 
I bale hay on my fields each and every year and also at the same time run a number of horses on it and I still get a good hay crop every year. Ya some years better then others due to the weather so deer well they will not hurt a thing in fact they may help
 
We have between 30 to 50 feeding on that type of acreage year around. Can't reseed it fast enough to get any alalafa to grow. Get rid of them before they multiply x 10 or 20. 1 acre of corn won't do it. Tried it this year. They ate it off before it got 2 foot high. Had it fenced with deer approved electric fence. All you guys planting food plots are gonna have big problems in the next few years. Good luck with it.
 
In the next few years? Try now! I told my wife that I can roughly estimate the wooded line adjacent to our corn field to be over a mile in length. Now take at least 100' into the cornfield on average for where deer depredation creates a bpa situation of 0-30 bpa. Do the math to come up with acreage that is planted almost exclusively for benefit of the deer...like it or not. It's a big loss and the DNR has consistently refused to return my calls for inspection so I can thin them down.
 
Just curious Dave but are you sure that the tree roots aren't contributing to some of that loss? Usually for 30 or 40 feet out from a treeline there is little growth unless things are working pretty nice, or you have taken a subsoiler and made several passes to kill the roots. Just another thought. Bob
 
I would agree deer need thinning, but you probably have chemical issues on the ground limiting growth.
 

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