We hunt on our private land and the landowner next to us has 300 acres of land and this year for the first time he let a farmer's cows roam his land all summer and up to the week before deer season. Both him and us saw significantly less deer this year and I am wondering if the wandering cows scared the deer to a different area?

Ryan

 

Ive had younger (2yr old) heifers that actually would alert me to deer in the area. When they came running to the fenceline(also the tree line) in a group, I knew there were deer skirting the woodlot on a well travelled trail there. Also on my girlfriends property where Im hunting this season, I hunt a 3 acre pine lot thats fenced in for beef cattle that roam freely. As many as 40 deer bed there daily even though there is a 150-acre pine lot across a driveway that is not shared with cows....

 

Here in New Mexico, the antelope, deer and elk hang with the cows.....More eyes to see what is going on and alert when some trouble is near....I have a picture of 3 bull elk from earlier this year that were spooked by cows when I was trying to sneak up to get a picture of the bulls....I'll see if I can upload it and link it...

dave

 

Okay, uploaded the pic...here it is:

Elk_Cow

there were about a half dozen cows and the 3 bull elk....I was skirting the hillside, just in the woods and one cow got a hair up her *** and decided to take off....I was almost there...

dave

 

The next new topic will be: Do deer scare deer?

I think that the bulls that are extra large...... down there. Do in fact scare the female deer. (doe)
I don't know why I had to go there. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

If the deer are around the cows most of the year. You could hide your scent by steping into the cow scat. The deer would be used to smelling the cow scat. So they would basically think that you were a cow walking around.

 

Alot of cows around here...lol....but to answer your question.....I am saying no. Deer around here will eat hay and feed set out for cattle, so in a sense, I guess you could say they are baited(but not intentionally). But to say they "scare" deer...nah....

 

funny

to answer the original question

I would say,,,,,,,NO,,,,,,,,,unless of course,,,the cow was mad at the deer,,,,and had a sizable height/weight/reach advantage on the deer

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I agree, cows dont affect deer. Nice picture of the elk elkbow. Wish we had that scenery here in Oklahoma.

 

Thanks...hard to get up there this time of year, too much snow. That pictures is taken at an altitude of about 10800 feet. I went up there about a month ago when there was only about 3 or 4 inches of snow...froze my butt off....

dave

 

We have deer and cattle cohabitating on the same range all the time. Wish the cattle would chase off the deer, they eat a lot of wheat and cattle fences don't even slow them down.

I would guess the reason for seeing fewer deer may be related to the amount of feed available and compitition for it from the cattle. I have also noticed that where the water source is fouled by cattle deer will tend to avoid the area. Unfenced stock ponds where the cattle just wade in to get a drink really show this. If there is another water source within a mile or so the deer will travel to that and stay in that area.

Deer in other areas may or may not follow this pattern.

Nice pics of the elk and cow you got there ELKBOW. Seems to me that is the view I most often get of an elk [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img].