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

 

LMAO....if that had any truth to it, then I would have a herd of whitetails every place I have hunted! In other words...I am loose as a goose! (did I just type that?)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

 

LOL!

 

I don't "bait", but I do feed after the hunting season is over. I use mostly corn feed, as that's the cheapest to buy. I also use sugar beets, but I know they are hard to get in most parts of the country. I can get them for free, I just gotta drive a truck about 100 miles (r/t) to pick them up. Last winter we put out 9,000 lbs of corn and 14,000 pounds of sugar beets, spread out in numerous places on 160 acres that I own. My brothers, nephews, and cousins help out a lot with this project. We also have planted apple trees, food plots, and put out salt and mineral blocks. I have found that regular water softener salt is cheaper than blocks, and works just as well if not better.

 

man them deer must be big and heatlhy

 

have you seen any imporovement in your deer as far as numbers and size and how long have you been working on this?

 

There are more deer now, and they stay healthier later in the winter. My land is in Minnesota near the North Dakota / Canadian border, so the winters up there kill off some deer. With the additional feed, the deer are more able to survive the extreme cold. It is also my opinion that there are more does with multiple offspring as a result of being healthier. I have only noticed a size difference in the spring, not so much in the fall. We don't feed as much in the summer, as the deer don't seem to want or need it, plus it is much harder to get into some areas due to soft ground. This year was very wet, making it hard to get to some areas even with a wheeler. We have been doing this for six years.

 

My old property I was part owner in had deer feeders on the property. I hunt on Manitoulin Island. The one thing I found when guys did put feed out it really screwed up the patterns. We had a small parcel of land(50 acres) and it was thick bush. When the feed was out after a couple of weeks they really honed in on the feeders at night. They would clean you out by morning. Nice to see they were their but for me never materialized for my hunting. I did not hunt over the feeders. Now one guy told me if this was happening to mix cayenne pepper in with the deer feed. The pepper would really iritate the hell out of their nose and eyes when they took a whiff of it. They would just bed down their until morning for you to pick up. Now would anyone really try this? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

Since we don't feed during hunting season, we don't see a change in patterns. Also, we use enough feed that we don't get cleaned out over night.

I have never heard of using pepper, but I don't think it would work. It seems to me that would just drive the deer away.

 

I mostly use apples.I use a round shovel and chop the apples in a pail.Then add half a cup of salt and mix them up.Dump the apples where you want them,and leave them in a pile.The deer will tear the ground up try to get every drop of juice.

Cracked corn works well also.