feeding deer - Wildlife Management Pro

Soybeans can be great for supplementing white-tailed deer. Soybeans are warm season legumes that require more fertilization with additional phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in order to provide a high level of protein and growth. Forunately, soybeans can be easily planted from seed and will germinate in only a few days if adequate moisture is present. In addition, the beans can be fed directly to whitetail if purchased in bags. Whole soybeans can be purchased in the “raw” or roasted form.

Soybeans are often eaten in food plots by whitetail in both the foliage stage (green beans) and after the beans have matured. Some varieties of beans can easily reseed after the seed falls to the ground. A few varieties will produce plant material into the late season up until frost. Inoculation improves growth by allowing the plants to develop their own nitrogen. Continue reading Wildlife Management: Soybeans for Deer

When the snow begins to pile up again in Colorado, mule deer will show up at the feed sites established last winter by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. However, citizens should not provide any type of feed to deer or attempt to get close to them. Feeding big game is illegal unless authorized by the Colorado Department of Wildlife (DOW). The 2008 feeding operation was an extraordinary event because of the unusually deep snow and extremely cold temperatures. In an average winter, mule deer can be expected to find enough natural forage. But even average winters are tough on healthy mule deer. Deer usually lose about 20 percent of their body weight during winter and that decline in body mass means that weaker animals will not make it to the spring. Even during average winters, 15 to 20 percent of the deer herd may die. Survival depends greatly on the health of the deer going into the winter. Continue reading Feeding Mule Deer in Colorado – Don’t!