Backyard Visitor

[shooterjon]

Woke up to a deer bedded in the back yard. This is one of the longest stretches of below zero we have endured. Add to that deep snow cover and no way the animal kingdom can get to some food. It's illegal to feed deer here. Weather forecast is for two more nights of below zero and starting tomorrow 8 days in a row with snow. It's starting to get serious for our wildlife. Hunters are often denigrated by the tree huggers but we care more and do more for the wildlife than they do by far. It's heartbreaking to see them without food this long. Can't get the photo to download. I have tried cropping the photo. If someone can help me with this PM me your Cell # and I will text the photo to you. Thanks.

Yep I hear ya,up here in cold a$$ Idaho.I am still waiting for that global warming.

 

[hogpatrol]

This started in 2015. They usually show up in early April but are here now. When not eating the birdseed I put down for the ground feeders, they're out in front of the house on guard duty. Over the years, a few other pairs tried to take over the territory but were met with the goose version of brass knuckles. When it starts to green up, they work on the grass. The deer come up in the yard after dark and eat sunflower seed out of the bird feeders.

 

[joshb]

This started in 2015. They usually show up in early April but are here now. When not eating the birdseed I put down for the ground feeders, they're out in front of the house on guard duty. Over the years, a few other pairs tried to take over the territory but were met with the goose version of brass knuckles. When it starts to green up, they work on the grass. The deer come up in the yard after dark and eat sunflower seed out of the bird feeders.


View attachment 1234908

Looks like the cured your squirrel problem, too!

 

[hogpatrol]

Looks like the cured your squirrel problem, too!

Actually, they are coexisting, at least for now. Broke the record during the last snow, 22 squirrels around the feeders. When they spooked, it was scary.

 

[joshb]

Ever tried squirrel stew? Pretty tasty!

 

[shoot4fun]

I feed the deer year round. With our rut not too long being finished I won't see to much of them for a couple months but what they don't eat isn't wasted. There are squirrels, mourning dove, rabbits, possums and raccoons eating here too.

 

[timeout]

Yep I hear ya,up here in cold a$$ Idaho.I am still waiting for that global warming.

Global warming isn't coming. The Progressives have dumped that line in favor of climate change ever since the facts didn't support their claim.

 

[LHSmith]

Global warming isn't coming. The Progressives have dumped that line in favor of climate change ever since the facts didn't support the claim.

Pretty crafty huh? Covers both bases - global warming and recurring ice age. Weather guys are pretty trick, they get paid for being correct 20% of the time.

 

[lb-ft]

If they told me I couldn’t feed the deer, I’d just feed squirrels. On the ground. About 20# a day. Not my fault if deer show up and the squirrels get no corn.

 

[HandgunHTR]

If you put out sweet feed, you can say it is for the neighborhood horses. It is horse feed after all.

 

[Racebannon3855]

Woke up to a deer bedded in the back yard. This is one of the longest stretches of below zero we have endured. Add to that deep snow cover and no way the animal kingdom can get to some food. It's illegal to feed deer here. Weather forecast is for two more nights of below zero and starting tomorrow 8 days in a row with snow. It's starting to get serious for our wildlife. Hunters are often denigrated by the tree huggers but we care more and do more for the wildlife than they do by far. It's heartbreaking to see them without food this long. Can't get the photo to download. I have tried cropping the photo. If someone can help me with this PM me your Cell # and I will text the photo to you. Thanks.

Illegal to feed them here as well. I spent some time this weekend cutting down sumac and poplar for them. They eat the bark off some sumac right to to the base and hardly touch others. Interesting to look at what they eat. As I prune and thin in our woodlot I leave all the small stuff till spring. Some days I barely shut the saw off and they are walking up on me. We had 31" of snow in December and then it was gone in 10 days, now we have had a few inches for several weeks. They paw down to the grass in our fields and then browse what they can. I shot a Coyote out of a field with deer in it last week and the 22 Magnum did not even startle them. They are hungry.

The guys on the lease next to me always lecture me about brush hogging all my old meadows and planting food plots. When I bring up winter food sources they just look at me funny. ( I also laugh when a hundred acres of corn is not considered a food plot.)

Deer here are so hungry they are chewing on last years growth from the larch tops. They don't even go back to their bedding yards, they just lay down where they are feeding and digest. Starting to see winter kill on the smallest fawns, does got bred late, fawns got born late and they are still small when bad weather hits. Mother Nature is tough. Stay Healthy!

 

[LHSmith]

You are right about the chainsaw. Before the lumber market tanked, contract timbering was widespread in my area. Once deer associated the noise with food, it was like a dinner bell and deer would be feeding in there in herds even though there were corn and other crops adjacent.

 

[Immike]

I’ve found they like variety if plenty available. Eat green and grain if it’s near by. We planted 2 acres of corn with imperial clover down the hill in creek bottom. They clean up what the squirrels left on the ground in the corn field and headed down the hill to the clover for the night. Tree tops are a rare treat for them, and they live by opportunity.

 

[timeout]

Update on the visitor. He has been bedding here nightly and moves out when we go outside in the morning. He has an injured front leg. What is attracting him is an ornamental type flat needled cedar tree at the end of a row of pines. Watched him eating from it this morning. Last evening I watched with binocs 8 deer across the blacktop. Two of those fed on a regular pointy needle cedar. Two went onto the blacktop a bit to eat some road salt. Last I saw the group they were heading into the neighbor's yard in search of vittles.

 

[joshb]

We found a dead Black Buck, last night. They’re starting to drop from the cold. Some of these exotics weren’t made for this.

 

[Immike]

We found a dead Black Buck, last night. They’re starting to drop from the cold. Some of these exotics weren’t made for this.

Raiding bird feeders around here. I bought 50# of cracked corn gone in 48 hours, bought another 100 of shelled today. I’ve got a everything in my backyard, it’s almost over. Animals especially birds are dependent on people, just don’t let them down.

 

[LHSmith]

Raiding bird feeders around here. I bought 50# of cracked corn gone in 48 hours, bought another 100 of shelled today. I’ve got a everything in my backyard

If they are not used to eating corn, and have nothing else to feed on they'll develop acidosis which will kill them. Best to put out a mix like horse/goat feed which is mostly oats,alfalfa pellets, molasas and a bit of corn.

 

[Immike]

If they are not used to eating corn, and have nothing else to feed on they'll develop acidosis which will kill them. Best to put out a mix like horse/goat feed which is mostly oats,alfalfa pellets, molasas and a bit of corn.

This is crop land and cornfields are common. either they migrate to standing or die right now. They have my yard dug up looking for acorns, pretty desperate

 

[timeout]

Had 22 turkeys and two rooster pheasants in the driveway yesterday. Been giving them cracked corn. Those turkeys can eat. Supposed to be in the 30's some next week. We have a pile of snow to melt here before they can get to bare ground much. The turkeys can dig down good but the pheasants not nearly so we'll.

 

[jackson1]

Timeout, Don't know your age, but in the 60's 70's and 80's this was a common Wisconsin winter. Used to put out hay in a traditional deer yard most winters. Moved on from that area, but would guess it is still the same this winter. Not a global warming believer, but believe the plant has weather cycles.