whitetail fawn recruitment this year (2022)

[chop house]

north alabama. seeing a lot of single fawns (not twins) and trying to figure out if:

1. our supplemental feeding programs are working... meaning first year does have reached weight and are being breed
2. our supplemental feeding program is a flop... and the land just doesn't have the carrying capacity for most does to have twins
3. we need to get more after the coyotes.

regarding #2, in past years i had seen mostly twins. the mast crop was adequate last year. we are in about the third (?) year of being allowed to hunt over bait, meaning there was a lot of corn on the ground last fall. corn not being nutritionally complete that somehow harmed the herd.

off season we feed mostly a combo of protein pellets, cotton seed meal, rice bran, wheat mids, and sweet feed. plenty of deer specific mineral licks scattered around. the deer are hitting the volunteer ladino clover hard while the grain fields are being replanted.

any thoughts? thanks.

 

[Lone Hunter]

That’s funny. Not HaHa either. Around here I am seeing more doubles and triples than I ever have. Several with triplets. I am not in a hunting lease this year and these deer are in the valley not on the mountain. My wife even commented on the number of fawns we are seeing. Not seeing coyotes killed on the road like I used to either. That could be a bad sign or a good sign. Bad if they learned how to avoid the cars and good if the cars got a bunch of them.

 

[std7mag]

Here in the mountain region of PA, i'm seeing a lot of twins this year.
My coyote count is down, but i'm attributing that to my crazy work hours this year too.

Turnips!
Deer, elk & bears love em!!

 

[chop house]

Turnips!

what i am trying this year on one small plot is a light sowing of cereal grains (wheat, oats, rye) overseeded in the middle with brassica (purple top turnips, rape, white radish) and ladino clover around the edges. also, i put a small chicken wire enclosure out so i could compare growth to browse on that buffet.

seeing deer and turkey is certainly no problem. not seeing a good crop of fawns is, though.

 

[Bocephus]

north alabama. seeing a lot of single fawns (not twins) and trying to figure out if:

1. our supplemental feeding programs are working... meaning first year does have reached weight and are being breed
2. our supplemental feeding program is a flop... and the land just doesn't have the carrying capacity for most does to have twins
3. we need to get more after the coyotes.

regarding #2, in past years i had seen mostly twins. the mast crop was adequate last year. we are in about the third (?) year of being allowed to hunt over bait, meaning there was a lot of corn on the ground last fall. corn not being nutritionally complete that somehow harmed the herd.

off season we feed mostly a combo of protein pellets, cotton seed meal, rice bran, wheat mids, and sweet feed. plenty of deer specific mineral licks scattered around. the deer are hitting the volunteer ladino clover hard while the grain fields are being replanted.

any thoughts? thanks.

Have been seeing a HUGE reduction in twin fawns on my place for the past three years. I attribute most of this to the increased bear population. Coyotes and bobcats are also a factor but I can usually keep those numbers in check. Bears? No way. Seasons are too short.
Another possibility(?) may be GMO corn. I don’t feed it, but almost certain the neighbors do. The subject is controversial and somewhat inconclusive but seems worthy of consideration.

New Study Finds GM Grains Harm Reproductive and Digestive Health - Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

Farmers have shared numerous studies about digestive and reproductive problems in livestock that is fed genetically engineered or modified (GM) grains. A group of Midwestern...

farmandranchfreedom.org

 

[chop house]

The subject is controversial and somewhat inconclusive but seems worthy of consideration.

yes, very much so. i was not aware. much of the corn put on the ground here is local from small operations. just about impossible to ask around about the variety without getting that... 'you ain't a from the gubment' look.