It hasn't rained in a few weeks, and there isn't anything in the forecast for rain. Acorns are falling and my corn is just sitting on the ground. I'm getting some pictures and I can see tracks through my food plot because it's all dust. Nothing is growing, and it doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon.

Has anybody ever put out bales of alfafla for the deer? My horses and goats go crazy for it, and in other parts of the country, alfalfa fields are always full of deer. It doesn't grow here, and it's a bit pricey, but if the deer like it, it will be worth it.

They have to be trained to like it. It takes a while

It can be hit or miss with it, but if they try it they like it.

If you decide to, get a all seasons bale feeder so it gets it off the ground and keeps it dry.

Thank you. I'll pick up a bale this week and see what happens.

Eddie, I have tried it will so-so results (baled/dry), probably didn't give it enough time though (one season) I have also grown it and the difference is night and day to acceptance IMO.

The best results I got with hay though, came after I put a coffee can of corn on the hay flakes, then they would stir is around, I think they just don't like the stemyness, could have been I had poor alfalfa hay as well.. My horse at the time loved the heck out of the last half a bale though $15 to find out if those Tyler deer like it though, no big deal.

Did not work for me the one time I tried it.

It takes them a while to get used to it, but it seems to work better during really dry years or later in the year when there is less for them to eat.
Also try to find a bale that is fresh cut from this year and not one that's been dried out in a barn for a year or more.
Bale should feel heavy and have a light colored green to it and a strong smell. Also break it into quarters and not just dump a whole bale out there. Also throwing some corn into and around it helps train them as well.

They dont care for the stems and wont eat them if they start to dry out and harden a little. It takes awhile, but once they realize its good to eat, they will eat as much leafy material off of it as they can.

I have had varied luck with it. Drier the year the better luck. I buy "clipping" alfalfa hay or horse hay if I can find it. Smaller stems and more leaf. Also look at TSC or Purina Feed Store for their Premium Alfalfa, it is in a white (or used to be) plastic bag. Bit higher in price but better leaf to stem hay. Much fresher smelling also. Like Western posted, I put a little corn on top of it. I never put out the whole bale at first. I just break a small leaf or two off and put that out. Shake it apart and then put a little corn on top of it. The smaller the stem the more they will eat of it along with how much other green they have to eat. I quit trying to use it since I had to much waste for the money paid per bale. It made the price higher than protein pellets at that time. I now use protein feeders to draw in deer by feeding year round. Less waste and readily available. Right now I am seeing 3 bucks per doe at my feeders due to the bucks wanting the protein to fatten up for the rut. Does do not want to be around that many bucks right now.

If your deer are on acorns, it will be tough to pull them off them, IME.

My deer on both ranches love alfalfa - but if there's acorns they stay on them until they are all gone or they start to rot.

I expect the hogs would love it.

I know up in Wis etc They love Alfalfa fields,,so hay should do it ...But years ago up in East Texas lease I tried High Dollar Alfalfa Hay..Put bales out on higher ground on big stumps...where I could watch from afar..It was still there when season was over..Maybe it was bad hay but didn't work for me ..

I really appreciate the advice and will add a little corn to it for sure, even thought they are also avoiding my corn right now. I have so many acorns on the ground that it's dangerous to walk under some of my trees because my footing isn't stable!!!! Probably wasting my money, but I have to try anyway.

I've tried it a few times over the years and have yet to have a deer touch it. It usually just rots away. Hope you have better luck than I did.

Try chaffe hay- it's alfalfa with molasses. Sometimes they will hit it before straight alfalfa.

I have always wondered why the Texas deer do not like alfalfa. In Southeast Colorado they basically live the in the alfalfa fields near the river. With that said, I have seen exotics eat ever bit of alfalfa and whitetail completely ignore it.

Whitetails in Texas will eat alfalfa if you can grow it. Problem in most areas is wrong soil type, lack of rain and to many deer. I have planted it two different times and they ate it down to the ground. I fenced to keep them off of it on both plots with electric fencing till it was 8"-12" tall. I know of one pretty large South Texas ranch that planted in under pivots and did very well with it for whitetails.

We feed Cattle. So the Deer are use to it.
With that said; our Whitetail hammer bails of Alfafa.

You know, I find it kinda funny strange to hear stories about deer not eating it. I know deer sometimes key on acorns or other browse and may temporarily prefer something else, but I use it regularly - all over Texas, on my leases and on pay hunts. I have never had a case where the deer didn't eat it.

Yes, I've has cases where the deer took a couple of days before hitting it. Once it sat for 3 days virtually untouched, then was gone almost overnight. Most of the time a bale rarely lasts more than 3-4 days.

Once I saw deer having trouble tearing into full bale, but I broke it up a little and they cleaned it up within a day.

Deer are individuals. I can see one or two deer not liking it, but when you have a herd - there has to be some that will hammer it. It's so delicious.

These cases where it's reported they don't eat it - not disputing the observation- but I have to wonder if there many deer in the area, or the bale wasn't broken up, or it was placed in a strange location, or the deer were on acorns. Cuz my experience from all over is that the will hammer it, even over corn.

Heck, last time I put out a bale in Boerne at 8pm, it was virtually gone by 6am the next morning (but that was probably the axis herd - but there WT on it in the morning)