Will protein "hold" deer in an area?

A few years back I started looking at feeding protein. I lost the lease before the season and never had a chance to observe results. I know the consensus is that a set-up or two on a large piece of property won't make much difference in terms of growth, but what are your thoughts on it keeping the deer around? My plan was to begin in Feb and feed on demand til Sept- then switch to corn. Obviously, there will be some benefit to those deer that hit it regularly and once the first few doe come into estrus, all bets are off. That said, I do most of my hunting in October and early November and am curious if protein will help "hold" deer in an area early on if they have sufficient water and cover in the same area. Anyone have experience in this area?

My experience is yes i have had a 140" buck come to my protein feeder just about everyday when he in velvet through the beginning of oct. Havent been down their lately to check but he wouldnt even look at the corn. Im sure once the rut starts all bets are off. The little bucks too, the does not so much.

Yes. And it will draw deer from long distances - I don't know how, but it's almost like they communicate about it.

Don't be surprised if after starting protein, you see deer that you have never seen before.

Unless you feed A LOT, and have somewhat control over the herd - don't expect much in terms of antlers. However, your bucks will recover faster, your does will be healthier, and fawn survival rate will be better. And you will see this YEAR ONE.

Just my $0.02 though...

Yes - I have thousands of pictures to prove it

okay, someone give me an estimate on the cost of feeding protein if I have about 20 different deer coming into corn now. So the estimate should be on 20 deer. half bucks, have does.

3-5 pounds per deer daily. It will depend on several factors (water, delivery method, and other animal invasion to name a few)


I'd start with an estimate of $2,500 a year for one feeder

Thank you for that information, now someone please give me a brand name that they have had success with.

For smaller amounts like this you can buy in bags - Purina Antler Max is good, Lyssy and Eckel is also good. Livengood Feeds make a good blend and there is a feed store in Weimer that also has a good blend. There are some variances between brands but by and large the ingredients are similar.

Will they really eat that much or just use it as a supplemental source? When we feed sheep and goats it's usually 1-2 pounds per day but that's not free choice.

How much would you estimate to feed one deer for one year (that is for the major part of the year when not feeding corn)?

Lots of variables for sure. The deer in my area eat it as fast as I can put it out. I have a clear drop tube on my protein feeder so my game camera verifies that 500 pounds last between 2 and 3 weeks.

If you have cover for bedding and water for drinking, yes, it will improve your #'s and quality of deer. The biggest obstacle is controlling your #'s. Too many deer can be an expensive problem as well as a management problem. Dealing with that right now.

How hard is it to keep raccoons away from the protein when feeding free choice

you either have a lot of deer or nobody around you provide protein

mine last about 3 months, they eat corn and protein at same time


to OP, I believe protein will hold deer and attract new one... I am seeing new bucks , does every month
just last weekend , cam caught 8 new does, all feeding inside pen, which is unusual

If your intending it as an attractant to attract and hold deer on the property for hunting I would consider feeding it mid/late summer through when your are done hunting.

All depends on where you are at. In northeast Texas we can't even get them to eat it.

Our LO requires year round protein on all his pastures (17K acres) and all of our neighbors religiously feed protein as well. Not sure if it's lack of browse and/or too many mouths to feed, but they run through it quickly. A past member claims he went through 2000 lbs a month with his feeder location popular with axis in addition to whitetail.

We have 4 300 lb feeders and one 3,000 lb feeder on 320 acres. If we feed them all they will eat they will drain the 300 pound feeders in 3 weeks. The 3k lb feeder sometimes will last 3 months or 6 months or longer, depending on range. We are the only property feeding it in our area and we know it draws deer from the neighbors.

Great information as I am in the same thought process as the OP.

Preference Question: Are there any cons to buying the bigger bulk feeders? 2000lb for instance. Just thinking it could ruin a bunch of money if for some reason moisture got in there or the cows busted down the fence.

More smaller feeders will feed more numbers of deer than one big feeder.

Lots of good information here, thank you all for sharing. I'm still wondering if spending the extra money for protein is worth it or if corn will do the same thing as far as attracting and holding deer. Mine is a very small place, only 77 acres and I know they leave all the time.

tShawn I'd be glad to burn a couple tags at your place for meat!

Yes...we use several gravity feeders per pen as we "think" more deer can feed there..our pens are 10 panels so 160 ft around so room for about 3 feeders. Probably not so much during the rut as they won't tolerate each other. We have noticed it not only draws but will hold deer as they see it as a food source.

Fantastic intel gents! Lots of experience being shared- thanks a bunch...

In my opinion, yes. I hunted a 500 acre pasture and used protein for this exact purpose. We knew with a small pasture that managing the herd wasn't really possible as the deer frequently traveled and lived on neighboring properties, so we used the protein as an attractant. We parked a 2,000lb feeder smack dab in the middle of the place to draw the deer in and help keep them near. In my experience, it was highly beneficial and increased the activity...especially late season post rut and after a hard freeze or two. We thought it would be too costly to feed year round and also due to not really being able to manage the herd, so we would feed the protein from Sept 1 through the end of the season. I'm sure it was still very beneficial for post rut recovery but it was never used with the intent to add more bone.

John Humbert hit the nail on the head. I posted this on a different topic a few minutes ago......
We have a 400 hundred acre place in south west Hamilton Co. and have 2 free choice feeders that hold 2200lbs a piece. We feed protein year round. We've seen awesome results over the past 10 years. It can get expensive, but it's worth the cost in my opinion. 22-250 works great on the coon problem during the off season!