Drought = Less deer?

Last few years at this time I had about 12 different bucks on camera regularly coming to my protein feeders at night and a few deer coming morning and evening.

This year I only have 2 bucks coming to my protein feeder and a few doe.

This year we are in a bad drought. Last few years we were not.

We’ve passed on some nice bucks the past few years hoping they will be nice in the future.

Well...the future is this year!!! Where are they!?

Does the drought limit them from traveling?

We do have water on our property and close by neighbors have water too. So it’s not like they don’t have water.

I figured that since it’s so dry that they would find our protein and corn feeders and eat them up like crazy.

My protein is going old!

In my experience, deer hit feeders harder in drought years, less natural groceries. That said, more deer probably do not make it through drought years vs non-drought years.

Drought will equal less deer down the road as fewer fawns will survive; however, if the deer you were watching last year were healthy and you have food and water on your place, those deer or at least most of them should be around. Just about all the bucks we let walk last year are back at the protein feeders sans 1 or 2 and we're in a drought as well.

x2. I am convinced that the 2010-2012 drought killed more fawns (and deer in general) than initially thought. I'm afraid the 2018 fawn crop may have suffered the same fate and 2019 looks bleak without some significant moisture ASAP.

That being said, our bucks that made it through the drought seemed to have better antler growth.

Huge mesquite bean crop this year. We're very dry in NE Webb Co. but our protein consumption has been a bit below normal because of all the beans.

This is something I hadn't considered our protein consumption is down this year as well. Also seeing fewer doe at the protein feeders.

This^^^ as long as they have plenty of mesquite beans and water nearby, they won't travel far to hit a feeder.

That makes sense. We have a ton of mesquite.

I guess we will see come season

We do not have mesquite.

They are pounding the feeders.

Fawns still look ok, but this ain't over yet.

Mesquite Beans will drop consumption but Pear Apples(Tunas) will drop it just as much if not more. Other mast crops are also going to drop consumption in some areas this time of the year. After 12" of rain in a 10 day period from late June into July the deer quit eating protein here on my place. They stopped coming to the corn feeders also where I had to turn them down. I had a lot of fresh growth browse and forbs in that time frame. Then a big persimmon crop with some other brush seed pods. Just now starting to see a few deer hitting protein feeders this past few days.

Thanks stx

IIRC where you hunt. There was a fire about 2 miles N/NE of this afternoon north of the HWY. Took 6 fire trucks and lot of helping hands but they got it put out finally. Thanks to low winds and shredded pastures it was able to be held in check before it got into the taller grass in the thicker pasture.

Thanks. I’ll be there Friday morning. I’ll check it out.

Deer birth rates do drop during droughts