In general, what are your thoughts on this? I've seen alot of opinions and it seems the consensus is it's not good to have goats/sheep for a lot of reasons. I'm looking at a 2500 acre lease with about 30 head of goat on it. The upside is there are a few nice 32"+ rams that can be taken for about 75% market value. But ultimately, I care more about the deer pop than I do the quality and price of the rams.

That few of goats on that size property would be awesome... like your own personal land maintenance crew

Pen your feeders and you will have no problem

Just use large pens to pen your feeders and it will not be a problem.

That few of goats will not matter. Male goats are bucks or billies. Male sheep are rams.

Goats or Aoudads?

that's what I was wondering to cuz he mentioned score

sorry, sheep and goats. about 30 head of each

lol audad sheep or domestic sheep

Agreed and you can forget about Chumming since Pasture Maggots will catch on and pattern you...they usually feed into the wind but they will catch on..I will spill a little chum when I come thru the last Bump gate and make a siren sound like the Ranch Truck to bring them off sides but they will eliminate 50lbs of Chum in a matter of Minutes..

Domestic sheep + some free range Aoudad (supposedly)

Aoudad will jump the pen so I would find a way to stake down the feeder so they wont tear it to pieces... other than that you still got a lot of room to play with

Lots of difference between sheep and goats domestic-wise. Goats eat browse like deer. Domestic sheep eat more stuff off of the ground.

lol goats will eat your blind and UV if they feel like it

Are these "sheep" and "goats" domestic or wild? I would not want an aoudad on my place since they can reproduce at a rate that is hard to manage. They can have triplets every year in good years and twins are the norm.

Domestic

Pen your feeders for sure

Really depends on your browse and forbs. Goats a re notorious for scrubbing a line and leaving little for deer. Of course depends on habitat, geography, area of state, but I would shy away from property with goats. Just like WT, depends on density, the higher it is , the less food for deer. Same with sheep like blackbelly or Auodad. They will eat everything in sight. As well as exotics like axis. Feeders are the least of issues, it is the natural browse eaten up by sheep and goats that hurt WT populations.

For me it is the deer that take away food from my Goats.

30 (or 60) for 2500 is nothing. We're running over 300 head on 1200 acres and still have plenty of deer.

LOL. Depends on the priorities I guess.

I find that goats and sheep are good for ranches. Most ranchers that have sheep and goats take care of predators that go after fawns. Also goats and sheep will eat grass down so new grass can grow and they give the ranch a lot of hoof action that helps grass grow just like aerating a field. Most Ranchers put out protein blocks and worming feed and blocks that are just as helpful for deer too. But don't take me wrong I think over grazing a ranch with them can be very bad for deer and the ranch.

Agree with the above stated overgrazed is not good. Well managed sheep and goat country has lots of water usually and salt, mineral, wormers ect. The ranch in terrel county I help run deer hunts we have double deer density compared to neighbors due water and extra feed put out for goats....there are over 10000 head but is rotaded and never over grazed. Put a BIG pen around it so deer are comportable and let um have it.

I lease a pasture next to ours that has 200 head of dorper sheep. While we hold more deer, especially does and fawns, in the pasture without stock, hunting feeders is better in the sheep pasture. Right now I benefit from the rancher throwing alfalfa hay every day. all my water wells are mantained by the rancher and he hits the varmints hard with snares and traps. I have never seen a coyote or hog on our place. The best thing you can do is have a good relationship with the rancher.