250 pounds of protein in one week. WHY?

My brother and I set up our first protein feeder on our lease this year. We set it up in March. The bucks found the feeder the very first night and they have been eating between 100 - 125 pounds of protein every week. Last Saturday, my son and I went to the lease and added 100 pounds of protein and that took it to the top. Yesterday, we went back to check cameras, check feeders and do some tree trimming.

Our protein feeder was almost empty, we had to add 5 bags. Why is it this week they consumed twice their normal amount?

Any two-legged protein-takers on the game cam pics?

Coons found it!

Seriously though, your cameras should tell you.

The closer we get to rut the more they will eat... once you start seeing them pre rut it will slow down.

If you have not had any rain or have any mast crops the bucks are pounding feed right now. For example, in May I fed 600 lbs of protein out of 3 feeders. In August I fed 1300 lbs out of the same feeders. I have not had any rain since July 18th(till Friday had from .20" to .53") and no mast crops. I filled one particular feeder on the 16th with 275 lbs, then on the 25th with 275 lbs and will have to fill it again in the morning. Also I have fawns jumping in my pens now and they will start eating protein if they aren't already. By October with no rain a fawn will eat what a doe or yearling buck will eat per day.

Spot on ^^

the longer the feeder is there, and the dryer the range conditions, the more deer will find and utilize the feeder. and the heavier they will utilize it. our deer have been hitting the feed hard this year already as well. protein feeders are empty every time we go. fill em back up. lots of deer on cameras, we harvested several deer last year, short of quota, but several deer. looks like we will again be trying to thin numbers this year.

I have been having the same issue
But, I am HOPING it will make for a good season with them eating like this

Nope

No coons. Of the thousands of pictures I had one with a coon tying to, but failing to get to the feed.

Absolutely

Compare how long a deer is eating out of a feeder now to back a few weeks ago. I would bet the time the stay and eat is longer and the amount of trips/activity is much greater. About 6 weeks ago I was getting 80-90 pics per night at my heaviest used feeder and now I get 190-280 per night at the same feeder.

I timed a protein feeder with a camera. I put 50# in at 5 pm. By 1 am it was empty. That was without any help from coons. They can go through a lot of feed when they need it.

I know I am over natural capacity with my exotics, but I'm going through 3,000 pounds in less than three weeks right now.

Let me know if you want any of those thinned out to help the others.

Late summer is almost always the second toughest time of the year on deer, with the toughest being late Winter. Summer rains can help but if those have not happened to spur new growth then the feeders will get pounded this time of year.

I know we are having fewer buck visits and more doe/fawn feeding the last couple of weeks.

How is your population number? I'm thinking you may need to cull down. Yall mld?

As far as I know, we are not MLD. I personally feel we are carrying too many deer on our place. I have no science to back up my position. It is just what I am seeing.

I did several hours of research on this last night and have an answer for you:

The deer are hungry.

Last year at this time I went thru 300 lbs. in one week....all deer!

Likely several variables at play:

-Dry range conditions means there aren't as many natural groceries
-Does and Fawns coming around more, more mouths to feed.
-Bachelor groups could have settled on your protein feeder, meaning the whole group is hammering the feeder throughout the night.

For what it's worth, we see the same in late summer. You can't keep up with them. I could buy a 1K or 2K lb feeder, but then I could not afford to refill it.

They will probably slow down if we get some Fall rain, or when the bachelor groups break up.

Call a biologist and look into it...

TxAg is right on the money as far his comments. They need the food now but still always worth checking about how many mouths you got to feed...

As much as it is rewarding to see deer in the place it sure hurts the pocket book to feed these four legged vacuums! In three to four days we have went through 750#'s protein.

Thats all heck we put four times that much out and they still empty it and thats why we made one with a motor and timer on it .

This ^^^^^^^^^^^

What we've seen at least on our lease is that by the 2nd or 3rd week in October they pretty much don't hit the protein at all. Starting in early December they start hitting it hard again.