Horses on property...

The land I am hunting this year has horses that are sometimes around and I have seen them sparingly on my game cameras. I am nervous about putting out a deer attractant because I don't want to attract the horses.

Any tips or ideas on how to attract and keep a deer herd but not attract the horses in the process?

Thanks!!
AM

Feeder pens...or if it has some thick woods put the attractant in woods they are less likley to find it as fast or ever find it...other than that no there's no way.

Horses are far worse than cows when it comes to eating the same browse that deer enjoy.

There's good reason behind that old saying "eat like a horse."

Feeder pens are the best option. Horses love corn but corn doesn't always love them back. Be mindful of where you put out corn that they can access it. Spread it out so it is more difficult for them to get large amounts. Good luck

X's 2, I have had horses and they can be a PITA. much smarter at figuring things out over a cow. I had a filly that figured out how to open a screen door, the wife and I came in from the garden and that dam filly was in the kitchen trying to get into the dog food She was imprinted at birth, so she was basically like having anther dog, but they are smarter.

My property is intensively managed under a 1D1 for wildlife and I introduce livestock and remove it to manipulate the ground cover. I would rather have a horse in a pasture than a cow and I have them in right now trying to thin things out before hunting season to improve the visibility. Whatever keeps a feral hog out will keep a grazing horse out.

I have round pens of hog panels around each feeder and the horses don't bother with the pens. I do not think that the deer pay any attention to the horses one way or the other, at least I see deer and the horses in a given area at the same time. The fellow that owns the horses that are on my ranch, rides through the place each afternoon to account for them and he sees more undisturbed wildlife than I do on my feet or in a truck. More like what a fellow on a tractor would see without the noise that ends up distributing them. I've been in a tower blind hunting hogs and he has come through within forty yards of feeder, trailing a blue healer, just a straight line pass through the place on a cross fence, and the bucks in the pen not even look up. Again for the last 120 days, he has been doing this like clockwork every day rain or shine and just that regularity of that makes some accounting.

As the others said, they are quite a bit more intelligent than a cow so don't befriend them with treats or attention, a common human trait, or they will follow and bug you to the point that you cannot hunt. If you never pay them any attention, neither will they you.

And yes, it is tough not to follow my own advice. I'm not a horseman in the least but a bay roan has taken a shine to me. They definitely show emotion towards a human, something that I've found cattle not capable of. If I'm working out in the pasture, she wants to just stand there with me. If I talk to her, she will slowly press her head into my chest and just hold the pressure against me for a long time. I'll hug her back, which seems to satisfy her, so she will let up and I can get back to work. I think she is just lonely, at least for a human, out in that big pasture.

Horses are a PITA IMHO. They're too smart for their own good. I've had them literally charge a feeder pen just to scatter the deer. I honestly believe they did it for fun.

Anyway, since the invent of the motorcycle, 4 wheeler, jeep, tractor, etc the horse is obsolete.

Here comes the hate mail

By a $12.00 sack of sweet feed every time you go out there and feed them by camp. They will hang out there and give them a little all the time. Best money you ever spent.

+1

Even better, feed them from your buddies 4-wheeler every time you visit - or a lease member the farthest from you. A 4wheeler cannot outrun a horse.

Hours of fun watching them try to shoo the horse away from their area - and you'll see more deer.

I totally agree with you. Horses are the worst thing you can run on property.

+1.

I had a neighbor who was LF. She allowed a local dude ranch to run horses on her property during the Winter off season. They totally destroyed her net wire low fences. The ones they did not push down they pawed holes in. Besides with teeth on top and bottom they can clip off grass shorter than a sheep. About a month ago I had to cut another neighbors horses hoof out of a net wire fence. Horses, boats and airplanes are cheaper to rent than own.

Yup!
We left a pallet (40- 50 pound bags) of corn under a tarp, under a canopy and the land owners horses found it. When we returned three weeks later there was only scattered feed bags and scattered corn left, they basically ate it all, yup 2000 pounds.
Then while in a blind we had one walk up to the truck, grab a bag out of the bed and fling it on the ground, where it busted open. He stayed there eating the corn and never went to the feeder.
That is when we learn how to bate horses. We would leave a sacrificial bag out for them, then we went hunting without them monsters.

I only hunted 1 property that had horses, a group of 3 of them and 1 mule. they were not gentle by any stretch and I only believe they existed on the property because they were too wild to be rounded up and the owner of the place wasn't mean enough to shoot them.

one day my 4 wheeler broke down and I had to walk 2 or 3 miles back to camp. I got about 3/4 of a mile or so from camp and rounded a corner and all 4 of them were standing in the road. being bow season I left my bow back on the 4 wheeler, and had no side arm with me. as soon as they saw me they made a mad dash at me and I was able to scurry up a oak tree while they were kicking at me. they would walk off about 40-50 yards and every time I tried to climb down they would run over and start kicking at me again. this went on for a few hours till the search party was sent and they found me up in that oak.


I have no doubt in my mind that had it not been for that oak I would have been trampled to death

Our landowner put 4 horses and a miniature mule on our lease this year. So far we haven't had any problems, but we all have feeder pens and don't leave much sitting out because we're used to the cows. They're friendly though, and I found out yesterday that the mule likes ChipsAHoy cookies!

Horse the other red meat!