Posted By: jhprice2
Protein and mineral - 09/08/15 09:50 PM
When do deer generally stop hitting the protein and minerals up? After this do any of you feed anything but corn?
Jason moment
Posted By: rickym
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/08/15 10:09 PM
Some will eat protein and lick minerals almost all year, most of the mineral usage is probably in the spring, I feed a mix of protein and corn in a spin feeder year round and haven't noticed much protein left on the ground even in the winter, though I don't feed as much protein from now through the end of the year as I do in spring and summer.
Posted By: BowMan59
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 01:42 AM
If you feed it they will eat it year round!
Posted By: stxranchman
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 02:52 AM
I never stop feeding protein, feed it year round. As a supplement it is their when they need it. Minerals are mainly eaten right now when the bucks are finished shedding velvet for a few weeks. They need to replenish what they robbed from their body during antler growth. They will eat minerals again for a short time in the spring pretty good. Rest of year with minerals is hit and miss from year to year.
Posted By: wellingtontx
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 04:11 PM
I feed protein year round. In fact, in the last 4 weeks they have consumed 800 lbs at my bow blind location alone.
Posted By: rickym
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 05:18 PM
I had no idea the bucks needed that much minerals right now. I don't usually keep a camera at mineral site this time of year
Posted By: tlk
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 05:29 PM
we actually stop protein in mid October and resume first part of January - mainly to try to keep our deer moving during hunting season and not going nocturnal - we have not seen any issues with body weights or horns by doing this -
Posted By: Western
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 05:33 PM
I never stop feeding protein, feed it year round. As a supplement it is their when they need it. Minerals are mainly eaten right now when the bucks are finished shedding velvet for a few weeks. They need to replenish what they robbed from their body during antler growth. They will eat minerals again for a short time in the spring pretty good. Rest of year with minerals is hit and miss from year to year.
Ditto on the mineral, I have been getting a lot of TC photos of all deer but the fawns licking my mineral/salt block in the last month.
Posted By: jim1961
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 05:53 PM
Ours eat it all year. We only mandate it from March 1 to October 1 of each year
They'll eat more mineral/salt during the wetter part of the year (spring/early summer), but that doesn't mean they don't need some right now. Same with protein. If your goal is herd health, keep it out 24/7. If you want them to move a little more you can cut it off and go straight corn.
Posted By: tlk
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/09/15 09:53 PM
speaking of minerals - what is the best way to feed it? Blocks just do not seem like they would get enough ingested to do any good? Put it in tubs?
Posted By: Curtis
Re: Protein and mineral - 09/10/15 01:28 AM
Deer never stop needing minerals and protein. Feed it year around so they have a head start when they start to grow next season.