Mother Nature can be a cruel b****

I went to my dads place near San Angelo this weekend and was going through game camera pictures and found these. This doe has a large growth on her face that looks terrible.

That's not bad. Could be infected pear/mesquite thorn, snakebite, antler injury, jaw impaction (looks too far back for that, though).

Was expecting something more like this when you said large growth:

Holy S***!!!! That is nuts, I don't know how the deer could even live like that.

My dad was thinking it was a rattlesnake bite. She has been coming to the feeder a lot, hope the protein helps her get the nutrition she needs to heal. (I feed corn and protein in a 50/50 mixture out of the spin feeder).

There isn't a spin feeder made that will throw enough protein to make any nutritional difference unless there is only one or two deer eating it routinely.

Probably got protein pellets stuck between the jaw and gum.

We fed protein pellets through our spinners for 5 years before buying a couple gravity feeders. I have to say that you may be wrong. We 10-15 inch gains in tine length and substantial mass gains in our bucks. Overall health/weight of deer herd increased as well. That was 6 500# feeders filled 3 times each. 9000# pounds of protein HAS to make some difference.

I'd love to see the records that indicate these results, but I respectfully disagree. Pending the rainfall for the years compared you could easily stop feeding protein and have a great rainfall year and see weights body condition and antler score go up. We feed a good bit more than 9000 lbs a year on our 320 acres out of 5 free choice feeders plus 5 corn feeders and we haven't been able to record that level of increase.

Mother nature can surely be a bad B)&*^, but she also made her critters tuffer than nails! Far tuffer than we generally give them credit for in my opinion. Tail end of the season you always see and hear the stories shot because he limped, injury etc. I know they don't all live, but I let the wild sort it out unless its one I had my eye on anyway.

We keep a record of all bucks taken on lease. The average score was sitting around the 105 mark. Mass measurements not included in score (not my decision, lease managers) We now avg a score around 115. 660 acres hill country. This may also be from selection as we are all looking to kill bigger bucks each year. The overall RECORD for the lease has not changed since 2005 130, we have killed several in the 125-130 range since but nothing over 130. I agree with weather and range conditions making a difference in antler growth but this would come down to a yearly fluctuation which has not happened. We may see a greater number of 120 inch deer in said heavy rainfall years but overall the quality has stayed consistent since feeding protein in 2004. Like I said this may have more to do with the guys letting more younger deer walk from year to year and letting the age class of the bucks increase, producing better head gear.

My “records” (if I kept them) would record even better “growth” than that - and I have never fed a pellet of protein.

If you start from a low bar (as I did), just letting them get a little age on them will show remarkable results.

I have a doe that hangs out around my house that a growth on each side of jaw bigger than that. She’s been around for 3 years. She does get pretty thin in the late summer.

That may be, I am not thinking it is going to create some huge increase in mass. But I will say that more bucks come into this feeder than feeding only corn. Also, from a moral standpoint, I just dont see the point of feeding corn that has little to 0 nutritional value to deer. I at least am helping them a little.

I also do have a couple deer that are always coming to my feeders, one of them is a buck 10 point buck that was broken off during the season and was blinded in one of his eyes (presumably by fighting) he is still alive as of last week and sometimes sleeps next to the feeder.

I just try to help them out where I can.

Is that growth in front of her eye?

I think that's her eye

Mass measurements not included in score (not my decision, lease managers)

Willow-just curious the thinking behind your lease manager not keeping mass measurement. To each his own and it may be more common than im aware but never heard of it.

Wow! Looks terrible

makes absolutely zero sense! not really sure what his reasoning is. Group has been on the lease for 30+ years. Also hard to try and get some to completely buy into the whole idea.

Indeed. If you're being more selective about the deer you are harvesting, you are likely taking them at a later age, which will almost always add inches. Our deer average a 10-15 inch jump from 3.5 to 4.5, and about the same from 4.5-5.5.

Same for us, we started with zero mature deer, and the first bucks we shot were mature 7pts that score just over 100, so when we shot our first few good mature bucks it showed an insane improvements. Got to compare apples to apples and I don't think the numbers quoted above are exactly that.

So the truth of the matter is...God has provided what they need. I can eat a healthy meal with more protein, may make me feel better but doesn't change who I am. Yes, you can manipulate deer health a bit but 99% of it is coming from what God has already put in place. True?

From what the experts say, unless you're HF and can control every aspect of the deer life cycle. You're just pissing in the wind. Supplemental feeding is useless. Don't try and feed protein to deer that are competing again livestock and other animals for natural forage. Just let them be and hope for the best.

She may live linger than you think