We just started feeding protein on our lease 3 months ago. Right now I am throwing a 50/50 mix with corn from my feeder and plan on free feeding starting in Jan. I know the protein will help the does and fawns now, but how long can it take to start seeing an overall difference in the deer population? Time is not a problem, but curious about info on protein feeding.

Most programs take about 3 years to show a differants in your bucks but you will see that your fawns are bigger at birth and the does are throwing twins .

Doc

It takes time and a lot of effort to improve a deer herd with just protein. A lot of factors come into play along with the added nutrition. The size of your place and age of deer play the biggest role. We have fed protein for the past 10 years and it has shown some positive results. The most important times, in my eyes, to feed it is post rut, spring and summer if it is dry.
Three years sounds about right to acutally see results in most cases.

Thanks for the info. We have 1200 acres. Mostly pine trees with dairy and pasture around us. We normally plant food plots on quite a few areas about an acre in size each, plus plant on our fire breaks, but its been so dry, not much luck on our plots. Hopefully this next year will have alot more moisture.

what is the best protein to feed?

It depends on how old you want your bucks to be before you harvest them. If you let them go to 6.5 years old it will probably take about seven years to see the results. Optimum antler growth is achieved when the buck has never been nutritionally stressed during his lifetime.

In places with adequate rainfall I would rely on food plots as much as possible. It is cheaper to grow it than it is to pour it out of a sack. Protein is meant to be a supplemental feed so it is not the total answer. It is just a piece of the bigger puzzle with habitat and population management.

My two favorite brands are Record Rack and Antlermax. I prefer Record Rack but either one should work for you.

M16 hit the nail on the head. we have been feeding on the ranch i manage and there is no replacement for proper rainfall. supplemental feeding is just that, supplemental. when conditions are dry such as last winter i believe we saved a large portion of our buck herd by having feed available. in the spring and summer when things are green i notice the consumption goes down and that tells me there is no substitute for mother nature.

Thanks for all the info guys. All of this helps. If we could get rainfall at the right time, everyones deer would be better. You guys on the forum answer alot of peoples questions truthfully and without bias no matter how stupid the question may seem, but the only stupid question is the one that goes un asked. FORUM RULES!!!!!!