At Windy Ridge Outfitting, we have one of the most
extensive food plot programs of any Midwest whitetail outfitter. We feel that
the time, money, and hours of work are well worth the investment into our deer
herd. It truly helps set us apart from anyone else in the industry.
While others may feel supplemental feeding helps
the overall health of the deer on their properties, it has been proven that a
deer will only consume 20-25% of their diet from even the best supplemental feeding
program. Deer that live on properties with the proper foodplots will consume 75-80%
of their diet from food plots.
Most deer biologist will agree that in order for
deer to truly realize their potential, they will need a diet consisting of at
least 16% protein. While most supplemental feeds offer 20% protein, remember
the deer are only consuming the feed as 20-25% of their overall diet. By supplemental
feeding, you will see little or no increase in the carrying capacity of the
land.
Considering nearly all the food plot varieties we
plant contain 25%-38% protein and the deer will consume 75-80% of their diet
from our food plots, it is very clear to us what the benefits of food plots are
versus a supplemental feeding program. By planting food plots, the carrying
capacity of the land increases significantly.
Not only will deer herds benefit more from food
plots than supplemental feeding, the risk of disease being spread is much
lower. When deer are eating from a pile, they are in much closer in proximity
to each other and will transmit disease and parasites much easier. When they
are capable of browsing through a food plot, disease and parasite transmission
is much lower.Most states do not allow “baiting” during the hunting season, meaning any supplemental feeding will need to be stopped prior to and during the hunting season. This allows for a maximum 8-9 months of feeding and nothing holding the deer on their properties during the hunting season. This is the most vital time to ensure your deer are staying on your property, and all feeding must be halted. By planting different varieties of food plots that provide optimum food throughout the year, you are able to provide 12 full months of nutritional food and keep the deer on your property during the hunting season.
The choice has been obvious to us at Windy Ridge
Outfitting for the past 8 years. We will continue to implement and improve our
food plot program, all the while increasing the holding capacity of our ground.
Better check your facts. Wild whitetail populations no doubt benefit from food plots. However, food plots are just one hole in the whitetail management puzzle. Deer diets are scientifically shown to consist of 70% natural, browse (ie: hardwood sapling leaves, ragweed, etc.) during the growing season. See the research done at the University of Georgia and elsewhere for the proof.
ReplyDeleteSo really native habitat improvements would be the top improvement you could make to a hunting property. But I am sure as most of your lands are probably leases that this isn't possible.
Keep up the work but your numbers are a bit of a fabrication
The point of this post was strictly to compare supplemental feeding to food plots. In no way was it my intention to imply it was the “fix-all” to whitetail management. In my opinion, supplemental feeding has its place as well. Given a choice as a year round program, we feel that food plots serve a better purpose than supplemental feeding.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in that it is a huge puzzle, and that natural browse improvement is a vital part of the puzzle. We practice many forms of natural browse improvement such as TSI and edge feathering on ground we own and some of our leases when possible. As for my numbers, the amount of which forage the deer eat depends greatly on what is available to the deer. When highly desirable foodplots are present, the deer will consume the food plot cultivars a higher percentage of their diet. Many studies provide numbers that support the data I used.
Also, the average protein of natural browse is 10-12%, much lower than what has been scientifically proven that deer need to reach their full potential. Therefore I respectfully disagree with you that “native habitat improvements would be the top improvement you could make to a hunting property.” We see many pieces of the puzzle as equally important, and without each and every one of them in place, this puzzle is still incomplete.
Most importantly, the point of this blog is to provide a look into what we do here at Windy Ridge Outfitting and I am not looking to start a debate. I will discuss each and every one of them as we are in the process of implementing them, or as time allows and in to specific order as to importance. Everyone has different goals, ideas, and methods to their own whitetail puzzle. In future posts I will discuss additional “pieces to the puzzle” that we practice here, including