A Farmer's advice. What do you think?

[Jslotter]

In my area there alot of clover and alfalfa fields that deer flock to in the summer and early fall. There are some corn and soybean fields a few miles away also. I notice that toward late fall the deer will quit feeding off of the alfalfa and clover fields and travel the distance to the corn and soybean fields to feed on during the winter months. A few does will feed every once in awhile on the alfalfa fields but not as frequent as in the summer time. I asked a farmer in the area what he thought the reason was and he replied that the clover and alfalfa will spoil and sour when the ground freezes and the deer won't hit it as much, or at all until the next summer. I am no expert on that answer and it sounds pretty reasonable. What do you guys think? Is that farmer right about that?

[69Viking]

I would definitely say the farmer is right. I think with the cold the alfalfa and clover will go dormant while the cut corn leaves behind excess corn in the field that is dried and will hold up through the cold months as a reliable food source.

[bowman12]

I don't have a clue but what I noticed on our clover field this year was they started using it the most after our first frost for about 3 weeks. I shot a nice 9 on it during that time period, and now they've been using it again. There are potmarks where the deer have been digging it out of the snow.

[Jslotter]

ORIGINAL: bowman12

I don't have a clue but what I noticed on our clover field this year was they started using it the most after our first frost for about 3 weeks. I shot a nice 9 on it during that time period, and now they've been using it again. There are potmarks where the deer have been digging it out of the snow.

Yeah, a few winters back it was a bitter cold winter in western Wisconsin and the deer in the area were digging through the snow and ice to get at the alfalfa that was buried, but the last couple of winters, absolutely no tracks or anything in the alfalfa fields. My first impression was that there was an increase in coyotes and possible wolves moving in the area to cause the deer to migrate elsewhere. But not the case. I found a well beaten trail leading across the road about a half mile away going into the neighbor's land where there is a large cut corn field about a mile away. you would see deer during the day feeding out there. Plus I spotted a large 8 point I been watching grow on our land over the last few years in that same field a mile away. The deer found a better and more reliable food source and went to it. I learned from it and realized the deer are gonna go where the best food source and cover is when the weather gets ugly. If only corn and soybean grew where I hunt.

[hookset6969]

Guy's this could all be true but the one thing that you may be forgetting is that soybeans and corn may have a much higher protein value and therfore are a much more suitable food for these deer in the winter. It was once said that a deer could starve to death with a full belly of hay.

[DeanoZ]

ORIGINAL: hookset6969

Guy's this could all be true but the one thing that you may be forgetting is that soybeans and corn may have a much higher protein value and therfore are a much more suitable food for these deer in the winter. It was once said that a deer could starve to death with a full belly of hay.

I'm no farmer, but that was going to be my comment as well.  Given the choice deer are always going to gravitate towards the higher source protein foods during the winter.  But...if the only food source they had was alfalfa or clover I'd bet they'd be hammering that.

[dougdeweydutchmen]

Actually the Alfalfa has more protein than the corn but the corn has more carbohydrates.

[reeper0697]

ORIGINAL: dougdeweydutchmen

Actually the Alfalfa has more protein than the corn but the corn has more carbohydrates.

 
Agreed

[boxcallkid]

Ditto;........ Beat me to it reeper.

[Jslotter]

Thanks for all the great input.