Supplemental feeding potential?

[Wi transplant]

Just been pondering this for awhile ! Anyone else notice a correlation between the guys who are pouring the food on there farms and the number of true giants? Take drury ,lakosky, and bowmar . Just the last 5 yrs since they started putting tons of supplemental feed on there farms look at number of 200in plus bucks there producing!!! Lakosky took 15 plus yrs to hit 200 now has like 4 or 5 . Bowmar 5 and drurys?? Who knows how many ? Just thinking about the potential of our farms if we could " afford " to do the same?? The amount of money spent to do that is not possible for most! Just dreaming of the potential! Thoughts????

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[northcedar]

Absolutely

 

[tall@wide]

I think the big key is getting deer old.. Feeding helps but the main ingredient is age.. Look at all the managed land around the Drurys. Plus, the guys you mentioned have multiple farms. They may have one superstar on a certain farm and all the others may not.

 

[newfarmer]

It also helps bringing in trailer loads of high genetic potential does when drurys had their first farm (which has some high fences).
But yes- constant food is obviously going to help keep them from body stress

 

[Wi transplant]

I think the big key is getting deer old.. Feeding helps but the main ingredient is age.. Look at all the managed land around the Drurys. Plus, the guys you mentioned have multiple farms. They may have one superstar on a certain farm and all the others may not.

Im not sold on the "age" as main factor. Lots of old deer in iowa but far less 180 plus deer just seem last couple years that feeding making a huge difference!

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[Hawk32]

Have Had this conversation with buddies a lot. No doubt in my mind it’s a huge factor. No different than feeding out livestock. Pour the “good” feed to them the healthier and better they grow. Those guys don’t hide the fact they are pumping feed to them. No reason they should. They have the means so more power to them. To me it’s just one more unfair advantage. Can’t tell me those heavily fed deer aren’t staying more local and travel less distances 90% of the year. Ill win the lottery someday and be able to do the same.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

I think feed can make up for a poor year in terms of plant growth (in drought). I haven't seen any data that indicates thst "this wild deer is 180, unless he's supplemental fed then he'd be 200". Might be somthing it it, but I think there is a much bigger factor.

By large scale feeding deer are recruited and held on a property. If there is ample security cover nearby, they will not leave.

So, If you are able to spend tens of thousands of dollars on feed you have the ability to recruit deer, keep them away from Neighbors, and have the pick of the litter on what to shoot. Further, you can keep high potential younger deer safe and thus better shot at growing a mega in future years.

 

[Daver]

Im not sold on the "age" as main factor. Lots of old deer in iowa but far less 180 plus deer just seem last couple years that feeding making a huge difference!

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Agree. ^^ Age is certainly a vital component to getting a buck to 190"+ inches, but I too am of the opinion that "super charging" them with the very best feed ALL YEAR LONG is why some of the aforementioned people are now knocking down mega giants virtually every year, and in some cases, multiple of them. A good number of "our" deer have good to great nutrition most of the year here in Ioway. But when an older, genetically disposed buck gets essentially all he can eat, as do the area does, you have tip top herd health and growth conditions...and the, if you will, proliferation of 200"ers has followed that.

I am not knocking this, nor am I suggesting that these people are baiting, per se, because I don't think that they are doing that. They are though making sure that the whole herd, to include the older bucks, are getting maximum opportunity to reach their potential. These animals more and more resemble the giant size of a pen raised deer, which have almost no natural stress on them. The deer in question are still free range and wild...but I suppose, almost a hybrid between wild and pen raised, in the sense that they are free from any stress related to sub-par nutrition, which occurs in some form in a true wild, natural herd.

 

[Slick]

A road we don't want to go down..................

 

[Rous14]

It also helps bringing in trailer loads of high genetic potential does when drurys had their first farm (which has some high fences).
But yes- constant food is obviously going to help keep them from body stress

True story or rumor back in the day? Just curious. Have heard this mentioned once before. Have the Drurys ever spoke on it or would they definitely deny it. Even if true, they seem to have a ton of farms scattered all over and are raising/killing giants randomly in different farms.

 

[Sligh1]

I know a lot of guys who have the means & do feed. Right, wrong or indifferent…. I talk to them OFTEN about this. 2 reasons they do it…. 1) ehd prevention & deer health to deal with ehd. There’s vast benefits from everything from garlic, sulfur, B vitamins/cobalt, increased immune health, blood flow (decrease inflammation), etc. & 2) increase buck rack size, body & health. I would say 50% of that angle is to counter the low rainfall years when racks don’t grow like they should from lack of forage/nutrition. Absolutely works. & yes, a deer in “good health” that MIGHT be 170” for example, likely could be 185” in “great health” from feed (or not dead from ehd). There’s 3rd tier reasons like healthier does & fawns & less impact on browse during drought times.

Whether a guy chooses to do it or not…. Up to u. Personally, this one doesn’t bother me. If it’s for deer health & not to hunt over, that there doesn’t bother ME one bit.
If it was hunting over feeders- ya, I’m not a fan & id fight tooth & nail to keep that out of iowa!!!! It’s caused CHAOS in states it’s legal…. It’s got so out of hand in bait states it makes me sick…. Probably a non-issue in low density places like Saskatchewan …. Ohio on other hand- disaster!!!!!

I guess the positive result of supplemental feed (not baiting!!!!) bigger bucks & less ehd devastation (which ehd does suck balls!!) The downside is public perception that it’s “farming deer” or “rich guys have advantages”. But- I can’t argue it’s not better for the deer & aids in the EHD kick to the nuts we get ravaged with. (Vs corn piles which are NOT good for anything period!!!).
On both sides- I get it …. The side that wants to maximize health & size & assist in ehd devestation. & other side: folks who find it distasteful & feel like it’s “farming deer”. I totally get both sides. I do. Thankfully, on this issue- this is an easy one- if u don’t like it- don’t do it. And as long as not done during deer season!!!…. little impact to neighbors. Maybe even beneficial as many neighbors are hunting those LARGER bucks. It’s not an issue that’s “hurting age class” or “a threat to our state” like other issues. I personally don’t buy the cwd angle but that’s me.
I absolutely understand the POV of both sides here.

Bowmar probably shot most 200’s of the 3…. Doesn’t use feeders. Does do some feed after season. 2nd for 200’s is lakosky- has feed dialed in big time…. No doubt it’s helped. Drurys for how many hunters are way behind Bowmar & lakosky on 200’s. Not close. Not that any of them “care” or anyone on here cares. Those are just the facts or results. Dialed in feed absolutely makes difference.

 

[newfarmer]

True story or rumor back in the day? Just curious. Have heard this mentioned once before. Have the Drurys ever spoke on it or would they definitely deny it. Even if true, they seem to have a ton of farms scattered all over and are raising/killing giants randomly in different farms.

I won’t toss much info out- but I know the deer farm next to me was hauling them does back in 2001-2002. I got to ride along for one trip.

 

[Rous14]

I won’t toss much info out- but I know the deer farm next to me was hauling them does back in 2001-2002. I got to ride along for one trip.

pretty Interesting. if it’s not technically illegal (maybe it is I don’t know?) I could definitely see folks doing it.

 

[northcedar]

Bred does, geez scam artists. Should've built the fence and be done with it.

 

[Bassattackr]

I thought some years ago they did a study at a 20,000 acre hi fence ranch in TX, and all their supplemental feeding added only about 5" on average. Wasn't enough for everyone to start pouring feed on their properties for antler growth.

The upsides seem to be more correlated to herd health, EHD prevention.

 

[Bassattackr]

It also helps bringing in trailer loads of high genetic potential does when drurys had their first farm (which has some high fences).
But yes- constant food is obviously going to help keep them from body stress

Wow, first I've ever heard of that. Do you have anything to substantiate this rumor?

 

[Sligh1]

I thought some years ago they did a study at a 20,000 acre hi fence ranch in TX, and all their supplemental feeding added only about 5" on average. Wasn't enough for everyone to start pouring feed on their properties for antler growth.

The upsides seem to be more correlated to herd health, EHD prevention.

I’ve seen some feeding on different farms in SE iowa & some ranches across different parts of country…. The RIGHT feed…. BIG DIFFERENCE!!!! Long story…. It’s substantial though.
I’ll give u a very public example…. Go look at crush/lakosky’s posts this year. When SE iowa had no rain. 90% of dudes I know there had bucks make little gains. Sometimes no gains or actually decreases. Which I’ve seen in drought years myself. Then- look at Lakosky’s jumps… they are insane. Bubbling beaded bucks with nutrition u can “see” in the antlers. Like “oh my gosh”. Huge gains from one year to next. While guys 5 miles away are not having any gains or having deer regress. “Severe drought” does not grow mammoths like those deer u see there unless they have unique nutritional requirements being met. This is NOT an opinion as to whether folks should or shouldn’t feed or whether one likes or dislikes it. Just the black & white: does it make difference? IMHO- absolutely is a HUUUUUGGGGEEEE impact.
There’s a ranch in Texas that has dialed in their feed. Buddy hunted there this year. It’s about 10,000 acres. Which for Texas is not that big. The amount of giants there that “looked like iowa deer” & 200’s was insane. I’ve never seen Texas deer look like this. Again, IMHO- due to top end feed & nutritional program.

 

[Wi transplant]

I thought some years ago they did a study at a 20,000 acre hi fence ranch in TX, and all their supplemental feeding added only about 5" on average. Wasn't enough for everyone to start pouring feed on their properties for antler growth.

The upsides seem to be more correlated to herd health, EHD prevention.

I believe also that texas does not experience poor feed availability in winter months the way northern half the country does! When you fill the void from dec thru april it just has to help there health and be able to put more into antlers! Imho!

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[sep0667]

These animals more and more resemble the giant size of a pen raised deer, which have almost no natural stress on them. The deer in question are still free range and wild...but I suppose, almost a hybrid between wild and pen raised, in the sense that they are free from any stress related to sub-par nutrition, which occurs in some form in a true wild, natural herd.

Yep, agree a lot with this. When I saw the below buck that Lee shot a few years ago this is exactly what I thought. The color of the rack, the shape of the tines, extra points at the end of tines, the frame. I know its not high fence, but it looks like a pen deers rack and IMO is due to all the feeding.

I agree with Daver, some of this is staring to produce hybrid type deer. Fed like they are in a high fence pen, but are free range.

 

[Muskrat24]

I have a couple arguments here. Tell me that with the pressure to PRODUCE good content the aforementioned hunting personalities don’t hunt a little closer to the feed if the camera shows him there. We know Lakoskys have their cam at the feeder. Tell me Bowmar doesn’t hunt over feed, he did once at least when it wasn’t legal.
Next CWD. DNR suggests no mineral stations, how does that compare to Lakosky’s feeder that looks like a cattle feedlot with a much higher deer population in their areas.