too late to plant?

   / too late to plant? #1  

Boeing

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Sep 14, 2010
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615
Location
Botetourt, Va
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kubota L3010
I got busy last month trying to get solar panels up and working that I didn't plant anything. My one field, (hill top), that I planted with Rye, clover, alfalfa, rape and chicory last spring........appears to be CLOVER and RYE now. Healthy, but the other stuff didn't show up. I put up deer cameras and have lots of photos of turkey and very skinny deer (plus a couple of coyotes). I can't get back to Virginia til mid November. Is it too late to plant anything to feed these skinny deer? They look too poor to even hunt.....maybe that's their defense:laughing:
 
   / too late to plant?
  • Thread Starter
#2  
No-one can suggest planting or waiting at the mid November date? I KNOW someone has experience at this....
:2cents:
 
   / too late to plant? #3  
November is a bit late but it will grow just wont get that huge warm season jump. I personnaly would plant oats and wheat.

Those skinny deer will not get fat on grasses, they need mast and other natural sources. Your not hunting those tiny deer anyway ,or maybe you are?? I see plenty of does with ribs, there younger, and plenty of bucks as well, but i really dont target any buck under 3.5 years old or lets say about 170lbs, does i like to kill in my area are in the 100lb range. The does get bigger but those are the really big ones.
 
   / too late to plant? #4  
November is a bit late but it will grow just wont get that huge warm season jump. I personnaly would plant oats and wheat.

I agree, too late to get any growth to provide any nutrition to deer. Try to fertilize what you have and get back on your regular planting cycles next year.
 
   / too late to plant?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Here is a photo of the poor deer that I was describing......I'm used to "farm" deer where they get fat on fields of clover and alfalfa. These are mountain deer and just don't look too healthy????? Maybe next year my field will help them some.
Thanks for your answers
 

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   / too late to plant? #6  
Here is a photo of the poor deer that I was describing......I'm used to "farm" deer where they get fat on fields of clover and alfalfa. These are mountain deer and just don't look too healthy????? Maybe next year my field will help them some.
Thanks for your answers

Poor looking animal- maybe old and teeth worn out or Chronic Wasting??
 
   / too late to plant? #7  
This deer must have something wrong as the ones at my house are huge. Came home from work tonight to a 10 pointer in my driveway. You are only a little north of me
 
   / too late to plant? #8  
Farm deer are BIG. Look at Iowa and Illinois deer. But as a rule of thumb as the terrain gets steeper and tougher the deer get bigger, cause they cant manuver well small and weak. Also it has to do with the temperature and climate. Body heat regulation is related to surface area and in turn body size. Thats why deer in FL are so small, say 75lb does. Think about people, fat people are always hot and skinny folks are usually cold. The fat have so much mass but less surface area to loose it from. A tiny person has more surface area to weight.

In my state the deer on the coast (south carolina) are much smaller as a whole than the deer in the moutains, for these reasons. Takes more muscle to climb hills and also the temperature and body regulation evolution. There is always the light doe here and there in the moutains and the super fat coastal doe, but were talking in general. 100 healthly well fed deer from one area and 100 healthy well fed from anothre area.
 
   / too late to plant? #9  
The one with the ribs looks a bit skinny but still normal to me, the other one looks just fine. These are wild animals not grain fed beef cattle!!bigbuck2012.JPGbigbuck2012A.JPG

These are the only quick pics i have here at work. The reason for the big buck in the back, i dont save doe pics usually unless its something cool. Not trying to boast about deer or anything.

But anyway this is a typical doe at my place, shes a bit small, not a super old one in my opinion.

I too have ones with ribs showing, i saw one the begenning of the month, one was more skinny the the other mature doe (was a fawn with them as well). Her ribs were showing more, i just assumed her to be older and teeth and nutrition were a problem. there like people some fat some thin, just there no OBease deer due to thier circumstances.
 
   / too late to plant?
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Those are nice looking deer. Whatcha feeding them cobs or full ears of corn? I have some mineral ROCKS out but maybe I could add a few other sacks or blocks of something?????
 
 
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