Improving Your Deer Herd with Protein Supplements
Posted 02-28-2009 at 08:26 AM by BigSwad
It’s been a rough hunting season. Our lease is going through its second season of drought. Conditions make it tough for whitetail deer and other animals to get the nutrients they need to maintain a good healthy lifestyle in the wild. As with most in Texas, we use corn as a basic food source and supplement that with protein feed. Others supplement through the use of food plots as well. But protein is the staple whitetails crave and that is what we focus on trying to provide them through our supplemental feeding program.
Protein as a whitetail growth development staple is typically drawn from natural forage via various clovers, soybeans and alfalfa. For example, clover is a big source of protein for whitetails, and in most normal varieties, it can contain anywhere from 13% to 25% of protein. Newer variants of clover have almost doubled the amount of protein found within them.
The protein source we use on our lease is a processed pellet feed. It is made by Purina, and goes by the name of Antler Max. This feed can contain up to 20% protein as well as other vitamins and nutrients beneficial to good whitetail health. We utilize a gravity feeder for distribution of our protein because we are not allowed to block off a substantial enough area to grow meaningful plots that would help subsidize the whitetail herd in the area. Basically, a gravity feeder here in Texas consists of a 55 gallon drum with legs attached, with a system of three to four outlets stemming from a main pipe that is attached to the bottom of the barrel. The feed works its way down via gravity as the deer eat the feed. Also, water is scarce and without that, it’s hard to maintain a healthy food plot so the pellets are an ideal way of getting the protein to the deer.
As for the how a whitetail utilizes the protein it digests, per the brochure for Antler Max, it is in the following order of their needs:
1) Basal metabolism
2) Body Growth
3) Activity
4) Reproduction
As noted, the antler growth support only occurs after the reproduction needs are met. So that is an extraordinary amount of fuel the whitetail has to utilize before it meets its antler growth needs. So the more protein the whitetails can ingest, the more the four needs get met and antler growth is improved. This is especially helpful in the months following the rut and continuing through the rough winter months when forage is harder to come by.
We have seen some good to great results from our protein supplement. Our lease is only about 250 acres, but some bruiser 10 point deer have come through the property on occasion to visit the feeder. Yes they are elusive, but thank god for good game cameras. The protein feeder gets a mound of activity, especially in the lean months before Mother Nature allows spring to populate the area with tasty green sprouts for the wildlife. We are firm believers that protein supplements can help deer growth and give them a good foundation on which to develop monster antlers. Check out what is available for you, as there are multiple types and methods of making protein available for the wildlife in your area. Whether it’s through a pellet feed or alfalfa or clovers, deer will prosper for it.
Protein as a whitetail growth development staple is typically drawn from natural forage via various clovers, soybeans and alfalfa. For example, clover is a big source of protein for whitetails, and in most normal varieties, it can contain anywhere from 13% to 25% of protein. Newer variants of clover have almost doubled the amount of protein found within them.
The protein source we use on our lease is a processed pellet feed. It is made by Purina, and goes by the name of Antler Max. This feed can contain up to 20% protein as well as other vitamins and nutrients beneficial to good whitetail health. We utilize a gravity feeder for distribution of our protein because we are not allowed to block off a substantial enough area to grow meaningful plots that would help subsidize the whitetail herd in the area. Basically, a gravity feeder here in Texas consists of a 55 gallon drum with legs attached, with a system of three to four outlets stemming from a main pipe that is attached to the bottom of the barrel. The feed works its way down via gravity as the deer eat the feed. Also, water is scarce and without that, it’s hard to maintain a healthy food plot so the pellets are an ideal way of getting the protein to the deer.
As for the how a whitetail utilizes the protein it digests, per the brochure for Antler Max, it is in the following order of their needs:
1) Basal metabolism
2) Body Growth
3) Activity
4) Reproduction
As noted, the antler growth support only occurs after the reproduction needs are met. So that is an extraordinary amount of fuel the whitetail has to utilize before it meets its antler growth needs. So the more protein the whitetails can ingest, the more the four needs get met and antler growth is improved. This is especially helpful in the months following the rut and continuing through the rough winter months when forage is harder to come by.
We have seen some good to great results from our protein supplement. Our lease is only about 250 acres, but some bruiser 10 point deer have come through the property on occasion to visit the feeder. Yes they are elusive, but thank god for good game cameras. The protein feeder gets a mound of activity, especially in the lean months before Mother Nature allows spring to populate the area with tasty green sprouts for the wildlife. We are firm believers that protein supplements can help deer growth and give them a good foundation on which to develop monster antlers. Check out what is available for you, as there are multiple types and methods of making protein available for the wildlife in your area. Whether it’s through a pellet feed or alfalfa or clovers, deer will prosper for it.
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