ive never feed alfalfa, thinking about doing it when i fill feeders in a couple weeks. whats the best way to do it? a half bale or so in each feeder pen?

I spread it out in 4-5 inch thick squares. Seems to work OK.

If the deer have never fed on alfalfa before it may be a little hard to get them to eat it.

Take a partial bale and put it out where it won't get rained on. I built a cradle for my bales with a sheet of tin as a cover and then mix a little corn in with the bale.

When you buy the alfalfa look for the freshest and the one with less stalks, green, and more of the tips as that is what they like.

Usually a heavy bale means it's a lot more fresh as it contains more moisture than a dried out bail which would be less fresh.

Once you get them to eat it though, you can throw a bale out on the ground and they will tear it up in just a few days. I've also fed it to deer that weren't used to eating it and it would end up rotting on the ground, and once it sours you need to remove it, and why you might be better off not putting out an entire bale until you see if they will eat it or not.

The deer At my place hate the stuff, have tried several methods of deployment. my dads place 5 miles away they love it.

It's almost like fishing, sometimes they like what they do not already have. Something different is always good. Try just a little to start with and let the cameras tell you if they need it or not.

If the deer have plenty of natural forbs and mast they probably won't touch it if they haven't been fed it before.

The best way to get them to eat it is during the dry years or later on when most of the grasses have been killed off by frost, but then the alfalfa will probably be hard to come by or expensive.

could it possibly keep the deer away from my feeder if they don't like it? maybe i should just put in on a couple stands that i don't hunt alot just to see...

I would def just test it out by using just partial bales. If they like it go for it. If they don't take it away. Def put out a camera and see what they are doing with it. Let us know how it goes.

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If the deer aren't use to it, it will probably ruin before they eat it, that's been my exper anyway.

It's fine to feed it this time of year for supplement but come hunting season stop. Alfalfa on the ground at night will make them nocturnal and you will not see your best bucks in the daytime. Let them learn to come to the feeders when the dinner bell goes off.

Are deer love alfalfa and its much cheaper than pellet feeding. 2 bales usually last 2 weeks at 3 feeder locations.

thats like saying a winter wheat food plot makes deer nocturnal and keeps them from hitting the feeder during daylight. just sayin...

X2 - Pics from my game camera support that deer on alfalfa at night are the same deer on corn during daylight.

I saw alfalfa pellets at the feed store the other day. Has anyone tried that?