We have just acquired a new property On the Newton/Orange county line. 944 acres total. This property is mostly clear cut with some swampy hardwood bottoms. Has some good deer sign but we honestly know little about the property, its past, and the current deer population/health. We hope to keep this property long term and its members are willing to make the commitment.

I know these are novice questions but please bear with me.

What are the general thoughts on feeding protein in east tx? Results?

Is a 1,000 acre LF place too small to justify the effort?

How many feeders on a place this size?

Should hunting be allowed over the feeders?

I have more questions but that should be enough to open discussion..

thanks
Frank

Feeding protein should only be started after you have assessed the the habitat and deer herd on that acreage. Deer numbers/ratios need to be addressed if they are not within CC. Feeding protein can and will make improvements to a place, but it will take time to train deer to eat and see long term results. Deer born and raised on protein will do better than those introduced to it at older ages. I look at number of deer per feeder vs number of feeders per acre. Only feeder salesman will tell you to put x feeders per xx amount of acres. One other thing to consider would be food plots on a year round program. You can raise feed cheaper than you can buy it if you get good rainfall amounts on average for the year. Food plots will hold deer just the same as feeders but get better nutrition for you money invested.
Hunting over feeders is not the best for feeding deer. You want deer to feel comfortable feeding at anytime they need supplemental feed. Your constant hunting will do nothing but create pressure and make the deer feed after dark. Many ranches do hunt the feeders but it comes at a price.

Sorry it has taken so long to update this thread. We set up the second protein feeder on the property yesterday. The first was set up a few weeks prior and most of the corn seems to be gone but they haven't reached the protein yet. We have also have a pair of corn feeders (1 broadcast, 1 pipe feeder) out almost two months now with good results.

Anyone else in "east Texas" feeding protein?

Keep adding corn on top of the protein and on the ground around the feeders. If you are greening up and getting rain it make take them a while to get on the feed.

Good luck to you. I tried and tried on my east TX place but just couldn't get them to regularly eat protein. They ate some during the dead of winter and during the prolonged drought, but none to speak of at other times. I just decided the almost-always available browse and my food plots were simply preferred over protein.

The hogs loved it though....

Same problem I had in north east Oklahoma. Just started planting legumes instead. Utilization is much higher on the legumes

I do protein year around with no hunting over the feeders but you get a considerable amount more moisture then we do out west. With today's rain, I am finally over an inch for the year. You can guess what kind of shape food plots are under these circumstances. My protein feeders don't depend on rainfall but when it does rain, my feed bill really goes down. There is a place for both.

With a large portion of the property being clear cut last year plus the rain we've had, a majority of the place is really green with fresh browse etc.... I do foresee the same issues stated above as we plan to plant food plots at the end of the month as well. I'm hoping to offer the deer a few different feed options this year in attempt to hold them in the grown over clear cuts this summer.

The pellet itself is a soybean, cottonseed, corn and other stuff I can't remember mix from the coop in Bryan for $12/50lb @ 20% protein.

I have been feeding protein regularly for the last 4 years in Northeast TX (Harrison County) with good results. Not unusual to have 3-5 does at the feeder at the same time. I actually have 2 broadcast feeders throwing it this spring with no clogging....yet in addition to the gravity feeders.

My lease is in Anderson county and I do free range in gravity feeders and they have eaten 2400 pounds in the last two months. I have been using the AntlerMax 20% with weathershield paying $680 a ton in Palestine.

Our pets will eat the Producer's 20%.

Where do you keep your pets rifleman?

You need to understand the dynamics of a clearcut. There is a tremendous amount of nutrients in the leaves/needles, twigs, and small branches. If they are left on the ground you have a 3 to 5 year period of highly nutritious growth if left alone. If the cleearcut is to be replanted a lot of time herbicides are used to knock back that growth. In East Texas you may have trouble getting them to come to feeders but the clearcut alone will keep them close.

As seen in my recent experiences with this timber management company, I would expect it to be sprayed, bulldozed, burned, and planted all within the next year or so, weather permitting.

If it's Campbell, they'll spray. The head forester in that region is big on maximizing early growth of the plantations and he's really good at what he does.

Pets are in Nac Co. Buddy uses it too in Tyler Co along with calphos and the deer eat it up. I can't really get the deer where I hunt to eat it and I've tried several brands. It's just an 8yo clearcut that's been allowed to naturally regenerate and it's loaded with browse.

On a property I helped managed last couple of years in east Texas, we fed protein all summer long and noticed a huge improvement in the bucks' racks from previous seasons when we didn't feed protein.

Just saw that academy is selling protein out of their own bag. Looks to be a alfalfa based product.

Anyone using this stuff?

Would be interesting to see the label but the main problem with TS is that you never know if they have any inventory.

We feed protien year around at my E. Tx lease, and we have seen the improvments.

I stop seeing them eat protein as soon as the acorns hit the ground.

I have hunted south Newton County all my life. They do eat protein, but only from January- April and a little bit in late summer. As far as corn feeders go, the deer come more often to pipe feeders on trees than they do to spin feeders.