I have a lease in Arkansas. It has quite a few deer on it. The land owner told me that he thinks the deer out there are pretty migratory so I shouldnt waste money on feeding protein. I get that feeding protein is great for a good management program but im wondering if feeding the right amount of protein will help me keep my deer in my area. All the bucks we saw last year I havent seen so far again this year on the cameras. I spoke to a wildlife biologist and he told me that deer can sense how much protein theyre getting from foods and thats what satisfies their appetite. He explained it to me that if they are eating low protein foliage and deer corn that the stool will be pellet like. I thought it was normal as thats what I have always seen. He told me that it means their gut is running too long processing the low protein food. He told me that if they have a solid protein source that they will not leave it behind. He said that he has several nice bucks that he maintains on a 34 acre plot. NOT HIGH FENCE!
He showed me some pics of his bucks and dang if he didnt have 2 and 3 years worth of the same bucks with monster racks. Thick main beams. Wide spreads. Incredible. What are yalls thoughts on feeding protein to keep deer on my land? Think there is anything to it?

I am a fan of supplementing with protein or food plots. Both can hold deer and improve the quality. They have to be raised on what ever you do to see the best improvements. If they are raised on your land on supplemental feed then they are more likely to stay on your place IMO. My experience has been the same with feeding deer and having them live/bed closer to my feeders/land. If you get the rain and have the time food plots will be the cheapest way to start. What is going to make the biggest difference in your results is the hunting around you. Also what is your plan to control deer numbers once you start a supplemental feed program?

Thanks ranchman. The hunting around me for the last decade or so that this land has been hunted has been pretty intense. This year however the 3000 acres due north of my position are not going to be hunted. The man that owned it got cross with the lease manager and told him and all his hunters to beat it. He told us that he would not have anyone hunting and wants us to keep an eye out for traffic. In my area I am mostly pine thicket. I did a food plot in 2012 which grew well and was a big hit with the hogs. The deer ate on it but it wasnt the free for all I was hoping for. They mostly stuck to the acorns and then the corn when the acorns were gone. I am considering planting again this year but thought maybe a protein feeder or two would be a good choice. I do have about 5 acres of open area that I planted as my food plot in 2012 but like I said the rest if impenetrable swamps and thicket. As for controlling population Im not sure I follow you. What do you mean? I may load the tractor and trailer her to arkansas this next weekend and plant. Better late than never I guess. Thanks for the help!

I am not the fan of protein that Stx is, but don't hate it as much as some on here think. Protein is something that deer crave and is an attractant in times of the year that corn means very little to them. I believe it will help hold more deer and help keep some around but I am not sold on protein being the antler grower that many claim. It needs to be fed year around and it takes alot of time and money to keep that going. The gain will be from seeing more deer and possibly keeping the deer returning as they age into full maturity.

I am a bigger fan of food plots and making your property more attractive than the neighbors. Clearing, cutting, water access, bedding, food plots, etc will make a bigger difference, but feeding protein sure won't hurt.

We have an extensive protein feeding program plus we run around 20 cameras - I can tell you that over the eight years we have had this place, we have had multiple trophy bucks on camera that stayed in the same area year after year and fed out of the same protein feeder year after year. So in our experience, protein can help retain deer in an area.

Feeding protein is only worthwhile if it is available in quantity. If forced to make a choice, I would go with food plots over protein feeders - deer will graze on a food plot much longer than they will eat out of a feeder and end up ingesting much more protein through plots than feeders. However, due to lack of rainfall/water/irrigation, food plots are not an option in South Texas so protein is the next best option (along with cottonseed)

I think where people go wrong with protein is not feeding it at the right time of year, or not feeding enough of it.

if you look at a deer breeding program, where the deer eat 100% protein feed, they're much bigger than when they go out into a pasture eating protein and native browse.

I think food plots work really well too for attracting bigger numbers of deer (max 4-6 deer at a time for a feeder), but I've never had much luck with them due to hogs

I'll give you my .02 on this....I am a huge proponent of protein for a variety of reasons. I've seen marked improvements with our deer in the last 3 years both in terms of antler development and overall body mass. I also agree with your biologist that deer will only feed on protein when they need it. With that said though...protein pellets is very much an "acquired taste" thing. It took probably two years for our deer to hit the protein feeders on a daily basis. We feed protein year around....there are months like September where feeding drops (acorns). Lactating does need twice the protein so summer is critical for fawn survival especially with twins. We've tried food plots - would LOVE to have several if we had consistent rain in Central Texas. I've tried a few times - doesn't work especially since most of us have cows. In my view protein is the way to go....100% of the feed goes to whitetail and you will see a difference in overall health.

I'd prefer food plots to feeding protein, but in W Texas, you can't count on the rain and I've wasted $1,000's over the years on failed food plots....IMO...the simplest way to provide protein is through supplemental feeding....whether its pellets, soy bean, cotton seed, alfalfa, whatever works. In my experience, the pellets and the soybean get a lot of return customers...

You cant ever have enough feed for them.... you can cut the corners and get by doing one or the other but if you can and are serious about it plant good size plots and drop a protein feeder right next to it... Large property and farm equipment available plots do wonders.. but a lot of factors go into plots that can ruin them fast or not even let them start... protein is a for sure food source that you control and need nothing more than the feeders/ feed store/ and a truck... small or even large property's with limited resources I would go with protein if I had to decide between the two.. but ill always do both when possible