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What is really tough to gauge is how many deer there are in an area. They can cover a few square miles pretty easy. I have bucks that disappear during season and other bucks that just appear out of nowhere during season.
There is a plant called winterfat. It will grow easily in mule deer areas and is long lived. It is a sagey looking plant that provides nutrition to all kinds of ungulates through the winter, literally where its name comes from. I'm sure you have seen it before in dryland and scabrock areas. It looks close to a few other plants also though. It gets cotton seed tufts on it is one way to tell. It's not cheap to buy seed but you can get large plugs to plant and you can divide plugs to plant smaller bunches in areas as well. https://www.naturesseed.com/winterfat/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_aGuBhACEiwAly57McpXyV33AEdPVA0vYMAZi_f3OC-fBOoZhJrlISG0gldzbwzklCUQohoCW68QAvD_BwEhttps://plantsofthewild.com/product-category/shrubs-under-six-feet/winterfat/
I heard this somewhere,that when the deer have that beautiful buck skin color in the spring to early summer. Is when available forage is at is peak for the year.Then in the fall they change back to that dull grey color again,is when they transition back to holding fat reserve for the winter.Just what I heard somewhere.Kinda like that buck in my avatar,bright buck skin color.
Quote from: hunter399 on February 12, 2024, 07:59:24 AMI heard this somewhere,that when the deer have that beautiful buck skin color in the spring to early summer. Is when available forage is at is peak for the year.Then in the fall they change back to that dull grey color again,is when they transition back to holding fat reserve for the winter.Just what I heard somewhere.Kinda like that buck in my avatar,bright buck skin color.While that's basically true it's only relative to the fact that they grow a winter coat at the end of the summer starting when they basically start shedding velvet. It all happens at the same time. Velvet sheds, winter guard hair starts growing in and they change habits to prep for the leaves falling and some plants that they relied on going dormant. Willow leaves BTW are also another natural wormer for animals. Willow trees grow easily and deer, moose and elk love to eat them. My sheep stare up at the trees when the wind blows and chase after the falling leaves like little foot from the land before time! A tree star!
There was a bumper crop of scrub oak acorns this year in around Goldendale. The deer herds seen pretty healthy. The mostly mild winter helped.
Cobalt, along with several other micros, are supplemented to meet requirements of production animals. Deer can also benefit. Sulfur is important but usually does not need to be supplemented. Hydrogen sulfide is toxic. If you are fertilizing plots or pastures with gypsum, CaSO4, you are supplying Ca and sulfur and not promoting acid soils. If your soil is very basic, high pH, Ammonium sulfate for nitrogen will help lower pH and supply sulfur for plants and animals.
You may be finding blocks that are put out by cattleman for cows on leased land.
West Texas livestock grower has great review of salt blocks, 2020 I think. Google colored salt blocks
Anyone here ever plant clover or anything like they do out east for whitetail? If so what do you use? I’m on the west side so the target would be blacktailsSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk