Deer rejection in commercial ag

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
If you hear what they’ve done to keep ‘em from eating cotton please let me know. It’s just unreal how many deer we see,especially during the summer hog hunting with the thermal. It’s not just cotton for us,they paw the heck out of the peanuts too,you wouldn’t think it but also pack the ground and make it hard when you try to plow em up.

The farmer on these farms is very distant. I will see if I can stop him and chat with him.
 

doomtrpr_z71

Senior Member
Mixon seed co does have a wildlife specialist that works with blends that are planted on endrows to keep deer out of the cotton, that's the only thing I can think of other than them spraying it with penergetic. It's not aglogic for sure.
 

REDMOND1858

Senior Member
From what I’ve seen, deer like young tender cotton. Early after planting, then again after it’s picked and the stalks are mowed and it starts new growth. In between they are mostly just there for cover and undergrowth(weeds). Spraying programs have knocked out a lot of the desirable undergrowth through the growing season they would target.

Every year varies in the timing the deer hit it hard depending on weather, how quickly cotton gets picked, mowed and if the stalks get pulled or not.

If the cotton is sitting in the field defoliated you probably aren’t going to see many deer, other than in passing.

If it gets picked and the stalks are mowed, once you start seeing the new growth come back it should be game on.

Once they come in and pull the stalks or harrow it over, they gone again other than in passing.

The deer are still hammer cotton. No new tricks or anything. The field just has to be in the right condition for it to be desirable to them, and you gotta be there when they are.
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
From what I’ve seen, deer like young tender cotton. Early after planting, then again after it’s picked and the stalks are mowed and it starts new growth. In between they are mostly just there for cover and undergrowth(weeds). Spraying programs have knocked out a lot of the desirable undergrowth through the growing season they would target.

Every year varies in the timing the deer hit it hard depending on weather, how quickly cotton gets picked, mowed and if the stalks get pulled or not.

If the cotton is sitting in the field defoliated you probably aren’t going to see many deer, other than in passing.

If it gets picked and the stalks are mowed, once you start seeing the new growth come back it should be game on.

Once they come in and pull the stalks or harrow it over, they gone again other than in passing.

The deer are still hammer cotton. No new tricks or anything. The field just has to be in the right condition for it to be desirable to them, and you gotta be there when they are.

Sorry, sir - but you are missing the point.

Explanations - other than what the farmers are doing differently - are not needed.

Our campers sit at the intersection of two fields. Many years, the fields are cotton.

From first planting to harvest, the deer terrorized the cotton.

Our fav pastime was to line the chairs up an hour before dark, get the beer out and count deer by the dozens. 50+ in a field that might make 8-9 acres was not uncommon.

Now, the edges of the cotton are barely nibbled and no deer perform the afternoon ritual.

The change is total and complete and I have been on this farm for about 12 years.

It is not the changing status of the crop, it is a 180 degree reversal.


No more and no less, sir.
 

REDMOND1858

Senior Member
Sorry, sir - but you are missing the point.

Explanations - other than what the farmers are doing differently - are not needed.

Our campers sit at the intersection of two fields. Many years, the fields are cotton.

From first planting to harvest, the deer terrorized the cotton.

Our fav pastime was to line the chairs up an hour before dark, get the beer out and count deer by the dozens. 50+ in a field that might make 8-9 acres was not uncommon.

Now, the edges of the cotton are barely nibbled and no deer perform the afternoon ritual.

The change is total and complete and I have been on this farm for about 12 years.

It is not the changing status of the crop, it is a 180 degree reversal.


No more and no less, sir.
Just giving you my observation over the years, sorry for the extra detail.

I’ll shorten it.

Current Spray programs could possibly have eliminated the desirable undergrowth, or extended the amount of time an undesirable chemical is in contact with the leaves.

No new tricks or tactics to keep the deer out on the farmers end that I’m aware of.

Again, extremely sorry for the inconvinence of my original post
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
Just giving you my observation over the years, sorry for the extra detail.

I’ll shorten it.

Current Spray programs could possibly have eliminated the desirable undergrowth, or extended the amount of time an undesirable chemical is in contact with the leaves.

No new tricks or tactics to keep the deer out on the farmers end that I’m aware of.

Again, extremely sorry for the inconvinence of my original post


Please @REDMOND1858 - never an apology!

All conversations are simply that - us talking.

For years the farmers used Milorganite and it worked, somewhat. As long as it was fresh it sort of protected the edges - but time and rain weakened it and in many cases, the deer just ran out into the interior of the field to feed and bed.

Now… they just don’t.

We used to hunt the fields and field edges all the time, now there is basically no reason to.

Plus I miss the afternoon viewing from the camper porch!!!!
 

cowhornedspike

Senior Member
Please @REDMOND1858 - never an apology!

All conversations are simply that - us talking.

For years the farmers used Milorganite and it worked, somewhat. As long as it was fresh it sort of protected the edges - but time and rain weakened it and in many cases, the deer just ran out into the interior of the field to feed and bed.

Now… they just don’t.

We used to hunt the fields and field edges all the time, now there is basically no reason to.

Plus I miss the afternoon viewing from the camper porch!!!!
Have you asked your farmer?
 

fireman32

"Useless Billy" Fire Chief.
I’ve only been able to speak to two local farmers about it, neither of them knew of anything that was being used as a repellant. Or any seed that was designed to repel deer.
Stoneville and Phytogen are two seed companies, one of their reps may know of something.
I’ll keep asking others when I can.
 

buckpasser

Senior Member
Is it possible that there is just a peanut field nearby? My family and I ride our Roxor around the block almost each evening of the summer looking at deer. 99% of the deer are in peanut fields. I’m certain if there were no peanut fields within striking distance they’d browse cotton, but they don’t have to.
 

coolbreezeroho

Senior Member
Best thing to do would be to chat with the farmer. Tell him what you have noticed about the deer and see if he will tell you what they are doing different.
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
Is it possible that there is just a peanut field nearby? My family and I ride our Roxor around the block almost each evening of the summer looking at deer. 99% of the deer are in peanut fields. I’m certain if there were no peanut fields within striking distance they’d browse cotton, but they don’t have to.

I am not just noticing this in 2022, it has been a year or two now.

Our deer browse a cotton field (or at least they used to) equally as well as a peanut field.

Yes, there are peanut fields nearby but the closest one I knew of this year was about 1.5 miles away as the crow flies (and it was on one of our farms).

Deer are far more visible in the peanut fields but in general, we WOULD have had as many in a cotton field as we would have in a peanut field.

Yes, I need to talk to the farmer. I have his number and will call him but he has never replied in the past.

Prior to whatever is going on now, if I had a choice as to what was planted in our ag fields, I would have CHOSEN cotton over peanuts or melons - which is what our rotations are.

Our deer basically LIVED in the cotton, it is often 48” + tall and many times, all you could see are the antlers moving through the field.
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
Is it possible that there is just a peanut field nearby? My family and I ride our Roxor around the block almost each evening of the summer looking at deer. 99% of the deer are in peanut fields. I’m certain if there were no peanut fields within striking distance they’d browse cotton, but they don’t have to.

That Roxor is awesome.

Are they back in production????
 

buckpasser

Senior Member
That Roxor is awesome.

Are they back in production????

They are back in production but probably on their last leg because of the constant Fiat lawsuits. Mine is the CJ7 clone.

I’m just not sure about your deer. I’ve seen them browse the stew out of cotton in middle GA, but always stick to peanuts in my area with little interest in cotton. Even the cotton that was planted in a small field in the middle of the plantation I manage was spared two years ago. Almost zero browse pressure, while my plots and the peanuts were hammered.
 
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