Feeding deer sunflower seeds

[work2play2]

Stopped at a store today they had bags for cheap 50 lbs of sunflower seeds mixed with corn. Decided to buy some. When I got home I didn’t realize it’s 95% sunflower seeds. Felt kinda scammed. But neway, anyone ever fed deer sunflower seeds? Not sure what to expect.

 

[Ruger15]

Ive got a couple of bird feeders behind the house and the deer seem to love it most afternoons they are camped out around them.. May take them a little bit to take to it.

 

[DSGB]

If you read the threads about dove fields, they say the best thing to plant is sunflowers, but keeping the deer out of them is the biggest downside.

 

[ucfireman]

Don't know what "Cheap" means but 40 lb black sunflowers usually run $18 or so. So you nay have gotten a deal.

 

[1eyefishing]

My 3 partners and I just bought a one ton pallet of that. 50 bags for $440. Or less than $9 per bag. Price included delivery to my hunt camp.
We have heard good things about it. Apparently less attractive to coons as they are only attracted to the little bit of corn in there...
My understanding is that the deer are far more attracted to the solid black seed (black oil?) than the seed with the white stripe.
Friend of mine says that a 40 pound bag on the ground will last about 2 days once the deer find it there consistently.
I've got several cameras on the stuff. Will report back…

 

[oochee hunter]

I put sunflowers in my deer feed, they love it.

 

[35 Whelen]

Deer definitely will eat sunflower seeds!

 

[shdw633]

We have found the bucks tend to gravitate to them more than the does but only at the beginning of the season, after the season I have seen them just sit there for over a month untouched.

 

[1eyefishing]

Repo

My 3 partners and I just bought a one ton pallet of that. 50 bags for $440. Or less than $9 per bag. Price included delivery to my hunt camp.
We have heard good things about it. Apparently less attractive to coons as they are only attracted to the little bit of corn in there...
My understanding is that the deer are far more attracted to the solid black seed (black oil?) than the seed with the white stripe.
Friend of mine says that a 40 pound bag on the ground will last about 2 days once the deer find it there consistently.
I've got several cameras on the stuff. Will report back…

View attachment 1038856

Reporting back....
The derr are killing this stuff faster than corn.
Once they're on it, a 50lb bag is gone in 2 or 3 days.
When you pour it out, it looks mostly black withe flecks of gold corn.
Looking at a bag I poured out 3 days ago, there is only mostly corn and millet left.
They def preferring the sunflower out of it...

Impressive results to me...

 

[ucfireman]

For 9.00 a bag I would try it. Who did you buy it from?

 

[1eyefishing]

I mis spoke. Actually it was forty 50 pound bags. Not fifty 40 pound bags. So at $440 per ton it was actually $11 per 50 pound bag.
I got it from my tractor man who delivered the one ton pallet to my camp.
Not exactly sure where he got It. I would check the local feed stores. He is in the northern Taylor County area and will deliver locally. Or I guess you could arrange to come and get it.
Good stufff...

 

[work2play2]

thanks for the response. I’ll say I did a test with it and attrax and they never touched it until attrax was gone.. but they will still eat it plenty

 

[bfriendly]

I have birdfeeders and the deer will eat them seeds right out of it no doubt!

 

[ucfireman]

Googled sunflower/corn deer feed and got this. Don't know how much is too much.
Was looking for a supplier of this stuff.

Deer will readily eat sunflower seeds, but do not be tempted to put out large amounts for deer. Besides the expense to you, sunflower hulls are lethal for deer when ingested in quantity. There is a chemical compound in the hull that kills the microbes in a deer's paunch, leading to the deer's demise.Feb 22, 2012

https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/b...r-winter-feeding-kills-12-deer-new-hampshire/

 

[1eyefishing]

Googled sunflower/corn deer feed and got this. Don't know how much is too much.
Was looking for a supplier of this stuff.

Deer will readily eat sunflower seeds, but do not be tempted to put out large amounts for deer. Besides the expense to you, sunflower hulls are lethal for deer when ingested in quantity. There is a chemical compound in the hull that kills the microbes in a deer's paunch, leading to the deer's demise.Feb 22, 2012

https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/b...r-winter-feeding-kills-12-deer-new-hampshire/

That's a good heads up for sure. Will have to watch concentrating the feed. As it is, our few bags on 480 acres last a couple of days out of the week before we can get back to put out anymore. The deer have a quite a variety to eat unless they're starvin the other 5 days of a week.
Up there in a New Hampshire winter they're talking about it being the only thing the deer has to eat at all.
And just as many were hit and killed by cars due to supplemental feeding as died from the feeding itself. 12.
Will take note...

 

[ucfireman]

I would feed it, like you say there is plenty other stuff to eat here. At 11/ bag its cheaper than the stuff I've been feeding.

 

[Addicted to Antlers]

I heard sunflower is good to mix in your spring/summer plots.