Price of Deer Feeds

[Rolltide123]

Sportsman Choice $20
Antler Extreme $22
4S $19
Buck Muscle $19
Mid Georgia $16
ADM rack plus $18.00
A big difference in $22 vs $16....is one that much better

 

[kmckinnie]

Roll tide

 

[Long Cut]

I’d look closely at protein % and Total Digestability.

Another thing you seriously need to figure out is your Deer Per Square Mile. You need to feed 3-4# of protein feed per deer per day to make any impact. That includes feed lost to moisture, spillage and varmints.

So for 25 DPSM x 3# Per Deer Per Day = 75# of Feed
75 x 30 Days = 2,250# of feed
2,250 x .10% Feed Loss = 225
2,250 + 225= 2,475# per month
2,475/50# bags = 49.5 > 50 bags per months
50 bags x $20/Bag is $1,000 per month

 

[HughW2]

LongCut,
Impressive calculations. So at what point in season do you stop feeding protein and start corn or less expensive supplements? Bucks are all hard horned and finished with growing racks in I guess what 6-8 weeks (Late August- early Sept.). Do most shift to corn at that point or keep pounding those dollars down On protein. Definitely shows the high price of antlers and big bodied bucks. How many hunters can pay $1000 per month for 6-8 months for deer feed. I guess there is not explaining personal priorities.

 

[shdw633]

Rural King 15% protein for $10.49. Nearly the price of corn and better for them.

Country Road Livestock Commodity Mix, 15% Commodity 3-Way Blend, 50 lb. Bag

Brand May Vary. Pricing Varies By Region. Please contact your local Rural King for pricing. Click here to find your local Rural King.**All ingredients provided by Cargill and are in effect as of June 14th, 2019. Ingredients may be subject to change. Please read product packaging before use.**

www.ruralking.com

 

[Gadestroyer74]

Will deer eat the feed mentioned above ? Sure they will however it’s not formulated for deer. It has lower copper levels and lower protein levels than deer need. It’s better to feed deer a feed that’s been designed for deer..

 

[Long Cut]

LongCut,
Impressive calculations. So at what point in season do you stop feeding protein and start corn or less expensive supplements? Bucks are all hard horned and finished with growing racks in I guess what 6-8 weeks (Late August- early Sept.). Do most shift to corn at that point or keep pounding those dollars down On protein. Definitely shows the high price of antlers and big bodied bucks. How many hunters can pay $1000 per month for 6-8 months for deer feed. I guess there is not explaining personal priorities.

We typically feed protein March to August.
Corn from September to February.

To supplemental feed properly is extremely expensive and time consuming.

 

[Buford_Dawg]

Unfortunately, the average hunter like me doesn't fully understand the idea of supplemental feeding and the true cost to do it and have beneficial impact to the deer herd. Our clubs do not do it simply for fact as noted in the information LongCut provides in this thread. Just too costly for most of my members.

 

[shdw633]

Will deer eat the feed mentioned above ? Sure they will however it’s not formulated for deer. It has lower copper levels and lower protein levels than deer need. It’s better to feed deer a feed that’s been designed for deer..

I don't buy that. Protein is protein and if I eat a hamburger or drink a protein shake my body doesn't know the difference in the protein. A deer's body can only consume 16% protein the rest goes out the back door, unabsorbed by the deer's body. Feed pellets isn't the only source of protein a deer will eat throughout the day and I'm sure it will find the other 1% difference out there on it's own. As far as copper, we have mineral blocks and sites for that.

 

[rstallings1979]

Sportsman Choice $20
Antler Extreme $22
4S $19
Buck Muscle $19
Mid Georgia $16
ADM rack plus $18.00
A big difference in $22 vs $16....is one that much better

Crazy prices. I stopped three or four years ago...I would rather buy a nice piece of equipment with the amount of money it would take to justify it. I opted to just do control burns on sections of my property and food plots.

 

[Dean]

Not going to comment on the brand differences vs cost per bag. However, there has been wildlife biologist studies that show "feed loss" (due to non-whitetail consummation, etc) was/is much higher than the 10% calculated above......but ultimately it is tabbed "supplemental" feed program - that is supplemental to year around plantings/maintenance of feeding plots, cultivation of native browse (prescribe fire, TSI etc) - so in effect if we are simply filling feeders 6 months out of the year AND it is not supported by all the other aspects of deer management as noted then it's probably primary feeding not a supplemented feed program. If you have more money than time, just fill feeders; if you have more time than money, work/prep your hunting land with year around plots - annual and perennial, TSI forest management etc...

 

[Gadestroyer74]

I don't buy that. Protein is protein and if I eat a hamburger or drink a protein shake my body doesn't know the difference in the protein. A deer's body can only consume 16% protein the rest goes out the back door, unabsorbed by the deer's body. Feed pellets isn't the only source of protein a deer will eat throughout the day and I'm sure it will find the other 1% difference out there on its own. As far as copper, we have mineral blocks and sites for that.

No disagree with that. What I posted was from a college source not my own.. you will have to argue your point with there findings

 

[Al White]

The cost of supplemental feeding is high - agree. Mother nature provides the key ingredients, trigger control on bucks until they hit 5+. Feeding helps

 

[kmckinnie]

I wish I had neighboring clubs that did supplemental feeding.

 

[Gbr5pb]

Glad I hunt wild deers!

 

[Dean]

Apologize for hijacking this tread, as the OP asking about difference between feed vs cost. Pure non scientific antidotal statement; we have neighboring clubs that feed multi-tons of protein feed all spring and summer too, what we have seen over the past few years (I would generally label all hunters in our area as "mature deer trophy hunters" ) is that the target bucks are killed very early in the season of bow/crossbow - September maybe early October latest on their summer pattern to the feeders. These multiple buck killings have now happened consistently over several years; all evening hunts sitting near feeder or on trail leading to feeder first week or 3 of archery season. In other words those few target bucks are dead before they would start roaming outside of their home range seeking does....and walking about in/onto neighboring tracts. Granted if those target bucks do survive the first few weeks of the season, they move to acorns and seemingly not as active hitting (eating) the feeders other than to scent check doe groups that are utilizing as pre-rut/rut gets ramped up. Then late season the mature survivors get back - majority at night - to refuel after the rut on late season feed stations but are typically more corn based than protein based in terms of mid to late season feed.

 

[roscoe54]

To me if you own your land would make more sense to me if you choose to feed protein But with the cost of leasing land and protein feed knowing your on a year to year lease does not make sense to me. I think most of us know someone who lost there lease after growing theses big bucks and spending thousands of dollars to get them there

 

[kmckinnie]

Apologize for hijacking this tread, as the OP asking about difference between feed vs cost. Pure non scientific antidotal statement; we have neighboring clubs that feed multi-tons of protein feed all spring and summer too, what we have seen over the past few years (I would generally label all hunters in our area as "mature deer trophy hunters" ) is that the target bucks are killed very early in the season of bow/crossbow - September maybe early October latest on their summer pattern to the feeders. These multiple buck killings have now happened consistently over several years; all evening hunts sitting near feeder or on trail leading to feeder first week or 3 of archery season. In other words those few target bucks are dead before they would start roaming outside of their home range seeking does....and walking about in/onto neighboring tracts. Granted if those target bucks do survive the first few weeks of the season, they move to acorns and seemingly not as active hitting (eating) the feeders other than to scent check doe groups that are utilizing as pre-rut/rut gets ramped up. Then late season the mature survivors get back - majority at night - to refuel after the rut on late season feed stations but are typically more corn based than protein based in terms of mid to late season feed.

Sounds like that target buck is on there place. Do y’all hunt bows durning archery.

 

[kmckinnie]

To me if you own your land would make more sense to me if you choose to feed protein But with the cost of leasing land and protein feed knowing your on a year to year lease does not make sense to me. I think most of us know someone who lost there lease after growing theses big bucks and spending thousands of dollars to get them there

Yes we do know them. My target buck size has shrunk. I try to enjoy hunting. I’m in the area where the deer get shot. It’s there place and it’s my place and I’m joining them. When in Rome do as the romans do. I shall eat deer meat. One will make it and he will be a true trophy making it thru the gauntlet. He didn’t get big by being let go.

 

[kmckinnie]

No one feeds here in the off season. I use to. Grew nice ones. They GON.
They don’t have plots. They have corn spinners and run in and out on 4 wheelers. Most smart bucks make it.