Looking for a handout.
- Thread starter Keifer
- Start date
thunderdome
Member
That is a great picture. I bet they are there waiting on you at the same time every day.
Mark.Sibole
Well-known member
Good Job I like anyone who feeds or supplements Deer during the hard times.Therer are to many people or hunters who bait of feed deer during hunting season then stop supplementing when they harvester their deer.I feed until they quit showing up for the winter here.As IM in between swamps about 5 miles on each side of me all of my deer leave for the winter about mid january and head to the swamps where more cover is available and there is more of a natural food source.I wish they would stay all winter here but it just dosnt happen.Kudos for doing your part helping them when they need it the most!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark.Sibole
Well-known member
Ill have to see if I can find some of my videos from the Blind trail camera to post.The day i was so sick to go out i had a nice 6 point 30 feet in front of the blind and I wasnt there to shoot.But when im not there they know as they stick their toung out at me
D&D Farm
Gold Site Supporter
You guys are so lucky.......Yes, you have to put up with the snow and all that that brings; but........and that is a big wide ass BUT....you have all of that wildlife. Here, yes, I get 36 species of birds at the feeder; but NOT a single deer around for going on maybe 5 or 6 years. I go for a ride on my mules up in the national forest all around me and see no sign, track, or anything. Don't know if it is the coyotes or what; but they are gone. The hunters say the same thing (I don't hunt since Viet Nam) and are getting very low numbers. They say the same thing and know nothing about what is going on.....SAD......God bless......Dennis
God, thru "Mother Nature", manages Earth's life forms. Species numbers rise and fall naturally. Rabbits are the most noticeable because their life span is relatively short. This management is done thru contagious diseases.
In regards to Deer one of the most common management diseases is what's known as "Blue Tongue". Someone can chime in with the scientific name. 2 years ago it hit our Deer herds real hard. Thinned them dramatically. Starting to see response this year. I am in my timber frequently. This year I'm counting anywhere from 6 to 20 Deer in my 60 acres of timber. 2 years ago it was a treat if I saw 2.
There are of course many other things that can change herd size. And the lasting effect can have a different timeline. Might even be human population in an area that's causing it. As proven in the pics on this thread Deer are not afraid to mingle with humans. So humans effect on herds is more likely caused by changes in food or shelter for the animals.
Sometimes the State's Wildlife Conservation Agency has a broad effect on these things. That is usually displayed more in smaller species. But can be felt in animals as large as Deer. In Missouri we had an over abundance of Quail. So they introduced Pheasants. The Pheasants almost wiped out the Quail population and became over populated. So they introduced Turkeys. The Turkeys almost wiped out the Pheasant population and became over populated. So they introduced Bobcats. So far that has had no effect on the Turkey population and we are becoming heavily populated with Bobcats. Not sure what the next species introduction is going to be??
Good part is our Quail population is coming back. Had 4 coveys hatch in my 23 acres of CRP this past Summer.
In regards to Deer one of the most common management diseases is what's known as "Blue Tongue". Someone can chime in with the scientific name. 2 years ago it hit our Deer herds real hard. Thinned them dramatically. Starting to see response this year. I am in my timber frequently. This year I'm counting anywhere from 6 to 20 Deer in my 60 acres of timber. 2 years ago it was a treat if I saw 2.
There are of course many other things that can change herd size. And the lasting effect can have a different timeline. Might even be human population in an area that's causing it. As proven in the pics on this thread Deer are not afraid to mingle with humans. So humans effect on herds is more likely caused by changes in food or shelter for the animals.
Sometimes the State's Wildlife Conservation Agency has a broad effect on these things. That is usually displayed more in smaller species. But can be felt in animals as large as Deer. In Missouri we had an over abundance of Quail. So they introduced Pheasants. The Pheasants almost wiped out the Quail population and became over populated. So they introduced Turkeys. The Turkeys almost wiped out the Pheasant population and became over populated. So they introduced Bobcats. So far that has had no effect on the Turkey population and we are becoming heavily populated with Bobcats. Not sure what the next species introduction is going to be??
Good part is our Quail population is coming back. Had 4 coveys hatch in my 23 acres of CRP this past Summer.
Mark.Sibole
Well-known member
Think your talking about Cronic wasting disease possible.We had it here in Michigan real bad last year and it devistated the heards in southern Michigan..
We have that chronic waste disease in our State as well but DCNR is fighting hard to eradicate it. I think they have it pretty well contained.
About an hour ago, the dog is in the house and started going crazy, wanting to go out. Didn't know or really care what she was after. Opened the door and she hauled ass for about 20 yards which is when I spotted the fox. Then the fox spotted my dog and made a bee-line to jump the creek and into the woods.
The dog got within about 10 yards of catching it (before the fox jumped the creek) but then the dog stopped due to her containment line. The fox had cleared the creek and seeing the dog not chasing slowed down. Now my son is begging to shoot it. I told him to let it go.
Bring the dog back in and sure enough, 15 minutes later, there's that bark/excitement again. Let her out but this time it was a deer.
About an hour ago, the dog is in the house and started going crazy, wanting to go out. Didn't know or really care what she was after. Opened the door and she hauled ass for about 20 yards which is when I spotted the fox. Then the fox spotted my dog and made a bee-line to jump the creek and into the woods.
The dog got within about 10 yards of catching it (before the fox jumped the creek) but then the dog stopped due to her containment line. The fox had cleared the creek and seeing the dog not chasing slowed down. Now my son is begging to shoot it. I told him to let it go.
Bring the dog back in and sure enough, 15 minutes later, there's that bark/excitement again. Let her out but this time it was a deer.
Last year a pair of Fox had 3 young in a ditch along my back hayfield. In the beginning my dog thought he could catch the adults. Not happening. After awhile they would come up around the shop to get the dog to come out and play. He'd chase and they'd run until he stopped. Then they'd stop. Then he'd trot back toward the shop with the fox trotting behind him about 60ft. When he'd stop, they'd stop. Watched that game several times.
My neighbor has free range chickens. Needless to say these Fox eat very well.
My neighbor has free range chickens. Needless to say these Fox eat very well.
If I was smart enough to do it, I'd move a picture off my Cell Phone onto the computer and then post it. My neighbor took a pic of a fox on her back deck yesterday eating cat food. Looks very healthy to me.
It's common to see Fox here. They are not nocturnal to the point of not coming out in daylight. They also are not the least bit afraid of humans. Cautious?? Yes. Afraid?? No.
I didn't want to ramble, but let me add. Last year the Fox pair on my property, at one time, moved their young to my driveway culvert. Purpose being they were closer to the neighbors "free range" chicken operation. I could sit in the open door of my shop and watch the young come out in the yard and play. Sometimes the adults would join them. One adult was always keeping an eye on me while the other played with the young. Distance, 100 yards.
D&D Farm
Gold Site Supporter
We have fox, bobcat, and of course the wonderful coyote here..........I call them "my" fox's here as they have a den right up the road and inside a county water tank fence line. Really safe for them in there. We see them pretty often at all times of the day and no they aren't sick. She had 3 little ones this year. That slowly went down to only one. At least that is all we would see so maybe the others were around. They tend to play and hang around up above their den about 50 yards in a cleared off area where I have a corn feeder. I see them all the different hours on my game cam there. I think they hang around there and try to get the turkeys.
When my dogs are riding in the Kubota up the road and they see them, it's Katie bar the door and off they go........Funny really. The dogs never get tired of chasing them; but it's funny that they don't pick up the little ones that are more obvious to see; but they don't.
I will never forget the first time I heard one doing its mating call. It's kind of a very rough "cough". One evening several years ago my wife came running in the house. "Get your gun there is somebody in the woods making a weird noise." Of course I went into "ALARM MODE". Got the shot gun and went hunting........nothing......Then later she comes back in saying she heard it again and would I go with her to guard her as she needed to find a fence wire that was causing the electric fence "fault" light to come on.........So of we go, hearing the "noise". Dark as the proverbial inside of a ....well you know....anyway, spooky out there hearing it and it was moving through the woods.......Finally, we found the break, with the noise moving maybe 20 yards and hearing it maybe every 3 or 4 minutes......
That night I spent maybe 2 hours doing research......the fox mating call:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az80KVbVUSs
God bless......Dennis
When my dogs are riding in the Kubota up the road and they see them, it's Katie bar the door and off they go........Funny really. The dogs never get tired of chasing them; but it's funny that they don't pick up the little ones that are more obvious to see; but they don't.
I will never forget the first time I heard one doing its mating call. It's kind of a very rough "cough". One evening several years ago my wife came running in the house. "Get your gun there is somebody in the woods making a weird noise." Of course I went into "ALARM MODE". Got the shot gun and went hunting........nothing......Then later she comes back in saying she heard it again and would I go with her to guard her as she needed to find a fence wire that was causing the electric fence "fault" light to come on.........So of we go, hearing the "noise". Dark as the proverbial inside of a ....well you know....anyway, spooky out there hearing it and it was moving through the woods.......Finally, we found the break, with the noise moving maybe 20 yards and hearing it maybe every 3 or 4 minutes......
That night I spent maybe 2 hours doing research......the fox mating call:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az80KVbVUSs
God bless......Dennis