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Protein Feeder for Deer Hunting – Help!

Question: “We a protein feeder for deer in Brown County and we are feeding protein pellets with 20 percent protein. We are having trouble with the feeder clogging up due to moisture. The number of deer on our ranch is not hug, but it is respectable with some good quality bucks. We have been feeding protein for the last year now hoping to improve deer health and the whitetail deer hunting on the place. The deer have been using it some, but not eating all of the pellets.

There is mold forming on the north side of the protein feeder barrel. We were recently told that the metal barrels will cause the protein pellets to mold if they are not properly vented. We added some ventilation, but the mold build up has continued, and it is causing the feeder to clog up inside of the barrel. We used a similar feeder on a deer lease a couple years back and we did not have these problems. Do you think the feed dealer is selling us bad protein? Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.”

Response: It’s not hard to figure out the problem — moisture. The problem you are facing is likely a combination of many factors. Pelletized feeds, protein pellets for deer included, are all made with some small percent of moisture in them. The problem arises in tightly sealed protein feeders, especially when they heat and cool. The humidity in many parts of Texas only adds to the feeder clogging and moisture build up issues.

When it comes to metal feeders for deer, heat is bad too. Once a deer feeder clogs or begins feeding very slowly, it will start to make it’s own moisture that collects as water droplets on the inside of the lid of your feeder. The rate at which feed moves throughout the feeder will impact moisture and mold development. Low deer numbers or an abundance of natural vegetation means feed will move slow or not at all due to lack of consumption. I suspect the great spring rains in your area, like much of Texas this year, produced a good amount of native food. Deer were not using the protein pellets.

No feed movement means lots of moisture, mold development and problems for you. Once the feeder clogs it is going to keep making moisture everyday. One recommendation: If you use high capacity protein feeders for whitetail deer only put in the amount of feed that they can consume in a month. Feed is expensive, and cleaning out your feeders takes time, so better to put in a little less than a little more when you fill them. The whitetail will be fine if they run out for a few days.

In short, the top layer of protein in the feeder needs to move some everyday. Keep in mind that whitetail deer typically consume much less protein in the spring and during the fall because of many times there will be abundant natural foods. Protein cannot compete with high quality forbs. As the spring green declines deer will turn to protein feeders much more. This is the best time to supplement doe deer for fawn production and the bucks for antler growth that you will benefit from during the deer hunting season. Lastly, place your feeder in a shaded area if at all possible. This will prevent the super-heating of your setup in the Texas sun, reducing the amount of moisture that is given off by the pellets inside the barrel.

Stephen F. Austin State Park Deer Hunting

Stephen F. Austin State Park is located in Austin County and offers public deer hunting opportunities through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s special permit draw system. The park is 473 acres in size. It is approximately 5 miles east of Sealy, Texas, in the town of San Felipe. To access the park, take FM 1458 north of IH-10, then Park Road 38. Stephen F. Austin State Park is primarily Brazos River bottomland with mature pecan, elm, and cottonwood trees throughout, with relatilvey open understory.

The objectives of the public hunts at the park are to manage the whitetail deer herd, decreasing numbers to to approach the carrying capacity of the habitat while providing public hunting opportunity. Access to the park will be limited to participants of the public hunt. Hunters will be allowed to camp and normal fees will apply. The hunter check station is located at the park headquartes accessed off FM 1458 and Park Road 38., For more information on deer hunting at Stephen F. Austin State Park or other Texas public hunting lands, call the Park headquarters at 979-885-3613.

Dove Hunter Survey Helps USFWS, Dove Hunting

Hunters look forward to dove hunting season each fall because it signifies that it’s finally time to head back into the field. In Texas, almost every hunter kicks off September with a truck full of fellow dove hunting buddies looking for some fast-paced wing shooting. Since many hunters neglect their shotguns over the summer, it’s almost unfair that dove season is the first hunting season. But then again, there is no better wake up call than having the opportunity to air out a few shotgun shells to get “back on.”

Dove hunters provide economic boosts to small, rural hunting towns annually. Wildlife officials are also hoping that hunters can boost their knowledge about dove hunting. An upcoming survey will ask dove hunters from across the U.S. to share their experiences and opinions about dove hunting. Topics will include time spent dove hunting, demographics, constraints to hunting, and thoughts about potential effects of spent lead from hunting ammunition on mourning doves and other wildlife.

The dove hunting survey is a cooperative effort by the state fish and wildlife agencies, all four flyway councils, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and includes Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “We are conducting this survey because hunter opinions and preferences are important and should be taken into account whenever possible,” says Dr. Ken Richkus of the USFWS’ Population and Habitat Assessment Branch. “The USFWS and the states want to make sure we use the best science-based information for wildlife management and conservation of our migratory bird resources.”

There are more than 1 million dove hunters nationally, with seasons in 40 states. “We’re surveying dove hunters in every state that has a dove season so they can give us their opinions on a variety of topics,” Richkus says. “This approach will give us an excellent picture of mourning dove hunter thoughts and needs by state, region, and nationwide.” The National Dove Hunter Survey is scheduled to begin in late June 2012, and will be completed by the end of the year.

“We really hope each dove hunter who receives a survey takes the time to complete and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided,” Richkus added. “Their answers are very important, and we appreciate their efforts to tell us what they think.” Without sound wildlife management practices in place there will be no dove hunting or any other kind of hunting in the future. If you are selected for the dove survey make sure to send in your response – hunters just like you are counting on it.

Mule Deer in West Texas

Most of the deer hunting in Texas is focused on white-tail deer, but there is also a lot of mule deer hunting takes place in West Texas. The Trans-Pecos and the High Plans both offer solid opportunities for hunters to bag some really nice animals. But don’t get mule deer and whitetail deer confused. They are totally different animals, from the habitat that they used to the foods that they eat. Mule deer were taken from a completely different mold.

Desert mule deer have very different diet requirements. They are definitely deer, but their nutritional need is different than whitetail, which prefer habitats that provide much more cover. Mule deer have adapted to the desert and their food habits have evolved around it. Their are able to use low quality foods and also have the ability to recombine amino acids to create the protein they need. This allows them to make more with less.

Mule deer typically shed and start their antler growth about a month later than South Texas whitetail. Mule deer live in a hot, dry and tough area, so the number of mule deer is much lower than typical whitetail densities. The low density of the deer helps them though, because this desert habitat can provide them with enough food, even during tough times. The plants that live in the tough country of the Texas Trans-Pecos do so for a reason—they can make it there. Though these plants provide mule deer with an abundance of grub in times of rains, they tend to do okay when it is dry too. Mule deer can make it, but rain puts gravy on the bread.

Mule deer have adapted to the arid West Texas climate, but the quality of deer hunting is impacted by rainfall. This is because body condition and antler growth are closely tied to precipitation. Good rainfall makes for a lot of food, both forbs and browse. Plants wait on the rainy season and then put their new growth, which mule deer take advantage of. In drier times, however, the plants go dormant and deer eat more browse. Forbs will grow anytime it rains out there.

For the most part, the majority of the forbs found in the Trans-Pecos portion of West Texas will be warm season plants. There is not much cool season out there, so not many cool season plants except for irrigated winter food plots (if you are lucky enough to have them). When it rains things grow, and it does not take a mule deer very long to pack the weight back on if surrounded by a bounty of food. Over the mule deer’s range, winter months are the toughest because many areas will grow very little native forbs even if it does rain.

Mule deer will eat live plants as well as dead. In a good rainfall year, plants will produce more than mule deer can eat before they turn brown because of decreasing rainfall and increasing temperatures. When green forbs and some browse plants die, then these plants fill a role very similar to hay for livestock—mule deer can use this dead material as a large portion of their diet. In addition, mulies can compliment this forage with the surviving, deeper rooted forbs and browse.

Mule deer are tough and much different from whitetail. Mule deer hunting in West Texas is affected by precipitation in the region, but mule deer are quite drought tolerant. Dry winters are the norm in far West Texas and mule deer have adapted to it. The deer management practices on individual properties will also have impacts on local deer populations. Mature deer require less forage than younger, growing deer. Maintaining good age structure in both the buck and doe segments of the population will ensure healthy animals and mule deer hunting into the future.

Texas Quail Hunting and Management Moves Forward

Ask any “old timer” and they will tell you that Texas quail hunting was fairly good 50 or 60 years ago all across the state. That’s far from the case today. But it has been the loss of quail habitat, not quail hunting, that has hit quail numbers the hardest. They need good habitat—the right kinds of plants—to survive. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) hopes to give habitat and their numbers a boost.

TPWD is taking a “boots on the ground” approach to bobwhite quail management in Texas as part of a strategic action plan that involves hunters, landowners and science. The plan focuses on habitat management and does not include changes in harvest regulations. Because regulations will not compensate for losses in quail habitat, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is making no changes to the quail hunting season for 2012-13. The season will open Oct. 27 and close Feb. 24, 2013 with a daily bag limit of 15, possession limit of 45.

“Hunting is a tool to regulate harvest of quail, but not a tool that could impact quail recovery at a landscape level,” said Robert Perez, TPWD Upland Game Bird Program Leader. “Hunting didn’t create this problem.” The long term trend in declining bobwhite populations have also impacted more than two dozen other grassland bird species that are not hunted. Biologists recognize the primary cause for these declines is loss of usable habitat. Habitat management focused on restoration will be the prescribed cure for Texas’ quail population.

During the next four years, TPWD will implement and monitor quail management strategies at three “focus area” sites in different parts of the state. The model for the project was developed in cooperation with the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative and the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture and is a component of TPWD Wildlife Division’s Upland Game Bird Strategic Plan.

“These efforts will allow us to test the hypotheses that given enough usable habitat, we can sustain viable populations of quail over boom and bust cycles,” Perez said. “Historically, our wildlife biologists have worked with landowners to develop management plans for quail, but we’ve never attempted to quantify those efforts at a larger scale.”

During the upcoming hunting season, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists will also be looking to hunters to help collect and report data that can be used to more accurately monitor quail hunting and harvest. Currently, TPWD relies on information gathered through its annual Small Game Harvest Survey of hunters to determine bobwhite quail harvest, which does not include daily harvest by county.

By issuing a harvest scorecard to a random group of quail hunters prior to the season, and using methodology similar to that developed for tracking migratory game bird harvest, TPWD hopes to get a more accurate accounting of wild bobwhite harvest. The future of Texas quail hunting is hinged to good habitat for these upland game birds. The loss of native clump grasses have hurt quail numbers the most, but improved pastures, fire ants and increased development have not helped either.

Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area (WMA)

The Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area (WMA; formerly Peach Point WMA) offers public hunting for a variety of wildlife species. The area is located 8 miles west of Freeport in Brazoria County and contains 15,612 acres of upland hardwoods, upland prairie, fresh and saltwater marshes. The land is nearly flat and poorly drained with elevations ranging from sea level to a maximum of 10 feet. Much of the habitat found on the WMA is marsh or low lands that are easily flooded. As such, excellent duck hunting and goose hutning can be had during the fall and winter hunting seasons.

The Hurst WMA hunter check station is accessed via State Highway 36 approximately 8 miles west of Freeport, then south one mile at the WMA sign on State Highway 36 to the hunter check station. Duck and goose hunters should be prepared to walk up to a mile in soft soil to reach their hunting site. The are aims to provide low impact, fair chase, public hunting opportunities. No permanent blinds may be constructed on the management area. No camping or open fires are allowed.

The Hurst WMA offers feral hog hunting through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) special permit drawing. Hunters can get more information on about the public hunt drawing, as well as entry cards, through reading TPWD’s “Applications for Drawings on Public Hunting Lands” which is available each summer. The WMA also offer public deer hunting opportunities for youth hunters through postcard drawings associated with the Annual Public Hunting Permit (APH Permit). For more information on their whitetail deer hunts for kids, read TPWD’s “Map Booklet for Public Hunting Lands.”

The wildlife management area does not offer camping. Commercial facilities are available in Freeport. Call the Justin Hurst WMA for further information at 979-233-8729 or 979-244-6804.

Venison Steak Recipe Using Mushrooms and French Onion Soup

There are many good venison steak recipes that we enjoy, but this simple and savory steak is always a hit around our house. This recipe works great with any cut of steak, whether steaks cut from the loin (backstrap), hindquarters or even loin steaks that have been cut into bone-in chops.

The creamy sauce that this recipe creates while cooking works great when served with steamed rice, but also works great over potatoes.

Venison Steak Recipe - Mushrooms and French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

Salt
Pepper
Garlic
1 stick butter
1 can French onion soup
1 small can mushrooms

Directions:

Season venison steak with salt, pepper and garlic, and go a little heavier than normal with the garlic. In a lightly-oiled and hot skillet, sear each side of the steaks for one minute on high heat. The, turn the heat to low and add to the pan one stick of butter, one can of French onion soup and one small can of mushrooms. Place into a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

These tasty steaks should come out fork-tender!

Suppressors for Deer Hunting in Texas

There are many states in the US that allow the legal use of suppressors for hunting whitetail deer and other game species. Now the state of Texas is making suppressors for deer hunting legal in the state. An important misconception among many people is that suppressors and silencers are not exactly the same thing. If one were to shoot full-powder loads through them, then they are quite loud. But even with a “hot” bullet, suppressors are still quiet enough on the ears to not need hearing protection, at least in most cases.

Source: “There is an incredible amount of misinformation on what suppressors do and how they may be acquired. Suppressors are not “silencers,” as depicted in typical Hollywood action films. While suppressors do not eliminate the sound of a firearm, they do reduce the muzzle report in a manner similar to the way that a muffler reduces exhaust noise from a vehicle.”

Suppressors Deer Hunting Texas - Suppressors Legal for Hunting

In my opinion, suppressors have several benefits for hunters that use them with sub-sonic (less than 1,129 fps) ammo specifically for deer hunting. Many properties have deer densities that are in line with the habitat of the area, but there are also many places where deer overpopulation is a real issue. In cases where deer numbers must be drastically reduced, it would seem that suppressors for deer hunting would make a whole lot of sense.

Yes, there is hassle in applying and registering for suppressors for hunting, but the benefits received could be well worth it. Many may contend that suppressors are the enemy of legal deer hunters, suggesting that poachers will use them. They may, but they may be already using them for deer hunting before they were legal. To wrap up, it looks like suppressors for deer hunting in Texas will be completely legal here shortly. This gives hunters another option when it comes to whitetail hunting. I expect suppressors sales will go up!

Austin American Statesman: “Here’s one thing I feel about silencers on hunting rifles: I don’t think there will be a rush on gunsmiths as people hurry to get their rifles cut up and altered. There are recoil reducers and some suppressors on the market already, and plenty of people use them. But the details of getting a silencer are going to be a little too much for most people. I think.

First, you’ll have to have a federal firearms license, which costs $200. Then you’ll need the rifle — which most of the time will be a military style, semi-auto selling for up to $1,500 — and the silencer/suppressor, which is going to be about $400. That’s more than $2,000 just to start. Then, to make the gun really quiet, you’ll need hand-loaded, sub-sonic ammunition that costs more than $50 a box in .308 or .223.”

Deer Hunting in Texas through Whitetail Management, Feeding

Question: “I have a small 80 acre property that is surrounded by a large ranch of about 7,000 acres. We primarily use the property as a deer hunting ranch. I am right in the middle of the big ranch and everything is low fenced. Our deer management program over the last several years has been to manage for age. Most all of the whitetail bucks we have harvested over the last 10 to 15 years have been 5 1/2 to 7 1/2 years old, with some even older. The ranch surrounding me really does not do that much deer hunting. They mostly conduct a quail hunting operation. My question is, will feeding protein help my deer herd or is it not going to matter much since they have such a large range?”

Response: Yes, feeding protein will help the whitetail deer found in your area even though their movement will have them moving off and onto your property quite regularly. Protein helps both bucks and does. It will help bucks put on additional antler growth, and it will help does with fawns big time during the late Texas summer with the high demands of milk production. Just make sure the buck to doe ratio is tight, 1:1 or even slightly in favor of bucks. Protein feeding can get expensive, so you want to make sure it is meeting your objective.

If you want bucks with bigger antlers, then I would suggest feeding. If you want more fawns, then I would suggest feeding. Protein will allow does to raise more fawns because of the stable food supply, which means in turn you will need to shoot more deer. This is why I recommended that the buck to doe ratio be tight, because it would not be wise to feed a bunch of does just to make them more prolific so that you have to shoot a bunch more does.

In addition, make sure to remove the inferior bucks relatively early in the deer hunting season based on their antler quality for their age. There will will be no need feeding these animals for several more years when the better bucks of the same age can be eating the high dollar protein. The deer hunting in your area can be improved through the supplemental feeding of protein pellets or even whole cottonseed, but make sure you know what your objectives are before you start a feeding program.

Make sure to record everything you see while deer hunting in the fall. This will give you a good idea of what’s happening on your property, as well as what you will need to harvest. Do not use game camera photos placed on protein feeders to give you survey information. Bucks tend to dominate protein feeders, so it will look like you have nothing but bucks in your area. You can use game cameras to survey deer, but make sure you put them along roadways, water sources or trails away from feeders. Good luck!

Deer Hunting in Texas – Feeding Protein in the Spring

Question: “We enjoy deer hunting and have a lease in south central Texas. We have no problems around here this year, habitat conditions are awesome compared to last year. We typically fill protein feeders around the first week in January each year and it usually takes the whitetail about three months to clean out six 2,000 pound protein feeders. Last year was so dry we were already filling them up for the third time in late April.

This year is a different animal. Deer are not eating protein.Nothing. The feeders we filled in January are still 80% full. I’m okay with this, but will protein feed go bad in a free choice protein feeder? Also, is there any chance that I see a fall off in horns this year due to the deer eating stuff with lower protein content than what we are offering?”

Response: This year has been a real turnaround compared to the last one. Plants are green and tall compared to dead and brown. With regards to whitetail not eating your protein, I would not be concerned. The protein content on forbs can be very high, with many hitting in the 25 to 35 percent protein range. This is why deer are not eating your protein pellets. No offense to you or to the manufacturers out there, but protein pellets suck compared to high quality forbs—and the deer know it. That is why they are eating the better stuff that is available to them right now.

There should not be any real problem with the stagnant protein. However, the feed will start to lose it’s smell, and I assume its flavor too. There will be nothing wrong with the pellet quality. Problems could occur if you start getting some light mold on top and on the sides of your pellets inside the feeders.

I would recommend opening them up and inspecting them. If the air in protein feeder feels either hot or moisture-rich then I would let them air out. Just open them up on a day when it’s really sunny and you’ve got a good breeze blowing.

As far as antler quality, the deer hunting will be better than ever! Do not expect the “horn” quality to fall off. In fact, expect bigger and better. As mentioned earlier, high quality native forbs are chock-full of protein. And with the rain we’ve received this year, there are lots of good native forbs out there for deer to forage on.

Another benefit of the rain is that the deer browse will be putting on new growth. Last year was a bust. The browse grew very little and was low quality. When it comes to high quality browse it does not get any better than fresh growth. The rains have definitely brought it on. In short, the rain has been a blessing for the habitat and for whitetail in general. The fawn crop should be out of this world this year. The deer hunting should be good around Texas as antler quality will up.