THE NEED FOR FEED

To some, deer management out of a sack is unacceptable, even where legal. Others rely on it to optimize their deer herds, particularly in the arid Southwest where drought conditions are common. Astute landowners, already strapped for cash, particularly in Texas, obviously realize some benefit or they would not employ a feeding program. In fact, it’s challenging to find a ranch in the state that does not provide some form of supplemental deer feeding. But is the provision of a high-protein supplement a silver bullet when it comes to enhancing antler size?

To address this question, I have been photographically monitoring the changes in antler size of particular bucks on an enclosed 39,000-acre ranch where a food supplement has been provided over the past 14 years, and have observed upward trends in antler size of known bucks, filmed five consecutive years in some cases. But what I’m really interested in is whether an increased distribution of feed stations circumvents the nutritional problem extreme drought represents.