Over the past decade, supplemental feeding of whitetail deer has increased tremendously. One effect of this has been the recent increase in the number of entries in Boone & Crockett each year. In general, the reasons for supplemental feeding are...

• Increased numbers of deer due to improved reproduction and fawn survival
• Greater numbers of adult male deer due to better survival
• Better antler development due to a higher nutritional plane

The effect on the doe population is critical. During pregnancy and lactation it is important that a whitetail doe get a nutritionally balanced diet that includes protein. If not, fawns get slow starts and are smaller than those born to better nourished does. Undernourished does equal smaller, slower maturing, future bucks.

To achieve full antler potential a buck must be allowed to live to maturity. This usually isn’t the case where the majority of whitetails killed in most states are one or two years of age, with few reaching the mature age of 5 to 6 years. Even so, nutrition can be used to improve the antlers on all ages of bucks.

Supplemental feeding is important year round. During the winter it is vital to reproduction and future fawn survival and to help bucks recover from the stressful rutting period.

During the post rut recovery period bucks will spend their time resting and replenishing muscle and body fat lost during the hectic rut when bucks are more concerned about breeding than keeping their bodies in shape. Bucks must first replenish their bodily needs with a diet that includes protein, calcium and phosphorus and other nutrients and minerals before any of those can be directed to antler growth. If the body is still lacking these nutrients and minerals when antlers first break through, the body will continue to replenish itself first, and then direct those nutrients and minerals toward antler growth once the body is satisfied.

A high-protein diet coupled with important essential minerals and vitamins made available to a deer herd in late winter and early spring quickly replenishes the body and gives these bucks and does an advantage over others who receive no supplemental protein feeding.

Your prime considerations when choosing a protein feeder, besides cost, should be:

• Efficiency and control in delivering feed to deer
• Minimal loss of feed to non-target animals
• Easily accessible and non-threatening to deer
• Ability to protect protein pellets from the weather
• Flexibility to feed both corn and protein pellets
• Amount of time required to inspect and service the feeder

Sweeney Enterprises, Inc. offers a variety of protein feeders to meet your individual needs. Check out Game Management Feeders on our website or give us a call!.