Supplemental Feeding | Deer Hunting & Management

Feeding Soybeans to Supplement White-tailed Deer

Roasted Soybeans and Deer

The benefits of supplemental feeding for white-tailed deer have been well-documented by researchers and land managers in recent years. In white-tailed deer management today, the combination of habitat management and supplemental feeding go hand-in-hand on most properties interested in providing optimal, year-round nutrition.

Though some land managers choose to supplement through food plots, others prefer to use protein pellets for ease and reliability. Regardless of the product used to supplement deer, the primary reason for providing supplemental feed is to improve the overall health of each individual animal in the herd.

Deer Nutrition

The health of a white-tailed herd is readily measured through the individual body condition of deer, the antler quality of bucks, and annual fawn production. Although the presumed outcome of providing additional food is better and healthier deer, land managers often look for different inputs — or different food options. For managers, it always comes down to ease of access to the produce they are feeding, deer performance while consuming the feed, and costs.

I’ve been asked time and time again over the years about feeding whole, roasted soybeans as a supplement for whitetail. Roasted soybeans are a good supplement for deer, but not a silver bullet for a deer management program. Feeding roasted beans can be done, and it can be done successfully, but it’s always good to look at the pros and cons.

Feeding Roasted Soybeans to Deer

First, let’s not confuse baiting deer with supplementing deer. Baiting deer with corn or other agricultural products can be great for attracting deer for the purpose of harvest, but corn is not a supplement. A true supplement adds nutritional value to an individual deer’s diet. Sounds simple enough, but why would a deer manager consider different options for supplementing deer? Well, the biggest concern is typically costs.

The dollar does not go as far as it once did, so hunters and deer managers are constantly looking for less expensive options. Currently, corn is $7, roasted soybeans are $12, and protein pellets are $11 per 50 pound bag (depending on where you buy them). Corn only offers 6 to 7% protein, soybeans average about 40% protein, and the pellets I quoted above are 20% protein.

All of these products get cheaper at bulk prices, but let’s look at the value. In other words, what do the deer on your property get for each dollar that you invest?

Comparing Soybeans to Other Supplements

Corn is an attractant so the value is that it will draw deer into your area. However, the money you spend on a bag of corn does nothing to actually help the deer other than making their belly feel a little more full. The addition of protein, however, really can improve the diet and body condition of individual deer. Roasted soybeans and protein pellets are both more expensive than corn by weight, but the value (what the deer gets versus what you pay) is much better!

Soybeans, at 1.7 times the price of corn, deliver over 5 times the amount of protein when compared to corn. Protein pellets, at 1.6 times the price of corn, deliver over 3 times the protein. Roasted soybeans also have 3 times the fat content of corn.

The value of roasted soybeans and pellets over corn is obvious, but there is more to consider when it comes to supplementing a deer’s diet. In addition to macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats), what about the essential micronutrients required by by white-tailed deer?

Soybeans and Protein Considerations

Protein is great, but deer can not survive on protein alone. Important micronutrients for whitetail include calcium, phosphorous, potassium, copper, selenium, zinc, and vitamins A and E. This is where protein pellets pull away, so to speak, from whole or roasted soybeans. Soybeans can have good levels of micronutrients, but not always.

The nutritional value of the bean will depend on the conditions under which it was grown and this affects the macro- and micronutrient levels. This will ultimately impact the amount of nutrients that are digestible by deer. In addition, roasted soybeans have more (bypass) protein than raw soybeans. This means roasted soybeans provide more available, usable protein than raw soybeans.

Roasted Soybeans for Whitetail

Where they are readily available, roasted soybeans are a practical way to supplement the nutrition of white-tailed deer. Of course, any food added to a deer’s natural environment should only be considered a supplement. Supplemental food is not habitat in a sack and can not be substituted for good deer habitat management. However, roasted soybeans can be used effectively to supplement animals where good deer habitat exists, but micronutrient levels can vary.

More Research on the Supplemental Feeding of Whitetail

Spring is officially here and plants are green again, but the lack of rainfall has kept native vegetation from really taking off. On the bright side, trees, shrubs, and vines are leafing out thanks to some precipitation and warmer temperatures, and providing new-growth browse for hungry white-tailed deer.

And speaking of deer food, there is some on-going research that may shed more light on the supplemental feeding of deer and its impact on native plants. Deer managers agree that supplemental feeding, whether it be protein pellets, whole cotton seed, or some other type of high-protein food, really helps local deer populations.

However, the words “supplemental feeding” have become almost synonymous with “deer management” in some circles, and although not totally accurate, it’s not far off. Although the management of deer populations incorporates much more than the addition of free-choice protein, most landowners giving deer management an honest effort are providing some sort of supplemental food.

So as common as this practice is for the management of white-tailed deer, it also deserves further attention. By definition supplemental food is, well, supplemental. The foods placed out for deer are merely there to add to an individual deer’s natural diet, not replace it. If this were false then a property could support an unlimited number of deer as long as food was continually added to the system. This won’t work.

But some often confuse deer breeders and deer management. Yes, deer can live in pens devoid of vegetation with protein pellets and water, but imagining a ranch that looks like a deer pen would be a sad, sad sight and the deer population would still suffer from density-dependent factors. It was commonly thought that the addition of supplemental food reduced a deer’s use of natural plants — and it’s true — but maybe it all goes down a little different.

Past research found that deer provided with supplemental food in the form of free-choice protein pellets still used native plants, but the deer only consumed the most highly preferred plants available to them.

However, preliminary results from research conducted in South Texas suggests that supplemental food does not encourage selective foraging by deer. So why is it important? Well, we all know that deer prefer to browse on certain plant species. Food preference is probably a function of palatability, digestibility, and overall nutritive value.

In areas with high numbers of deer, highly palatable browse species become over-utilized, stunted (hedged), fail to reproduce, and can die. When this happens over a ranch or ranches and year after year, entire plant species can disappear. This leads to an unhealthy system with plant species after species succumbing to over-use over time.

Under the first scenario, supplemental feeding would not prevent the over-use of preferred browse species by deer, but new research may find that free-choice feeds reduce the use of preferred browse. This is important for deer managers that are interested in providing good wildlife habitat because it gives real credit to the fact that free-choice pellets really are supplemental.

Deer not only use preferred browse species, but they also use moderately and slightly preferred browse plants. This widespread use of browse species suggest that supplements can buffer the use of native plants by deer, but not fully protect them.

So regardless of what the current study finds, both scenarios end up proving that deer can not live on supplemental feed alone. Even when supplemental food is provided free-choice, white-tailed deer still desire native browse plants in their diets. Not only are these plants important for food, but also for the shelter and screening cover they provide for deer and other wildlife species. And let’s not forget that browse plants typically contain protein levels ranging from 15 to 35%. And that can feed your deer and really supplement your supplement, for a lot less money.

Cottonseed as a Supplemental Food for Deer

Cottonseed for Deer

A big part of deer management is ensuring the physical health of individual white-tailed deer. Supplemental foods can help, but is cottonseed for deer a good idea? Possibly, as healthy deer makes for a healthy deer herd. Individual deer health is important for maintaining body mass, promoting maximum antler growth in bucks, and optimal milk production in does. Furthermore, healthy does means better annual fawn survival.

The energy and protein requirements of deer have become more understood over the years. Consequently, deer managers now focus much of their attention on meeting and exceeding the food requirements of white-tailed deer. This can be done in either of two ways. The first is through native habitat improvement. The second is by providing supplemental food. In some areas, feeding cottonseed for deer is an option that should be considered.

Feeding Cottonseed to Deer

Pelleted protein ranges from 14-24 percent protein and is readily available throughout the whitetail’s range. Protein pellets are commonly offered in free-choice feeders for deer. Most managers use a pellet that provides 16-20 percent protein. Pellets are super easy to use. However, costs is always a factor and managers often consider other sources of protein for deer diet supplementation. Several sources of “alternative” protein include crop seeds such as whole cottonseed and soybeans. Let’s discuss cottonseed for deer.

In some areas, cottonseed is readily available and a real option for managers. However, cottonseed contains a compound known as gossypol. This is a toxic pigment that the plant naturally produces. It’s believed that gossypol discourages consumption of the seed by animals. I’m probably not making a case for feeding cottonseed to deer at this point, but wait, there’s more.

Furthermore, gossypol can reduce reproductive ability in some mammals when consumed at high rates. Okay, so stick a fork in cottonseed? Nope, it’s not done yet! Fortunately, recent research in Texas has found that white-tailed bucks are not negatively effected by whole cottonseed, even when it makes up a high percentage of a deer’s diet. Yes, I’m saying there’s a chance.

Cottonseed for deer as a diet supplement

Cottonseed Research

“We’ve done a series of independent projects,” said David Hewitt, the institute’s Stuart W. Stedman Chair for White-tailed Deer research. “In fact, we had five bucks on a 40-percent whole cottonseed diet and five bucks on pellets and chopped alfalfa from June through September. We looked at body weight, semen samples, and blood. We did not see any negative effects the first year.

The bucks on 40-percent whole cottonseed did lose some weight while the other bucks (on pellets and alfalfa) did not. Again, there were no toxic effects on the sperm or red blood cells. The bucks maintained their weight while the control group bucks gained weight. The doe weights did not change.”

Cottonseed as a Supplement for Deer

Cottonseed by the Numbers

At over 22 percent crude protein, cottonseed is a high-protein food alternative that is also rich in phosphorus. This is great news, as phosphorus is one of the most limited nutrients in native forages. Phosphorus is important for body growth as well as antler growth in bucks. In addition to white-tailed deer performing well on cottonseed, there are some other positives surrounding the feeding of whole cottonseed.

Non-target species, such as feral hogs, raccoons and other varmints do not eat whole cottonseed. Furthermore, these animals do not even have to be excluded from cottonseed feeders. They simply will not use cottonseed as part of their diets. This helps the bottom line by limiting consumption by animals other than the target species, whitetail deer. As we all know, a decent percentage of pellets is lost in waste, to both the weather and non-target wildlife.

Whole Cottonseed for Deer

All in all, cottonseed is a solid choice as a supplement for whitetail because it’s high in protein, high in fat, and it does not easily degrade under moist conditions. In fact, it does not get any easier than feeding cottonseed to deer. You can simply place cottonseed out on the ground or in a free-choice feeder. Standard whole cottonseed is not the only game in town. There is also a slightly modified product called EasiFlo, and it has some advantages.

EasiFlo cottonseed has the same nutritional benefits as regular (fuzzy) whole cottonseed, but is starch-coated to improve handling. This new cottonseed flows freely and can easily be augered through traditional grain-handling equipment. This choice really does make feeding cottonseed for deer easy. It also increases the options for the deer manager and hunter.

Feeding Cottonseed to Deer

Cottonseed for Bucks

Whole cottonseed as a supplemental food for deer is great for maintaining the physical health of a herd. It is especially effective for improving the body condition of bucks following the rut. Because cottonseed is high in protein and fat it allows post-rut bucks to put weight back on rapidly, meaning more energy is reserved for antler growth. Following the end of the breeding season, new antler growth kicks off just a few months later. You do not want bucks struggling to put on weight at that time.

Feeding cottonseed will increase deer body condition, help improve annual fawn production and allow for increased antler development in bucks. However, cottonseed as a feed it should not be considered a complete ration for white-tailed deer. It’s not a one-stop-shop, but whole cottonseed is still a good supplement for whitetail. What is makes up in protein and fat it lacks in some nutrients.

Sizing Up Cottonseed for Deer

Whole cottonseed lacks many of the micro- and macro-nutrients that protein pellets contain. After all, pellets are developed to serve as a complete ration/diet for deer. However, cottonseed fits the bill for free-ranging deer in good habitat. Whitetail will pick up other necessary nutrients from other aspects of their diet. Although cottonseed has many great qualities, its availability may be limited in your area. This is the primary reason why more managers do not use cottonseed for deer.

Remember, regardless of whether you decide to supplement a deer herd through protein pellets, crop seeds or food plots, supplements are only intended to compliment native forage. Supplementation is most important during periods of stress. With this in mind, cottonseed is well suited to serve as a true supplement for deer. If it’s available in your area, cottonseed for deer is a good idea, especially after the rut in late-winter.

Deer Density and Supplemental Feeding

When it comes to white-tailed deer management we do know a lot, but we do not know it all. There is a lot that is not known about how white-tailed deer affect their habitat under different densities with and without supplemental feed, however, that is exactly what a research project initiated on two South Texas ranchesd hoped to determine — the effects of deer on native vegetation.

To accurately conduct the research, six 200-acre enclosures were constructed on both ranches. In addition, they were divided into 3 pairs — each with target populations of 10, 25, or 40 white-tailed deer. One of each pair was supplemented with a free-choice (all you can eat) pelleted supplemental ration and the other was left to forage from only native forbs and browse. To document changes in habitat condition, canopy cover and biomass were estimated annually. Continue reading “Deer Density and Supplemental Feeding”

Supplemental Feeding Versus Baiting for Whitetail

Many landowners and hunters consider supplemental feeding an important factor in deer management and a source of nutrition when native forage is inadequate either in quantity or quality. Under certain conditions, a supplemental feeding program can help keep the deer herd in better condition and help meet some of your management objectives. However, most deer feeding programs which provide sufficient additional nutrients to be of value are quite expensive.

Are You Feeding or Just Baiting?

There is a distinct difference between feeding and baiting white-tailed deer. Maintaining deer feeders from October through December is a common practice on many properties to attract deer to hunting locations during the whitetail hunting season. Unfortunately, most of these baiting efforts cease just before additional the additional feed is really needed by the deer — in late winter.

Supplemental feeding is most-beneficial during stress periods. Stress periods for deer are usually encountered when the protein content of the forage is at a low level. This is almost always during winter and summer or as a result of prolonged period of drought.

'Supplemental

As mentioned, supplemental feeding of deer is expensive, and unless properly done it may be of little or no benefit to the deer. The most efficient means of insuring adequate nutrition is through a good habitat management program that provides sufficient cover and a variety of browse plants as well as forbs. This is done by reducing deer numbers and domestic livestock numbers to levels that allow the plant communities to recover and remain in good condition.

Before Supplementing Deer…

A common mistake made by many managers attempting to develop a habitat management plan is to disregard the number of animal units of deer present when calculating use of the range. If deer are present, they will also be using available forage and must be considered as part of the stocking rate. If large numbers of deer are desired, domestic livestock must be reduced to prevent damage to native plant communities.

This also holds true for farmlands. There is plenty to eat during the growing season, so the limiting factor for deer occurs when food sources are low following the hunting season in the winter.

Under good habitat conditions, white-tailed deer and cattle do not compete for food. However, deer, sheep and goats are in direct competition for the available food supply. When habitat is in poor condition, deer and cattle will compete for forb and browse plants.

True Supplemental Feeding Has Benefits

The supplemental feeding of deer may be beneficial if the herd is harvested adequately each year and the habitat is maintained in good condition or constantly improved through management practices. Only under managed conditions will supplemental feeding benefit the growth-rate of a deer’s body and a buck’s antlers.

The benefits of a supplemental feeding program may be more quickly realized when feeding is done within game-fenced areas that allow the manager to closely control the white-tailed deer population, but most of us are managing and hunting under free-range conditions. Feeding can work just about anywhere, but it takes proper implementation and a higher level of manager involvement to be effective.