Attracting more deer

[villebones 4]

 

Problem?

sorry a have click on the wrong thread

 

No worries

[2434me 13]

One of the simplest things to do ,is take a couple of pounds of general fertiliser every couple of months and spread it over selected areas (20mtr x 20mtr).They will pick out the better grass and scrub by themselves (all on your ground of course ).

[waidmann 105]

cocked up that last post!

 

why not lick the stone? will they just hammer it?

 

sorry bud only just seen the post

if they can lick the stone itself they may take too much salt and won't be there for very long doing it mate. if you can cut off a tree,fix a post at around 6ft and put it on top the salt runs down the post and they can lick it off/eat soil from the ground containing the salt.

beware of putting the stone too low as the fox will gladly scat all over it!!

 

often people put roofs over the stone defeating the object completely,it should be open to the rain.

 

waidmann

[waidmann 105]

Thank you all very much for all your help and advice so far.

 

What I'm thinking of doing is clearing out the dead trees, removing all of the dead plants and rotting wood. This will leave room for new life and a nice greener wood. I will leave some fallen trees as I know that the muntjac deer hide under them. I will then plant some bracken for cover and open the canopy of the trees so that light shines through on the bracken (I've been told deer like to sunbathe). I am also looking into planting chicory game cover as suggested by john robbo. I will then plant some sort of food plant such as a blackberry bush or Can anyone suggest a better fod source?

 

Let me know what you all think please and feel free to offer advice on how I can improve this idea.

 

 

i would not remove the dead wood bud,it provides food for all manner of insects and birds.

if you remove a few(preferably softwooded/pine)trees then the cover will form of its own accord(bramble and other pioneer plants carried by the birds you are looking after )

planting in woods is always a problem(soil,moisture,light........) so i would let the plants come naturally.

 

brambles provide food in winter(they seldom lose their leaves) and cover for all species especially the "hedge lovers" roe and muntjack (fallow,sika,red being more for open land/park).

 

fertilising is good to improve quality of food available,chalking and NO fertiliser a good way to improve the diversity of a grassed space(obviously two different spaces!!).

regular mowing of strips ensures fresh growth all year round(when grass gets to about a foot high then cut a strip.a strimmer will do the job then rake it away for winter feeding if you want to).

 

waidmann

[langouroux 14]

cocked up that last post!

 

why not lick the stone? will they just hammer it?

 

sorry bud only just seen the post

if they can lick the stone itself they may take too much salt and won't be there for very long doing it mate. if you can cut off a tree,fix a post at around 6ft and put it on top the salt runs down the post and they can lick it off/eat soil from the ground containing the salt.

beware of putting the stone too low as the fox will gladly scat all over it!!

 

often people put roofs over the stone defeating the object completely,it should be open to the rain.

 

waidmann

 

 

cheers mate.

[sh 08 17]

This is what thl is all about, useful info. this is a cracking thread no at all. keep the tips comming gents. some of these are common sense but its not until people actualy say that you realise

[flytie 1]

I have just asked a similar question on another site as I have about 0.5 acre at the top end of a field that I can have as a deer lawn. I was told, medowsweet, Bog Myrtle (Mine lays wet as it's near a stream), climbing roses, fresh shoots of the traditional grasses, chicory got a good mention as did stubble turnips, peas and brassicas mixed in and some maize.

 

Bracken does not need encouraging! Well coppiced hardwoods are a roe favourite seemingly, so some judicious trimming in your woodland in certain places might help.

 

Atb, ft

[waidmann 105]

i'm not familiar with some of the names of the plants you mention (i could do alot more with the german names sorry) but if you can get plants that will ripen at different times there will always be something on offer,cabagge types will be edible all through winter(rape is easy to plant,go for a feed type for cattle as they have less bitterness.there used to be a type called "00" which had no bitternes at all this caused problems called "rape dozyness" in roe especially.a colic.)

 

aniseed on "sheep lick" will add to the attraction(someone mentioned vanilla earlier which i have not tried).

 

waidmann

[2434me 13]

Something that was suggested to me years ago that I have never actually tried yet.Was to make friends with your local tree nursery/garden centre. Anything that is broken ,stunted etc and is no longer commercial and would be thrown out .Ask them to keep a bag full for you the next time they have a clear out . You then obviously plant the cast offs in small patches and add to the diversity for the deer ??Roe are famous for eating anything different or exotic ! lolol

 

In theory it sounds good ,but as yet I still haven't tried it ??

[chocky14u 4]

Our local pet shop sells large sacks of carrot's intended for horses. Usually get about 5 sacks for less than a tenner so pretty good value too.

 

Have used these for a couple of years now during the winter periods and works a "treat".

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

The other side of the coin -The trouble with a small acreage is that roe are seasonal browsers,picking at what is best at any one time on or near your ground . I would say make the most of what you do have and shoot whatever you like within reason .Nature will fill that vacuum quicker than any plant will grow i can assure you . Land management is a full time job and out the reach of a man not on the ground permanently .To dabble here and there is to do just that .Roe tend to hammer what they find tasty ,ask any market gardener, hence a small patch of anything wont last long . Obviously the bigger the acreage the more diverse the habitat and more browse for more deer .

Waidman -Fallow are not strickly grazers mate ,ask our local forestry department

[waidmann 105]

that fallow will eat other things than grass is clear to me bud,they are not as picky as roe and are not classed as "selectors" as the roe is.

 

most species of deer will feed on bark(in harder times/when stressed into staying in cover) the worst damage being the terminal shoots on trees that have been planted(causing the tree to bush and not grow tall and straight).

thanks for pointing that out though bud i wouldn't want someone to think that they only eat grass

 

waidmann

[mudman 14]

The wood you describe sounds just about perfect Roe habitat, they love a bit of a 'jungle', plenty of fallen trees and big bramble beds is just what they like, keep it as it is. It will be a devil to stalk itself but great holding cover to feed the surrounding fields.

 

It may well be that your 350 acres has already reached its carrying capacity and will never hold many more deer than it does now without serious land use changes (ie more woodland). But if the general area has good number if you shoot one the it will be soon replaced by another, especially at this time of the year when last years young are getting pushed around.

[villebones 4]

Hi guys, since posting this topic and taking in the advice I have been given the dogs have not been allowed to venture into the woods (main holding spot). The woods have been left pretty much alone. We have started to notice more deer about and have also recently seen muntjac in the area.

 

Another thing I would like to know is what would be the best fruit & vegetables to attract the deer into different areas. My sister works in a fruit and vegetable shop and so I can get ahold of any of the leftovers.

 

Thanks once again.

Edited July 8, 2010 by villebones

[wireviz 8]

If the roe are there in reasonable numbers then the food is ok and they are happy. Just do a proper census and shoot a planed cull.If your deer are moving out in the summer then this is territorial behavior.If they are moving out in the winter it usually means you have a cold wood. I would open up the canopy in places like suggested and plant trees that will afford shelter in the winter. Cut any Hawthorn down really low it will give food and shelter and any Evy bramble i would pull and peg to the ground.

 

 

 

A wood getting planted with conifer after opening up the canopy but most of the work was done with what was there this wood 10 acre produces 3 does three bucks a year on average

Edited July 8, 2010 by wireviz