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Post by Catscratch on Jun 23, 2017 13:58:11 GMT -6
Have you guys experimented or tried to teach deer to eat invasives? Cattle can be taught to eat thistles (they actually target them once they figure out they are good). All it takes is some watered down molasses and a sprayer. I noticed deer use on my plots goes way up after I spray gly and I don't see why I couldn't try to teach them to eat thistles and sericea.
Who here has tried this? Or am I crazy...
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Post by smsmith on Jun 23, 2017 14:59:34 GMT -6
I have not tried this, but sure would like to know if something like that was possible. If I could train deer to eat thistles I'd be one happy SOB
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Post by Catscratch on Jun 23, 2017 15:17:05 GMT -6
I think I'm going to try it. A bag of corn and a spray bottle of molasses should get me started. Once they associate the smell of molasses with food I should be able to at least get them to take a bite or two.
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Post by biglakebass on Jun 23, 2017 15:25:28 GMT -6
Dang.
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Post by sd51555 on Jun 23, 2017 19:25:31 GMT -6
I vote crazy.
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Post by DoubleLiver on Jun 23, 2017 19:31:36 GMT -6
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Post by Catscratch on Jun 23, 2017 19:38:18 GMT -6
I will second that. Crazy like a fox when the deer are eating all my thistles!
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Post by DoubleLiver on Jun 24, 2017 5:35:22 GMT -6
Prove me wrong and i might admit it.
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Post by smsmith on Jun 24, 2017 7:07:41 GMT -6
You've done this with cattle Catscratch?
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Post by terrifictom on Jun 24, 2017 7:38:24 GMT -6
The very 1st year I bought my property, I didn't have equipment or time to plant a food plot so I got the previous owner to work up a small area and plant oats. The rest of the area around the spot he planted was weeds and grass about chest high. I or my son were planning on hunting this plot out of a tent ground blind for gun season. We wanted to stay back from plot but couldn't see into the plot because of tall grass and weeds. I took a couple bags of corn and some type of flavoring that you mix into corn to attract deer. I spread the corn all into the high grass and weeds, then I sprinkled that flavoring onto the weeds and grass. 2 weeks later I came back to set up the blind and the grass and weeds were mowed down to the ground where ever I spread the corn and flavoring. Yea it might work.
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Post by Catscratch on Jun 24, 2017 7:53:36 GMT -6
You've done this with cattle Catscratch? I can't say that I have. I do use cattle to control Johnson Grass (They love the stuff but you can't put them on it when it's mature and it's hot and dry. Doughty conditions make it toxic but if you put them on it while it's growing they will keep it mowed down all summer.). They will eat Sericea too but that takes a mob style grazing, which helps trample thistles also. These methods all require fence and rotations. Teaching deer to help would just kick ass.
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Post by Catscratch on Jun 24, 2017 7:54:54 GMT -6
Prove me wrong and i might admit it. I noticed you threw in the word "might". So I'm crazy even if it does work? You sound a lot like my wife!
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Post by Catscratch on Jun 24, 2017 7:57:01 GMT -6
The very 1st year I bought my property, I didn't have equipment or time to plant a food plot so I got the previous owner to work up a small area and plant oats. The rest of the area around the spot he planted was weeds and grass about chest high. I or my son were planning on hunting this plot out of a tent ground blind for gun season. We wanted to stay back from plot but couldn't see into the plot because of tall grass and weeds. I took a couple bags of corn and some type of flavoring that you mix into corn to attract deer. I spread the corn all into the high grass and weeds, then I sprinkled that flavoring onto the weeds and grass. 2 weeks later I came back to set up the blind and the grass and weeds were mowed down to the ground where ever I spread the corn and flavoring. Yea it might work. Perfect! Just got to convince them to eat the crap (which is usually high in protein) without the flavoring. Whenever I spray my plots with gly the deer hammer them for a few days. Something there that they like...
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Post by Sandbur on Jun 25, 2017 4:09:27 GMT -6
The very 1st year I bought my property, I didn't have equipment or time to plant a food plot so I got the previous owner to work up a small area and plant oats. The rest of the area around the spot he planted was weeds and grass about chest high. I or my son were planning on hunting this plot out of a tent ground blind for gun season. We wanted to stay back from plot but couldn't see into the plot because of tall grass and weeds. I took a couple bags of corn and some type of flavoring that you mix into corn to attract deer. I spread the corn all into the high grass and weeds, then I sprinkled that flavoring onto the weeds and grass. 2 weeks later I came back to set up the blind and the grass and weeds were mowed down to the ground where ever I spread the corn and flavoring. Yea it might work. Perfect! Just got to convince them to eat the crap (which is usually high in protein) without the flavoring. Whenever I spray my plots with gly the deer hammer them for a few days. Something there that they like... Do they eat the sprayed weeds or are they eating the foodplot plants that are experiencing a growth spurt after being released?
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Post by Catscratch on Jun 25, 2017 5:57:22 GMT -6
Perfect! Just got to convince them to eat the crap (which is usually high in protein) without the flavoring. Whenever I spray my plots with gly the deer hammer them for a few days. Something there that they like... Do they eat the sprayed weeds or are they eating the foodplot plants that are experiencing a growth spurt after being released? Honestly don't know. I have plots within view of my house and for several days after I spray deer sightings goes way up. They tend to eat as many weeds as they do plot plants anyway. I don't know why usages goes up. I speculate it's either the taste of the chemical or the affect of the chemical on the plant (like what you said).
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