What type of bales are best to use to attract deer throughout the winter months? I live in Northern MN. Does it have to be alfalfa hay or grassy hay? 1st, 2nd, 3rd crop? Looking to provide food and get pictures and maybe even find shed antlers near the bales this winter. Does a guy have to role some of the bale out or just leave it? square or round bales work better? thanks
If the deer aren't used to eating hay, it can kill them during the winter. Their bodies change and they eat browse and grains. If you try to feed them hay, they will get filled up and not get any nutrition out of it. It will just give them the ****s and they will essentially starve to death. That is, if you try feeding them too much. If you're going to feed them (if its legal) during the winter, I suggest a grain mix that's higher in protein.
Would it also be better to scatter the grain and let them browse for it? Piling it up seems like they could over eat as well. Just curious... not needed here in the Deep South.
Yup - the hay will fill them up and they starve as they can't digest it. Grains are better, but still not as good a hard winter food as tree buds. If you start early enough they don't 'harden' thier stomachs as much so the grains can be fine...we are not allowed to supplemental feed here but I do drop my firewood trees for the next year starting in late January through February and even into March(which can be the worst month for the deer if snow stays late and deep along with thawing and freezing the crust back up). Around us Suger/hard maple and cedar are the highest nutritionally then go to soft maple, oaks, hemlock, aspen and then the birch family and ash trees. Balsam and spruce are starvation trees with low nutrition...of course I don't just drop the high value trees so they usually get ash, ironwood(eastern hophornbeam - birch family) and soft maples. They love white and red pine as well but we are trying to reintroduce(transplant) these into the stands and they are browsing the sapling buds.
