I've seen a couple old threads but wanted to get thoughts on who feeds corn year round or when you start feeding protein and for how long. If so is bag protein mix or cottonseed the way to go. Just want to get some thoughts.

Cottenseed is the way

Year round is best

Duuude.

-corn starting a month before deer season to get them coming to feeders through the end of deer season.
-protein year around if you can but want to when horns start growing beginning of October at a minimum, then start again to help when they are worn down post rut
-cotton seed can sterilize bucks too close to the rut, do it in the summer.

We have protein out right now and will feed until Antler growth is complete (September).

Corn feeders will run until February and a handful through May for key spots or areas we want to hunt during the off-season for hogs/exotics.

We start corn back up in September during the last protein fill.

Heads up - Antlermax is about $17-18/bag right now… it is not cheap to supplemental feed anymore.

Fishin Texas Aggie 05 said:

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Cottenseed is the way

Year round is best

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I have always heard cottonseed shouldn't be fed year round.

A few very successful people I know only feed cottonseed for a month or two after the rut, to help deer recover and get their bodies back. And then for a while during antler growth.

I think food plots, with supplemental feed depending on the forage available is the way to go other than that.

We always have multiple threads every year on this topic.

Depends on your goal:

If you care for your deer herd and are using supplemental feeding as a means to improve your herd or help it through the changing seasons then:

1.) Corn is a carbohydrate...it only contains 6% protein content at best. You feed carbohydrates to put on fat. You want fat for helping the deer survive during extremely cold months ( Which Texas rarely has for long periods now).
It is bad for whitetails digestive system to feed corn during warm or hot months as it can have aflotoxins.
2.) Corn should only be fed as a 1/2 corn 1/2 protein pellet mix during colder months.
3.) Deer are under a lot more stress in hot months than cold here in Texas. They need protein when its hot...not carbs to make them fat.
4.) Warm and hot months feed protein only ( At least 16% or better).
5.) Feed year around
6.) Cotton seed is great but if fed year around you will have dominant bucks that will habitually feed upon it and it can have sterilization effects on them.

On our ranch we feed year around....we utilize cotton seed, 1/2 corn 1/2 18% Protein Mix during cool or cold months and only pure protein pellets during warm or hot months.

We do not hunt at or around our supplemental feeders (bulk or spin cast)....we find that this gives the animals a chance to feed more efficiently and minimize the effect of dominant animals "controlling" the feeder and getting the bulk of the feed.

If your goal is to bait them in only then corn is the cheapest route.

Agree with your post but what we found is that our dominant bucks ( We raise nothing in pens and dont purchase outside deer) take the easiest path and become lazy and just "lived" around the cottonseed feeders. Given the choice they would rather chow down on the cottonseed than the corn/pellet mix or straight protein pellets (depending on the time of the year) that was available at other feeders. We saw a definite change in the breeding quality and could only surmise it was due to the cottonseed year around as we had never had that issue until feeding cottonseed all year. So now we just offer it during antler growth months.......but still offer protein pellets as well.... as a good quality protein pellet with added minerals and supplements is far superior to the overall body health of all the deer in the herd than just what cottonseed can offer alone. That's just my oppinion though.

How in the world does cotton seed sterilize a buck?
I've never heard this before…

Gossypol issues

Quote:

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The effects of gossypol on ruminants such as white-tailed deer and related species are not so evident, but seem focused on the animal's reproductive physiology. It has long been known, for example, that gossypol toxicity will damage a bull's sperm.

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Cottonseed contains gossypol (sp?) that can affect reproductive ability.

Interesting. Thanks

Thanks for all the information.

You are more than welcome. Hope you have great hunts with lots of good memories!

This. Good post as usual.

Guess you need to shoot the dominant bucks