Stalkhunter
Well-Known Member
I am interested in your all thoughts, I don't think they mingle well but it's what I have. Not to say I have not killed deer. It makes it a challenge for sure.
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Help Support TNDeer:
Cows and deer lol how do you all hunt deer in this situation.
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backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Deer don't seem to mind cows too much, and cows pay very little attention to deer. I don't typically hunt primary pastures though.
I used to hunt a farm that had cows on it. Killed a lot of deer and never seen any issues between the cows and deer.
I went hunting out there in Dec once and the same week salt had been spread in the roads. Got back to my truck and the cows had licked all the salt off my truck
I went hunting out there in Dec once and the same week salt had been spread in the roads. Got back to my truck and the cows had licked all the salt off my truck
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
hunting amongst cows reduces sightings by about 75% in my experience with thousands and thousands of hours on stand around cows and pastures nearby without cows.
What I do is rotate my cows off my primary hunting grounds about 3-4 weeks before I plan to hunt, then rotate them back to that pasture after I'm done hunting... problem solved.
What I do is rotate my cows off my primary hunting grounds about 3-4 weeks before I plan to hunt, then rotate them back to that pasture after I'm done hunting... problem solved.
I hate cows when im hunting!!! Nosey bastages wont leave me or the deer alone
BSK
Well-Known Member
I absolutely hate doing deer management on cattle farms. Cows eat everything we do for the deer, and eat plants more completely. That said, I don't seem to see problems with deer and cattle mixing. But Mega's comments above are interesting.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
My primary pastures are in front of my house, I don't hunt them, but we do see deer in those pastures from time to time, especially when acorns are dropping.
I have 2 other pastures I rotate them on that I do hunt. And we do also cut the cows off this before season opens. The deer really don't seem to pay any attention to my cows though even I have watched them together.
Yes, this is why mega has less sightings. If there is no food, deer don't have much of a reason to use the property. Edges can still be good though, especially if you have producing oaks.
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My parents leased my grandads farm and theirs to a nieghbor for cattle for only $500 a year for at least 20 years. The cows cleared all the underbrush in the trees and took out 20 years of young tree growth. It was about 50 acres of non-ag in woods and fields.
Yeah, they kept up the fences and kept the fields mowed. But, I think they got the better deal and no matter how much I pleaded, he would not simply ask them to keep the cows out of the woods.
Deer and cows mingle, but the deer tend to go where the cows are not.
Yeah, they kept up the fences and kept the fields mowed. But, I think they got the better deal and no matter how much I pleaded, he would not simply ask them to keep the cows out of the woods.
Deer and cows mingle, but the deer tend to go where the cows are not.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
Never had much of a problem with our cows and deer. But our most productive farms are not cow farms.
Stalkhunter
Well-Known Member
This place I hunt is a pass through, I have killed deer on the edges of property where cows can't get too.
We have cows on our lease and I get to see deer/cow interactions quite often.
Deer generally don't run off or avoid an area that cows are in. If the cows are moving, the deer typically freeze and wait for the cows to move on. If the cows are stationary, the deer will skirt them just inside the woods and use a different area to cross or feed.
I don't mind the cows at all. In fact, I get excited when the cows pass through. It's almost a given that when the cows move along, a deer will pop out in the next couple minutes.
The downside is they will tear up your stuff. One destroyed my ground blind just before youth season. I put up another one and my grandfather was in it when one of the cows grabbed the tab of the zipper and raised his head. He unzipped the door of the blind and stuck his head in.
Deer generally don't run off or avoid an area that cows are in. If the cows are moving, the deer typically freeze and wait for the cows to move on. If the cows are stationary, the deer will skirt them just inside the woods and use a different area to cross or feed.
I don't mind the cows at all. In fact, I get excited when the cows pass through. It's almost a given that when the cows move along, a deer will pop out in the next couple minutes.
The downside is they will tear up your stuff. One destroyed my ground blind just before youth season. I put up another one and my grandfather was in it when one of the cows grabbed the tab of the zipper and raised his head. He unzipped the door of the blind and stuck his head in.
Deer tolerate cows in general, but I hate hunting around them and prefer not to. The cows inevitably disrupt travel patterns as well as my hunts.
I'd try to hunt part(s) of the property that cows can't access if possible, but if not, I guess I'd hunt anyway and be prepared to be frustrated at some point.
I'd try to hunt part(s) of the property that cows can't access if possible, but if not, I guess I'd hunt anyway and be prepared to be frustrated at some point.
Stalkhunter
Well-Known Member
Lots of good responses,
The guy next to where I hunt rotates his cows into the pasture next to where I hunt every 1st week in November My sittings go way down.
