Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Supplemental Deer Feeding

I own and operate several feed mills and grain and feed trading companies.
Over the last 5 years we have been testing a supplemental protien feed for deer feeding at the request of several of our large cattle feed customers who are also large landowners and run commercial and private hunting clubs. We have tested in Texas in the Laredo brush contry, Hill Country mostly near Menard to San Angelo area on a very large ranch, and also on smaller properties in East Texas and all over Louisiana.
We wanted to see what the feed could really do in different parts of the country before we really started producing and marketing it. The results have been absolutely great in all areas that we tested. We consulted with biologists from all the major Texas Universities and private biologists on large ranches as well as with LSU.
The feed is not an attractant for hunting season. It is to be fed during the antler growing and fawning season to help antler development and help the does with milk production. Bucks are at their most physically poor condition during the post rut period and does that are bred are also needing all the good nutrition they can get. Going into the summer especially in drought conditions deer need good nutrition to grow to their full potential and also fight off all of the disease and sickness that usually occurs during this time.
I've had a very difficult time explaining this to my customers east of Texas. They all want feed during deer season and then quit feeding. Feeding corn during the deer season basically is just for the hunter. It has very little protien at all and doesn't do anything but really go right through em with little or no benefit. Especially with corn prices these days from $8-$12 for a 50 lb bag. Food plots and protien feed, without as much minerals as a spring and summer feed, are much more benficial to a deer herd than spincast corn and trhowing piles of corn on the ground.
I can currently produce a free choice(to be fed in gravity feeders or regular cattle type covered feeder, not spin cast). That I can deliver into Texas, LA, MiSS, Ark, and parts of Alabama for about half the price of recleaned corn. It will Have 16-18percent protien and all the minerals(calcium and phos) that deer in these regions can use. I'm not out to compete with Nurena and Purina and make feeds with over 20 percent protien levels for deer in cages and more minerals than their bodies can possibly process for $30 a bag.
I want to sell this feed to normal people with non high fenced free range deer that want to do some good for their herd instead of throwing their money away on corn.
Just trying to see how many of you would be interested in a fully registered, guaranteed, safe deer feed at a substantially cheaper price than all these "mega buck" protien feeds or some wild game innovations or come here deer crap type attractant.
The feed will be registered in all of the states I mentioned above and anyone who has a bunch of experience in Texas or the southeast feeding free choice protien I would love to hear what you think and hear any experiences you have had.
I will have several dealers selling this feed under their own label in central texas and the hill country this spring and we will be selling truckloads and railcars into larger ranches in south Texas. A couple of the national and regional larger box type stores have also been working on contracts with me.
Just trying to seee what all of you Texas and SE guys think of free choice protien feeds during the season and during the spring and summer.
I have also just got reports from one of my customers that was feeding corn to WT on a property in West Texas that had mulies on it as well. He never saw a mulie at one of his corn feeders, but told me he has had many, many mule deer eating this feed like crazy within 3 days of putting it in the corn feeders!!
Thanks

I'm totally interested. I have land in AL, GA, and FL, it would be interesting to see if the deer in all 3 states would be both interested in your product and how they reacted to its protein levels.

1 of the people here in Mason Texas,Schmidt Double T Ranch also has a deer wormer ingrediant he adds to his special protein mix.I'm not sure how often he does this but he said it helps the deer tremendously.He's well known in Texas and has seminars about raising big deer.He told me he didn't feed high protein year round because it would burn up there either kidneys or liver.

Crittergetter, that is exactly why we are keeping
our protien and mineral levels at a normal lower level than most other companies.
The big names are using minerals to match soils in the Midwest. Our deer cannot handle or really use that kind of level of minerals. Protien is the same, if you and I ate a porterhouse steak every night we wouldn't do so well either. A large mature southern or Texas whitetail will never eat more than a pound or so of this stuff a day if he has 24hr access to it. They will go to natural browse or food plots with higher fiber levels and less protien every time when it is available.
Most biologists that aren't being paid by a feed company will tell you any protien level above 16% or so is a waste. Lots of natural browse or mast in certain areas will have higher protien levels than that. But it is never available year round. Deer in my area will cut consumption of this feed in half when the white oaks start dropping for about a month.
They know what's good for em and what makes em healthy. What isn't
good for them is way too much of anything.
I've seen piles of cottonseed, candy, bubblegum, rice bran and rice mill feed(terrible ingredient in any deer feed) just piled upon the ground. That causes lots of mold and toxins to grow because of moisture and heat and also can spread disease like wildfire.

I am extremely interested. Is it bagged or bulk and what is the price. Been feeding for 14yrs and always looking for a better product.

I was really just trying to get an idea for how many guys in the SE and Texas feed their herd vs just food plots and see what everyone was doing and paying in general.
Don't wanna sell on the site without paying to be an advertiser or sponsor. Let me get with Rick and pay up before I break the rules. Thanks for all of your comments.
I ship ingredients and finished feed bagged, bulk in railcars and 18 wheeler loads, and if you really want a bunch anywhere a 1800 ton barge or Panamax sized vessel will float!!!
Shoot me a PM if you need more info and I'll get set up to speak about this properly on the site.
Let me know what you guys are paying for your feed and what type of protien, calcium and phosphorus levels are in your feeds. I have never added any meds and have never really used any raincoat type coatings or heavy binders in my pellets either. By experimenting with different types of protien and different levels of steam and retention time in my pelleting mills I can keep my costs down and not have to use expensive products. I've spent a lot of time getting these pellets where they are and keeping the price down in today's grain market has been tough. But I don't plan on raising my prices anytime soon. I also never raise them mid season. I'm lucky to be right on the Miss River and have access to barge sized quantities of ingredients. I buy all in massive bulk orders.
Thanks for all of your interest and comments.

I live in MS and would be interested. I can send a pm if you need me to.
Lee

Got intouch with Rick and will be getting payment to him Monday for advertising and selling here.
I am way behind on filling orders at the moment. The Texas guys have cleaned me out and I'm producing 20 hours a day now. I will post prices, ingredient and protien, fat, fiber and mineral info ASAP.
Thanks for all of your info. I know many small mills that make great deer feeds all over Texas. Are any of you guys east of Tex buying locally made feed from smaller mills?

Palmetto is Tennessee in your plans? nobody that I know of is doing this other than the big guys as you mentioned @ $30.00/bag.

That's getting a bit out of my territory. Freight may be prhohbitive and finding trucks doing back hauls heading east is often tough for me.
If i had a dealer or co op in western TN neard the river where I fequently do business I would consider it. I'll keep you posted.

Palmetto count me in. I'm very interested in purchasing this feed. My land is in N. Florida and S. Georgia.

I'm interested. I have a place around Junction Texas.

please send me your info. rio7

Still trying to get caught up on previous orders.
tlfw I've got product headed to a large prperty just NW of you in Menard. Very large property. I will probably have it available in bag, bulk or both in the feed store in Menard soon.

Thanks. PM me with the particulars. I'd really love to put it to use.

I am in Mississippi and am very interested in your product. I will send you a PM with my info.

Are you only looking for the deep south or southern mid-atlantic.

We have access to several hundred acres in extreme southern mayland with very similar soils and conditions to the carolinas. Also, we have @ 600 acres of managed land in South Carolina in the piedmont. We would be interested in your product.

I would be interested. I hunt in both Kerrville area and north of Cisco - so you are in between. This drought had me worried an I ended up buying 14% creep feed. Does anyone know if, or at what time of year- what conditions deer will eat pods off mesquite trees? I am thinking hogs moved out of my area for now leaving the pods for deer who can reach them.

I'm interested, but I have my doubts that the deer will eat it. We've tried a couple of the high $ versions and they turn their noses up at it. It usually just molds or rots. Coons like them.

The only way we can get them to eat protein feeds is to mix corn in it and they pick out the corn first.

Are you only feeding it during the antler growing months or year round?

How much will it go for in 50lb bags and is it available in North La?

Thanks,

loder