Moo Cow's effect on game

My generalizations refer to natural and original vegetation, not items introduced by humans
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Well, so called "moo-cows" are not native or original to America either, iffin I remember my history, humans introduced them too :)

The introduction of Ag crops came about soon after. Hard to find anywhere in the lower 48 anymore, where deer are not influenced by Ag or tree farming using non native species or artificially planted. Where does one generally find the biggest and most deer? Close to Ag land for sure. What do Texas hunters fill their feeders with? Not natural and original vegetation. What do folks plant in food plots to attract deer? Generally not natural and original vegetation. Still, I've watched deer walk thru a soybean field without stopping to get to a white oak tree dropping it's acorns, and I've seen deer that were very reluctant to leave new growth cutovers when the snow was waist deep. Generally don't see many moo-cows there........:D
 
Since bison and cattle can interbreed, I figure that they're both bovine. So, bison then, cattle now. :) For all that cattle were introduced, they do eat the same basic diet as bison.
 
I have always heard that "deer browse." Their "browsing" in my food plots sure look a lot like grazing to me.:rolleyes: If something walks no more than 30 feet in an hour and eats the whole time, I call it grazing. They do browse, but they also graze quite often.
 
I'd love to hunt Moo-Cow, by far the tastiest critter on the planet.

On Texas cattle ranches, deer is quite plentiful
 
Western Oregon, Blacktail deer.

Have 70 acres, with about 35 of it in permanent pasture. Rest is open
hillside/forest.

This spring there were up to 15 deer in a herd grazing during the day.
I could ALWAYS hop on the ATV and see at least 5 on a cruise of the fences.

The guy that rents pasture from us brought in 27 head of cattle in
mid April. Never saw another deer during daylight hours in the pasture
until after he took the cattle out in late October.

They were still there----I would get them on my game cameras at night.
 
Browsing means the eating of herbs and forbs. Grazing means the eating of grass.

Herbs and forbs are generally low-growing and un-noticed growies. Even after many a year in the outdoors, I don't pretend to be able to identify many of them.

Deer can eat grass, sure, but the biologists say that they get no benefit from it. Eating hay in winter makes for bulk, but it merely relieves the stomach's feeling of emptiness.

Many wildlife agencies have published many articles on the subject of diets of herbivores. Probably not the epitome of wisdom to argue with them. :)

Next time you (generic you) field-dress a deer or elk, after you're done, cut the stomach open to see what's been eaten.
 
Next time you (generic you) field-dress a deer or elk, after you're done, cut the stomach open to see what's been eaten.
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Here in Michigan, I have done that many times with deer in the fall...allmost always full of corn.
 
Deer can eat grass, sure, but the biologists say that they get no benefit from it. Eating hay in winter makes for bulk, but it merely relieves the stomach's feeling of emptiness.

Many wildlife agencies have published many articles on the subject of diets of herbivores. Probably not the epitome of wisdom to argue with them.
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While this may be true in true areas of wilderness(where there are not going to be any "Moo-Cows anyway), in areas where Ag crops are readily available throughout many portions of the year, it is false. Much of this thinking comes from the years where deer in large parcels of wooded areas and no previous access to Ag crops were given them as supplemental food in the winter. Deer, like cows, have four stomachs. Most of their digestion is accomplished by a suite of bacteria that break down the cell walls of the plants they eat. These microflora are specific to particular types of feed, and it takes two to three weeks to switch over from one type of feed to another. These woodland deer, already stressed, given a easy supply of hay and corn would gorge themselves on this new readily available food. They would ignore their natural food that was harder to get to because of deep snow or over-browsing. Without the natural enzymes needed to digests this food, they then were suspect to usually bloat or diarrhea, maker them even weaker. By the time they developed enzymes to digest the food, they were dead. If they did survive long enough to develop the enzymes, the minute the supplemental feeding was stopped(usually as soon as the snows melted or weather warmed), they went thru the same process again to develop the enzymes for their natural food. Another 3 weeks of no nutrition and diarrhea. But, for deer that live in close proximity to "Moo-Cows", they already have those enzymes in their stomachs because they have been browsing on those foods all along. They also don't gorge themselves on them, because they are used to them. Because of the more readily available supply of food found in Ag areas, they also generally go into winter with a better fat reserve and will be stressed less when and if the weather turns bad.

This is not arguing with wildlife agencies, only accepting their most recent observations.
 
I don't want to get into a discussion of "what is a wilderness", but there are tens of millions of acres of land which have never been plowed nor had fruit trees planted--yet are rangeland for cattle and have populations of deer.
 
On a recent hog hunt, the group of Reet Reets didn't seem to mind the herd of vocal Moo Moos in a pasture nearby.

One of those Reet Reets is in my freezer right now. :cool:
 
By far the best scent blocker I've ever used is going out and milking cows before hunting and wearing the same coveralls to hunt. You get that cow manure smell in the fibers and they don't take notice to me at all. It's a normal scent in the pastures. I've had doe pass within 20 ft of the stump I'm sitting on that didn't have a clue I was there.
 
Art, many of the "Grasses" now planted for cows are very nutritious for deer. Not much grass in them. Alfalfa, grain rye, oats, triticale, clover blends, and a small amount of rye grass. The blend I plant in my hayfields for horse hay usually tests between 32 and 38% protein. It is high in sugar too. We dont test the sugar, but I actually chew on the stuff because it tastes good. I honestly think the deer are getting useful nutrition from it.
Good "cow quality" fields are in the 20% protein range.
 
Sure, agree about agricultural areas with planted "goodies". :)

Lotsa griping in western Colorado about elk eating apples off the trees.
 
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