Doe Factories

[MN Slick]

I want one!! I'm on year 3 of a new farm in extreme North MO and buck sightings seem to dwindle during early to mid November each year before they move back in after peak rut. Each farm has it's own personality and this trait sucks!

The only thing I can think of is there is not enough resident does. Sturgis talks about summer food attracting does and creating a factory. Is it that easy? Due to drought we haven't gotten good green sources established so perhaps that will help.

Anyone purposely created doe a factory?

 

[bwese]

Every thing I have done on my farms is to promote doe/fawn numbers besides screening. Some of the things done arguably are for both but my focus is to take care of the ladies and the fellas will be coming through. Late Sept into late Oct I always have an influx of new bucks, with them sticking around through the winter if they aren't dead. With that being said deer numbers have crashed in my area and I'm not sure why. We have less around now than when EHD ran through us in 2012. Deer get covid, I wonder if that is killing them beside the former trigger happy lease next to me. Thankfully the lease has gone away and the fellas hunting it have the same management ideas so we shall see if that was the issue.

 

[MN Slick]

Every thing I have done on my farms is to promote doe/fawn numbers besides screening. Some of the things done arguably are for both but my focus is to take care of the ladies and the fellas will be coming through. Late Sept into late Oct I always have an influx of new bucks, with them sticking around through the winter if they aren't dead. With that being said deer numbers have crashed in my area and I'm not sure why. We have less around now than when EHD ran through us in 2012. Deer get covid, I wonder if that is killing them beside the former trigger happy lease next to me. Thankfully the lease has gone away and the fellas hunting it have the same management ideas so we shall see if that was the issue.

Exactly what I want to do. I thought the good cover would take care of it alone but so far that is not the case so I'm looking for other suggestions.

 

[oldman570]

When I bought my first timber I wanted to create a place where the deer would want to live. It took me a few years to get the timber where I thought it needed to be with food plots, bedding areas, and trails for the deer to use. Salt licks were made using some stumps of the trees I had cut down. Keeping the timber quiet so what deer that were visiting and those living the timber was one of the main jobs to get done. Only allowing bow hunting , with a buck only , and no crossbows for the first 4 to 5 years was a must for me. I now have several 8 an 10 point bucks and have close to a dozen older does with several, having twins, that have made the timber home. Making a doe factory can be done with time and setting rules for doing so.

 

[buckill]

When I bought my first timber I wanted to create a place where the deer would want to live. It took me a few years to get the timber where I thought it needed to be with food plots, bedding areas, and trails for the deer to use. Salt licks were made using some stumps of the trees I had cut down. Keeping the timber quiet so what deer that were visiting and those living the timber was one of the main jobs to get done. Only allowing bow hunting , with a buck only , and no crossbows for the first 4 to 5 years was a must for me. I now have several 8 an 10 point bucks and have close to a dozen older does with several, having twins, that have made the timber home. Making a doe factory can be done with time and setting rules for doing so.

Just curious, how many acre piece do you have? I'm in the process of making the improvements that you completed. Place still isn't what I'd like it to be.

 

[oldman570]

Just curious, how many acre piece do you have? I'm in the process of making the improvements that you completed. Place still isn't what I'd like it to be.

This whole acreage is only 15 acres. It is a strip of ground, with a very small stream that is feed by about 5 springs, and is around 1000' wide and just over a half mile long. It is surrounded by grain crop fields, and has timber that over 5 years old now. I thought about having the walnut trees logged off it but after seeing the timbers of several neighbors left in a total mess , I nix the loggers and have started cutting the trees myself and selling the logs when the market is right for it. Just take your time and do what you think would be the best for the land . You will see what works for it and be happier with the results. I have placed only 3 small, 1/2 acres, food plots on the one half closes to a main road, and have made small 6' to7' trails down one side of the timber. The whole back half and a strip down the center of the front half I made for bedding area. I make salt licks by cutting several cuts in stumps with the tip of a chainsaw near the center and cut deeper in the center and just have the saw cut only to the edge of the stump. Then I get rock salt and put the salt in the cuts to just fill them , and keep the stumps this way for most of the year. Water that gathers in the cuts will run out to the edge and down to the ground while killing the stump at the same time. Deer will go nuts on them after they find the licking stumps.

 

[Bassattackr]

Our farm (central MO) has always been a "doe factory", for whatever reason. 6 acre hayfield cut to a hard edge meets wide open mature timber, with a hollow and spring in the heart of it. Hasn't been logged in 40+ years. Cover minimal (at best) during late fall and winter. This is likely what kept most of the bucks away and the does at home.

Good spring/summer (seasonal) cover from turkey season into early fall good for fawning. What little clover in the hay field gone by end of the rut. A biological desert for the most part during winter months except a few remaining acorns or browse in the mature hardwoods.

When we took it over from my grandfather 5+ years ago, we started habitat work. Food plots, early successional edges, cutting cedars on hillside off the main field, etc. Also started staying out of the heart of the property. The result from my surveys are no change in doe numbers or use.

However, the biggest change is the increase of small game, predators and buck use during summer months and the entire year. Overall, the property holding capacity (of everything) has increased dramatically. Not only have we seen the addition of bucks during summer, but our property has become a destination food source through late winter. With most crops out around us and the usual 1/4 - 1/2 acre hunter food plots, no one has significant food around us. A few planting cover crops - wheat but nothing with the variety we now provide.

After several years of doing this, for the first time in my life (I grew up going to this farm), I regularly see:

- Bucks in December I've never laid eyes on before.
- Bucks staying through winter on our property.
- 3 and 4 year old bucks bedding on us consistently throughout the year.
- More turkeys than I've ever seen.
- Rabbits for the first time in years.
- More predators and predator families than I've ever seen.

Can't say that necessarily helps your question, but the results have been very real for us in terms of gaining additional "deer" on the property. We also frost seed clover and let grow up in the main field over summer, increasing fawning cover until the fall when the milo/early successional area matures and gains height.

On the contrary, I don't think "driving bucks out" is a good solution, but overall improvement of habitat could help improve your property across the board.

 

[Wildturkey 2]

Exactly what I want to do. I thought the good cover would take care of it alone but so far that is not the case so I'm looking for other suggestions.

Is someone feeding the deer ?

 

[letemgrow]

I want one!! I'm on year 3 of a new farm in extreme North MO and buck sightings seem to dwindle during early to mid November each year before they move back in after peak rut. Each farm has it's own personality and this trait sucks!

The only thing I can think of is there is not enough resident does. Sturgis talks about summer food attracting does and creating a factory. Is it that easy? Due to drought we haven't gotten good green sources established so perhaps that will help.

Anyone purposely created doe a factory?

All my habitat work centers on making as much cover as possible that is also food.

How many acres do you have in crops/timber or brush/crp?

 

[MN Slick]

All my habitat work centers on making as much cover as possible that is also food.

How many acres do you have in crops/timber or brush/crp?

The farm is 120 acres with 33 tillabe and the balance in overgrown pasture and a brushy creek bottom. The way it lays out it has 3 somewhat seperate sections of cover that we treat as sanctuaries. They should be ideal for holding separate doe groups.

This is the first year we have had anything remotely resembling green plots due to drought. Our current plan is to get additional green food sources in place near each sactuary and continue the moratorium on shooting does. One thing for sure is, the fawn recruitment in North MO is nowhere near what is was on our land in Wisconsin so that doesn't help our cause.

I personally believe more does are coming into estrus in late October and very early November than 7-10 years ago. I think the bell curve is flattening out to some degree. I'm basing this on cameras, seeing them locked down in open fields earlier, and info from others. This would explain some of our older bucks dissapearing in early November in addition to what I sense is not enough resident does.

If the "right" bucks survive their sojourns we would get in great shape.

 

[MN Slick]

Our farm (central MO) has always been a "doe factory", for whatever reason. 6 acre hayfield cut to a hard edge meets wide open mature timber, with a hollow and spring in the heart of it. Hasn't been logged in 40+ years. Cover minimal (at best) during late fall and winter. This is likely what kept most of the bucks away and the does at home.

Good spring/summer (seasonal) cover from turkey season into early fall good for fawning. What little clover in the hay field gone by end of the rut. A biological desert for the most part during winter months except a few remaining acorns or browse in the mature hardwoods.

When we took it over from my grandfather 5+ years ago, we started habitat work. Food plots, early successional edges, cutting cedars on hillside off the main field, etc. Also started staying out of the heart of the property. The result from my surveys are no change in doe numbers or use.

However, the biggest change is the increase of small game, predators and buck use during summer months and the entire year. Overall, the property holding capacity (of everything) has increased dramatically. Not only have we seen the addition of bucks during summer, but our property has become a destination food source through late winter. With most crops out around us and the usual 1/4 - 1/2 acre hunter food plots, no one has significant food around us. A few planting cover crops - wheat but nothing with the variety we now provide.

After several years of doing this, for the first time in my life (I grew up going to this farm), I regularly see:

- Bucks in December I've never laid eyes on before.
- Bucks staying through winter on our property.
- 3 and 4 year old bucks bedding on us consistently throughout the year.
- More turkeys than I've ever seen.
- Rabbits for the first time in years.
- More predators and predator families than I've ever seen.

Can't say that necessarily helps your question, but the results have been very real for us in terms of gaining additional "deer" on the property. We also frost seed clover and let grow up in the main field over summer, increasing fawning cover until the fall when the milo/early successional area matures and gains height.

On the contrary, I don't think "driving bucks out" is a good solution, but overall improvement of habitat could help improve your property across the board.

Sounds like you are on a great path! Cattle were on this farm until we bought in in late 2021 so we have 2 growing seasons since the cattle have been gone. I sprayed some of the more open areas in the pastures the first fall and seeded some of it to switch. Other areass I'm letting regen naturally. Some areas need some work for sure.

 

[MN Slick]

Is someone feeding the deer ?

We had hundreds of acres of standing corn to our west this year and heard rumors of guys baiting over there as well. It makes sense a lot of deer were in the standing corn but the bucks seem to follow a similar pattern last year when those fields were harvested beans.

 

[Wildturkey 2]

We had hundreds of acres of standing corn to our west this year and heard rumors of guys baiting over there as well. It makes sense a lot of deer were in the standing corn but the bucks seem to follow a similar pattern last year when those fields were harvested beans.

Thats what I would of expected .

 

[newfarmer]

Thats what I would have expected .

I had deer all year and then suddenly- vanished. Neighbors got leased to some MN guys who were baiting, claimed they didn’t know they couldn’t. The rentee terminated their lease immediately and had the DNR visit them. They already had killed 2 bucks and a doe and we’re still hunting ‍ it’s amazing what a corn pile (any bait really) will do for movement