managing muleys

trophyfishwy,

How big is your Ranch? I assume they don't live on the Ranch, just come to feed? Congrats on the numbers increase, that's a plus. A lot of places are seeing the opposite result your getting, so count your blessings. :)

Deer LOVE alfalfa, plus you can cut it and sell it to farmers for their cattle or use it yourself if you have cows.

If your managing a heard already though, you mush have something they like or are doing something right. :thumb

the ranch is 2,000 acres, have some good hay fields with alfalfa mixed in. also try to keep a pasture of good grass cut down short. they seem to like the young short grass a lot, also planted some good trees out there to give some shade. i have seen them laying down during the day a lot the last couple of years. last year i built 5 new watering holes also. seems to be working, starting to produce some real big bucks.

Sweet! Sounds like you know what your doing and doing a lot of "it"...work that is. Keep it up, yes the Mulies do seem to like the new, short, and fresh growth. Typical with most animals I assume.

You didn't say if they were in the same area as the cattle. They often like a little mineral/salt--natural or otherwise. Predator control can have a positive impact no doubt. I don't know much about them, but if one were to encourage the types of naturel forage they like as well as the alphalpha, it couldn't hurt. Don't hold your breath on hope people can control themselves from shooting them" lol

they are staying in the same area for the most part, there is another really big ranch that nobody hunts so they tend to go back and forth. i have been getting the predetors under control. when i moved out here the coyotes where thick, havn't seen any so far this month, but i did noticed two fox dens as of late. your right about people shooting them though. the poaching was terrible a few years ago. during opening week i spend a lot of times in my high camp hunting elk so nobody was around. when i got back, a lot of fences where driven through and so forth. now i have my friends stay here when i am gone hunting and it has helped a lot. people just don't understand not to shoot smaller bucks... sadly usually the dad having his son or daughter shooting them.. makes no sense at all,

Here in southwest CO it seems the the deer, and elk for that matter, love pinto beans, (all season long) safflower (summer and fall) alfalfa (all year) wheat (fall varrity) and wild lettuce weeds. They really concentrate on the beans and safflower in the early fall when they want to put the pounds on. In late fall you can be sure to find deer around the fall planted wheat and alfafla. The saffloweres also have the benifit of producing some tasty critters but are awfull to walk though.