I'll always step into a cow pie before a hunt to cover any scent my boots leave.
Truck smell kinda funny now, but its a hunting truck
I'll always step into a cow pie before a hunt to cover any scent my boots leave.
Truck smell kinda funny now, but its a hunting truck
I feel your pain! The landowner on our lease didn't have cattle on the land all summer long and we figured we were in the clear. He had cattle last year and they sure tore up some feeders and screwed up the deer patterns. Well sure enough two weeks before bow season this year, a whole herd of about 50 showed up. Deer patterns screwed up again and all the good bucks are gone. They are only moving at night and at first light on our place before the cattle start roaming around. All the deer are living on the South property now because of this. I really wish I had my own land and could do as I wished with it. Good luck keeping the cattle out of your hunting spots. Sounds like everyone has provided some good solutions.
Oh please guys. I walked out my front door an hour ago and saw deer and cattle grazing in the same wheat field.
Ruminant animals are not afraid of other ruminant animals. Sometimes I almost wish they were.
If anything they can provide you with a cover scent (Dennis isn't kidding about that).
No cow sh*t, no cheeseburger.
Ruminant animals are not afraid of other ruminant animals. Sometimes I almost wish they were.
If anything they can provide you with a cover scent (Dennis isn't kidding about that).
No cow sh*t, no cheeseburger.
I totally disagree with you on this one. They might graze in the same field, but they will not hang out together. I've never, and I mean never had a trail cam with cattle and deer in the same picture. I'll always have pics of deer eating, then the cattle will come in and I'll have all pics of cattle for a while. Deer may come back in 30 minutes to an hour later.
This may have to do if the deer are acclimated to the cattle on the land. I've had about three seasons now where there were no cattle on the land until a couple weeks before season... When the cattle showed up, it screwed up the deer patterns every time. Just my experience...
I think you've run an unscientific study which doesn't control for all the variables.
You're right... I have no way to control all the variables and conduct a scientific study to properly determine if the deer like hanging around cattle. I'd love to see your master's thesis on the subject! (J/K) I'm just giving you my experience that I've had the past couple years. We have six trail cameras out on our place, so we have really good surveillance. Granted this is the time when deer naturally start looking for other food sources and may change their travel patterns. After doing a little research (and I mean brief), it looks like everyone has various opinions. The general consensus seems to be the deer are initially affected by the cattle moving in... They get used to them over time and then they gradually realize they are not a threat.
Here's a study that mentions the primary trend for the deer was to avoid areas where cattle were introduced for short duration grazing.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3899538
Here's a study that mentions the primary trend for the deer was to avoid areas where cattle were introduced for short duration grazing.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3899538
The deer probably don't like the smell or having to step in the cow dung either. As Dennis mentioned it does make a good cover scent when there are cattle around.
Believe it or not, I was sort of BSing about the science, but what you're saying seems plausible enough.
No B.S. no cheeseburger.
That's another good argument for cow calf operations with cattle running loose the year round.
No B.S. no cheeseburger.
That's another good argument for cow calf operations with cattle running loose the year round.
Living in cattle country, I've seen cattle and deer in the same field. They don't mingle per say, but they don't seem to be bothered by them being 50+ yds away.
Similar threads
