Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama
Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama
Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama
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are usually better suited for use in deer food plots. Corn is a highenergy<br />
food source that can increase body weights of deer. The<br />
drawbacks of corn are the expense and difficulty in growing, and a protein<br />
level below the level (16 to 18 percent) deer need to achieve optimum<br />
antler, skeletal, and muscular development (Kroll 1994). Most use of<br />
corn does not occur until after the corn has dried (fall and winter). Better<br />
crop choices for warm-season plantings include high-protein legumes,<br />
such as soybeans, cowpeas, alyce clover, lablab, and American jointvetch.<br />
One of the best combinations to plant during the spring and summer<br />
months includes cowpeas (40 to 60 pounds per acre) and alyce clover<br />
(10 to 15 pounds per acre; Griffin and Jacobson 1994). Both of these<br />
crops are high in protein and make excellent deer forages. These two<br />
crops can be planted as a mixture or in separate strips and should be<br />
planted in late-spring or early-summer (Griffin and Jacobson 1994).<br />
Grain sorghum (5 pounds per acre) also can be planted with these two<br />
crops (Kammermeyer and Thackston 1995). Sorghum helps support<br />
the cowpea vines and alyce clover stems and keeps deer from overgrazing<br />
the cowpeas and alyce clover early in the growing season. Planting<br />
dates and seeding rates for other warm-season forages can be found in<br />
APPENDIX 10, pages 165-170.<br />
Exclosures<br />
Many hunting clubs and landowners have started using wire<br />
exclosures or utilization cages in their wildlife openings. These<br />
exclosures generally measure about three feet in diameter and four feet<br />
in height. They can easily be constructed from a piece of 2” x 4” net wire<br />
10 feet in length. These cages prevent deer and other animals from<br />
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