Do you prefer a breeder pen fully wooded, fully open with man made cover, or half wooded/half open? Thanks for your thoughts.
Breeder pen: Woods or Field?
- Thread starter PharmerBrown
- Start date
My buck pens are 1/3 open clover field and 2/3 wooded slope at about 1 1-2 acres each. The bucks are much happier then my does which are in pens that are all wooded, the does are always looking for me to bring buckets of clover, and the bucks are happy and stress free! Its good to have some woods cause the deer get out of the sun during hot days, so Id say half and half is a good balance. Good luck!
Scott Neeb
www.chanllowfarms.com
In the heart of Pa Dutch country
Scott Neeb
www.chanllowfarms.com
In the heart of Pa Dutch country
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
Not sure on the bucks in the woods part. I have been to some farms that have big wide bucks and they went in and cut all the limbs of up to about 6 feet. To many branches and bucks = Broken points and antler infections. Our pens are all open except shelters we put up for them. I think more open area gives you more choices on what you can plant for your deer and also gives room to change it up on what you plant!!
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If you can go half and half this is by far the best way to go. The woods makes them feel safer, provides natural cover from the elements, and they can go eat from the fields when they want. They will thin out all the smaller trees by rubing them. I never have problems with them busting antlers in the woods. That mostly comes from the fence and fighting.
Mine are all open and flat land, I would think you would at least want enough open land so you can have green graze for them. But with all of the rain that keeps falling right now I have mud.
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
LOL I was going to say that todd. The farms that i saw cut trees are the farms that have 30 to 40 inch bucks,Mabey a farm with smaller bucks would not have a problem but as todd says with trees, deer and fence, sooner or later there will be a problem. I for one will never have that problem!!!
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
LOL Nope just that the farms i visited had bucks in the 30 to 40 inch range that had trouble with racks catching on limbs,branches and small trees if they got spooked or got runnin and playin as they ran through the trees. Only makes sense that smaller bucks will be able to rip through the trees without catching their head gear on the branches!!!
Big or small your deer,your choice... My opinion.. Better off with no trees if just raising stockers...Why take a chance!!! To each their own!!!!
Big or small your deer,your choice... My opinion.. Better off with no trees if just raising stockers...Why take a chance!!! To each their own!!!!
One thing you might consider, and this might not matter, but if you have zero trees, your deer will have antlers so white that people will comment on them. Also, don't think you're going to get trees established easily inside pens. That is a losing battle!
Joined May 2009
2,369 Posts | 0+
Chillicothe, Missouri
A few trees in each pen would be nice but I have noticed deer that are in pens with an abundance of trees are typicaly more flighty and head for cover when strangers come to look at deer. A tree two for shade would be ok.