Couple of "wild deer" questions

Not sure if this is an "OK" topic since I am referring to wild deer, or if this is the proper place to post, but here goes anyway.



Short background: I have several (5) does in various age classes that live on my property. Early in the season they all had fawns. With the drought we are experiencing in Texas, my pond has gone dry and the vegetation is literally cooked and the closest water is 1/10th mile and several goat proof fences away. I am down to one fawn out of five.



2 weeks ago I put out water troughs and the deer started using them the same day. By visual methods and also game cam, it appears that the remaining fawn is showing considerable energy and is now running and playing as normal.



1st Question. would it be good or a bad idea to add some electrolytes to the free choice water for all the deer?? When I had an Ostrich farm we added electrolytes during the summer to keep the "stress" down. Is this practical or harmful?



2. Please look at this photo (assuming it shows in the post), I am somewhat concerned by the look of the hide on this buck. Several other bucks have a lesser amount ,but I haven't seen it on any does. I have never seen this on deer. Could it just be heat related, or should I contact my local biologist (which I am hesitant to do).



Many thanks,

1. Fresh water every day (or at the very least every other day).



2. Purina Deer Chow, or at the very least COB (corn, oat, barley feed) at feed store. I top my feed with a bit of sweet feed (extra protein).



3. Deer Mineral Block



4. Deer love fruits and veggies, of course. Mine loves peanut butter sandwiches...





If the wild deer has mange or parasites, you could pour a bit of de-wormer (according to body weight/size) in the feed, but this could be adverse to little fawns that are eating from the same source. Better to wait until the fall to de-worm.

Speaking to your #2 question - No worries. Seen it and am currently seeing it in my deer. It is a hair loss that maybe is caused or brought on by heat, I don't know. I do know that it is not a problem.

The deer's hide looks a little rough, possibly due to malnutrition, stress, or shedding... He doesn't look so abnormal to me. Why would you call anyone to bother this lovely creature? He is a yearling buck. He has a nice sized rack. He is just thirsty and perhaps a little hungry. Just feed and water him. so simple.

Thanks for the reply's.

I currently have out mineral and salt (in the photo a left), also feeding a 50/50 16% deer chow and whole corn as a supplement.



I was hoping the "hide" wasn't an issue, I too was thinking heat related since it is so extreme here, but had to ask.



The reason I would call some is also simple, If there was a consensus that this was some type of major problem, I.E. possibly contagious, I would call my wildlife dept. I wouldn't want too, but if there was an issue that could be "nipped in the bud" then I would. If you guy's said "that's anthrax" I'd call for sure, that is common is some southern Texas counties and from what I hear, quit devastating to some herds.



Since these are "wild" deer, I try not to meddle with them to much, I do supplement feed and also try to manage my land so they have as much cover/brows as it can naturally support, but I don't want to be the cause of their problems either. 2 of the fawns I could have probably tried to "save" but opted to let nature take it's course, I have at times question my decision on this.



Here is a photo of the remaining fawn 2 weeks after I added the water trough's, she appears alert. The day I put the water out, I saw her with the doe, the fawn followed, head held down and "appeared" some what lethargic. I am not a vet, but have been in the woods and raised animals for 40 years and she just "didn't seem right"

Western,



you are doing the same things that we as deer farmers do on a daily basis. We need to check the herd and maintain the health at all times. Believe me, sometimes some weird things can happen. We must do what we can to fix any problems.



I commend you for looking out for your wild herd and doing what you can to keep them healthy. You should be a deer farmer. We could use more people like you.



GREAT JOB !!

Wvdeerman, Thank you very much. My wife and I have discussed it before. When we raised Ostriches we had 384 acres at the time, that's when I should have done it. Know after going through the "Ratite" thing, I am down to 15 acres!. Don't know how practical it would be now on such a small piece of land.



I don't even know if it would be economically feasible, we have never recovered from the expense of the Ostrich "thing", investors (family) did quite well off me though..



I ended up with over 340 birds to feed after the market went bye-bye. Nightmare.



I enjoy hunting, but enjoy the "animal husbandry" more I think. When you have your own land I think you see the wildlife differently and you should feel responsible for the way you manage your land, even though they belong to the state. If you can't or wont manage your property, your going to have problems and never see it's true potential, whether it be wild or domestic.



I do admit raising deer would be enjoyable I think. I have worked with a few in the past and they where amazing to be around.

I am so glad that you finally decided to put that water out for the fawns. so glad.

I am in the process of getting water there full time, just a matter of digging water lines. I figure I can turn the water off, if and when we get enough rain to fill my pond.



The problem is getting to be the amount of wildlife that is using the water, I was OK with it till I was getting photos of raccoons in it, that alone didn't bother me, but yesterday I put a "****" down that came at me in the afternoon in 104* heat, growling like a mad man. I suspected possibly rabies, so I destroyed it and burned the carcass.



This photo is from the 23rd, looks large like the one I ran into, but not sure. Unusual time to be out for a ****.

The buck is quite normal, the blotchy coat is very common. Not an issue on its own. As for daytime *****, remember that you have extreme conditions now. Id hold judgement on the ***** being sick just yet. If theyre behaving so unusual as to bother you when you werent otherwise near them, thats another story, better safe then sorry. My guess is leaving out food and the only available water is going to congregate wildlife, and magnify the activity seen. Good luck with your venture.

Electrolytes in the water can't hurt a thing. If you have the means to do so, go right ahead. The deer in the photo is normal. Every deer in my enclosure in Louisiana looks like him every year.

Thanks Scott,that confirms what an "old" cow buddy of mine was thinking. The heat and fly bites, have seen it s few times on our cattle, but usually the darker colored (Brown- Black)



Also ,thanks on the electrolytes, I figured it was OK, but wanted a breeders opinion. Have used it on other livestock and birds, but all domesticted.

Western said:

When you have your own land I think you see the wildlife differently and you should feel responsible for the way you manage your land, even though they belong to the state.

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i know DNR says the wild deer belong to the state, but if they truely belong to them, i think several insurance companies have a few million dollars they would like to be reinbursed for wild deer that have been hit on the roads. haha

pondflatwhitetails said:

i know DNR says the wild deer belong to the state, but if they truely belong to them, i think several insurance companies have a few million dollars they would like to be reinbursed for wild deer that have been hit on the roads. haha

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You got that right, as long as hunting them brings in revenue that states are fine with it, but also except no responsibility for damages, well sometime for crop damage "maybe"

you can add "Blue-Lite" electrolytes to the water and it works great.. Your local vet likely has it!! DR Gibb ???

I think it's a great idea to get into deer ranching. While you are researching deer, you might want to check out Elk ranching as well. You have enough land, however, you may need to supplement hay for grass depending on how many animals you have and how it is fenced.

Glad to see you are helping out the wild stock in the mean time. Keep up the good work.