Starting a hunting preserve mn

Same question as wicked whitetails. I know we can't dart in the preserve as the risk of not finding the darted deer is very high , like 100%. Anxious to here how they are re capturing at adventures ranch.

This is my second ranch.  When I built this one I built in an area for handling as I found that was very important for me.  I use this area for bringing deer in and holding them in for 7-10 days to get acquinted and lower their stress from the change of being pulled from their environment before putting them in the ranch.  I use this same area to bring the deer back into after season is over.  It takes me about a 4-6 weeks to get them all back into this area, but I use their stomachs.  Luckily, we get good snow, which pushes them to eat the feed I give them.  I have a large area and 2 half acre areas on each side of it with gates going into each.  I leave all of the gates open with feed inside and get them to come and eat inside of the pens.  They get used to it, come and go.  I shut all but one gate.  After a few weeks, they calm down and right at dark they flow in from the ranch.  I pick a real cold night or a night before the storm.  After most seem to be in, I shut the gate.  There are always quite a few stragglers.  That is the purpose of the 2 half acre pens.  I push all the deer out of each half acre area and into the bigger area.  Then I open up the 2 half acre pens, they are connected to each other and the big pen with gates.  I get the deer left to feed in these pens.  Then figure which gate they are using and then catch the last of them.  Sometimes 1 at a time.  I close them in the small pens, then open up the gates and push them into the big pen.  The big trick is to not start closing them in too soon. The first ones to find where to go every night bring the others with.  Takes a little time, I have 1 or 2 more to catch into the holding area, but I haven't been around much to get the last ones in.   The other benefit for me is that I get the sheds as most lose them in the holding area.  Any that fall off in the ranch are usually real hard to find.  Anyone is always welcome to come and visit.

What have any of you tried as far as nutrition in the preserve?? People in texas talk about protein feeders. Are they just feeding regular feed or are the amping up the protein in the feed? We feed a 16% in the preserve but that doesn't appear to be enough.  What are the rest of you doing?

We are fortunate and have a great acorn crop to key on for a food source. When the acorns disappear we feed an 18% ADM pellet mixed with roast soy beans at around 30%. In January we start mixing in some corn. We keep around a 1:1 buck to doe ratio so our bucks seem to get really worked over. .during the fall. It is impossible to keep them from going backwards in body weight. Our 300lb plus deer are harvested end of September and early October. By early November we are averaging weights around 225lbs. We supplement with good alfalfa through the winter til May.

People in general always key in on the protein level of their feed. This is an incorrect way to think. You have to think in terms of overall feed intake to the animal. My farm has always had great pastures. In summer they are lush with 3 different kinds of clover. Also other stuff growing in there as well. Most of what my deer eat off the ground has a protein level ranging from 25% to over 35%. Since this is obviously to high it is important to feed a pellet that brings the TOTAL intake down to a reasonable point. In a hunting preserve the growth available will most likely be lower in protein. Thus the pellet they get has to compensate for that.

Adventuresranch, sounds like a pretty neat system. 

It sounds like you have everything you need on those 100 acres. I would do deeper research into what kind of trees, grasses, and forbes are growing you land. You want to make sure there Foliage Has everything your deer need.