Are deer utilizing unharvested crops?

[3blade]

There was ample speculation that deer would feed heavily this winter on unharvested crops...personally i haven't seen it at all. In the areas i frequent, the deer are in their usual winter hideouts eating their usual winter browse with absolutely no sightings and very few tracks in any of the crops (canola, barley, wheat), despite some crops being within a few hundred yards of their wintering areas. They certainly feed on these fields/crops at other times of the year. The only conclusion i can come up with is the abundant browse, warm weather and light snow means they simply don't need extra calories and aren't venturing out to look for it

This is in WMU 248/250. What have you all been seeing?

[Dick284]

Kinda like asking if a duck with a boner will drag weeds................

Yes deer are feeding on crops that were not harvested.

Tracks don't lie.... daytime sightings are a bit scarce, mind you.

[hillbillyreefer]

They are around here. The unharvested cover crops are being hit every evening by lots of mules. There has been a few whitetail in the standing fabas. All with an abundance of native grass and browse in the area. Highly nutritious crops are preferred by game animals, one more reason to support agriculture.

[crownb]

All my crops out in 248 are all being hammered, although like somebody else posted the day time sightings are few and far between, however those full moon nights the fields were crawling with deer.

[bigwolf]

The zone I monitor has a ton of deer and moose everyday starting at 5pm.

It's a gigantic free buffet, so ya they are eating the crops leftover (poor farmers)

[pikeman06]

Ya I am with the original poster.haven't really seen it around st albert lots of crops left out and keep expecting to see animals out there but the deer both whiteys and mules are in the hay and pasture. Just my own observations as I am travelling thru the area prime time daily.

[HunterDave]

I haven't seen a lot of deer activity in the swaths in my travels, maybe a few areas where the deer have pawed the swath a bit but nothing major. I won't argue with farmers who know their own crops better than me though. It's their money so they'd keep a closer eye on it than me.

[Opa]

While driving out to friends one evening at dusk with YD, we stopped and counted around 200 WT on an unharvested barley field. The swaths have taken a dirty lickin' from the sheer numbers and frequency of visits. The deer sure looked to be in good shape. Two coyotes skulking around the edges of the feeders found out how a .204 works!!!