Deer and cotton

[Stephengiles]

The area I hunt has ag land somewhat adjacent to it ,one field in particular had cotton in it last year ,and soybeans this year. I've only hunted there these two seasons and last year I discounted that field because of the cotton . Well I just seen a photo of two huge bucks dead from antler lock laying in a cotton field. Is this just coincidence or is there something in the plant they would like especially this late in the year. The photo was taken in Georgia by the way.

[ChuckC]

You are in Alabama, they can get away with cotton down there, but up here, they like sheep farms for the obvious reasons.

Sorry.. I just spent the last hour watching "Squatch Hunters" on TV and giggling uncontrollably.  

I think  that it (cotton field) is a large relatively open space and courtship activities often includes the gathering of the species, often in large open spaces, whether they eat the leaves or not.

I very often see them doing the same in large picked corn fields with no real feed left in it, generally in the dark, but they are there.
ChuckC

[Stephengiles]

Cool, you'd think being from Bama I'd know that hardly nothing on four legs eat cotton . Don't have access to the field any way just trying to pattern the deer . Dang near impossible in N.F. My wife's from Germantown outside Milwaukee. beautiful country up that way. Keep trying to get her to go for a visit during hunting season. Squatches like goats down here or maybe it's just the neighbors , you know us hillbillies.

[cahaba]

What Chuck said. I have seen lots of tracks in cotton fields. I wish every cotton field was replaced with soybeans.

[The Night Stalker]

I know a farmer that buys cotton seed hulls to feed his cattle. I think it is a byproduct of the cotton harvest. I have also seen horses eat them so if things get bad enough , I bet the deer will eat them. Deer will eat soybeans once they dry up out west but that was not the case growing up in the north.

[Stephengiles]

Thanks for your response I'll keep at it.

[Mudd]

I grew up where cotton was still "King" and hunted cotton fields for cottontails.

I have no idea why they liked hanging out in the cotton fields since they didn't seem to eat any part of the cotton or cotton plant but I can tell you they made for some awesome cottontail hunts.

My other favorite place to hunt rabbits was along the railroad tracks and I never found any evidence of them eating any part of the rails or cross-ties...lol

God bless,Mudd

PS: If a soybean field is planted near any wood line you can expect to find the 1st 6 to 8 rows pretty well eaten up by a whole host of different critters.

[FerretWYO]

Cotton seed is a somewhat popular feed for deer in texas.

[Bruce Martin]

They definitely will eat cotton when hungry; generally nip the tops out of the plants; usually this is in summer. Later in the season when the bolls open, they will use cotton fields routinely; not sure why and they are not eating seed with all that cotton lint attached. But don't discount a cotton field, they can be deer magnets.

[TxAg]

Originally posted by FerretWYO:
Cotton seed is a somewhat popular feed for deer in texas.

Yep, cotton seed is a fairly good protein source for deer. Lots of guys feed it in the off season.

[Pat B.]

And Bruce is correct, deer and hogs both will eat the top out of cotton plants.. I saw it several times this summer as I was walking around late in the evening.

[RC]

Yep, deer eat the tender shoots from cotton plants and after cotton is picked it makes for some fine quail hunting in the fence rows and edges of the field. Everyone here plants rye or oats after they pick the cotton.RC

[Stephengiles]

Well I learn something new every day. Believe it or not I don't see too much cotton around here ,it's in the Appalachian foothills. Most farms are smaller and it's usually corn rotated with soybeans. Im not even going to ask the guy of I can hunt his field . With it being so close to a w.m.a. I imagine he would hate to see me coming. Beauty of it is  most people keep on driving deeper in to hunt and it's a long walk to get to a likely funnel. This is killing me my scouting from last year didn't work out like I'd hoped. Last time I went I had to shuffle spots two or three times and just before I left I found a bedding area close to this field, and now I probably can't go for another couple weeks. Oh well

[Nattybumppo]

KIlled a good doe on 10/30 standing in a huge cotton field. They eat the green leaves. Lots of big bucks down here are killed in cotton fields too.

[arrowlauncherdj]

Man you guys have no friggin clue    ! Deer eat cotton and love it btw. They eat the first leaves, terminals out of the top, they eat the squares, blooms, bolls after they soften up, and will chew the puffy white lint to get the protein from the seeds. Take it from a cotton farmer right here, they destroy hundreds of acres of our crop every year. Do they prefer peanuts or grain, of course, but deer are like coons, will eat anything and everything that don't make them sick including fluffy white cotton. Plus they love to lay up in it for cover. It to them is like standing corn.... All the comforts of home.

Dave

[Stephengiles]

There you have it thanks Dave.