Deer, horses and cows

[Bob Moran]

Will deer avoid a field that has horses or cows in it? My hunting property lies between a dense bedding area and a pasture that now has cows in it and I wonder if the deer will stop trading back and forth between the two areas as long as the cows are in the pasture. Same goes for the horse pasture on my property.

[Sam McMichael]

I have seen deer, cows, and horses all in the same pasture at the same time.

[Stickbow]

I have not seen them avoid a pasture with livestock.......

[stykbow67]

I hunt a lot of farm ground where I live and it seems once the crops come out, hot fence gets put up and cows get put it and my deer sighting dwindle rapidly. I think they still utilize the areas they just don't hang out as much and tend to move through at a quicker pace. Let's face it, they're competion for the same food source and there cover gets trampled down so there's not much to hold them there.

Steve

[woodchucker]

One of the BIGGEST Bucks I have ever seen, spent the entire hunting season, in a pasture with 4 horses.....

Can you think of a SAFER place.....???

[centaur]

My experience is that deer (and elk) and moo cows don't mix well. My whitetail spot at the moment has cows on a portion of it, and the deer are absent in that area. I have killed half a dozen deer in years past where the cows are pastured now.
I haven't noticed as much of a difference with horses. Something about dumb cows and wild critters, so it seems.

If the cows are new, the deer might avoid the area for just a while till they get used to it, but after that everything should be just fine. Like Pat said, they probably won't be having any parties together, but the deer should still move thru the area once they are used to the cows being there.

Bisch

[ksbowman]

A few years ago I had one pasture I fed cattle (winter) and at times when going in to feed there would be as many as 16 deer feeding with the cattle. They only ran off when I came in not the cows. Bisch is right on, when the cows are new to an area then the deer are wary, but after they are there for a while they co-exist.

[DWT]

been hunting a buck for a couple years now that lives in a giant autumn olive pasture that also has 2 horses and 4 steers in it. last year hr was heading right at me and the horses chased him off. But hes still in there as thats ware my only sighting of him this was as he left his bedding area.

[Bob Moran]

Thanks, guys. The thing that started me wondering is that I have a persimmon tree on the edge of a woods and horse pasture. Initially, I caught a couple of deer on my trail cam during the evening, then they switched over to night time visits. The horses were usually up in the barn lot at night. I guess they were going nocturnal or it is just a coincidence.

[non-typical]

Deer and horses share a pasture just fine, deer and cattle a lot less so has been my experience.

[SELFBOW19953]

We routinely have deer and/or turkey in the pasture with our horses.  The deer also tolerate our dogs in the fenced yard barking. The deer keep an eye out, but continue to feed even with all the commotion.