Roe feeding areas

[ca11um]

Evening all,

Looking at planting different plants/trees/bushes/fruits for roe to feed on. Most the permission I'm lucky to have are happy for me to use the edges/waste agriculture ground etc that isn't used for grazing. What's best to plant? What do you finds best and would you use it again? Do they stand up to the deer punishment or do you have to replace them often? I'll likely plant what ever is suggested next year.

Thanks in advance Everyone

 

[.25-06]

They do like a bit of raspberry and are often found amongst meadow sweet

 

[VSS]

I've often seen willow recommended for that purpose.
Easy to establish from cuttings.

 

[@theroedeerguy]

Your best bet is to go for a variety.

Willow is definitely worth going for in that you can source willow slips for free taking cuttings off existing trees on your ground for free.

Bit late for this year though.

Lots of different willow varieties but look for trees that are already getting attention from near and you won’t go far wrong.

Fruit trees and any thing out the ordinary will usually attract Roe.

Roses are well worth adding to your mix.

 

[Roebuck]

They also like watercress if you have any slow moving water areas on the land.

 

[Mungo]

The answer really depends on what’s already there and what the overall habitat is like. What is on the fields next to where you’re planting? What soil type? What’s the drainage like? Are there hedges and/or woods? And if so, what’s in them? Are the roe resident or just moving through?

And, most importantly, what are you trying to achieve? Are you trying to attract them to particular spots to make them easier to shoot? Or are you trying to feed them up to grow bigger heads or more meat? Or a bit of both?

If you’re doing this seriously, the best way to do it is to work out what they’re currently eating, and then work out what’s missing or low in their diet, then provide something that has that.

 

[ca11um]

The answer really depends on what’s already there and what the overall habitat is like. What is on the fields next to where you’re planting? What soil type? What’s the drainage like? Are there hedges and/or woods? And if so, what’s in them? Are the roe resident or just moving through?

Really trying to improve there heads and more meat as well as attracting them into safe shooting areas, currently lots of mixed woodlands/trees, gorse bushes, silage/hay fields and agriculture ground with barley/wheat being planted the most. Not much in the way of natural hedges or fruits. Plan would be to make 3 areas with 3 different plants and see what they like best. Also try to improve there over all health. Got mineral licks out in spots which they use some times but not often, what would you suggest?

 

[triggertrix]

Import some deer with genes from high quality areas. If it’s not in their genes, they’ll never get massive. I have ground with no real crops, just grazing, but lots of calcium in the ground. They grown medal heads in their 3rd year. I had a farm I shot on that had the ultimate land for growing medals - they never got near, just wasn’t in the gene pool.

You can shoot the ground out and hope I take from neighbouring areas will bring in better genes, but it’s likely the gene pool is relatively wide spread

 

[Pete6.5]

I don't know how to say this nicely but it's a waste of time. They will have everything they need already except the genetics to grow big antlers and that won't change with planting some bushes. But if you want to attract them into a area a cover crop of clover/Lucerne would be best but this needs to be a area of half a acre minimum (more like a whole field)I would say. But if you have fields of crops already even this would have minimum effect on the number you shoot.

 

[NickJ]

I've often seen willow recommended for that purpose.
Easy to establish from cuttings.

What he said, 100% - is usually free £ from cuttings and roe love it. Make sure it's the right species (the one with the long Vs round leaves)

 

[ca11um]

Had a few decent medal heads, and some really nice 6 pointers. So I think the gene pool is fine but hopefully might improve their body weights and health. Really just an experiment as I presume I could just set up a deer feeder and fill it with wheat/barley

 

[Heym SR20]

Salt mineral licks are well worth putting out. They provide minerals that may be in short supply.

Also focus forage that is high in protein - clovers, legumes, alfalfa etc or any thing that produces nuts and seeds. Raising the protein intake allows the rumen to make better use of all other forage that has gone in.

If you watch closely once the grass and wheat etc set seed heads, the deer tend to eat those rather than picking of leaves - allows them better nutrition.

If nothing else I would suggest a good game mix with lots of wild cereals, clovers, vetches etc.

 

[NickJ]

Had a few decent medal heads, and some really nice 6 pointers. So I think the gene pool is fine but hopefully might improve their body weights and health. Really just an experiment as I presume I could just set up a deer feeder and fill it with wheat/barley

Feeders ideally to be avoided (and generally not needed here) as their widespread use could be why the US and continental Europe have had more issues with deer and disease according to a number of experts including vet @Buchan

 

[ca11um]

That's why I'd rather plant things than set out the odd feeder with wheat...

 

[Covert]

If at all possible when choosing where you plant browse or crops don’t under estimate the importance of disturbance.
In my experience generally the areas with the least human disturbance consistently year after year are where the big boys end up.

 

[Buchan]

Feeders ideally to be avoided (and generally not needed here) as their widespread use could be why the US and continental Europe have had more issues with deer and disease according to a number of experts including vet @Buchan

Getting a normally solitary/family species to gather in groups is a bad idea. TB and CWD in white tails in the US precisely for this reason. Plant trees by all means, but not as a baiting station

 

[coire lochan]

On one of my permissions I have a similar issue, although it has been taken over by Sika predominantly, I see the occasional red and roe are non existent nowadays, in the last 9 years it has become very over grown with pioneer species birch, Rowan, Alder etc, which makes stalking deer more of a challenge, what was relatively open rides and open moorland is becoming very closed in, I hear deer from a whistle which can be literally 30 yards from me but don’t see them!, I am thinking my tactics have to change on this piece of ground?, I’ve never really been one for high seats and the like but it’s starting to look like keeping deer glades cut and using a box or high seat maybe a useful method, I have heard if you use aniseed deer will go mad for this, so I could attract them onto kept grass/ vegetation with an aniseed soaked tree stump or the like?, it’s quite alarming how the sika have moved in and there’s no roe to be seen!

 

[triggertrix]

On one of my permissions I have a similar issue, although it has been taken over by Sika predominantly, I see the occasional red and roe are non existent nowadays, in the last 9 years it has become very over grown with pioneer species birch, Rowan, Alder etc, which makes stalking deer more of a challenge, what was relatively open rides and open moorland is becoming very closed in, I hear deer from a whistle which can be literally 30 yards from me but don’t see them!, I am thinking my tactics have to change on this piece of ground?, I’ve never really been one for high seats and the like but it’s starting to look like keeping deer glades cut and using a box or high seat maybe a useful method, I have heard if you use aniseed deer will go mad for this, so I could attract them onto kept grass/ vegetation with an aniseed soaked tree stump or the like?, it’s quite alarming how the sika have moved in and there’s no roe to be seen!

If there’s Sika, the Roe will leave. You’ll need to get the sika sorted

 

[GWP]

Buckwheat in a good game mix with some bramble and shrubs

 

[coire lochan]

I very much doubt the Sika will be leaving!, I am willing to except that they are staying on this piece of ground as they are well established on the overall area (outwith my permission) it was more asking any tips on keeping deer glades in woodland cover with an attractant like for example aniseed?, it’s a shame! I don’t like the fact that non native negatively effects our native roe but I think it would be very bold of any individual to say they could remove the sika completely, they seem to do really well in the highlands and thrive with better condition on them than red and roe.