Deer vs cows

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nor' easter
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Deer vs cows

Unread postby nor' easter » Sun Jun 04, 2017 12:32 am

Just curious what everyone has experienced as far as deer interacting with cattle. I have a spot right next door to my workplace that I'm hoping to hunt evenings this early season (september) where there will be cows grazing. Has anyone seen deer enter fields and feed alongside cows? This field is in an urban area, so it's really the only major food source before acorns drop. There's a good amount deer sign entering/exiting the field, but I don't want to waste precious time setting up if deer aren't coming in when cows are around. My plan is to hunt trails headed toward the field close to doe bedding and hopefully fill the freezer with a fat doe or two.


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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby Lockdown » Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:04 am

From my experiences they will coexist with cattle but they avoid them if possible. Cattle decimate all the good browse, that is the main problem that I see. The number of cattle per acre definitely matters and it will be obvious if most of the browse is gone and the bedding is trampled. If that's the case, they probably jumped the fence and are hanging out next door.

Last fall when I stalked that mulie that I hit, he was in a perfect spot to stalk, the some cows came walking through. He got up a walked a few hundred yards and laid back down. Out west is a little different though... They have no choice but to coexist as there are cattle almost everywhere.
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby stash59 » Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:17 am

Lockdowns right as far as bedding and browse. But I've seen them feed near cattle. Though they do tend to like to keep their distance.

I hunted The Montana State Prison Ranch years ago. The deer would go feed right in the main feedlot amongst the cows. Big mature bucks included.
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nor' easter
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby nor' easter » Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:22 am

That's kind of what I figured, but there are only a handful of cows in this 25 acre field. It's got a lot of dips in it and some fingers of thick cover so the deer could easily stay clear of cows. I don't have much time to observe this area, but I may sit observation some evenings this summer where I can watch known fence jumping spots.
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby daveynewman » Sun Jun 04, 2017 3:50 am

from what I have witnessed there is 2 pieces of state land roughly 20 miles apart. on the edge of 1 piece there is a farm and in the 10 years I have hunted this Stateland I have Seen a deer one time cross that or be in that field and it was sprinting. the second piece of stateland has no cows just a field of grass that gets cut and I see deer in that field every time.
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby Clink » Sun Jun 04, 2017 4:07 am

When I was working with cattle the two kept their distance. However, being in the same field was normal.
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby nor' easter » Sun Jun 04, 2017 5:44 am

I have turkey hunted these fields before and the cows were a bit aggressive. I got chased out by 5 or 6 of them last fall
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby UofLbowhunter » Sun Jun 04, 2017 2:39 pm

I have hunt several pasture fields my whole life, deer will go about a normal routine with cattle being close by. Have seen them as close as 20 or 30 yards and not pay attention to each other! Witness more than several times !! And yes some cattle will get you!!,especially if there not use to people walking there pasture they dont care for strange things on there turf. So keep an eye on them but try not to freak out to my much that gets them stirred up as much as anything as well! I just go about my business and travel around them some distance away, that usually works, but there always a knuckle head calf that's just curious too!!
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby tim » Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:21 am

Depends. When cows are always there the deer will adjust and be used to them. On the other hand if they aren't and show up it's not good. Twhen I bought my land I had cows in the pasture and deer were used to it. Got rid of the cows and let pasture grow up, but twice since then the neighbors cow got into my pasture from a long ways off and the deer disappeared from my cams for weeks.
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Re: Deer vs cows

Unread postby UofLbowhunter » Tue Jun 06, 2017 1:49 pm

tim wrote:Depends. When cows are always there the deer will adjust and be used to them. On the other hand if they aren't and show up it's not good. Twhen I bought my land I had cows in the pasture and deer were used to it. Got rid of the cows and let pasture grow up, but twice since then the neighbors cow got into my pasture from a long ways off and the deer disappeared from my cams for weeks.


I agree with everything you said here, the sudden change i think is what gets them! I would also like to say that the size of the farm makes a diffrence as well, like if there's plenty of room for them to co exists, say a 200 acre farm the deer probally have more room to move around them compared to a 50 acre farm where they will constantly meet will shy them away more! But the deer will still travel the small farms but with more reguards to cow heard!
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