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tholloway: I am a bit of an abraisive guy and just may be I went a bit to far with that lazy hunter comment. I farmed most of my working career. One thing I discovered very early in life was deer will not normally go for agricultural crops. It does seem however in times of shortage of their normal feed they will eat clover, alfalfa, cabbage, etc. Once they get a taste for this they will not stop. My farm consisted of cultivated land as well as woodland. From that woodland we harvested every winter. This kept a good supply of what deer truly love within their reach. We always had an ample supply of deer around and they co-existed with the ag crops. For the reasons I've mentioned, when anyone mentions feeding ag crops to deer, they may as well hang a red flag in front of a bull, as discuss it with me. My farm woodlot was 500 acres. I had a policy that every hunter who asked, could hunt on that land, free of any charge. Those who didn't ask usually got booted, if I were fast enough. Yes, I believe the deer hunt is very important, as the herds must be kept at viable levels for the food supply available. I have two items I adamitly believe in, KEEP DEER AWAY FROM AG CROPS, and the law should NEVER ALLOW A CHARGE FOR HUNTING. Once a deer does get a taste for a particular ag crop, they must be disposed of quickly, before other deer get the idea. You will never cure him. Some farmers were avid hunters, I was not one of them.
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