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Do deer mix with horses?

10K views 31 replies 29 participants last post by  turkeyhunter60  
#1 ·
So I’m sure I’m not the only one but I’ve put off my whitetail season preparations until a month before opener. I was talking with the landowner today and he said he recently bought two miniature ponies for his girls, and the pasture is right where my deer stand is supposed to go.

I hunt a very small piece of land, about an acre. It buts up to a very large piece of private. My spot has always had great deer that frequent it. However now I’m concerned the deer won’t be there due to the horses.

Anyone had a similar experience that can give some input?


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#3 ·
Deer aren't bothered by any livestock from my experience. We've found them with sheep and cattle. They will even feed with them There was a story some years ago about a farmer that fed his cattle grain and the deer would come and eat some of it. He got the bright idea to corral one of them by lassoing one. As soon as he had one on the end of a rope the deer ( a Doe no less) showed him who's boss. After he got deer hoofed and tried to take the rope off the deer, it bit him. The deer in your case might be attracted to the feed he puts out for his ponies. Anyway, I wouldn't be alarmed by any of it.
 
#5 ·
I was talking with the landowner today and he said he recently bought two miniature ponies for his girls, and the pasture is right where my deer stand is supposed to go.

I hunt a very small piece of land, about an acre. It buts up to a very large piece of private.
I'm having a hard time picturing this setup.

An acre is an incredibly small piece to bowhunt on. What happens when you shoot something? Do you have permission to go on to the private property to track a hit deer?

It's also a small piece to call a "pasture", for two horses of any size.

As to the original question, in my experience at least, it seems that I don't see deer in the same fields as any livestock. Not to say it doesn't happen, but I don't see it if it does.
 
#7 ·
I was talking with the landowner today and he said he recently bought two miniature ponies for his girls, and the pasture is right where my deer stand is supposed to go.

I hunt a very small piece of land, about an acre. It buts up to a very large piece of private.
I'm having a hard time picturing this setup.

An acre is an incredibly small piece to bowhunt on. What happens when you shoot something? Do you have permission to go on to the private property to track a hit deer?

It's also a small piece to call a "pasture", for two horses of any size.

As to the original question, in my experience at least, it seems that I don't see deer in the same fields as any livestock. Not to say it doesn't happen, but I don't see it if it does.
exactly what I was thinking
 
#8 ·
About the same as others, hard time visualizing your hunting spot.

Horses and deer will graze together, separated some, but neither scared of each other. Horses freshly exposed to a area will spoke deer a bit, but they quickly adapt. We've only owned about 275 head of horses over the years and then I killed some 40 deer on our property. While training/working horses I've shadowed deer for long periods of time, not harassing them, just seeing how the deer would react. I believe it's unlawful in Illinois to hunt deer from horse back.
 
#9 ·
Really dont understand the amazement at 1 acre spot by so many. All you need is a tree and a little bit of diameter around it. Until my last deer I had never shot one more than 17 yards from my tree. Anyway, I think at the least OP it is going to take the deer some time to adjust to the change. This year may not be so hot there.

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#10 ·
Thanks for those of you who offered your thoughts. Some of you might think the 1 acre is unrealistic, but it’s what I have to work with. I’ve shot deer there and it works for me. I’ll give this season a gamble with the horses and if anything hopefully learn off the interactions that I hope to see.


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#12 ·
I see deer in the pasture field across from my house all the time. There are 20+ head of cattle in there. They don’t mingle and graze with the cows, but are frequently in a different area of the field close to them.
I have a ladder stand in a big oak in a fence line that runs thru the field. 267 yards from my front door. I hunt it when I don’t have time to go to my primary hunting area an hour away. I usually take 2 deer out of that stand each year.
Edit: there are horses, donkeys, and goats in the 2 adjoining fields.
 
#14 ·
One of my best stands is located in the corner of a pasture holding about 15 head of horses the back 4 acres are wooded with a fence line dividing the remaining 100 acres. Deer cross the fence nearly every evening to feed in the pasture. Only tricky part can be getting to the stand without the horses following you LOL. Hunting with livestock can be challenging at times because of their curiosity. Only one way to know if your stand will produce is to sit it
 
#21 ·
I hunt a 300 acre farm that is full of Texas Long Horns and horses. The deer do not mind the cattle or horses, but they keep their distance and prefer not to get close to them if at all possible. It really depends on the deer. I've had bucks come right between the cows and horses and not pay them any mind. I've had other deer completely avoid them. Most of the time it's the latter of the two that happens.
 
#24 ·
We raise and train horses.To date,I've never seen a deer in my horse pastures but I do see tracks in the crossing it.Most of the tracks go along the fence and there's always a bunch in my field next to the pastures.I think they stay out of the fence more because of the electric than the horses.You can ride ride up to deer on horseback.