Deer and livestock (sheep)?

[hardertr]

Yesterday was opening day for rifle season here in Texas.  My blinds have been in place for almost 2 months, and I hadn't been out to the lease in almost 2 weeks.

The place is 300 acres of mixed pasture (mesquite brush) and about 100 acres of newly planted wheat (maybe 3 inches tall).

I got out there about an hour before sunrise and noticed THERE WERE SHEEP EVERYWHERE!  The landowner also leases ag rights to another farmer who USED TO raise cotton out there. Apparently, he move 200+ sheep into the pasture about 10 days ago.  They have EVERYTHING eaten up and like I said....they are EVERYWHERE.  I can't even find the old deer trails I set up on this summer.

I can't do anything about the sheep, so I have to hunt around them.  SO, my question is.... how will they affect the deer??  This land is in the middle of cotton fields, and is part of the only island of cover (maybe 1000 acres total) within a couple of miles, so the deer still use it I'm sure.

Yesterday morning, I had a small 3-point wade through the waves of sheep as they grazed from one end of the pasture then back again.  The sheep aren't in the wheat yet, so I wonder if the deer may head out there earlier in the evening just to get away from those nasty, LOUD sheep?

Any suggestions?  Am I more concerned about the sheep than the deer are??  (I actually got out of my blind at one point yesteday afternoon just to chase the sheep away...I HATE SHEEP!)

[R.W.Dale]

 I cannot comment on sheep but deer could care less about the presence cows if anything deer tend to hang around cattle feeders lookin for leftovers.

[kyote]

he he he..I feel your pain and just had to laugh.I used to have a lease in TX.when we would arrive there would be sheep every where.I used to love to cap them in their rump with a sling shot.there were feeders set in several places on the lease.they had fences around them to keep the sheep out.the deer hopped over easy fed and hopped back out.the Javilena just crashed under the fence ate everything then crashed back out.I had this one area that I really like away from the feeders.but when I arrived I would take several bags of the apple sweet corn and turkey feed.and spred it over this area every dayand had a blind I made set up several hundered yards fron the feed area.every morning the sheep would be there munchin away on the feed.but so would the deer.I would watch the deer bed down in areas around there and they seemed to hate the sheep also, at least I knew they botherd them.to noisy for the deer but they hung around any way.I harvested several nice deer while those stupid sheep were around.I had to just get used to them.and It would have been much better with out them..

[Don Fischer]

I think you have a bad situtation there. The sheep probally won't stop the deer from comming in but the other guy that has his sheep there may get a bit miffed to find anyone hunting around them. Think I'd find out who it is and have a talk with him. If he's adament that he wants no one shooting around his sheep, I'd talk to the owner of the land. The big question here is not weather or not the deer are there but hunter realations with the public.

There was a guy here several years ago that had got on private land by accident that had cows on it. The owner, a local rancher, caught him and beat hell out of him and distroyed his vehicle with a steel fence post. He was a bit irritated thet the guy was hunting around his cows!

[hardertr]

Just got back from an evening hunt.  I started out early (2:00) and had the whole place to myself...except for those sheep.  I TRIED to stalk around the place for about an hour...then got tired of seeing sheep EVERYWHERE, even laid up under one of my tri-pods with bellies full of corn no doubt.  Needless to say, I was pretty irritated and almost ready to head back home.

Then I went back to the furthest corner in the place that just happens to be "sheep free", for now anyway.  Wouldn't you know it, I jumped a NICE 8 or 9 pt (couldn't tell).  I ended up leaving a little earlier than normal (5:00) and had to wade through the sheep again.  I jumped 5 doe that were making their way to the field I was just hunting.

THEN I saw it.  There was a sheep with her back leg caught in a cross fence that had been down for years.  She looked like she had been fighting that fence all day.  She looked TIRED to say the least.  I managed to put ALL that hatred for those stupid sheep aside, and got her out.  Do you think she'll remember me and make sure the heard never bothers me again??

As for the "rancher"... He has the ag rights, and knows we have the hunting rights.  He doesn't have any say as to whether we hunt around his sheep or not.  It's not a problem, in fact, he probably hopes we will stock the feeders again so his sheep can eat.

[Don Fischer]

I'd still talk to the rancher, it's a courtsey. If he can't stop you anyway, it won't hurt. I have a place where I go on public land that borders private land. I never go up there without calling the private landowner. He let's me go wherever I want on his property. I also carry stuff to fix fences with me. Land owners like me around here.

[kyote]

There was a guy here several years ago that had got on private land by accident that had cows on it. The owner, a local rancher, caught him and beat hell out of him and distroyed his vehicle with a steel fence post. He was a bit irritated thet the guy was hunting around his cows!

sounds like he got what he deserved..all the places I have been,every thing is laid out before you hunt.don't shoot around cattle.sheep,just don't shoot them.as you,we always make improvements where ever we go(I go)and both my jeep and truck have fence repair tools and hardware in them..and a sling shot for the stupid sheep..just don't use corn in it for ammo..they think its raining food.

[rockbilly]

I had livestock on my place for years and it never seemed to bother the deer.  At one point I hunted on a lease where there were sheep, they were a pain in the butt, but it didn't keep the deer off the property.  As for shooting around livestock, unless you are shooting at them, or otherwise doing something to excite them, then it should make little difference.

I have had the pleasure of dealing with tresspassers on several occasions.  I was not worried that they shoot around my cattle (unless they were shooting at them) my concern was, "What the hell is he doing on my property with out permission?"  I even had one guy shoot at ME when I found him in a deer blind one morning.  I rolled out of my truck with the SKS in my hand, laid the sights between his shoulder blades, then had a change of heart.  I had noticed a strange pick-up across the fence on my friend property when I drove in, I put two and two togeather and went back to the truck and waited with gun in hand.  I had hid my truck in a raven behind some ceder bushes.  Wen he came towards his truck I had the drop on him, I disarmed him, took his drivers license, and walked away.  I knew he wasn't going far because I had let the air out of all four tires.  I then drove down to a country store and called the game warden.  He wasn't able to come, but sent a deputy sheriff who arrested the guy.  He was charged with tresspassing with the intent of poaching, criminal negligency (for shooting at me), and hunting without a hunting license.  He got 6 months in jail, suspended, and a $4000. fine.  The funny thing about this, if the guy had come to me and asked for permission to hunt, I may have granted approval.

I live near a military base, one of my negibors caught a young captain hunting on his land several years ago.  He asked him "who are you and what are you doing on my property?"  The captain told him it was none of his business, and that he could hunt anyplace he wanted to.  My friend pulled his pistol, took the captain's gun, then chained him to a tree, went home and called the base commander and told him where the captain was located and that he would have to send someone out to get him.  The base commander called the sheriff who sent a deputy.  They arrested my friend for kidnapping.  My friend filed charges against the captain, who stood to loose his commission and be kicked out of service if convicted, both finally agreed to drop charges.

The point is, most Texas land owners do not take lightly to people tresspassing on their porperty.

[joshco84]

as for the sheep, our family used to run 100 to 200 sheep at a time, and does would feed with them when we were feeding range cubes out of the truck, and it was not uncommen to see bucks (usually small ones) come out later if you drove a ways and watched through the binoculars.  around us they never really seemed to mind and actually like they almost got along.  as for the trespassing if we did not know the person, we may try to approach and talk at first, but if anything at all happened that seemed a little shady they would not be able to make it back to their truck before the authorities could get there.

[hardertr]

I don't quite understand how trespassing came into play here....

I've been out there 3 times this season, and the deer are definetly not staying on the place.  They seem to be passing through on their way to the fields now.  Kind of a shame since I knew where just about every bedding area WAS.

I still haven't seen any mature bucks yet, which is not normal.  Last year I would see at least 2 or 3 every evening.

Those sheep have the whole place looking like a war zone.  There is NO vegetation left on the ground, the trees are stripped up to about waist level, and the slightest breeze is blowing clouds of dust everywhere.  It almost looks like there is a constant haze of smoke.

I think I'm back to hating sheep.  I don't know what it is going to be like when the sheep are let into the fields with the young wheat growing.  That wheat is the only reason the deer are crossing through the rest of the property.

[HuntingGuy]

Watch your backstop and you should be fine

[Dillohide]

I'm a Texas deer hunter and have been hunting around sheep, goats and cattle a long time. Deer are not bothered by livestock with one exception ... they do not like hogs ... wild or otherwise. The sheep aren't leaving anything for the deer to graze so they'll just cross the pasture. I'd say something to the landowner, nicely, about the guy putting all those sheep in that pasture right before season opens. Maybe he could have waited a couple of weeks. After all you both have lease rights and it doesn't hurt to work together.

The good thing is that big bucks like to cross alone and will use the sheep as cover. Watch your fence lines. Just when you think it's nothing but sheep that bucks going to step out.

[WylieKy]

Sheep look an awful lot like deer, once thery are skinned out.


WylieKy