How do I train the deer on my property to eat cotton seed? I put it out several months ago but they are not touching it. Had a buddy tell me to dilute vanilla extract with water and spray it on the cottonseed to get them started on it. Anyone have any other suggestions? It's in a purpose built cottonseed feeder and I sure as heck don't have to worry about rain spoiling it given we haven't had any rain in months.

The deer and will go through $500 worth of Double Down in a few weeks and so I'm trying to introduce cotton seed to reduce my protein costs.

Mix in some soy beans or corn or crimp corn w molasses on the corn

We had similar when we first started. We sprinkled a little horse and mule feed ( that had a little molasses in it).... throughout the CS. If you pour cattle molasses or vanilla on it you will end up with 1000,s of ants.
And don't mix corn with it..., they will just pick through for the corn and still leave the CS. .... ask me how I know that.
Plus corn is bad for deer when it's hot.

I can tell you I tried mixing corn, mixing cmere deer, and probably 3-4 other things with no luck.

We finally got them turned on cotton seed by continuing to feed cotton seed in a few select locations later in the hunting season and before we put out regular protein.

Just leave it. They'll eat it!

I had a similar experience to others. I was feeding cottonseed and antlermax in the same pen. I f stopped feeding antlermax for a few weeks and they finally started hitting the cottonseed. They still eat more antlermax than cottonseed, but they definitely like the cottonseed.

When it's super hot and dry they eat more protein than cotton seed. When it cools a bit ours eat more cotton seed than protein. We feed both in the same pen.

Bumping this one because we started Cotton seed mid January (these deer have never seen it on our place and doubt the surrounding properties have fed it). They'll take a few bites from time to time but not really eating it yet. They'll readily eat the protein

Hoping to get them used to it this year and really pour it to them next year IF we can get them to take it. Any other suggestions?

Our place is basically on the Archer/Young county line

I couldn't ever get them to eat it on my east Texas place. I don't think they ever got hungry enough

When we first started using cottonseed on our place we mixed in corn to get them to start eating it. That worked well as they became used to it.

It takes time but most deer will take, some never will.

I mixed a little corn in with it when I started it in January on a new place, now I can't keep up.

Had this problem. Tried adding all sorts of things. Finally - started putting cotton seed out when we didn't have pellet protein out and they finally started eating it.

We fed cottonseed on our ranch initially due to the high protein amounts but were concerned about the possible effects of sterility on the bucks, as what was originally published and thought. However there seems to have been enough research to have determined that isn't really a concern unless very high amounts are consumed and/or the particular type of cotton the cottonseed is made from.
However, there are still some questions and grey areas as to its actual long term effects on exotics/super exotics like black buck, gazelles, Gemsbock, sables, addax, etc. due to its extremely high fat content……those animals are from arid regions and need little body fat content…. and so the high fat content may be detrimental to them. More research needs to be done on those species to make a true determination.

Our large animal vet, who dealt a lot with deer and exotics in the hill country, also cautioned us that cotton seed is extremely low in calcium and that if the cottonseed was used as the sole supplement feed a calcium supplement should be added.

Thought I would pass this on to you guys feeding cottonseed, for what it's worth.

mine took a year before they ate it