Deer Feeder Question

[ko4nrbs]

My friend who owns the 3.5 acre spot I am hunting has agreed to let me put up a programmable deer feeder. I'm trying to get the deer there when I am in the Blind. I've never used a Broadcast type deer feeder before so was wondering how I should begin the feeding. How often to run it and at how long an interval?
Bill

[Born2hunt]

I have a few broadcast feeders that I use, I feed 5-6 seconds at 8 AM and 4:30 PM. The time and amount you feed is really personal preference. Obviously you don't really want it running at 3 AM when you can't be in there. At one of the locations I feed I shotgun hunted last week I sat up a climbing stand about 200-300 yards away from feeder because I could see more area and could shoot farther. I dumped corn there twice before shotgun week started and once during the gun season week and deer would bypass the brodcasted feed from the feeder even though I've had it up and running 2 years for the corn that was dumped out. They will find the feed once it is present. Hopefully this helps you out a little bit.
Jason

[Goose52]

i replaced one of my spin feeders this fall with a cheap "light sensor" model... it supposedly feeds around dawn & dusk... i program my others to throw corn about 45 minutes after shooting hours began and 1 hour before they close

[flightattendant100]

I keep 5-6 spin feeders running year round. I try to feed about legal shooting time in the morning( or maybe a few minutes before) and sbout 3:00-4:00 pm for the afternoon. This seems to work pretty well. If it's s year ehere there is not much mast crop, and deer are hitting feeders really good I add a second feeding about 30 minutes after the first.

[ko4nrbs]

I bought this one and got it for a little over $43.00 including tax in the store. Has good reviews.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Moultrie-All ... er/5933978

It was very easy to Program and install. I set it up for feeding twice a day at 6 sec. for each feeding. It's just the right size for this small area. I was very lucky to have a tree just in the right spot with a good size limb sticking out horizontal. The limb is about 10 feet high and the feeder is hanging at about 8 feet or so.

Don't have to worry about the deer finding it. It is right off the side of their main trail. I did sprinkle some corn on the ground under it.

Thanks for the tips.

Bill

[Patcon]

I use a Moultrie bucket feeder but had to replace the plastic bucket with a metal one when the squirrels chewed into it. I only run it in the morning for about 12 seconds about 15 minutes after sunup

[ko4nrbs]

I use a Moultrie bucket feeder but had to replace the plastic bucket with a metal one when the squirrels chewed into it. I only run it in the morning for about 12 seconds about 15 minutes after sunup

Dang Squirrels!! I do like squirrel and dumplings though!!

I hung a galvanized trash can lid over the feeder by just sliding it down the chain to the feeders wire handle. The O.D. of the lid is 11 1/2 inches so I am going to buy a 12 inch pizza pan with a lip on it and fit over the top of the feeder for insurance. Should be squirrel proof then. No bears here so I don't have to worry about those beasts.

Bill

[galamb]

I have been feeding deer diligently for the past six seasons at the same hunting spot.

The first couple of years we did use timed feeders trying to get the deer to come around at dusk/dawn. We had a couple of the Moultrie feeders that hold about 5 gallons of feed and fed dusk and dawn. Piddled around a bit with the duration which was finally set at 5 or 6 seconds - wanted to make sure that it didn't run out of feed in between visits to the stand (usually twice during the week).

My thinking was, unless there was "some food" at least every day - running out would mean an "occasional" feed, that the deer would only show up occasionally as well - not the goal

We polluted our two stand set-up's with camera's to see what was going on (sell hunting supplies so was no issue getting my hands on eight cameras to really cover the feed sites).

Now, maybe not applicable to all areas, but in our piece of the country: It didn't matter that the feeder went off twice a day. The deer came in "when they felt like it" - they weren't there waiting for dinner. The camera's were set up from mid-September until after the New Year for the first two years (our bow season starts 1 October and goes until New Years Eve with a gun and black powder season overlapping for three weeks during that period).

We noticed no change in the deer's habits. Many of the bucks came in nocturnally - the feeder did not entice them to come in earlier or stay later for a meal. The does were less wary of being out in the light and would show up at all hours of the day. The only thing that tended to come in "on time" was the raccoons - they made an effort to be there at "dinner time".

So while I have continued to feed I do not do so trying to get deer there at a specific time - I feed hoping that the deer will show up often enough because they know there will be food there that I will be there when they happen to show up.

We finally gave up on the timed feeders when Yogi destroyed them - couldn't wait for a dawn feeding I guess



But the birds certainly appreciated the effort by the bear, who didn't even eat the corn after ripping down the feeders.

[Patcon]

In Texas where my father in law hunted the feeder was like a dinner bell. the deer were there fifteen minutes later...much less to feed on. Especially by hunting season.

In South Carolina where I am at I have the same results that galamb has had...
The deer come by when they want and some of the really good bucks only come through at night. I continue to feed for the same reasons, to encourage deer to travel past the feeder. If they come through regularly enough and I hunt enough the freezer will stay full...

[ko4nrbs]

I've only had it out for a couple of days so nowhere long enough to judge it's effectiveness yet. It does work well. I've watched it from my Ground Blind and it broadcasts corn in a perfect pattern for this small area.


I will be happy if it just increases the deer's travels through this wood lane.

Bill

[rayman]

I prefer to just put corn on the ground.

[ko4nrbs]

I prefer to just put corn on the ground.

For my application that would be too much waste. These deer haven't got into the corn yet so I'm afraid most of it would ruin before it was eaten.
Bill

[DanO]

Yup that's what I found GALamb. I was trying to avoid walking into the area every day so I set up the same Moultrie feeder. I found it failed frequently with freezing and thawing. The deer didn't really react to it except they'd visit it whenever they wanted to. I did find walking in and tossing corn to be more effective. Deer would show up about an hour later. Never saw a buck on the camera during the day..

Baiting isn't necessarily as deadly as some would think.

[ko4nrbs]

They found the feeder.





Bill

[ko4nrbs]

Has anybody tried adding anything to the corn? Something weird my buddy does is he puts strawberry jello mix in with his corn.

Don't put it in a broadcast type feeder. It will coagulate and plug up the feeder.
Bill