Feeders

[bird whisperer]

First year on the farm I spread corn by hand, had tons of daytime pics of good deer. 2nd year I put in 250# spinner feeders in 3 locations where I had hand spread before. Daytime pics of good deer went down dramatically. 3rd year on the farm had some daytime pics of good deer in July/Aug, but of the 5 months of season, prolly had 3 daytime pics of good deer. Spread it by hand or try gravity feeder. I'm pulling my spin feeders as we speak.

1Wildcatfan I'd like to hear how your boss bucks hold up to the squirrels. They destroyed everything plastic I've tried.

Not had a problem with my Boss Buck other than keeping the coons off of it. No bother from squirrels just dont set it within squirrel jumping distance to the nearest tree.

 

[rlb165]

...during the late pre-rut and rut, the BIG BOYS will skirt downwind of the feeder and scent check the does that gather there...

The buck that I shot last year had just done what you described at the neighbor’s corn pile. He did a quick scent check, without offering our neighbor a shot, then he made a beeline for our food plot, which is a half a mile away.

 

[DH13]

I have used spinners in the past but don't any more. I just scatter it around on the ground. Don't pile it up. My son uses a spinner but don't hunt around it. He hunts about 80 yards from it. Sees the Bucks skirting it. Bucks good Bucks come into the scattered corn.

 

[rlb165]

I'm gonna hear it don't work and it the best thing than sliced bread

I’ve never tried a feeder. If I was going to though, I would put it out RIGHT NOW, so deer have time to get used to it. If possible, I’d try to put it somewhere deer aren’t going to freak out at a little human activity-like kind of close to a road or barn or
something. Having said that, all bets are off during the month of November, at least here on our place.

Over the last few years, I’ve had a few chances to see how deer react to stuff put in their environment.

This is a piece of cardboard that we had been shooting at. This deer came unglued as soon as it saw it. Another time, in that same area, I saw a little buck freak out over a gallon freezer bag that my son had filled with water and hung up in a tree to shoot at.

The 2 pics above are from when I put out a 50 gallon Rubbermaid tub a couple of years ago. I was hoping to just leave it on top of the ground. I watched deer after deer come out in the food plot, see the tub, and walk off pretty fast.

I finally gave in, buried the tub, and literally had deer drinking from it the very next day.

 

[camclo01]

Trying boss buck gravity feeders now. Never had pics of mature bucks at the spinners.

I have a boss buck that I have used to 4 years on three different properties
I have used them in both KY year round and INDIAN (March-July)

I will say it is weird but my two properties in Indiana I got a decent amount of big buck atttaction but in KY very little

The other side note is my current place INDIANA does not have agriculture right next to it and I go through 200 lbs about every 3 to 4 weeks va twice as long when I was near agriculture. I also get no pics of coons as they can’t get up the legs with squirrel guards on them

Love the boss buck and highly recommend but I think it just depends on the area and the bucks on if they will use not science.

 

[DH13]

Didn't think Indiana allowed baiting. My cousin who lives up there said they cant bait.

 

[bgkyarcher]

Didn't think Indiana allowed baiting. My cousin who lives up there said they cant bait.

He said March-July.

 

[camclo01]

My neighbor in Indiana is a DNR officer and we can bait as long as all traces are gone 10 days prior to hunting

 

[OLE RASPY]

I’ve used 55 gallon barrel feeders before. Holes cut in side gravity fed type ones. Never killed a deer over one. Finally got tired of them and discarded them. Now for along time I just pour it on ground. But still have never killed a deer over a corn a pile. I don’t bow hunt anymore. I might start back though if I see a goodun on my farm. But I only muzzleload and rifle hunt. From my experience early season they will be at corn pile in daylight but as it gets later into season even the does go nocturnal on my corn piles. Now who’s to say the deer I have killed wasn’t heading to my corn but I’ve never shot them over it.
But I don’t use feeders anymore.
If it’s still legal to bait when I build a house out at my place I might get a spin feeder and place it down by my creek just to watchem from the patio. But maybe not. Idk. Just not a feeder type guy no more.

 

[ojibwa62]

My biggest issue and it finally hit me last year is the amount I spent on corn. I fed from late August to spring green up this year.. I bet I spent over $1000 just on my little farm on corn.. The cost vs the reward just didn't add up. That and the fact 90% of my buck pics of all sizes and ages were at night, and the longer I fed even the does became increasingly nocturnal..
Its odd because on several of my leases and farms in other states it was the exact opposite. This year I am not feeding other then plots and see what happens...

 

[GobblinChimp]

The last few years we dropped corn, we get tons of night pics of big bucks. We have very few daytime big buck sightings and have failed to kill a mature buck. Corn is great for killing does all day long but I am convinced it encourages my post-rut bucks to go nocturnal. There will be no baiting this year and we will see if our luck changes.

 

[littlebear]

My biggest issue and it finally hit me last year is the amount I spent on corn. I fed from late August to spring green up this year.. I bet I spent over $1000 just on my little farm on corn.. The cost vs the reward just didn't add up. That and the fact 90% of my buck pics of all sizes and ages were at night, and the longer I fed even the does became increasingly nocturnal..
Its odd because on several of my leases and farms in other states it was the exact opposite. This year I am not feeding other then plots and see what happens...

You will break down and throw some gold nuggets out before seasons over.

 

[ojibwa62]

You will break down and throw some gold nuggets out before seasons over.

Probably.. lol

 

[Powerstro284]

I’ve never killed a deer over corn but I usually see more wildlife in general when I hunt over corn

 

[kyoutdoorsman]

He was right. You are throwing Nuggets in your yard