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Old 07-18-2013, 09:19 AM
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JGeBaide
Spike
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Middleburg
Posts: 36
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Creekbed1990,

First I hunt mostly Florida so I am sure we have different challenges to deal with but hunting over a feeder is legal and wide spread here so I have tried it about every way imaginable and maybe some of this will help you out.

First, what are you going to feed and how much? I use it as an attractant and have food plots planted as a nutrition source. Again, I hunt Florida and water is a constant issue, deer pellets get soft and mushy if they get wet and the deer wont touch them, ground feed will sour if it gets wet and again deer wont touch it and it brings in bears and hogs. With that being said I get the best bang for my buck with whole corn. Here our season runs from Mid September to Mid January, 1 ton of corn will last me the entire season running four feeders slinging corn 7 seconds each, twice a day. I buy it in bulk from the feed store in 50 lbs bags and last year cost was 320 dollars a ton.

My first choice is a walk up tripod feeder that holds 250 pounds of corn and has an electronic programmable clock. By getting the walk up (short one) you don’t have to have a ladder to fill it and I like being able to set the times it will feed and for how long so I can adjust the time and amount of corn dispensed. Other advantages are once it is filled and set you don’t have to worry with it or scent up the area again for almost two months and it slings corn in about a 20 yard circle. Disadvantage, if you have bears they will find it fast and if you are lucky just knock it over and eat your corn, every time you put more out they find will come back, your done.

Second choice, Bucket feeder with electric motor hung 20 feet between two trees on a steel cable. I use 2 pulleys and a boat winch to rise and lower it. Advantage over tripod, relatively bear proof, but nothing is totally bear proof. Disadvantage, you have to refill it every 10 days or less

PVC feeders and bunks are quiet, inexpensive to make and effective but you cant set feed times so that you know when the deer will be there. Even if you cant hunt them you can hunt travel lanes. Also we have a lot of coons, one coon will hold off a heard of deer from eating. I have some pictures with 8 or 9 coons feasting with deer in the background that cant get to the corn. Advantages, little waist, quiet (takes bears longer to find) inexpensive. Disadvantage, small feeding zone, 24 hour availability, cant control food distribution amounts.

Hope something I said helps
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