I had a lease in your area. And have friends that can still afford it. We always had self feeders going year round. The deer use it when they need it and dont' when there is abundant natural food. You could tell after a couple of years that more deer were around more often, and that the animals were bigger and had a bit larger antlers.

I feel that feeding free choice is the only route. Feeders do not put out enough to support deer. Just gives em a snack so you can shoot em easier.

My friend even put out a self feeder drum here at home where deer aren't used to feeders and they've started using it. I will do the same soon. I suspect they'll use it in the winter the most, and maybe in stress periods during the summer.

The bad part if you use a 55 gal self feeder they can empty it in a week or less during peak times. And then it could go 3 months or more without being emptied. So if you go the barrel route I'd be sure to be able to check on it often when its extremely cold or stress weather. If not you are setting them up to die. IE they depend on it and then its gone.

Its also one thing that pisses me off that everyone turns their feeders off Jan 1 basically, just when the deer could use a bit more help....... No responsibility.

PS your county extension agents office will have plans for building a self deer feeder which is what we did in the hill country. It will hold a BUNCH of feed. I don't exactly recall -- but 1000 pounds at least I thought. That one, kept fenced so hogs and cows cant' get to it, works great after the deer got used to it. BUt I had to stick a small spin feeder in there at first so they got used to looking for corn etc... and got used to it being there in the crepe feeder.

Jeff