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RE: deer feed pellets

Quote:

ORIGINAL: timbercruiser

If you will try a covered trough, starting with corn and then gradually adding the feed to it the deer will start eating the feed. The problem is most likely that the pellets on the ground obtain moisture and starts to mold and rot. More good feed on top of it isn't going to be consumed, leading to more bad food. Even the moisture proof feed that I think Purina makes will rot.

That's exactly right. Therein lies the problem with getting your deer to start eating it. It seems some deer are more picky than others and some may never try the pellets. Once a doe brings her fawns to it though, they don't hesitate to eat it from then on.I started by adding some Beast Feast enchancer to the corn for several months then gradually added the pellets. I believe the Beast Feast's sweet smell helped the transition as it was on the pellets also. I've also seen some deer shy away from any type of covered trough. I finally made PVC pipe feeders mounted vertical with a cap on top and a 3 ft. piece of plastic gutter angled down at the mouth so only a handful of feed is exposed to the weather. For awhile, you'd only see a few tracksaround it and the corn would be picked out. I would rake out the exposed food to let fresh come outand more pellets started being eatento now there wont be a single pellet gone to waste. The only problem with this type of feederis coons. They'll rake the entire load out looking for something! I've got to deal with that issue at one feeder now.

RE: deer feed pellets

I never really had a problem with them eating it. I started it half and half (with corn) then 3/4 1/4 by then I went all pellets. During the spring and summer most of what I had eat out of my trough were bucks. They usually eat 200-250# every 10 days so I never had any moisture get to the pellets.

RE: deer feed pellets

Whatever you do if you use sweet feed don't let it get wet. It rots and turns into a huge pile of mold within a day. I started using it when i first started to feed the deer around here but i quickly switched to just cracked corn. They seem to munch on it okay; I may try to do some experimenting after season is over. Speaking of coons I hate em' they love to just run around and play in front of my camera. I have a lot more coon pictures than deer.