superstrutter

I think Texas is one of the exceptions of seeing good bucks at feeders during daylight hours.

Lanse couche couche

That is pretty much the only statethat I have heard lots of people with firsthand experience discussing. Dunno whybucks elsewhere would be nocturnal at feeders or feeding sites, especiallyconsidering the various daylight photos of big bucks that I have some folks with "managed" operations posting here in the past.

SWThomas

And why would that matter? Why would it be different just because someone actually put some time and effort into it? Using something to purposely lure a deer to a certain spot would be baiting. No matter what the means.

superstrutter

Lanse, I don't fully understand it either. My property is not pressured at all. I see lots of daylight movement, primarily does, fawns, and young bucks. For some reason though, when I put a camera on a feeder, the larger bucks are ALWAYS feeding when it is dark. I have been putting cams out for many years and I have never had a mature buck at a feeder in daylight hours, even when my property is not heavily hunted. I rarely have mature bucks even come to feeders, period.Remember, I am the only one hunting it. I see plenty of bucks throughout the season, just never at my feeders. There are just so many different food sources down here. I have tons of oak trees, including their favorite, the white oak. In many parts of Texas, there are just not many food sources. In some places the only source is something in a feeder or a plot. You can expect to see much more daylight activity in Texas because they are so limited in their food source. In other words, if you go to Texas, you had better be hunting at a feeder or on a plot. Guess what, they both serve the same purpose,therefore, hunting over corn is no different than hunting over a food plot. Again, if it's legal, hunt anyway you like.

Lanse couche couche

I think that any time that you have created a "managed" situation, you are gonna see big bucks acting less and less cagey. I think that if you used feeders, salt blocks, etc. in a manner where the bucks knew the best time to access them is during the day, you would see much less nocturnal activity on their part. If you work hard at it, you can use timed feeders, time of placing feed, etc. to manipulate deer into a desired pattern of behavior. Hard to do the same thing with a harvested 40 acre cornfield.

jklink

This is my second reply to this topic, but after reading some of the other posts after mine, I thought I would put another 2 cents in. I live and hunt in Texas. I shot a 135" buck back in October of this year during bowseason. (picture is on a thread named 135" of success, from back in october) And yes, he came into one of the feeders right at sundown. He came in with four other bucks and all but one of those would have been shooters for me. during the bowseason here, (Oct), i hunted two different places near a feeder. one feeder produced nothing but does, fawns and i got a couple of spikes and forkhorns on the camera at night., the other place where i shot my buck, only had 2.5 + year old bucks eating from it, maybe a few does, but only seen on camera, not while hunting. I beleive that just because you have a feeder, it dosen't mean you will see, much less shoot a deer or big buck. if the feeder is not located in a good place, you are wasting you time, just like if you plant a foodplot in a bad place. I also think that if you do use a feeder, you really don't want to have it throw a lot of corn at a time. that will force the bucks to come out before it gets eaten if they want some. and after a nice dry Texas summer, they will come out to get some corn. Anyway, using a feeder or not, If you want to be successful, it take lots of time, work, little sweat and hopefully when the time comes there won't be to many tears.
by the way, the pic is on the bowhunting thread

TreeStalker

I THINK IF YOU WANT TO BAIT TO BRING'EM IN THAN DO SO......

Lanse couche couche

I heard that in Texas, if you take three or more trophy bucks over timed feeders, then you are awarded the title Master Baiter.

BigDoeKilla

I would have to say I would be just as excited to shot a decent buck over spread out corn as I would a food plot. It's personal preference and there is alot of different scenerios to take into consideration.
Food plots, feeders, etc., it's all the same. Just because it's a "food plot" your hunting it just the same as spread out corn and that's to draw deer into a food source that is not naturally found there.

superstrutter

It's much easier to create a managed situation when there is little or no natural food,case in point, Texas.In most places in the south and mid-west, there are ample food sources, so you are not going to manipulate deer into any pattern you desire. I have timed feeders, and yes I have had deer come in minutes after they have gone off, but NEVER a mature buck.