Feed & Time Do You Set Your Feeder(s)?
 

In a hunting scenario what time do you set your feeders for?

I know there are time-zone issues and day light savings, etc, so... Lets work from sunrise and sunset.

Do you like your feeders to off at sunrise, before or after? And about when?

Same with sunset. Do you like it to go off before, at or after sunset? And when?

What is your favorite feed to put in the feeder?

iSnipe

Personally I would just keep it on the off position. That is the best setting for any feeder. I would also advise again:pst any form of bait. :p

Why is having the feeder in the off position around sunset the thing to do?

And how do you distinguish feed from bait? Can't oats, bran, corn, sunflowers and the like be both?

iSnipe

I personally like the feeder to go off after I'm on stand, usually about sunrise and about 30 min -1 hr before sunset. Also, I use corn in mine.

I usually set mine to go off at around 2:00 PM and an hour or so before sunrise. I don't like it to go off when I am there.

Years back, when legal in Wisconsin, I had mine set for 30 minutes before sunset and sunrise. Was a mistake as I had a buck come in and get a face full of corn which sent him bolting for the next forty. Wasn't a shooter so I got a good laugh.

first of all, i don't hunt over my feeders. the only reason i use them is because i have learned the weather never cooperates with my food plots, making feeders an easier alternative. with that being said, i feed straight protein out of my feeders (Antlers Plus)...no corn or anything else that has no benefit for the overall herd health. i normally set my feeders to broadcast twice a day. once around 0600 hrs and the next around 1200 hrs. this helps me get the deer to get up and feed more during the daylight hours. normally if the deer check the feeder after dark, the protein pellets have already been eaten off the ground by other deer or coons.

Ok, thanks guys. I've been doing some long range scouting and have been tossing out some corn in a few areas to see what comes and feeds. It also got me thinking more about feeders because I see a lot of hunting videos and feeders are used in a lot hunts in Texas. Makes me wonder if there was a tactic I wasn't aware of.

So far I've been successful feeding the ravens and a 4 pt. buck that I got visuals on. LOL! Usually in the evenings, about 1 hour before dark, is when I go and sit with my binos to see what's going on.

Thanks for the replies.

iSnipe

Snipe right now I have my feeders set for 7:30 AM. and 5:00 PM.
I am feeding corn since deer need all the carbs they can get right now and have very little need for protein. Pike

if yer lookin to test a spot and not waste corn , a manual feeder is good..pvc pipe with a Y sweep on it works good... i got tired of wastin it, so we put these in back in the day..now we are plottin, let ya know how it goes next year.

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I set my feeders to feed at sunrise and 1.5 hrs before sunset. I prefer not to feed to close to sunset so the deer don't come in after dark. I don't hunt my feeders but I do hunt the trails leading to them. I also have food plots. Experiences and game cameras so far shows more deer in the food plots than at the feeders. Mostly does hit the feeders and bucks like the food plots. Most people don't believe in feeders but if it helps to keep the deer on my property it is worth it to me. What is the difference, corn in a feeder or corn in a field?

i believe in feeders and that bucks will visit them....

Camocop awesome bucks!! What state are they from?
Here is some of mine.

man that Stealth Cam takes great pic's! you got some fine bucks aswell. the bucks i posted are from my lease in Georgia.

Camo thats what I thought my neighbors in FL. that hunt all hunt in GA. and get pics of and shoot bucks like the one's you posted. Now if they were from FL. I would be moving to FL. full time, that way I would have the best fishing in the world but also pretty darn good bucks to hunt as well. Pike

I use 4 feeders in different locations. The morning feeder is set for sunrise the second for 10 am, the third for 2 pm and the last for 1 hour before the end of shooting time. The deer follow the route from morning till evening.Depending on time of day I have a choice of location thru the day.

I want my feeders to go off an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. I use a mixture of corn and 20% protein feed in my feeders during the fall and winter months. I also place a mineral salt brick a few feet away. The corn in the feeder doesn't have alot of nutritional value except for fat and suger that they need for the winter months, but the 20% protein feed along with the mineral salt brick provide the nutrition that they need for health. In the spring (especialy) and summer months I feed straight protein to promote antler growth, fawn health, and herd health. Mike at Mike's Wildlife Feeders and Supplies has provide me with all of my supplies and has worked with Oklahoma State University to develope his mineral salt brick and 20% protein feed. Check him out at mikeswildlifefeedersandsupplies.com.