Intent to Distribute Corn

[Morgoroth]

What do you guys think is the best way to get corn out to attract some deer?

I have seen various feeders and I think that I could probably make most of them a lot cheaper with a 5 gallon bucket and some rope.

Also, if you are just throwing corn out yourself without a feeder, do you use loose corn or corn dried on the cob?

[Wild Bill Bucks]

It would be according on your intent. If you want a feeder that is going to stay in the area for years, then use a 50 gallon barrel and a good feeder delivery system. By keeping this full it will bring in game as long as you keep it filled with feed.
If you are looking for a short term bait, that you are only going to use for a week or so, then scatter about 25 lbs of corn over a 50 foot area, about 2 or 3 days before your hunt. Scatter the other 25 lbs, little at a time, over the area each time you leave your stand for the rest of the week.

Deer will find the corn rather quickly, and will tend to come back to the area as long as they find a kernel or two every time they come to the spot. Don't pile the corn all in one spot, as they will eat most of it up in one or two days. Make them work to find it a little.

[Deerhunter]

We got some 5 gallon bucket feeders from Bass Pro Shops. The motors went a lot faster than we thought they would. One lasted less than a year and the other lasted just over a year.

We went to just dumping a bag of corn on the ground. We just use whole kernel or cracked coorn. Buy it at tractor supply.

Also get a bag of sweet feed they love that also and it has a good smell that they will learn. We jump deer all the time when we go to feed. They will run about 3 yards away and then stand and watch us until we pour the corn. Once we head out they walk back to eat.

Good luck

[shortwave]

Once you get the deer used to feeding from your pile drive a steel T-post in the ground (steel sign post works well also) where your pile was.

Get a 5' or 6' long by 5" piece of pvc pipe. Next get a 5" to 3" pvc reducer,a 4" long by 3", a 3" Y shaped pvc(don't know proper name) , a 2' long piece of 3" pvc and a 3"cap. Glue these pieces together in that order. Strap ass'y to T-post with the large end at top and capped 3" resting on the ground. Also buy a 5" cap. It doesn't get glued. It'll be used as a lid

Fill your new homemade feeder with corn and inst. 5" lid. The deer will feed from the Y piece.

You can build it so your Y piece is high enough off the ground that squirrels, coons etc. can't reach. Your feed will last much longer.
If you attach this feeder to a tree, expect to feed other wildlife.

Here's another cheap one:

Again get deer used to eating from ground.
Get a 5 gal. bucket with lid, 1 1/2' long piece of broomhandle, long nail and a rope.

Drill an 1 1/2" hole in bottom of bucket
Drill small hole(big enough for nail to go through) through broomhandle about 6"'s from end.
Put nail through broomhandle
Take lid off bucket and drop broomhandle through hole in bucket with the long end sticking out.
Hang your new feeder in tree over your existing pile on ground low enough so when the deer are feeding from your pile their head will hit the broomhandle knocking corn out of bucket.

After awhile you won't have to put corn on ground. Deer will know to hit broomhandle.

A friend of mine actually has a video taken in his backyard of a doe teaching its fawn to hit broomhandle.

[Deerhunter]

Shortwave

I might not be following your PVC pipe set up correctly. In my defense it is early this morning. Anyway can you attach pics of both set ups. Sounds really cool.

We can't feed any more during season in PA. They used the sunset provision to let it run out. Evidently the idea of letting us bait deer to pull them off property where owners wouldn't let you hunt wasn't working as good as they hoped. My thoughts are even a few more deer taken would help with the problem we have in Chester and Montgomery counties. It worked great for us on the properties we hunt.

[ZeroJunk]

Guys around here use the large PVC pipe. Others just take a 30 gallon garbage can with lid and cut a little mouse hole in the side at the bottom.

[Wild Bill Bucks]

I have one feeder, that has been in the same area for about 7 years, and I have 5th and 6th generation deer, coming to it all the time. I feed a mix of 50% soy bean and 50% corn. The feeder is on a boat wench and pulley system that I anchored to an old tractor, that had been left to rot. That way I can get the feed in the barrel without having to strain myself.
The barrel is about 20 feet in the air and will disperse feed in about a 40 ft circle. This keeps deer under it for quite a while before they eat it all up.
The ground under the feeder is about 6" lower than everything else around it from the deer pawing the ground through the years.
I don't hunt my feeders, but set up stands on the trails coming in and out. After two or three years the trails become quite apparent and it's easy to tell what trails they are using just before season.
By keeping feeders up all year, it let's me pick and choose what deer I want to shoot, instead of just having to settle for what comes along. Some mornings, I will see 20 or 30 deer going up and down the trails, and have seen as many as 22 deer under the feeder at one time.

If you are going to be putting a feeder up like this, you need to purchase a very good, all metal , timed type, delivery system to put under your barrel, and make sure to cover it with a 1" chicken wire, to keep coons and bushy tails away from it. They will eat a feeder up if you don't. The wire will keep some of the feed from spreading, but it is worth it to keep your feeder in good shape.

I have the timer set to deliver about 3 lbs of feed, twice a day, and that rate let's me feed for about 4 months before having to re-fill the barrel. It takes about 450 lbs of feed to fill the barrel and I fill about 3 times a year, changing the battery every time.
I won't kid you, this is a fairly expensive process, and kind of a hassle at times, because you have to fill the barrel when it needs it, and sometimes that means having to go do it when you really don't want to get out of the house, but my sons and I will get our limit during all three seasons, and my son shot an 18 pointer last year so it is well worth it.
I am lucky enough to live in a state that let's me feed year around, and my sympathy goes out to others who cannot.

[shortwave]

Deerhunter, Sorry I've never posted a pic. Don't know how. Something I'll get around to learning as it would explain things much easier.


Let me try to better explain.
Things you need to buy and glue together in order:

1: strong T-post

NOTE: ALL THIS PVC PIPE AND FITTINGS ARE THE HARD WALLED PIPE USUALLY USED IN PLUMBING APPLICATIONS (NOT FLEXIBLE). Available at Lowe's, Menards, etc.
2: 6ft. long by 5inch around pvc pipe (this pipe will hold most of feed)
3: 5inch to 3inch reducer
4: 30inch long by 3inch around pvc pipe
5: 3inch round Y fitting. (Not really a true Y. This fitting has two openings straight across from each other and the third opening is at a 30degree angle)
6: 3inch round cap
7: 5inch round cap

Assembly:

1: Glue the 5inch opening of reducer to one end of 6ft long by 5inch around pipe.
2:Cut 4inchs off your 30inch long by 3inch around pipe.
3: Glue your cut-off 4inch long by 3inch around piece into the 3inch opening of the reducer
4: Glue the 3inch Y onto other end of 4inch cutoff piece (IMPORTANT: The Y fitting,when stood on end, is shaped with two vertical openings with the third opening at about a 30degree angle. Glue the vertical opening to the 4inch cutoff piece so the 30degree angled opening is up(or towards the 5inch around pipe. This is the opening where deer will feed from).
5:Glue remainder of the 3inch around pipe into bottom opening of Y.
6:Glue 3inch around cap onto bottom of 3inch pipe.

Drive your T-post in ground

Stand your feeder up with large 5inch round pipe at top and capped 3inch pipe resting on ground and attach feeder to T-post.

Note:the opening of the Y fitting should be angled upwards at this point.

Fill with feed pouring feed into open end of 5inch round pipe

Install (don't glue) 5inch round cap on top. The cap is your lid.

I've camo painted all of mine.



Hope this explains things better.

[Deerhunter]

Shortwave...Thanks I got it now.

We had 2 of those 5 gallon bucket deals. They both has timers that could be set. We would set them for about 30 minutes after sun up and an hour before sunset. Plenty of time for the deer to come in before shooting light is over. The motors didn't hold up. Digital read kept showing 100% batteries even after a few months. Like I said the one didn't last the season. The other didn't make it much more. We even replaced one of the spreading motors.

[Double Naught Spy]

I might not be following your PVC pipe set up correctly. In my defense it is early this morning. Anyway can you attach pics of both set ups. Sounds really cool.

Here is something akin to what is being described, called a pig pipe (as it is designed for pigs). However, much of the assembly/construction is the same.

http://www.texasboars.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=18678

[shortwave]

Double Naught Spy,
Thanks for the posting.

Much of the ass'y is the same but the difference would be your standing the feeder upright,attached to post, with the large 5" pvc pipe at top and going to 3" in dia(that helps keep feed in). At bottom, about 26" off the ground will be the 3" Y. Opening of Y(pointed upwards) will be where deer feed from. From the Y down to the ground will be the rest of the 3" pipe capped at the bottom.

You'll really save on the feed as the coons and squirrels can't get to opening and can't climb the pvc pipe.


Again start feeding deer on ground and getting them used to eating at that location.

I forgot to mention and Double Naught Spy's post brought up a good point. If you've got hogs around where your at, this feeder may not work for you cause the hogs will tear it down.

Also I used to build these feeders with a few pieces of pvc pipe sticking out about halfways up. I'd collect alot of sheds during shed time as the bucks would raise up and hit their loose antlers on the pipes.

I'm not that ambitious anymore.

[Double Naught Spy]

Much of the ass'y is the same but the difference would be your standing the feeder upright,attached to post, with the large 5" pvc pipe at top and going to 3" in dia(that helps keep feed in). At bottom, about 26" off the ground will be the 3" Y. Opening of Y(pointed upwards) will be where deer feed from. From the Y down to the ground will be the rest of the 3" pipe capped at the bottom.

Yeah, I didn't have any shortcuts saved that had exactly what you described.

[shortwave]

One day I'll take the time to learn how to post pics. That'll make everyone's job easier.

[Greg.B]

http://www.deer-departed.com/deer-feeder-pvc.html

Here's the type of feeder shortwave is referring to; we have one in the back yard, and it really works well!

[shortwave]

Your spot-on Greg. B.

Thanks for the post.

[James R. Burke]

When me and the wife are going to feed corn, we have a nice method. We use a 5 gallon bucket with lid. Put one hole about the size of a nickel in the bottom side. We try to use some rope and hang it between two trees, if you dont they will pin it to the tree and eat a bigger hole in. I use another piece of rope tied to the one going between the two tress to hang the bucket from, using a hook on one end to go one the handle easy. I use cheap duck tape on the handle on each side of the hook built up so it does not slide around. Tryed more holes but they get it out to fast. It might even be smaller than what I said, and just one. It will last a week, if a bear gets it no big deal, or if someone rips it off etc. Believe me they will head bang it till all the corn is out. Saves a lot of trips, and your out nothing if something happens. Like I said if you have it to close to the tree they will pin it to it and eat that hole out the size of your fist. They are smart. One more thing I done. One day posting at about 45 yards I thought this is stupid they come in, and you cant move. So now I am at about 100 yards. They come in relaxed, and you can get the rifle up pretty easy without being seen. Just hard finding a spot with that much distance here. I am on a little hill over looking a swamp, and the corn is clear on the other side. I keep the bucket up fairly high so it is a good reach for them, and with a buckle on the handle it is easy to take down a refill. I got two nice bucks last year first time with a como lic. One needs three or more points on one side, and the other needs four or more points on one side. Order does not matter, you can buy one lic for a 3" or bigger but you cant go back for the other. I got a seven 156, and a eight 186 on the scales.

[Mobuck]

Baiting is illegal in Missouri so this is not a hunting setup just for looking. I just took some flat feed pans made from the bottoms of old 55 gallon plastic barrels and put them where we could watch and put corn in each evening. After a few days, the deer would be hanging around waiting for the 4 wheeler to show up with feed. Not just doe and bambi either, some decent bucks were seen before we quit feeding due to the upcoming rifle season. I would have expected the sound of the atv to spook them but if so, I didn't see any running away unless I really crowded them. The little grandkids really enjoyed feeding Bambi as they called it.

[James R. Burke]

I wish it was here. Down state it is, they came down with cronic wasting diease from the nose to nose contact. Here it's 2 1/2 gallons spread over then square feet. It is a real pain baiting all the time I wish they would just stop it. The trouble is if you don't bait your the only one. The person down a a bit has a ton out, so your almost forced to dot it.

[TX Hunter]

A good Cheap durable deer feeder can be made out of a used artillery powder canister.
You can sometimes pick these up at Surplus Stores.
The top has a very good wing type fastner, with a thick rubber seal.
Hang it up from a limb, near the bottom make a horizontal cut, then use a hammer and cave the metal in just above the cut.
It makes a perfect pocket for the corn to collect in.
As the deer eat the corn, it fills up the pocket.
These work very well.
There are different sizes of Powder Canisters, some of the larger ones can hold alot of corn.

[TXGunNut]

Have a guide buddy that fills a big coffee can half full, rattles it around and hollers until the free-range mule deer show up. Usually doesn't take long, pretty well trained for a bunch of mulies. YMMV

[James R. Burke]

Or like the feeder I mentioned above.