5 replies to this topic

[Tommy]

I don't have much property to hunt where I live but their are several cornfields close to my property. I know deer travel between them and have seen several and killed one buck. Today I purchased a Moultrie 30 Gallon EZ-Fill Tripod Feeder to hopefully pull more deer to my property this year for hunting 2010 in the fall. I am also planning to plant a couple of clover food plots. Does anyone have any tips from experience? I plan to put corn and maybe soybeans mixed in the feeder.

I will place a trail cams out to view deer as well on the plots and feeder. After some research and "Iron Duke (thanks)" recommendation I am going to buy a couple of Moultrie I40.

[Guide Girl]

Sure. Where you it set up is the same as where you set up without a feeder. It has to be in the right spot. Say you have a funnel point or a trail from one field to another or bedding area, set up that feeder in the area of the trials, but not on the trail. Set the timer for just at sunrise in the morning and an hour to 30 minutes before sunset.

Deer like an area that they can see the surroundings while they are at the artificial feed area, but with cover close by for a quick escape. So I like to set up in an open area but with a treeline within 15 yards. They like it a bit closer to the treeline but you will be at a disadvantage to viewing them or if you shoot, loosing sight faster when your season rolls back around. Also, I like to move the feeders to fresh dirt every 4-6 months, so even if you just move it 5 yards over, that's good. You can tell what's coming in by watching the tracks in the dirt, but I believe fresh dirt is important. Don't worry about clearing it from grass as they will have the grass down in a short time.

Now you have to set how long the feeder throws. I'm not familiar with that particular feeder, but it doesn't take a bunch of corn to draw them into the area. Start off with 2 or 3 seconds and then adjust as you see if there is much corn left over laying on the ground or not. You don't want feed to pile up. It will bring in rodents, raccoons, and skunks. Coons will learn how to empty the feeder if they get a routine of hitting it after dark. It also draws in lots of birds on a daily basis, so that's one of the benefits I like-bird watching. Don't put anything in the feeder that will clog it up. That is a pain.
Good luck!

[Iron Duke]

Feeder Notes:

I installed that exact feeder two years ago.  Last year I began taking notes.  This season I added a second Moultrie 30 gallon, double battery Magnum Feeder with Moultrie solar charger about 100 yards away. (the Moultrie solar charger seems better than the "after market" job I have on the EZ fill.  You might want to give the battery a good charge after a few months, even with a solar charger installed.   I began feeding in July this year and killed 8 deer in 4 months on that one EZ Fill feeder.  The key was light hunting pressure at that location.    There weren't a ton of deer at the feeder all the time, but there was activity. I'd stay away from it for a few weeks; in that time a few deer would start to use it; I'd go in and get them ... then stay away for another few weeks.  Remember, deer on this property are SMART! ... and around here there was a bumper crop of acorns.  On another property that never was hunted, I killed 8 deer in a couple of weeks on a bait station.  I could have killed 8 at a sitting if state laws and "deer check station" logistics allowed it!  I think the white oaks, red oaks and some other species (black?) dropped acorns all together this year ... a rarity I'm told.  So corn was down on their ice cream list once the acorns started dropping on both properties.  When we got some snow burying the acorns, the feeder started to get hammered. Generally this is the way it goes #1.  Start your bait 3 weeks or more before the season.  You'll have leverage on the young & dumb for a while ... you'll kill deer.  THEN ... they become bait educated; not necessarily by you, but by everyone ... your neighbors etc.  Bait becomes less effective.  You might still pick up a few smaller deer.  Come winter, cold & ice ... you regain bait leverage.  BUT ... you're dealing with smart, educated deer by then ... so it ain't necessarily easy.  The big thing is "don't get busted."   As far as nice "racks" ... they're very smart ... tough to take one on a feeder around here.  Anyway ...here are the timer settings:

FEEDER NOTES:
10 second setting, three times a day uses precisely 1-1/2 pails of corn a week.   Feeder holds 7 pails.   1-3/4 pails per week will last one month.  Probably set at 13 seconds.   Reset to 12/12 &15 seconds on 10/31/08 during rut which increases flow 17% or to 1-3/4 pails per week, 7 pails per month.  

Set to go off at 9:00am, 10:00am and 2:00pm ... figuring this might get them coming in later in the day so they don’t bust you trying to get into the stand ... and it might keep them from coming in at night.  (Changed to 7:30am, 8:00am & 8:30am on 11/21/08; 9:00am deal didn’t seem to work)

2009 ... Set up EZ Fill feeder on 7-25-09 and started running once a day @ 10 seconds.  This will last until the season starts 9/12/09 at which time I will increase flow.  Corn is always gone, but feeder doesn’t seem to be “hammered.”  (New Camera shows turkeys and birds)
2009 (8/21/09)... After a month with one feeder on Small Island of woods and one in Original location, Moultrie Camera shows very little deer activity in either spot.  Moved camera up north to gully stand.  decent activity.

1/5/10 ... Doves hammered Small Island feeder all year.  They switched to Salt Lick feeder after I shut down SI feeder in December.  Tried an owl decoy at ground level ... scared deer.  Maybe a hawk up in the tree?   Killed 8 deer over the main feeder.   12/24/09 switched out EZ Fill & filled Magnum feeder at salt lick and set for 7:00am & 7:30am @ 14 seconds each.  (Old EZ Fill feeder battery was dead) Two shots at 14 seconds drops enough corn to keep doves from eating it all.

#1.  2009 ... Put solar charger wire inside BX or something to prevent squirrels from chewing through.   Might consider chicken wire around tub.  In 2008, squirrels chewed charger wire, tore off cage around impeller, chewed on impeller, tub lid, bungy cord and rope around limb holding everything. (2009, didn’t touch  anything ... go figure?)
#2.  Perhaps ... Bolt tin box with “Emergency Light” 6vt battery to add to Moltrie battery. (EZ Fill Feeder)

For the record ... what I know didn't just come from my experiences ... a good friend of mine is a wildlife biologist and culls animals for a living ... tens of thousands of animals all over the world.  Much of what I've learned about bait leverage is from him.

Edited by Iron Duke, 06 January 2010 - 04:00 PM.

[Tommy]

I won't be able to bait with the feeder in Virginia during deer season, that is when I am hoping they will stay in the area due to the food plots I intend to plant.

I walked to the location I intend to put the feeder out today around 1pm and jumped 3 deer bedding close by, one was a buck with spikes about 8-10inchs, suprised it still had its anglers. The others were does.

[Iron Duke]

Great Advice Guide Girl ... I have a question for you about that bare ground issue.  I was wondering a little about that over the last year or so.  I've read that baiting in the same spot year after year "can" be advantageous because the deer know it's there early, and in tough weather conditions.   BUT ... I wondered about the baren earth issue.  Can you expand on your findings?

Another thing I've noticed ... deer hammered brown mineral licks for the first few months of the season.   Didn't care much for white salt licks.  The deer in this photo are on the Mineral lick.

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[DaveHawk]

I have always set the feeder for once a day, 1 hour before dark. 3 seconds. Or I carry a coffee can full in each time I hunt. That way the deer learn to smell for the corn keeps them on a targeted path for checking food source at some of the properties. .