Deer Baiting Question?

[roysclockgun]

I have only lived in Florida for a short time, where deer baiting is legal on private land, provided the feeding stations are maintained six months before hunting season. I was lucky enough to get permission to hunt a neighbors back property, which consist of a cleared paddock, that is perhaps five acres. This, in the middle of jungle that is very thick, save for one side, where a neighbor has large truck gardens that must also attract deer. I put my ladder stand in the middle of the mostly open area, in a small grove of water oaks. I screened the stand with tall young pines that I cut. Since I have been baiting these last months, the deer are cleaning up all the alfalfa nuggets that I put out. I have not re baited on any schedule, but now the archers are in the public lands adjacent to my paddock and I believe that my deer, that have been hitting my bait, will become more wary, so I do not want to go to the baits any more than I need to, in order to keep the bait replenished. My question is : After baiting, how long should I allow the field to stand without going in there, until I check to see how much bait is left? How much more effective will it be to use a timed feeder, rather than just dump out the bait on the ground?
Thank you,
Steven

 

[rick smith]

I would feed on a schedule if possible or use a timed feeder. The deer will become use to a regular schedule and will learn when an auto feeder drops food. You can't do anything about the hunters on the adjacent land and the deer are not yours. You may be feeding them but they don't belong to you. We plant food plots and put out supplemental food on our leases. But the hunters on adjacent land can shoot any deer that is on their land even if they feed on our plots.Rick.

 

[martineta]

I reallt don't think deer are bothered by our comings and goings. A timed feeder will progarm them to come when the feeder kicks in but are also noisy. This could attract a trespasser who might steal your feeder. A good option is to buy a piece of plastic 4-6 inch diameter pipe at a hardware store. You need one union piece thats a 90 degree angle for the bottom and a plastic cap for the top. A five foot piece holds about 25 pounds of corn. Tie or wire the pipe standing up verticle to a sapling. Fill with corn or pellets. Gravity will feed the corn to the bottom and out the feeder as the deer use it. throw a little corn around the feeder and within days, the deer will be using the pipe feeder. Works great and is silent. Added plus is corn wont spoil as its protected inside the feeder should it rain. Cheap to make and 25 pounds of corn will feed 4-6 hungry deer three days. You can also buy a used plastic drum with a top. Cut or drill out a hole 4-5 inches in diameter on the side of the drum near the bottom. Again gravity will pull the corn down as the deer feed. It flows out the side and will puddle just enough to block the rest of the corn from coming out the drum. A 50 gallon drum holds 200-250 pounds of corn. Fill it once a season and forget about it. Used Drums can be bought for less than $10 most places.

 

[roysclockgun]

It has rained everyday. The Alfalfa pellets, spread out on the ground in lines, have swelled and turned tan in color. Will the deer still eat it?
Would I do better using soy beans? I don't want to use corn, because I think corn would attract bears that I know are in the neighborhood. What deer bait to use?
I am going to buy a timed feeder this week, but need to know the best bait to put in it.
Steven

 

[NoelW]

Steven, the pics are of a couple of my feeders. My hunting buddy and I have 2 of the 600 lb feeders that we modified with the 4 port feeder heads and 6 that were made from 55 gallon plastic drums that hold 350 lbs each. They will feed soybeans, corn or pelletized protein feed. We have a bad raccoon problem here so you can see the sheet metal cone addition so the raccoons would not have anything to hang on to. I did a quick search and only found 3 port heads which I pasted the links to below but they are the same principle. I like these a lot better than anything I have tried and I have tried a lot. The feed don't get wasted on the ground when it rains like a broadcast feeder, raccoons don't get my feed and even in shallow water the deer can still eat clean dry feed. I set the bottom of the head 36-37" off the ground. I feed year around and mix soybean with protein pellets when I can get the soybeans. Raw soybean is about 45% protein and the protein pellets are usually around 17-20% but have minerals added that's needed for antler growth and for the does carrying their young. Corn is not really good for deer, it's like candy to a child. They love it but it's low in fat and low in protein. If all you want to do is shoot a deer off the feeder it's ok, but it's not that beneficial to the deer.



http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/p ... HOP_413950


http://www.walmart.com/ip/American-Hunt ... 3841174779

 

[roysclockgun]

I appreciate all of that information. What I now need to know is what I can put into my auto timed feeder that will attract deer, but not bears. The local feed stores have Alfalfa pellets, soy bean and of course, corn. However, I know that corn will attract bears. Will soy beans pull in the deer and not bears? Or, do bears like soy beans as well? How about Alfalfa pellet? Will that bring in deer as well as corn?
Thanks,
Steven in DeLand, FL

 

[NoelW]

Don't know much about bears Steven. I don't have any bears in the immediate vicinity of my hunting area. Wouldn't think they would be too attracted to soybeans although I hear they are pretty adaptive to what ever is available. I know enough that if there is something they like in the feeder they will destroy your feeder to get to it. Maybe someone else can help you with that question.