Deer feeder problems

[ScottOkla]

I put one up 3 weeks ago near my house where the deer frequent, and I have not seen one there since.

The crows like it though.

 

[jinman]

I put one up 3 weeks ago near my house where the deer frequent, and I have not seen one there since.

The crows like it though.

Both deer and turkeys seem to come and go in cycles. At some times of the year, we will have 8-10 deer at our feeder morning and night; the same with turkey, only more. Then, for some reason, we may go for a month and only see one or two and the corn piles up on the ground. Suddenly, they will be back every day. Even when you get them accustomed to feeding at your feeder, don't expect them to always be there. It really is a seasonal thing as Eddie pointed out. I even put out a deer block by the feeder and the only thing that ever munched on it was squirrels. The deer sniffed it and walked away.

Our deer don't seem to be put off by human smells. They will come right up into our yard and about 10 of them eat corn our neighbor throws out about 20 feet from their back door in heavy woods. Smells of dog urine and other domesticated animals does seem to bother them though.

 

[BB_TX]

I think it just a matter of them getting use to it. We have been using feeders for many years. You can be sitting in your blind not seeing a thing and when the feeder goes off, deer will suddenly appear from where there were none and run to the feeder. And (as Jim mentioned) at other times, it will go off and nothing. We typically set ours up in Sept for a Nov opening.
We have bought corn at various feed stores as well as Walmart. I can't tell the difference in results. And we make no particular effort to hide human odors.

 

[YanmarFever]

I picked up a 50# bag of rolled corn today from a different feed store I will try it out as soon as I have time

 

[kenmac]

Paul, whats the best way to mask human odor once you have touched the feeder ?

Tractor Ernie

Ernie, You may just have one of those odors that you can"t get rid of . you know how that yanmar odor is

I just Couldn't help myself

 

[Rara Avis]

Paul, whats the best way to mask human odor once you have touched the feeder ?

Tractor Ernie

Pollick's Doe Urine Tarsal Plus

 

[EddieWalker]

I don't think the deer really notice human odor on inanimate objects. They also get used to it pretty quickly if it's there. Just like leaving the tractor out in the field and seeing deer tracks all around it the next day. It's just not something that bothers them.

I know you don't have wild hogs, but one thing that really amazed me was how strong the smell is after a group of sows came to the feeder. There must have been one in heat, because after they came through that day, I had boars in there all the time!!!!!! It lasted about two weeks, then back to normal, but the only thing that I can guess that caused it was the urine of one of them sows worked like a magnet on those boars.

Are you sure that there are no deer eating your corn?

Smooth out the dirt around the feeder and check for tracks in the morning. Deer don't eat very much corn. In fact, I've never been able to notice any missing corn from them eating it. Hogs will eat every single kernal, but deer just eat a little bit and move on.

A game camera also tells you if the deer are there or not. They get used to the flash real quick and will just eat and hang out while it's flashing. It also tells you what time of the night they are eating the corn. The buck at mine come in around midnight to 2am. The does are there around 10pm.

Eddie



Eddie

 

[BB_TX]

I don't think the deer really notice human odor on inanimate objects.
Deer don't eat very much corn. Eddie

Eddie - I agree with you. We may go out mid day to add corn to our feeders. We walk around the feeder and I open/close the barrel with bare hands. Then late that same afternoon when the feeder goes off, the deer will still come around.
We hunt in natural open ground blinds (logs/brush stacked a couple feet high). I have had many many deer walk inside 10 yds of me, look at me, and as long as I saw them first and have frozen up, they move on with no alarm. But as soon as they get downwind, they snort, jump, and run off a ways and then start blowing.

But our deer must be hungrier than yours. They will stay at the feeder until every last kernel is gone.

 

[YanmarFever]

Eddie, good advise

I will put up the cameras today, they have that infrared flash thingy that doesnt scare anyone away.

You're right the deer might be eating the corn & I dont know it

It was 28 degrees here last night and the coyotes were howling like the beatles all night long.

 

[ScottOkla]

I don't think the deer really notice human odor on inanimate objects. They also get used to it pretty quickly if it's there. Just like leaving the tractor out in the field and seeing deer tracks all around it the next day. It's just not something that bothers them.

I know you don't have wild hogs, but one thing that really amazed me was how strong the smell is after a group of sows came to the feeder. There must have been one in heat, because after they came through that day, I had boars in there all the time!!!!!! It lasted about two weeks, then back to normal, but the only thing that I can guess that caused it was the urine of one of them sows worked like a magnet on those boars.

Are you sure that there are no deer eating your corn?

Smooth out the dirt around the feeder and check for tracks in the morning. Deer don't eat very much corn. In fact, I've never been able to notice any missing corn from them eating it. Hogs will eat every single kernal, but deer just eat a little bit and move on.

A game camera also tells you if the deer are there or not. They get used to the flash real quick and will just eat and hang out while it's flashing. It also tells you what time of the night they are eating the corn. The buck at mine come in around midnight to 2am. The does are there around 10pm.

Eddie



Eddie

I have to comment on the part about the tractor being left in the field and trackes being all around it the next day. This was my most surprising buck encounter yet:

Monday morning at about 9:30 I drove into the woods and parked next to a couple of smoldering fires from the previous day that my father had burned. I sat in the auto for about 30 seconds and as I started to open the door a buck walked out of the brush, crossed about 30 yards from me in the opening I was in, and then gradually worked his way into the brush again - nibbling on thing all the while. I took a few pictures and then got out and "snuck" to within 15 yards of him, whistled to get his head up, took a couple more pictures, and he then took off through the brush.

All of this aided by a 10-15 mph wind keeping him from hearing or smelling me. He was pretty small, but was an 8-pointer. I can't see him living a whole lot longer (not too bright). At least that was what I was thinking as I came up behind him to get better pictures. I was really shocked by the entire thing.