Table of Contents
How big does a deer feeder pen need to be?
It is my experience that if you use only one feeder inside the pen, you can get away with a pen sixty foot in diameter, or across. But if you use multiple feeders such as a protein feeder and a corn feeder or even cottonseed baskets, you need to make the pen one hundred foot across to be most effective.
How do you create a whitetail habitat?
For variety and winter cover, you can mix in a few pines or cedars.
- Provide minerals. Maybe you’re fortunate enough to have a natural mineral site on your property.
- Add water.
- Create or enhance staging areas.
- Add shrubs and vines.
- Build big buck bedding cover.
- Create a thermal refuge.
- Plant oaks.
- Give them fruit.
How tall should a deer feeder fence be?
Use 3-foot-high mesh fencing or, preferably, 4-foot-high hog wire and T-posts to build a fence to encircle your spin feeders or mineral sites. The enclosure should be at least 40 feet across with the feeder in the center. Posts should be no more than 8 feet apart.
How do you keep pigs out of deer corn?
If hogs are a problem around your feeders, 28- or 34-inch-tall fences will keep them from reaching your corn. These two fence heights will keep out feral hogs but still allow adult deer to enter and feed (Fig. 3). However, fencing that is 34 inches high may be too tall for fawns.
How tall should a fence around a deer feeder be?
80 by 80 feet
This group also conducted a study on exclosures around protein feeders and suggested that fences be 80 by 80 feet or larger to prevent deer from crowding while feeding.
How high should an automatic deer feeder be off the ground?
The sides of the roof should be 72 inches or more off the ground to keep any bucks in velvet from hitting their antlers. The sides of the trough should be around 24 inches off the ground to allow fawns to access the feeder.
What is the best habitat for whitetail deer?
White-tailed deer are highly adaptable species and thrive in a variety of habitats. The areas that provide the most suitable environment include a mixture of hardwoods, croplands, brushlands and pasturelands. They prefer an interspersed habitat including meadows, forested woodlots, brushy areas and croplands.
What makes a good deer bedding area?
A southwest-facing slope provides two key elements a buck will look for in a bedding area: headwind and sunshine. This allows them to smell danger long before they see it and seek out a little warmth in the colder months. Mature bucks will typically lay down with a thick stand of trees at their backs.
Is raising whitetail deer profitable?
The best profits come from raising deer for hunting. Preserves pay from $800 to $40,000 for bucks 2 1/2 years and older. “About 90 percent that are sold, score 190 or less. A lot of growers try to raise the biggest deer,” McIntosh says.
How do I keep pigs out of my deer corn?
What will hogs eat that deer won t?
Sweet corn
Sweet corn is a staple in hog baits, because hogs can easily recognize the smell. Corn will “sour” once soaked for several days, creating a smell that will attract hogs but keep other animals, such as deer, away.
How long should a deer feeder run?
Start with a shorter feed-dispense time of around five seconds. You can gradually increase this as the deer get used to it and more deer begin feeding at it. Once that happens, there are two common options to consider: Dispense feed once early in the morning and once in the afternoon for a few seconds each time.
What makes a good bedding area for deer?
Do deer travel the creek beds and why?
Streams and creeks allow bucks to quench their thirst while finding cooler temperatures and thick cover. This makes them terrific early season hotspots—ones that are neglected by many deer hunters. Creeks act as natural funnels for buck travel which gives you the perfect opportunity to set up along them.
What’s the difference between an exotic pen and a whitetail pen?
The exotic pens are much different than the whitetail pens, since, I do not plan on pushing these through my deer barn. The animals are different body sizes and the chutes would not work for all the animals. The exotics also tend to be much more aggressive toward humans and each other when pushed into tight quarters.
Why do you keep Bucks out of the DOE pens?
Another reason is, if you need to run the pens into the barn for health reasons during the breeding season, the bucks can be very aggressive. With antlers, it can be a serious risk for the does and the workers. I will pull the bucks out of the doe pens each year after the third breeding cycle.
What is the best Arrow for whitetail hunting?
When it comes to whitetail, my go-to is an Easton 5MM FMJ with a .340 spine and a gpi rating of 11.3. Total arrow weight is 480 grains. My average three-arrow fps is 279, which gives me 82.95 foot-pounds of kinetic energy.
How big is the barn for deer hunting?
The barn is going to be 4,000 square feet. In the barn, there will be 6 8’x8’ sorting rooms as the deer first come into the barn. We will use these to separate the deer into groups that we want to run through the chute.