# Deer feeder timing question



## 12pointer (Jul 11, 2011)

Question for you guys that use spinner type feeders . What is the about of corn that you program your feeders to sling out at one time  ? 1 lb. ,1 1/2 lb. , or more, and how many times a day do you have them come on in a day ?


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## FOLES55 (Jul 11, 2011)

I set mine to sling 1.5-2 lbs two separate times a day in the begining then will adjust later according to the deer usage. Times 
I like are 1.5 hours before dark and a little after sunrise cause the time will change later anyways. But I cant hunt my feeders so one of the southern guys may have little better info than me. I just put mine out before season with trail cams.


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## 1gr8bldr (Jul 11, 2011)

This is VERY important. To early in the evening and the deer might beat you to the stand and you end up bumping them out. Early bow season when days are the longest, we see lots of action about 4;30 but I don't like it going off much sooner than that cause that's a long sit till dark. So I would susjest to set your timer to go off 10 minutes after your average time that you like to arrive. Mornings are critical. If it goes off before daylight, most times you will run them out. They will hang around waiting for it to go off and since they don't have clocks, they arrive to early most of the time making it almost impossible to get in without spooking them. Going off about the time that you could see well enough to identify your bucks, which is just shortly after daylight will give the deer a time to expect it. So they know that it is no use in being there before daylight. This is tough because this time is constantly changing. I get a chart of sunrise/sunset tables. Where I hunt and when I need it to go off if I remember correctly is about 30min from sunrise. So if I fill my feeder and know that I will be hunting in about 3 weeks, then I look at the tables for that time period and not the tables for this day. Next most critical, Deer typically feed around all night and by morning they start moving towards where they will bed for the day. If they can grab a belly full on the way, then they are apt to start a pattern that includes your stop. But they will not go out of their way to visit a feeder that goes off 2 hrs after daylight. Feeders don't feed equal amounts of deer as do corn piles. Generally, you will get the same group of deer coming by as soon as it goes off and not leaving untill every last piece is gone. If this is what happens, then that is fine because the bucks will know this and begin to criuse your area. Sometimes, during the rut, they will follow a doe in. But what happens most in my experience is that a group of bucks will eventually comideer the feeder as their own. Being the first to arrive morning and eve. They learn quickly that if they are not there when it goes off that the does will be and that if they wish to get any that they know what they must do. I have one stand location where I have my "doe" feeder 80yds to one side of the stand and my "buck" feeder 80yds to the other side. After the bucks clean up their side, they will go to the other but by that time the does will have just about cleaned up their's. I like this set up but that's more corn than I wish to feed at one location. As far as how much to feed. That has to do with the distance the feeder unit is from the barrel. So setting the timer for the same amount of seconds will not be a constant. I estimate mine to run out a 55gal barrel in 4weeks in the "before" season. I trickle it to last 8 weeks in the "after" season. During hunting season, I set them for an estimated 3 weeks of run time. This is considered heavy feeding. The amount is an effort to allow more deer to feed from the feeder. But the point is not the amount, most important is that the corn is there EVERY DAY.  A mature buck will not come by in hopes that corn is on the ground, he has to know it's there before he will risk his safety. If you only use half that and it's there every day, you will begin to see a pattern form. I rarely get night pictures at my best feeders because the deer know not to waste their time going to the feeder knowing it's all gone. Be patient, this takes time. Start your deer off by put your feeder in location. Not on yet. Bait by hand around the feeder but not too close. For several weeks, keep getting closer and closer until you eventually have them eating under it. Now turn it on. IF they ever quit eating your corn for whatever reason, maybe acrons, you must turn the quanity back or turn it off for a couple of days or else you might have corn to begin to sour if you get much rain. The deer will not pick through the bad to get the good. Once this happens, your best bet is to move the feeder instead of raking corn.  Good luck hunting. Try not to give up the old way of hunting.


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## 308NavyDad (Jul 11, 2011)

Havent used one in Georgia, but in Florida I use to set it for about 1.5 to 2 pounds. Set it to go off about 2 hours after sun started coming up, and about 3pm. If its set to close to dark they wont come in to it until dark. With that said I have never killed a trophy class buck around a feeder or do I know anybody that has killed a trophy class buck around a feeder. Thats why I dont even bother with them anymore. They're good for does and hogs, and since I've been hunten in Georgia I've seen enough of them with out spending money on corn. Look everybody is going corn crazy in South Georgia with this new law, the way I see it just being in the woods is going to put me between a deer and somebodys corn pile.


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## gahunter70 (Jul 11, 2011)

been using feeders for years and I have never had deer come to it when it goes off,in fact I have seen the noise scare the deer away so I let it go off in the middle of the day, now for hogs it's different I've had them bed right near the feeder and get up and come to it when it goes off, just my experiences.


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## 1gr8bldr (Jul 11, 2011)

carolinaguy said:


> been using feeders for years and I have never had deer come to it when it goes off,in fact I have seen the noise scare the deer away so I let it go off in the middle of the day, now for hogs it's different I've had them bed right near the feeder and get up and come to it when it goes off, just my experiences.


 I've seen many times when the deer came to early. They just tense up and let the corn hit them. Wish I had that on video.


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## gahunter70 (Jul 11, 2011)

1gr8bldr said:


> I've seen many times when the deer came to early. They just tense up and let the corn hit them. Wish I had that on video.



Thats funny,not for me though they seem to avoid it if I have it going off close to feed times but I seen videos of Texas deer coming to feeders.


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## Havana Dude (Jul 11, 2011)

Been setting ours at 5PM and 7 AM for 20 years. Some days they are there to get run off, others they are not. Some days I'm running late, and spook them off a feeder, some not. Same as above, never seen nor killed a decent buck any where near one, but it does put the does in the vicinity, and in turn, the bucks show up as well. I have actually watched bucks follow a doe in to a point, the doe continue on to the feeder, and the buck either wait her out or got bored and move on. They are not stupid.


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## florida boy (Jul 11, 2011)

carolinaguy said:


> been using feeders for years and I have never had deer come to it when it goes off,in fact I have seen the noise scare the deer away so I let it go off in the middle of the day, now for hogs it's different I've had them bed right near the feeder and get up and come to it when it goes off, just my experiences.



I will stand by what you said all day long .....


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## gahunter70 (Jul 12, 2011)

florida boy said:


> I will stand by what you said all day long .....



Maybe thats cuz Im an ole Fla boy myself,born and raised in Polk county


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## 12pointer (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks guys for the info ,I will let yall know what kind of info I get from the cameras I put on the feeders .


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## billy336 (Jul 13, 2011)

Not sure about poundage but I run ours to go off at 7&8 AM for 5 seconds then again at 5&530PM for 5 seconds. This is in central FL, works for us


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## MFOSTER (Jul 13, 2011)

i run mine at 8am once a day that makes it a long time before dark


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## 12pointer (Jul 23, 2011)

thought you guys would like to know that the day after I put out my feeders that I had deer coming in to them feeding. It really surprised me I figured it would take them a little while to get use to them.


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## coastalredneck (Jul 24, 2011)

I would set mine to go off once in the afternoon...if you set it off in the morning...the turkeys can get to it. Corn is to expensive to be feeding them turkeys too.


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