Plans for a homemade deer feeder?

[CG6018]

I live at the edge of a big development with open fields and small wooded areas behind my house. I have a mineral block out for the local deer population, and would like to add a feeder to hold shelled corn or pellets for the four to six white-tails which visit on an irregular basis. This is not for shooting purposes, we just enjoy observing these local deer. I used nearly 400 lbs. of shelled corn last year filling a plastic bird bath placed on the ground; however, a rainy day filled the feeder spoiling the corn. Any suggestions for a functional homemade feeder?

 

[Slowpoke]

I went to Home Depot and got a piece of PVC sewer pipe and a stopper for one end. Then I cut a 3-4 inch half moon on one side of the other end. When I want to fill it up, I pour corn into the open in till it's about 3/4 full, 100 pounds. Then I tilt it up against at tree so that the open end is on the ground and the corn comes out of the half moon. I use 2 bungee cords to hole it to the tree. The corn comes out of the bottom by gravity, the more they eat, the more that comes out.

SP

 

[CG6018]

Thanks, Slowpoke! That sounds like the kind of homemade project I can handle. How long a section is needed to hold 75 to 100 lbs. of corn? Do you spray paint it? I'll be hanging the feeder 8 to 10 feet beyond my property line on township property. Maybe a brown spray paint would help make the feeder less visible. The reason for hanging beyond my line is simply because I do not have any trees in that corner or my property, which is quite small! : :thumbsup:

 

[Slowpoke]

Yeah, I spray paint mine brown and black but I don't know why I do, I hunt private property. The sections I use are about 6-7 feet you could get by with 5 feet. I have a couple that I can get to with my truck, I just pull aside them, lower and stand on the tailgate, uncap and pour the corn in. I tried sweet feed (the kind for horses) but I got more hog than deer. I feed the deer,turkey,hogs, squirrel, coon, and every other critter with them during the months of October-March. During the rest of the year there's enough for them to eat and I don't want to make them lazy.

SP

 

[CG6018]

Much obliged! I'll make 2 or 3 and give as Christmas presents to my smokepole friends. Thanks again, and the deer will thank you as well. Keep yer powder dry! :redthumb:

 

[roundball]

Unless you want a really large diameter one, I've seen them made out of a piece of common 6" flexible black plastic drain pipe...a cap snapped on top, and a piece snapped onto the botton that has a step-down to fit onto a gutter downspout.
The stuff has normally been black but I've recently seen it in brown...Home Depot, Lowes, etc

 

[Slowpoke]

No Problemo....

You may laugh at me but I have all kinds of neat things around my perminent deer stands. Around one of my favorites, I have a couple bird feeders and a countless bird/squirrel houses. I know it sounds stupid but I like to watch other things beside empty shooting lanes. I leave them empty most of the year but during deer season I alway fill them up with birdseed and it helps pass the time.

SP

 

The PVC stuff works great and lasts forever but if you want to try something different you could make a bigger feeder out of wood and you will have all kinds of wildlife at your feeder.

Here is a photo of one I built a long time ago in our backyard. Ears of corn were impaled on nails in the roof and side cross members to attract the deer. My neighbor gave me this idea and it really helped as I had wildlife feeding very soon.

The following photos are of pheasant and turkey feeding in backyard. I had as many as 6 turkeys at once.

Once deer start to arrive, they will eat anything-your shrubs and trees are especially good eating for them! The next photo is of deer eating out of a homemade PVC sunflower feeder in our front yard. They would lick the feeder to get the pumpkin seeds out and eat what the birds dropped on the ground.

The last photo is of deer munching on old pumpkins I put back in our garden to rot. We had 18 of them for almost a solid week here. I now dump the pumpkins in our woods!!!

It's a lot of fun though to see all these critters so close to your home. Once the CWD hit our area, I chose to remove the feeder for the safety of the deer.

 

[Slowpoke]

That is fantastic !!!!

 

[brushbuster]

that's a real neat idea my only problem would be keeping my cows from destroying it :shake: :crackup:

 

[CG6018]

Thanks, fellas, for all the suggestions. I should have used this forum in the first place. Great photos, Smoked. Thanks for sharing them.