I am in the process of establishing a series of protein feeder sites across my property with the long-term goal of improving the quality of the hunting on my ranch. My past experience has been pretty much limited to cashing hunter’s checks, so I am learning this side of the equation as I go.
So far, here is what I have done. The first two sites are located fairly close to water and in a central location away from the property line. Now since I am in West Texas, that doesn’t insure that they will always be near water but that is part of the “fun” of living in WTX. I began each site with corn in hog panel enclosed spin feeders. After a couple of weeks of pictures of deer hitting the corn, I moved in a Big Horn protein feeder. 50-50 mix of corn and pellets in the feeder in the beginning. That is where I think I made a rookie mistake. I pulled the spin feeder when I moved the Big Horn in and lost most of my deer. Brought the spin feeder with corn back in for a week, deer have returned and are working the protein good. Removed the corn feeder and am now running full protein. I suspect that I made too many changes at once and they had to get more used to the feeding tubes??? Am I on the right track or was it coincidence. Next Big Horn going on site #2 tomorrow. Any suggestions as to how to improve the process as I add more locations?

A couple of other question about feeder placement. I understand the rational of not allowing hunting over the protein feeders. As expected, there are several existing blind/feeder sites on the place. How much distance should place between my feeder and the shooting site? A good portion of the ranch is shaped like an elongated rectangle. The geography of the places makes it difficult to establish center line feeding sites. How close to the fence line can I get? I don’t mind feeding a few of my neighbor’s deer but I don’t want to feed all of them.

Your comments would be appreciated because, as I said, I am learning as I go.

AEB

I'm not sure you made any drastic mistakes of any kind. Depending on how far apart the protein and the spin feeder are I would number 1 cut back on the spin time for the corn. Use it and the noise it makes to attract them to the pen. You might consider laying out some lines of corn to the feed spouts on the Big Horn feeder.

The biggest obstacle (if one can call it an obstacle) you are facing now is just getting them to recognize the protein as food and letting them get used to it.

RE: water, as long as it's within a 1/2 mile or less they'll do okay. I feed a place where the water source is the Pecos and it's a mile away and the deer are doing well.

I don't have a set distance for ya on shooting site vs feeding site. I believe the key will be they don't get shot at or harassed while hitting the protein. That distance could be right around the proverbial corner. What will help is if you have the feeding site near a bedding area or an area with good cover so that they can feel secure.

Re: closness to neighbors fence, I'd try to keep it a couple hundred yards away. Remember and think about how large a deers core area is. It's just as big for the neighbor's deer as it is for yours.

those are just my opinions

How big is your ranch? How wide or long is it?
If you have room to play with I would stay away from the neighbors fence. Set up your blinds as close to the fence as you would want your neighbors to set up theres to yours.

We feed protein/corn year round in the same pens, come hunting season we hunt over those areas as well.We see most of the deer that were not shot the next year coming to the same feed areas. If you dont have a huge ranch chances are those deer are going to get hunting pressure from somewhere nearby either way.

Hope that helps

Thanks for the input guys. This tract is around 2000 acres with about 3/4ths of that pretty heavy mesquite cover. A grown up creek bottom through the place plus several draws. Mixed terrain with some of it pretty rough. The terrain has its advantages and disadvantages. We have good roads around the perimeter but some central areas are accessable only by horseback or 4 wheelers. A portion of my hunters like the primitiveness of that area of the ranch and I am reluctant make any mechanical changes there. Now the rancher in me says call in the bulldozer and start cutting roads. :-) The result will be that feeder(s)in that area will have to be on the outer edge and near well traveled pasture roads to provide regular access. Surrounding tracts are 100-200 acres in size with moderate hunting pressure. Typical neighbor is a couple of buddies hunting on a leased 160 acre tract. Not ideal but it could be a lot worse.

Thanks again for your input. I am trying to take this slow and not make too many budget busting errors up front.

Sitting back to listen some more.

AEB

Most people use the same pens to feed, but what you are wanting to do is the ideal if you have the money and time. On 2K acres, 4 maybe 5 free choic feeders would be more than enough.

The creek bottom and draws sound interesting and if you can take advantage of them you will probably be miles ahead.

The hunting buddies neighbor thing sounds like it could be a negative for you though. The cynical side of me (which is about 99%) says those guys will be shooting anything with antlers.

Without having seen your place I can't suggest anything ref: a bulldozer. Depending on how rough the terrain is a bulldozer might come in handier for creating edges more than roads. But, again, I ain't seen the place so can't really say.

You are on the right on track with what you are doing. It will take the deer quite a while to start hitting the protein pellets regularly. They have to start recognizing it as a food source. Each year it will improve. I am in my 5th year now and it does take several years for the deer to become accustomed to it.

As far as hunting over the pen, I think a lot of it has to do with how much hunting pressure is in your general area. I set my ranch up (10,000 acres) the way you did at first. We set up our pens remotely and did not hunt them. After the first or second year we moved them to the primary feeding/hunting areas and hunt over them now and it has made no difference in how the deer respond to the protein feeders when we fire them up each Jan. It has been a lot less work on us though. We have very low hunting pressure on our ranch and with our neighbors.

Be patient and do not expect any serious results for about 4 or 5 years. Good luck.

I agree with everyone else, you are doing good.
If you have a dozer sitting around clear firing lanes from your blinds South Texas style and consider an easy approach that provides concelement for your hunters. I have a small dirt tank that is fed by an old windmill that is doing outstanding. If you are within 200 miles of Ballinger I can help.

I place my feed pens near thick cover around 50 or so yards from a heavy game trail. I also cut cedar from under my oak trees and trim the branches for firewood. You will find what works for you doesn't work for everyone. Lots of good 411 on here. These folks have helped me alot. Best of luck to ya.

Deer hitting the feeders pretty hard. Getting lots of cattle pictures at this location because wife had surgery Monday. As a result, I haven't had time to put hog panels around feeder #2 yet. Located a site for #3 and placed a corn spinner. Camera showed a couple of bucks having corn ala carte about four hours later. Think the new site will work.

Random shot from #2

Off to a great start. The rains from Alex should prove to be beneficial too as long as we don't go straight into a drought period.

Have had a bit of a set back. Finally dried out enough to check feeder #1. Things were a wreck. Feeder nearly empty and two sides of the pen torn out. Several calling cards left on the ground but piles all look the same! Mr. Bushnell came to the rescue. The camera caught a big Charolais cow jumping into the pen. She almost made it but caught the panel. Bingo! One panel broke loose followed by several others as her friends joined the party. So hog panels are out and the taller cattle panels are in. I suspect that I need a larger pen to allow for more jumping room if the fence is higher? Any suggestions?

Sure glad I don't have a trailer load of newly bought hog panels. Exactly why I am taking this project slow.

Not saying I told you so, but I have posted many times here that hog panels are jumpable by cows. I've seen them do it. Go with cattle panels, sixteen footers and put a T-post every 8 feet. Minimum size I recommend is 8 panels, if you can afford more, do it. You'll have more deer in there.

Any specific questions shoot me a pm, will be glad to try to help.

Read through a lot of posts in the archives but I missed that reccomendation. No big loss because I had seven hog panels left over from from some long gone hunters. Looks like a trip to Tractor Supply.

I really appreciate you guys help.

The prices on those panels have gotten ridiculous. I saw them for 25 bucks a pop the other day. They were 15 3 or 4 years ago when we built our pens.

McCoys has 16' 50" high 4 guage panels for $19.99 each.

I feel your pain, I had all my pens destroyed and feeders dumped by cows unill I bought the bullet and bought panels. Now I have no problems, but I am still considering getting the wildlifef exemption and doing away with livestock completely.

Last ones I bought at Sutherland's lumber company in Del Rio were 16' X 52 or 54" and were about $17.00 a piece. 6' T posts are right at $ 3.00 each. I know some of the Tractor Supply prices are pretty steep sometimes for the same thing.

Replaced the destroyed hog panels with 50 inch wire panels. Had enough extra panels scattered around the place for one pen. Heat index of 100+ made it a bigger job then I anticipated. I own up to being "old and slow" but I was real slow that day. :-) Pulled the card after a couple of days and have some good pictures of deer checking out the taller panels and wandering off. AAAGH ! Thought this was supposed to be fun.

I have not seen to many things that can truly contain cattle

Have you considered getting a set of bolt cutters and cutting out at least one row of squares that is about 6 squares wide? I normally cut 2 squares down by 6 squares wide in a couple of the pen panels. Deer are lazy if not pressed and they will go and come through those areas.

Yeah, cows can find them areas too, but so far (knock on wood) I haven't had the problem and I feed over 50 feeders where cows are present.

Ditto. I removed the top two rows of the panels and have not had any problems with cows even when I have alphafa hay in the feeder pen.



In the picture below you can see a cut (2 squares x 3 squares) to let fawns in. We don't have hogs (at least for now) and this has not created a problem with any stock getting in.

Problem Solved. For a week now the deer have passed by the pen, glanced at the taller panels, and then wandered off out of camera range. Scattered corn in the pen and all that did was make me very popular with the coon population. Just as I was about to cut one of the panels down, I had another idea. Hung a spin feeder in a tree inside the pen and here is what showed up the first night. Pavlov was right again :-)

Super - looks like their not bashful now! Good luck.

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