I've read here that people recommend a large round pen for spin cast so the deer don't feel cornered and it keeps the corn in the pen and away from the hogs but what about for a free choice protein feeder using34"hog panel.it would seem that the low panels and no spinning would not require as large a pen. I bought 8 16' panels but
that seems bit much. Looking experience based suggestions. Thanks

If you have cattle the great the distance between the edge of the pen and the feeder the better you are. My pens now are 10-16'x34" hog panels with 2 T-posts per panel. If you have cattle then you might buy the 16'x52" cattle panels and cut down at spots for easier access. They cost the same most places as hog panels. I think TSC or McCoys in South Texas has the cattle panels for $19.99

we build 48'x 48'. most of the corn stays inside the pen so we dont have problems with live stock or pigs.

Thanks for the replies. No livestock to deal with at this point it's just gotten too expensive to feed the hogs. They camp under and around my free choice protein feeder while the deer stand in the background waiting for them to leave and at 500.00 to fill a 2k lb feeder I'd rather save it for the deer.

I built mine round with 7 16' panels clamped together with cable clamps and overlapped one square on each joint. These are round with T-post at ever joint and one in the middle of each panel. If I were to build more they will be with 9 or 10 panels each. Round pen is pretty easy to do with the panels clamped together,

Thanks for the input, did you build them for protein or spin cast feeders?

10 of the 16 footers make a near perfect sized round pen. We did some that size & it gives some room for the deer to move around as they fuss around & compete for the tubes that dispense the protein. I'm sure 8 panels would work, but not crowding them up in the pen just seems a better idea. Its really not that much more expense.

What kind of cable clamps, I see dozens come up with a search.

Should have said wire rope or steel cable clamps, they U-bolt ones. Used 3 at each joint of the panels

I use concrete wire ties or pig tails on mine. Then galv. wire on them when I wire them to T-posts. I overlap one spacing for strength.

Here is link to a post I made on how I build my pens.
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3448365/1

Once upon a time I used 6 hog panels. You dominate deer would rule the pen. We didnt have hogs, only sheep and goats

just built another pen because i changed leases. previous pen builds followed precisely stxranchmans. easy to build and they are plenty big enough. built all mine this way by myself in less than 2 hours. have a spinner and free choice in there. its a good feeling walking away from there and seeing how it came together!

I use the little chain links you can unscrew the sides. Clamp two panels together all the time. Can move them in pairs and set up 10 panels quick.

My problem with cattle panel is that it doesn't have the smaller squares for the bottom side. The piglets can get through cattle panel and eat the corn...

I have used the 4"x4"-4'x20' panels also. Used to be a little higher than the hog panels in price. Not sure now on them. But you can cut them down in spots also.

A protein feeder gives the deer permission to come eat whenever. Did your mom let you come eat whenever? Mine didn't, If I didn't come right after she said it was ready then I didn't get a plate. Why should deer come at midnight when you want them to come at 6:30 so you have a chance to shoot one? Just make a big square, two-three panels on each side and you'll have enough space.

stxranchman, I used your method as outlined in your former post. Once I got the hang of it we moved pretty fast. The biggest slowdown was figuring out I needed to plan the wiring all the way around so I could back up the truck to fill the feeders. And getting up after wiring the lowest part of the panel with my knees cracking! I like using the pig tails, have been doing it awhile for maintenance on a former lease. I think I'll use pigtails down low and wire the middle and top with strong wire and be good to go!

Wow now thats a sig. pic LOL may want to resize that one

just built mine 32x32 using 8ea 16 ft of the 34" hog pannels.....with 16 tposts. I too thought it was too much but after seeing 16 x 16 it was clear that was way too small. bigger is better.

(8) 16' hog panels for mine. No problems so far.

Here are 3 different ones of ours. Hog panels work but we sometimes add a line of barbwire across the top to keep the goats out.

Ask txaggie02, he knows about feeding deer and the size of pens.