Its crazy how cattle vary from place to place. The first property I leased had cattle and we didn't even have feed pens, cattle paid the feeders no mind and didn't mess with hand fed corn either.

Second place we had to have feed pens and they would hang around hand fed corn all day.

Our place now we had cattle for a year that belonged to the guy that we bought it from. They didn't bother un-penned corn feeders at all, but would knock down and empty a protein feeder in one day.

I have never had any issues with hogs going over 34" panels, but I have heard of them. I talked to a guy who hunted on the Burr Ranch in the 90's and he said he had videos of hogs going over hog panels. He had a 96'x96' square pen with a corn feeder and protein. Hogs were giving him fits.
There was some research done and IIRC they said 26" or 28" would keep most hogs out. I always corn with a road feeder away from the feeder and never shoot inside of my feed pens.

[quote=redchevy]

if your cattle were well behaved that means they're well fed and no need to go raid on deer feed


another item the cattle on my place will go bezerk for is salt lick or mineral blocks.
If I put some out for deer it's a 100% 'guaronti' that they will eventually destroy the panels to get in
I quit putting mineral blocks inside pen

I have a number of rounded feeder pens from 34" hog panels. Use from 8-12 per pen. I overlap them and use wire rope clips (look like little u-bolts) to bolt together on the overlap. The pen will stand up by itself and is really solid. If you can get the t-posts in the ground good, anything more than one wired in the middle of each panel would be overkill. Would be a big waste of time and effort for me to use one in mid and both ends on each panel. In my rocky country I sometimes have to use a big hammer drill to set posts. Basically they keeps hogs from shoving the pen around but do not serve to hold up the panels since they are self supporting. My pens have been up for about 5 years in heavy hog country and we have everything from WT to aoudad, to axis in them regularly. Still as good as the day I put them up.

if your cattle were well behaved that means they're well fed and no need to go raid on deer feed


another item the cattle on my place will go bezerk for is salt lick or mineral blocks.
If I put some out for deer it's a 100% 'guaronti' that they will eventually destroy the panels to get in
I quit putting mineral blocks inside pen

If you are going with a round pen and cattle panels I would use 5 or 5.5 foot T-Post. The strength of the round pen will help hold it up. I would only cut down every 3rd panel or a 8' section every so often to allow deer access. 12 panels will need 24 post per pen. I would overlap them one spacing. I used concrete tie wire to put my pen together quickly then came back and put 14ga. galvanized tie wire later. Like posted above leave one panel section for a gate. You can still put a T-post in the middle of it or just off to one side to allow easy access.

Best advice is to bring someone else to drive all the Tposts

Do you have access to a welder?

Stx, you ever have any where the posts stick up past the panel? I don't really want to cut my posts and don't want to drive them 3 foot deep either. Thoughts? Already have some 6-footers

Good advice ... come to think of it, are you going to be at the lease for Labor Day weekend? It'll be your first chance at dove hunting this year, you know. I'll tell you what, why don't you bring your t-post driver and I'll bring a nice, cold case of Shiner Bock for you. I know its your favorite. Thanks, man, I'll see there!