What is everyone's preferred times to have the corn feeders go off? How long after sunrise / before sunset? How many bursts? How long each burst?

Right now I have them set 30 minutes after / before the big yellow ball in the sky does it's thing for only 1 burst at 10 seconds.

JA

About the same for feeding times, morning and evening. I run a 12 volt feeder, so I only go about 4-5 seconds during season (or leading up to it), which is A LOT of corn. I run on the lowest setting during off season at about 1.5 seconds. Right now I also have a feeding time at 10 pm for night hunting pigs. I'll cancel this feeding on my next trip to get ready for bow hunting.

I have mine set for 3 seconds twice a day.

I'll change that to 3-4 seconds 4 times a day during season

I throw 15 minutes before sunrise for 7 seconds and 1 1/2 hours before sun set for 3 seconds during the off season.

This equals about 350 lbs of corn every 2 months with my set-up

In the am, I have it throw right around sunrise or even a little after. I want to be able to get in the stand well in front of it without spooking deer. I also don't want deer feeding in the dark and then leaving.

In the afternoon, I throw it pretty early - usually about 2 hours before dark. Again, I want the deer to be coming out in daylight as much as possible.

For that same reason, I try not to throw more than they will eat in a sitting. I usually throw for 3-4 seconds twice a day. If that gold stuff is sitting on the ground all night, I'm exacerbating the problem of having big bucks only feed in the moonlight, and I'm feeding more raccoons.

We are located in Llano Co.

-Off season: 3 sec am, 3 sec pm
-Season: Will go up 6 sec at 7:15 am, and 6 sec at 4:30 pm.

In the morning, 3 sec at shooting light, and another 3 sec about an hour later. In the afternoon,3 sec about an hour before sunset and another at sunset. I'm thinking about moving the afternoon schedule up about 30 minutes.

Thanks all. I always thought 10 seconds was a bit much.

15 seconds right around or just after shooting light... 5 seconds hour or so after that... another 15 about 1 1/2 hour before dark

I only run about 10 seconds twice a day in the summer until right about now

10 seconds isn't much at all ill have a few doe come clean that up in minutes... if your going to do under 10 spread them out do 3-3-3 inbetween the first 3 hours of daylight... that will give a group enough time to eat then usually loose interest and leave then the next group that comes in sees no corn on the ground and stays out of reach... my deer will literally stand about 60 yards out and look at the feeder if there is corn under the feeder they come in... the reason I have gone up to 15 is iv noticed feeding deer in the area keep the activity up longer and more abundant... this keeps does around longer which in return gives you a longer chance of having a buck roll through to check.. if you hit it right and im sure everyones had that day.. when your area has had the activity and no one else seen deer.. usually it because deer like being around other deer And rut just enhances that

There is a huge difference in the amount of corn thrown from a 6V and a 12V feeder in 10 seconds.

My buddy in Lometa throws 20 seconds using a 12 V motor and the deer clean it up in an hour or less but that's 10 plus deer at times. I always hand corn a 50 lb bag just to make sure they stick around.

Right now on Ft Hood I am feeding 30 min after sunrise for 8 seconds, 2 hours before sunset for 8 seconds, and again at 10 for 5 seconds for hog hunting. This is a 6V motor and it throws plenty to keep the deer around.

will also depend on how tight you have the motor set to the hopper, how clean the corn is, how big the funnel is and if you even have a funnel.. I also keep mine throwing the corn out a good ways on 100% power so the deer have to look a bit once the corn is gone from under the feeder... just keeps interest

yep I can't stand when I see a feeder where all the corn ends up right under the feeder, I want the deer to have to walk around looking for the corn a little bit so it takes longer to eat it up.

All places are different but I throw once in the morning off season for a couple of seconds just to keep them coming in. Month before bow season I throw once 30 minutes before sunrise for 2 sec and then once an hour later if the area has activity after sunrise. And then one more if there is normal activity around 9am. It is true that a single deer can clean up corn quickly that is why I throw multiple times. I also throw once in the afternoon an hour before sunset for a couple of seconds.

I guess it depends a lot on the kind of feeder and how you have it set. Mine throws quite a bit of corn in 3-4 seconds.

I've been in places we were feeding 10-20 doe immediately and for a long time. They'll mow down the corn.

Our place now isn't like that. We're feeding 3-10 doe or young bucks at different times on an average sit, plus whatever big boy(s) hopefully roll through.

During season, I throw for 8 seconds 20 minutes before sunup in the mornings. That's shooting light and again 45 minutes later for 2 seconds just to let them hear it go off. These time has to be adjusted as sunrise changes. During the evening I throw 1 &1/2 hour before sunset for 3 seconds and again one hour before sunset for 1 second. I throw less in the evening as I don't want corn laying on the ground at night. You will have to determine how long to throw depending on how much deer activity you have. You will be surprised how many deer actually come to the second dinner bell.

How long a deer stays and eats depends on the terrain as well. It would take the deer quite a while to eat 2 lbs of corn since the ground was full of mid sized rocks at my other lease.


As far as throwing too early in the am. I've always preferred to throw too early and risk them leaving early than throw too late and have them go to another feeder close by.


The earlier in the AM I throw the more comfortable they seem to be, but you must beat them there to avoid spooking

Yes. I think I def. want to see if the second dinner bell will work.

depends on a lot of factors...deer density, 12V/6V, plate/funnel set up etc....

I run mechanical and gravity so feed availability is only a problem if they eat me dry...which they are right now....

but, I usually run 8-10 seconds right at legal shooting time in the am....and 8-10 seconds about 2.5-3 hours before dark. I've never set 2 feed times in the am but have used 2 feed times in the pm successfully.....early afternoon and then 1 hour before dark. use trial and error and see what works for you.

My feeders are set for 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM and stay that way year round. In the off season I throw between 2-3 seconds each time. Around October, I'll bump that to 5 seconds each time. I used to adjust them in the off season to try to account for DST and also for longer days and earlier sunrises. After a few years, I decided that was way too much work and now the timer is pretty much fixed all year round. If the Dove are hammering my corn during the season, sometimes I'll add another 2 second throw in the morning and afternoon to make up for them.

I like to have the pan gap smaller to throw longer for the noise. The corn needs be clean so it doesn't clog up. I have two feeders going ( same time am and pm) so if one quits I'm always throwing. Make sure you check sun rise times so you don't throw in the dark before good shooting light.

There are times when that big buck is not going to hang around after daylight. feeding 5 seconds twice a day now 7:30 and 4:30 which is minus the hour for DST. Will increase to 8 seconds on 1 feeder as the season gets closer.

Off season twice a day 4 sec. leading up to the season I throw four times a day. Twice in the AM and twice in the PM. About an hour apart and the first throw in the morning is for 7 sec the next is 4 sec and the same in the evening.