We run barb wire pens. Mine are usually 2-3 strands, my buddy has 5 strand. I have tall feeders, he has a stand and fill. I run mine 5 sec once a day, he runs his 7-9 sec twice a day. I rarely have cows get in mine. If they do, they usually are right back out. His gets hit all the time. Think its because of the amount of corn on the ground plus the fact that spinner plate on a stand and fill is about eye level with a steer.

Get rid of the blocks, or other good flavored attractants. The cows will eat regular corn but they have never messed with our pens (made with hog panels) to get the corn. Buddy on another pasture used some orange flavored corn (or something else sweet) and the cows destroyed his pen in one night. He stopped using that and they have never come back. Run barb wire around the top of the panels, this seems to help us as well. Good luck.

When you locate funnels and pinch points that also offer the path of least resistance, you really have found a honey hole.

A very common trick before the days of food plots and feeders was to sweeten a fence crossing by taking a short piece of wire to tie the bottom two strands of barbed wire closer together to create a somewhat larger opening at the bottom. In many cases, these are created naturally by washouts that occur along fence lines. Being the lazy creatures they are, deer will often prefer to scoot under a fence rather than exert more energy to jump over it. I'll make it a point to share a photo of one such place that I've been hunting very successfully for three seasons now. It has been so productive in fact that you might even call it fishing in a bucket.

Where are you located? I'm thinking seriously about doing this same thing. My assumption is that it will really create a bounce in the wildlife population.

I believe it's true. We've kept records and after getting rid of cows the population has really expanded. We're in eastern Erath, in the Chalk mountain area. Check with your county appraisal district. They can give you info on what is required to convert from ag to wildlife. Each county has their own guidelines. Good luck. Feel free to PM me with any other questions.