I hunt down in Karnes County on my in-laws place. It's just over 15 acres with neighbors surrounding with about the same size tracks. I finally got a cam cam on the place and had 5 young bucks along with my usual herd of 12 doe/yearlings.

I am thinking about feeding year round but wanted to get your opinion on feeding protein on small acreage. I plan to convert my spin cast feeder to a DIY PVC gravity feeder and mix 50/50 corn/protien (Lyssy Eckle just down the road) at first then 100% protein after that. Then run spin cast Mummies corn late August in prep for Bowseason!

My feeder has a slip over lid so my corn keeps well.

Whatcha think? Worth it on small acreage?

It will keep them happy and more deer visiting your place than if you didnt. I do it on 40 and plant plots. Your not going to make a dramatic change to the herd but you will deffinintly improve your hunting chances

My BIL did it on 10ac in Leon County with good results!!!

Do you have a feed pen? If not then I would not feed protein. If you do then I would try it to see if you like the results. It should increase activity on the place and help the deer. I fed a 25 acres place in northern Medina County similar to what you have. I did it for 3 yrs and was seeing about 15-17 bucks and 20-25 does/fawns at the feeder in the summer time. They were eating about 500# per week. I was seeing a few bucks in the 120-135 range by the 3rd year.

i have about 45 acres that i fed all summer and saw several nice bucks that my 60 acre neighbor to the south has never seen. i agree that it may not show physical results anytime in the near future but being able to attract and hold is the most important thing on small acreage, and feeding all year will go along way.

once the season started though i did see very few mature bucks but i think that had more to do with pressure than anything.

No feed pen and we do have Javi's, hogs, etc... If the feeder tube is high enough, shouldn't it be safe?

Hogs can and will rare up on a tube and break it off. So I would invest in a feed pen if at all possible. Even if the hogs and javis can't eat from the feeder they will hang around it enough to keep the deer away.

A feed pen is easy to construct and I agree that I wouldn't feed protain without it. If the tube is low enough for the smaller deer, it is low enough for hogs.

Don't hunt over the protein feeder. I know that is harder to do on a small place, but it's a no, no.

As others have said, it may give you an advantage in attracting deer, but you prolly won't notice any decent change in antlers or anything like that. It will help them be healthier overall.

can't hurt, my theory is keep the best groceries stocked and you will have customers

Was hoping to avoid the feed pen but I will get an idea on cost. Can't be too expensive... TPost and cattle wire...

Deffinintly gona need a pen...not hard to build...hogs will clean you out if not...

Tpost and hog pannel...

Tractor Supply or McCoys both sell hog panels at around $20 each. Need either 1 or 2 T posts per panel. I use 8 panels per pen. Check at L/E I bet they sell the materials also.

hard to see but you get the picture

Gotcha... 24.00 for hog panels... Not bad... Do y'all leave up year round? I bow hunt so worry about shooting when my feeder is back to spin cast...

I bowhunted over the one I had on the 25 acres in Medina County. I had a spin feeder and a free choice feeder in it. I set the pen up close to a good Oak tree with thick undergrowth that would make the deer come in from the east or west and not into the prevailing southeast wind.

Yes all year i have a bow stand in the trees to the right of that set up

gota keep them cleaned out too....i have to pull goat weed outa those every year or the deer wont like to jump in them as much

If you are going to bowhunt it I would make it big enough to get more deer in it so they have space and you can get a shot off.

I would make all efforts to be in a tree too and not on the ground when using panels. The last friday of the season i snuck up on a feeder at my lease right at darkto find a hog in there, we are using the wire fencing instead of panels for cost and they go right through the wire fence. Anyway, i had my first chance at a bow kill, got within 25 yards, let her fly and next thing i see is a dang spark and the hog, after getting tangled up twice, jumping into the fence and nearly tearing it down before running off. The arrow hit the fence and exploded, all i found was the bottom 6" with 2 fletchings on it.

Yep...T-post and hog panel. Do not use cattle panel. The small pigs can get through it...and do...

Yep... Nothing but young mesquite down there so I have been hunting from a pop up blind...

Then if you can afford to, I would build a long rectangular pen and put the blind on the end facing into prevailing wind and feeder on the other end. You can also hand feed outside the pen to shoot deer outside it also.

I can pen it for protein and remove the front side towards my blind when I switch to corn in aug/sept... Just a thought... I don't mind shooting piggies!

Could also put the spin cast over the corner of the pen...use to do it alot with smaller pens... there any scrub brush you could sink a tripod into?