We've decided to make the leap and start feeding protein after the 1st of the year. My concern is that we have A LOT of coons. I have a varmint cage on my spin feeder that works very well, but we were thinking about on demand feeding the protein. I have to think that if I put a gravity feeder up for on demand protein feeding that the coons will sit there and eat all the protein the first night. Anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it?

Keith

If you can solve this problem, you will be rich. There are preventative measures like hunting, trapping, etc... but bottom line is that they will eat till they are full and you will have some fat coons. I have never seen them clean out a protein feeder as even though they are a nuisance, they can't eat all that much protein in one sitting.

This ^^^^^^^. I did lay waste to 4 of them year before last at very last light with a 25-06. It was pretty fun.

make you feed tubes high off the ground... fawns wont be able to eat for a while but the coons wont be able to get to it... I have them thick and they have yet to eat out of this feeder thanks to TxAg

Not saying it will fix it fully... im sure one will eventually figure out how to jump from a leg to the hopper but its been out all year and not a single one yet... grease the leg poles also

Start trapping now and continue trapping when you start feeding protein. You can eventually get most of them.

No feeder is coon proof and if it is, it is deer proof. If it is sold as coon proof it is All you can do is manage them by trapping and killing all you can. Make them not reliant on your protein but on what food is occurring naturally in the wild for them.

+1

Purina Monkey Chow will run them off! Wink wink.....

It has never worked for me, the only thing it did was feed money to the Purina Dealer.

We have plenty of raccoons on our ranch. All of our protein "free flow" feeders are 3 or 4 legs holding the feeders up. I will put a heavy coat of petroleum jelly on each leg and start about half way up and grease it heavy upwards about 18 inches all the way around the leg. Raccoons like to keep their paws clean and once that stuff gets on their paws they don't like it. Our cameras have proved that it works. It shows them climb up, get the stuff on their paws and they come down and it stays sticky with dirt covering their paws. You can see them trying to clean themselves and it keeps them busy for a while. Petroleum jelly has no smell so it does not scare the deer at all! The other thing is to buy yourself a couple of Coon-Cuffs. Put marshmallows in them but tie them away from your feeders. I will bait and set them just outside of my pen, come back the next morning and dispose of them.

There is also another way of ridding them or at least cutting their numbers. It requires a strong understanding that man on top of the predator chain. They love big red!!!!!

We put some of those tack strip that Cabelas sells for 9.99 in a pack, haven't seen a coon on camera back in our feeders. Had NE pic last year with 11 at one time.
Works like a champ.

Kill every single one of them

Trap, Trap, and trap some more.

That love you are talking about using is illegal to use though.

Then order a six pack of Duke dog proof coon traps from Amazon. Bait them with corn and tie them off 50-60 yards from your stand. When you're belly starts to growl after the morning hunt take your suppressed .22 and start head shooting! It's legal and more fun than the big red love.