Set up a new feeder in Madisonville recently. Game camera pics after one week include 2,000 pictures of nothing but small black birds all day long. Feeder is going off right before sunrise and they will be there all day until about 5pm. I set the morning feed time to 2 seconds and the evening time to 4 seconds hopefully to give deer a chance to eat it at night. I read about getting an owl, but I feel they will get used to it very quickly. They completely destroyed a protein block in one week I had under the feeder. Any other tips besides sit there with a 12 gauge and a cold beverage all day lol..... Thanks

Set your feeding time after dark and not in the morning.

Eventually I ll have to face the problem then I can't shoot deer after dark when season comes

Right now it's so green they don't need corn, so maybe hold off 2 feeding times and just do one at dark. When they get used to the corn they will adjust to new feeding times. You'll at least save some corn and $$

I would feed at least 1 hour before daylight and around 10 pm at night for a while till the birds move north.
Deer are feeding after dark right now anyway with all this heat early in the spring. Nothing you can do to change that, so feed them in darkness. Then late summer move feeding times to daylight or low light times.

LOL, deer season is a LOOOOONNNNGGGGG way away.

Rubber snakes and fake owls.

We just started hunting this property so I want to have feeders throwing as much as possible LOL

put an fake owl on top of your feeder

^^^^^^ THIS!

I manage commercial buildings and we had set up a game caller on a timer and had it go off which scared the birds away. This could be an option here as well. Find something to spook the birds and not the deer.

Cut a few cats loose around the feeder.

Shells are too expensive. Use a pellet gun

Fake owl and move it to a different spot each time you are out there. Tractor Supply has them.

Good idea thanks

No solution but I feel your pain.

We have healthy numbers of dove and quail year round. I have counted over 150 doves on the ground at our tank feeder before. I have sat several sits where I watched the feeder feed saw no deer or hogs and when I got down and walked past the feeder there was barely a kernel of corn on the ground from the birds.

On a positive not if there is no corn left at dusk, it may help prevent your deer from coming after dark to feed.

Blackbirds = Birdshot + 5 gal bucket (to sit on) + cold beverage

The little blackbirds are most likely brown headed cowbirds. A properly placed canister of Tannerite would rock their world. And save countless songbirds, since the cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds nests. Of course, as with most methods that are successful with pests, it's illegal to do that if unintended species are harmed. So, if you do that, don't invite the fish cops.

This^^^^^^...or tannerite.....

Covered up in dove & quail. Deer stopped coming to the feeders on our places . I will try the owl thing

We won't see deer on camera until September now. We just feed turkey and hogs until then. The dove were so thick late December I finally had to change some feeders to throw right before dark. Never seen this many before. If it is like this next year in November I don't know what to do but run feede a few times a day extra.

Home Depot sells the owls also.

I 2nd the feeding at night but I'd do it till they start using the feeder more regular. Then move the times whenever you want. Deer will come and birds won't matter