Hey all. Ive been reading on here for a while and thought I'd ask a question I can't find on here.

I hunt in Texas. Have a family ranch. I feed year round corn and protein for the past 5 years. Neighbor properties only feed right before deer season. Seems the deer start going to their feeders more than mine when they start feeding. It frustrates me because I've spent a good chunk of money and then talk to them after the season and they ended up shooting the deer I was after. I've talked to them about feeding year round and they don't want to.

I started thinking about it and came up with a theory. Deer will come to a new feeder because it is new and different than the norm. They will go to the normal feeder second until the new feeder becomes normal to them.

When I put up a new feeder in a new spot it seems to be the best spot on my property for a few years. Seems to go with my theory.

Anyone else notice this?

If we assume a deer has specific calorie needs to be met each day, it could mean they found a new food source, and the issue is not do they like one feeder more than another. As far a moving a feeder to create a new hot spot, it would have to be in the right spot. Most ranches have areas that hold deer, and putting out a feeder in a poor area may or may not attract deer. Also a high use area, may not even need a feeder.

If you have hogs in the area, maybe the deer are finding the feeders first and preferring ithem over other feeders the hogs hit routinely.

IMO, deer will always prefer native browse as it becomes available. It's why feeder activity always drops significantly once the acorns start falling. Your neighbor's may have more acorns or other browse the deer prefer over what's available on your place.

Yes I have noticed this. We had 8 established feeders for years and I wanted to move one to a spot no one hunted but was ina good area. Ended up taking the two best deer that year from there and they came in regularly. Now it is just a regular spot. Why do they like hand corn on roads over a feeder thats been throwing non-stop.

Might consider the feeder placement. Everywhere I feed is within 10 to 25 yards of the treeline. My neighbors have their feeders set in the open 100 to 200 yards from the treeline. Majority of the time it's already dark before they commit to venturing out that far to feed.

What part of the state are you talking about? I hunt east Texas and I have found that if I shut my feeders off for any amount of time it takes them forever to find them once I start them back up. And yes, you will probably have better luck setting it up close to the treeline rather than in the middle of a clearing- deer are edge creatures and prefer staying closer to the trees so they have a short escape path.

My first question is how many acres is your ranch?

Do your neighbors have more land and cover for the deer to bed down in?

Because if they do, they will feed there first before coming over to your property.

How often are you turning over the feed in your feeder? If you're filling it once every few months maybe it's getting stale?

Also, see PP's questions above about acreage and cover.

Seems like I see just as many deer in years past when I start throwing corn the month before season as I do they years I keep a feeder running year round.

Sounds like a "false positive" to me...A lot would depend on range conditions and how many other feeding stations are in your near vicinity I'm thinking...Re-introduction after an absence will likely always seem to have a pick up in activity...

I reckon a couple things might be going on:

-Bachelor groups in the summer will often hang out in a different area than each bucks regular range. Once the bachelor groups split up, the bucks go back to their "core areas." If you've got feed in the off season it's no surprise the bachelor groups will hang out near you. Ours will often lock down on a protein feeder all summer.

-Our older bucks learn to avoid established feeders that get hunted. We'll get pics on hand corn within 300 yards of spin feeders where we never see them. But, we'll see them at feeders that don't get hunted. All about pressure, they learn. Might explain your "new feeder" experience.

-Finally, if your neighbor has the ladies during the rut, he will pull some of the bucks too. Just the way it goes.

I feel your pain, we lose a fair number of known bucks each year. Just part of it.

We hunted for years on a property. The property owner hunted intermingled amongst the paying hunters. There were 5 paying hunters and 3 family hunters.

The paying hunters fed year round and the family only filled at the beginning of the season. Paid hunters always saw and shot more and bigger deer. Usually after we had tagged what we wanted they would ask if they could sit one of our blinds to shoot a doe etc.

I think its probably more in your head. Sure there are going to be the deer that disappear etc. but that is life nothing short of a HF is going to stop it. How larger is the property?

Maybe when they put corn in their feeder in the Fall they see more deer because the rut is coming on. I definitely see more bucks and doe as the rut gets closer as opposed to the time before and after the rut.

How do you know they are seeing more deer at a given time?

They start feeding, they are going to get *some* of the deer. How do you know they're really getting more (rather than just some)?

I do think mature bucks will start avoiding feeders that get hunt frequently, but that's a different issue.

I think young bucks and does will eat corn pretty much wherever they can get it, assuming natural forage isn't so strong that they're bored with corn.

Yes! & Yes! I have seen that when we move a feeder on our hunting lease to a new part of the lease, That first year has the Best activity at that feeder, then it seems to drop off for the next few years after that. I am in agreement that our neighbors shoot the deer we have been feeding ALL year Long and they start their feeders in Mid to Late October. I think what we are going to do is Keep our feeders going thru the Spring, then Only have maybe one or two (Out of 5) going thru the Summer, but those feeders will be the One's in the Center of our (480 ac.) lease!! I think it will be worth a try!

I've actually run into the same problem 2 yrs in a row at my place. It's 120 acres and only my best friend and I hunt it. I continued to feed year round yet my buddy decided to only fill his feeder one month before the bow season opener. Year one we both had good dear at our feeders. After the season he quit feeding and moved his about 30 yards from the previous spot and filled it a month before season began. All the deer that came to my feeder during the off season migrated over to his. He did it again the next year and had the same results. Maybe it's a location thing, or perhaps it's more of about hunting pressure than anything else? My guess pressure. I'm thinking that since I hunted my feeder hard the year before that the more mature deer decided that it would probably be more wise to switch it up. He only hunted a hand full of times at his and I hunted it few times as well. Could very well be a combination of both as well though. Maybe they bed closer to that location? Anyhow I'm gonna move my feeder this year and fill it right before the season starts to see if I have better results.

I think there are a lot of factors...

If you wanted to try it out couldn't you just move a feeder in your area?

IMO most of what has been posted is a result of too much human activity at the feeder. TCs can be a valuable scouting tool but also a detriment because of all the camera checking that results in too much activity for the mature bucks to be comfortable there.

What I have experienced as I feed year around also...my neighboring hunter sets up a feeder a month before the season. When the hunter sets up his new feeder he also checks for tracks coming to and from my feeders. Thus hand feeding more than I am feeding drawing deer to his feeder. I still see deer just not as many as I had before the hunter started his feeder...for whatever the reason. The nature of the beast. What I have problems with is I feed year around to try to keep the deer on our lease longer with no help from my neighbor hunter..while he takes advantage of my work and money. I believe all leases should have a date that all hunters should start feeding to help contribute to the cause....or else we all should start the feeders a week before the season and throw tons of corn. This will make a difference as your neighbor leases will appreciate the donations of deer.

I think a lot depends on your activity on the place. The deer get used to the pickup and cars that are going in and out all year long. Change pickups and they can get skittish for awhile. 2 places tp the east of us see almost no activity all year except the farmer/rancher that owns the place. They do feed corn year around and feed protein. Then the September 1 they show up with their 4 wheelers and dove hunt and party the weekends.

We go to our place several times a month, we lightly corn the roads and that is it until September 1. Then we start up the feeders but they are set to throw corn for 4 seconds twice a day. When the neighbors run the deer out of their place, ours is set up to invite them to breakfast lunch and dinner. About October 1, we start aggressively feeding, in our area, we have most of the cover, so with our neighbors new fall activity, we get the deer moving into our pasture. Ours also has the most watering holes and 3 wheat fields, they have none.

I think you guys wayyyy over think things