Need the collective help of the forum community.....

We have a roughly 2000 acre deer lease with pine timber near Nacogdoches county with 2 pipelines. I would estimate that 60% of the lease is forest and the rest is open or mostly open. We have roughly 20 food plots of various sizes, with 10 of those on the 2 pipelines. We have a lot of oak and other acorn producing trees as well and we have 3 creeks and 2 ponds on property

We have tried to keep roughly 25-30 feeders running corn and 5 protein feeders in pens last year. I am convinced we need to go to roughly 12-15 protein/corn feeders (mixed) in pens and get rid of all of the corn feeders because the acorns and food plots provide plenty. Others on the lease think we need to keep the corn becuase it slows down the deer.

We also have more pigs this year than we have in past.

What say the collective group here? More protein/corn mix feeders in pens, or keep all the corn feeders?

I'm with you. We have 1/2 the acreage you have but similar conditions. Corn this year was primarily for hogs and coons. The feeders just weren't drawing the deer with all the acorns and other forage. I like your approach.

Drop the lease and come out West...

I would drop the protein feeding regimen and go to spring/fall food plots with hanging corn feeders inside the feed pens during the fall season. The cost of planting food plots is pennies on the dollar compared to feeding protein based off the tonnage the food plots produce compared to $12-$15/bag of protein. Also, it's easier to get a deer (browser) to eat in the food plots than to get them to eat a pelletized feed from a protein spout. Not to mention, only a certain amount of deer can eat from a protein feeder during any given time. Food plots allow multiple deer to feed at once which keeps a dominant buck or doe from hogging the feeder all the time. Plus, with food plots, you don't have to worry about coons raking feed out onto the ground, cleaning out spouts after a rain, or refilling them every two weeks after they run dry.... I don't know if your hunting private or timber company land, but prescribed burning is also a very good management tool that is relatively cheap to utilize if the landowner will allow it. It is recommended to plant 3%-5% of the total acreage to see any benefits from food plots.... so plant as much as you can and you will draw doe groups in from miles away.. you'll raise your carrying capacity on the property which in turn allows hunters to see more deer throughout the hunting year. And you'll always have bucks where the does are.

Food plots are definitely more economical than protein feeders and work great if you get enough rain to keep them growing in your area.