Yesterday I took down the previous pen, and moved the feeder to where I've seen more traffic from deer and hogs. The panels are 50" and I had no photos, for three years of deer jumping it. So that tells me the pen was too tall, and I need to cut them down shorter. I really want to help the deer (no plans of killing any for a long time). I need to keep out the occasional trespassing bovine, and not give hogs a free pass to the corn. I have a root gate that was installed, propped open, on the joint of a tear drop pattern. So, if a hog wants in, that's its' only access, and I, hopefully, have him caught. I had t-posts every four feet to make it stout. I have the panels to make a 30' diameter circle. And have plenty of spares to make it even larger, but would rather not.

I'm thinking of cutting the panels down to 3'6". Deer can clear it, all but the biggest hogs cannot, and that will keep out the occasional cow.

Agree?

Instead of cutting down all the panels just cut certain ones. Deer will locate the lower ones while still keeping the bovine out. Just a thought.

Yeah, just cut some sections down to 34 inches, same height as a hog panel. Little guys can jump in too. Ours cows have never jumped in our hog panels.

^^I LIKE IT!!!

Way less work that way, too. The panels are 16'. The deer mostly come from the east, and some from the west. Reckon I could cut down a 4' wide area on the east and west sides, and that would be enough?

Yeah for hog purposes and cows if you have them, I'd cut down every few only.

I would make it bigger if you have the material. 30’ diameter isn’t that large, 15 foot radius. That’s barely containing the corn slung if it even does. Make it bigger and you will get many more deer in there at the same time.

My theory is make it as big as possible. I agree with cutting down selective panels but make sure you leave yourself a good shooting lane and cut down two panels in a row where you think you might be shooting if from the ground.

Much appreciated, fellas! Very unlikely I'll be shooting any deer out of it. In the small chance a buck I just cant let pass gets in, that's it. We are low on deer, and even the one weekend a year it is legal to shoot a die, I won't do it.

Now hogs... I'll destroy what ever I have to, to kill a hog.

Like others have said, make it as big as you can. Cutting down a panel or two should help but if deer want in they will jump the cattle panels. My guess is they didn’t like the location/size of the pen.

If you're going to have a feeder in the enclosure make sure it spins a Little corn outside for the pigs of course. Place protein feeder other end.

The last location I did not have many deer or hog pics. Only deer that passed by the pen. Which led me to believe it was too tall. Had some of the fattest coons in Fannin county, though. Last location was south of the creek. New location is north of the creek. I can see the new location from the current shop, and future house. It's 475 yards away, so I can shoot from there, on a hog, and have several options to close the distance in the odd chance a good buck shows up. It is also handy to get close, in the dark with red light, and is on a known travel route for hogs and deer. The coons will show, no matter what. Making the pen a larger diameter is very do-able. I already have the extra panels and t-posts. So many of yall suggest a larger diameter, and I will take that advice. It will get the pen into the hay field a bit, but that's just the way it will be.

The protein mention was a thought of mine. I do not want any animal other than deer to have access to it. And I have a full steel fab shop on the place. So I have to figure out the best design for a free choice protein feeder, for next spring.

Just a thought. We also cut down a couple panels shorter to make it easier for deer to jump in. Don't worry about cutting the ones shorter from the direction the deer are coming they will find it, instead if you ever plan on setting a blind or two up for that feeder then cut the panels to try and manipulate where they will jump in therefore giving you the best shot opportunity. This is especially useful if you ever plan on bowhunting.

It actually works out fairly well for natural direction of travel, and if I did set up near by. But I will place the root gate where I can hit a hog from the shop. Thanks for the suggestion.

JG, If you want the deer to jump in the pen, you might think about finding a pear tree and putting 1/2 bushel or so in it. The deer know what pears are and believe it or not the deer may not have a clue about the corn. As long as you can get the fallen pears keep some in the pen, that will entice the deer into the pen & at the same time teach them what the corn is. The riper the pears the better!

Just cut down in 3 or 4 sections like this..

When you start wire the panels together first in a circle or close(overlap panels one square and wire at top and bottom). Then put tee posts at joints and in between on the inside and wire up. All I use is 34" hog panels and never had a problem with hogs or cows getting in the pen.

As others have said, go bigger especially since you have the panels, overlap at least one square on each side panel to wire together at tposts. good that you are t posting ever 4' feet. big hogs can learn to lean and roll/flop over loose panels. Agree just cut a couple panels down for jump gates. Plant or transplant persimmon trees for deer magnet. Fix one panel to be a drive in gate so you can get your utv in to fill feeder and your protein feeder when you get it build. Going large on pen now will give you plenty room in future when you put corn and protein feeders in together and you'll not regret it.

Looking forward to pics

What he said

our first pen was 10 panels and came out way too small adding 2 more panels to 12 is a great size pen..some we even have a protein feeder in it... If T posts are a issue driving we us pre cut rebar from lowes...only place we have t post is on the panel we enter to fill feeders....we over lap panels 1 section and clamp together with hog rings...

JMO but anything that will be short enough to make deer comfortable wont contain hogs, and for the most part the opposite is true, if its tall enough to hold hogs deer aren't going to want in.

Our feed pens are 36 inch tall.

I have had to switch a pen from 34" panels to 50" panels due to a bull getting in the pen. I cut down one section of panels every other panel to a height of around 38-40". No problem with deer jumping in the pens that night or next one. I think in your case the pen may have been a bit to small and to tall at the same time. Deer have poor depth perception and might have not felt comfortable. You could even take down or open up one panel to allow the deer to walk into the pen and cut down the panels to a height you like. Then close the pen back up. Some deer can be difficult to train to jump into a pen when all the fences are high enough to crawl under the bottom barbwire.

Most of the hogs on our place are somewhat spooked around pens because they relate it to a trap. Maybe build a few hog traps out of panels with a trip gate to get them scared of feeder pens. We built four and caught pigs for about six months, now they won't come near them.