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Feb 12th, 2024
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 New to supplemental feeding
#8549878
03/07/22 05:02 AM
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Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 1
Azhunter81
OP
Green Horn
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OP
Green Horn
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 1 |
I am looking for some info on deer supplemental feed and protein. I’m from a state (Arizona) where it’s illegal to feed and bait deer so I’ve never done this before and have zero first hand experience with this but I’m looking at buying some land in Texas this year and will for sure be getting some feeders. It looks like the 3 major things I’m seeing is corn, cotton seed and protein. It seems most people have a automatic corn feeder to throw around 2 times a day for 3 seconds each and a free choice protein feeder.
My biggest question is how much and when?
How many pounds of corn, protein and cotton seed do you use in a year? And when do you put it out?
How many feeders set ups do you have?
Do you switch up types of protein for different times of year or just run the same thing year round?
Do you use anything else?
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8550027
03/07/22 02:45 PM
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Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 27
JW_TX
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 27 |
Depends on what you want to hunt and how many animals you have.
We feed protein through the spring and into deer season. These feeders are typically in a hog panel enclosure to keep the hogs out. Designs vary and there are some good posts on feeder pen design on the forum. In season, we’ll switch to corn or corn/soy mix.
We like to shoot hogs, so we also have separate corn feeders for the pigs. Well sometimes get deer there too. Lately, we’ve been feeding a corn/soybean blend everything seems to like.
We experimented with cotton seed and didn’t seem worth it to us.
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8550038
03/07/22 02:55 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,032
tlk
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,032 |
welcome to the forum! As stated above it depends on the size of your property and the deer density (assuming your main focus is deer)
Larger ranches will have a protein feeder per 300-500 acres as well as cottonseed. Corn feeders are normally just used where you have stands. The corn has little nutritional value but is more of an attractant to pull deer to a stand area.
Cottonseed can be fed year round but just put it out in January through September - it is primarily valuable post rut to help the bucks regain weight.
No do not switch up protein brands - I would go to a feed store that sells protein and pick their brain as to what they suggest.
As far as cost - again it depends on how many feeders you put out along with the density of the deer
You can't fix stupid
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8550165
03/07/22 05:14 PM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,422
freerange
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,422 |
Welcome to our forum. You will probably get a lot of opinions on this. It can depend on a lot of things and it could be hard to pick and chose what applies to you. I would say tlk's post above explains it in a way that should make sense to some one inexperienced. There has been tremendous numbers of threads on similar subjects for years on this forum and you could go back and search and read through them. Since you are new to the forum you may have to learn how to maneuver through it. Dont be bashful about asking questions, this forum is a great place for answers. Good luck.
At some point in life its time to quit chasing the pot of gold and just enjoy the rainbow. FR
Keep your gratitude higher than your expectations. RWH
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8553049
03/10/22 07:21 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,213
tShawnB
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,213 |
We have 1300 acres, 3 hunters and run 5 protein feeders/mineral stations. We have 6000#'s out when all feeders are full and are currently going thru about 650-700#'s a week aggregate. That comes out to about $200 a week for the protein only. We'll probably put out 500#'s of mineral this year so that's about 500 bucks and we just bump our corn feeders twice daily to get the deer to take in the mineral. We feed from January and will fill for the last time in July and start corn full time in September then feed that until January. Overall I suspect we'll put out 18k pounds of protein this year and probably 15-18K pounds of corn. It's not a 401K plan but that's losing money now anyway too and not near as much fun. I've ran larger leases and our rule of thumb on those were 1 protein/mineral station per section. Be sure you have water close by each station.
How come everybody I meet is a deer hunting expert?
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: tShawnB]
#8553129
03/10/22 08:56 PM
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,422
freerange
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 8,422 |
We have 1300 acres, 3 hunters and run 5 protein feeders/mineral stations. We have 6000#'s out when all feeders are full and are currently going thru about 650-700#'s a week aggregate. That comes out to about $200 a week for the protein only. We'll probably put out 500#'s of mineral this year so that's about 500 bucks and we just bump our corn feeders twice daily to get the deer to take in the mineral. We feed from January and will fill for the last time in July and start corn full time in September then feed that until January. Overall I suspect we'll put out 18k pounds of protein this year and probably 15-18K pounds of corn. It's not a 401K plan but that's losing money now anyway too and not near as much fun. I've ran larger leases and our rule of thumb on those were 1 protein/mineral station per section. Be sure you have water close by each station. ^^^^very informative post. I bragged on tlk for keeping it general and now ill brag on shawn for the details.
At some point in life its time to quit chasing the pot of gold and just enjoy the rainbow. FR
Keep your gratitude higher than your expectations. RWH
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8553249
03/10/22 11:06 PM
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 11,530
rickym
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 11,530 |
Gotta know where your looking to buy before giving any recommendations!
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8553347
03/11/22 01:21 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
I am looking for some info on deer supplemental feed and protein. I’m from a state (Arizona) where it’s illegal to feed and bait deer so I’ve never done this before and have zero first hand experience with this but I’m looking at buying some land in Texas this year and will for sure be getting some feeders. It looks like the 3 major things I’m seeing is corn, cotton seed and protein. It seems most people have a automatic corn feeder to throw around 2 times a day for 3 seconds each and a free choice protein feeder.
My biggest question is how much and when?
How much depends on buck to doe ratio and age structure. When is right now, the 30 days post rut is the most critical time for bucks. Then I like to continue feeding year round
How many pounds of corn, protein and cotton seed do you use in a year? And when do you put it out?
Corn is mainly from late August till end of Feb. Amount depends on the deer numbers and range conditions. Protein is year round. Whole Cottonseed is about 10 months out of the year free choice.
How many feeders set ups do you have?
It is not how many feeders but deer per feeder. I only like to have about 10 deer max per feeder.
Do you switch up types of protein for different times of year or just run the same thing year round?
Depends on the range conditions and price of protein.
Do you use anything else?
Lead or copper....it is the best feed you can buy to decrease deer numbers and get your ratio in line. Do a survey first before starting to feed and get numbers under control.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people? ![[Linked Image]](http://neoswarm.com/images/Bug_Crawling.gif)
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8554209
03/12/22 12:40 AM
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 737
Treinta-Treinta
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 737 |
Depends on how often you visit to feed them. I asked the same type question and got mixed answers to include smart A$$ comments. I bought some of these EZ feeders block and the other, hung them high enough for deer to get at. I’m using record rack wild berry blocks. The other option is hog panels but what I reasoned out was to keep the corn feeders for the pigs and far away from the EZ feeders. The results are absolutely astounding. https://www.allseasonsfeeders.com/collections/ez-feedersI also made some pig pipes with the swivel in the center and only holes on the bottom like a see saw and hung them up. Yes, the corn can slide to one side but the deer bumping, turkey, and coons keep things moving.
Last edited by Treinta-Treinta; 03/12/22 12:43 AM.
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8554246
03/12/22 01:39 AM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,032
tlk
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,032 |
Truth is at the end of the day you have to figure it out yourself - everyones situation is different. Read alot, ask lots of questions, talk to folks who do this for a living like feed stores, etc. - then be willing to adjust as you learn - it is a fun process for sure
You can't fix stupid
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8554267
03/12/22 02:07 AM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,149
Hudbone
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,149 |
Feed them and they will come.
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8554473
03/12/22 12:47 PM
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 14,949
don k
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 14,949 |
I personally think feeding depends on how deep your pockets are. Especially now it can get very expensive.
Last edited by don k; 03/12/22 12:48 PM.
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8554474
03/12/22 12:49 PM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,149
Hudbone
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,149 |
if you have the $, time and the inclination, what could it hurt?
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: don k]
#8556082
03/14/22 02:14 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 12,861
PMK
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 12,861 |
I personally think feeding depends on how deep your pockets are. Especially now it can get very expensive. totally agree ...
"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."
~PMK~
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Re: New to supplemental feeding
[Re: Azhunter81]
#8556106
03/14/22 02:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,185
hook_n_line
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,185 |
Yep. I just put out 1200#'s of corn and 500#'s of protein on my 20 acre place. I won't have to put corn out again until July. I'll probably have to put protein out every month.
Sometimes it's hard being me! But somebody has to do it.
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