feeder pin size?

Is there a certain diameter that is best for a feeder pin? Ours seem to be a bit small and could possibly scare deer. They seem to have no problem eating the corn that falls outside the pin but, only the young dumb one's actually jump into thge pins. Thanks.

Depends on personal likes and dislikes.....I build my deer pen feeder at least 50 x 50 with a 16 foot swing gate. The larger gate lets me pull in with tractor. I like to try and keep all the corn inside the feeder pen. I keep a All Season 1 ton feeder plus 1 stand/Fill 800 pound feeder in each pen. 4 strand is good enough to keep the cattle out.

I built mine about 50ft in diameter out of 10 16ft hog panels. I don't think I would want it any smaller than that.

I build mine big enough to keep all the corn inside the pen. I set up a corn feeder first usually to get deer used to location. Then build the pen as soon as the deer start to show up. I use one 16' panel as my gate so I can pull into pen and shred or fill feeder(s) with tractor.

I just built a 40' diameter, with 8 cattle pannels, and t-posts every 4' for the chance I get a hog come through the head gate. It's pretty big but the feeder can sling just a little bit of corn outside it. I agree that 10 pannels would've been better.

I think it can be too small for mature deer to enter. The father away the feeder is from from the edge the less aggressive cattle will be, most of the corn should remain in the pen. I would prefer not to have feeder pens but it is required at our place.

Yeah, I figured that. Ours are about 30' across and seem really small. Not looking forward to the work but, I think its a long time comming.

The smallest I've had any luck with is 6 panel but 10 would be the ticket.

Mine is more like 25 foot wide, wish it was bigger. Bryce you are right the deer like to eat what is outside but that will change when the natural food starts to go away. It has been a pattern for me that I have good bucks show up in my feeder pen come opening morning. Still bigger would be better.
You should give your 30 footer a chance this year.

If they want the easy meal they will eventually start jumping in. Give it some time to work

In our low fenced property we use 8 panels 32' square. with a 1k spin feeder in middle that throws just a little beyond boundary

Have a couple round pens made with 7 panels, the longer it is there the better the deer will enter it, When first put up the older bucks would not enter but the younger bucks would. Now several years later those younger bucks are older and have no problem hitting the corn in those pens.

If you have cattle on the property, then I would use no less than 8 of the 16' cattle panels. If you have no cattle but only hogs, then 6 hog panels 16' will work.

I used 7.5 16' panels because a cow destroyed 1/2 a panel jumping out at my old lease. I created a 1/2 panel gate so I can now back my Rhino right up to the feeder when filling it.

We are finally upgrading our 16x16 barb wire or sucker rod pens with hog panels. Have one with 6 panels, one with 7, one with 8 and about to do one with 11. We'll see what works best. If cows try to get in will put a strand of wire up too.

This link has the best info and suggestions based on a study from A&M.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aAq7OxKnPk

We build ours 60'X 60' or 80'X 80'. Use a 16' panel for the gate like stxranchman. The ranch I hunt used to have 32'x 32'pens and they were all built no further than 75 yards from the blinds. The owners wondered how come they never had more than one deer in the pen at a time.

We enlarged all the pens and moved/placed stands no closer than 150 yards. The deer bed down inside the pens, now. Not unusual to see a dozen in a pen when they're feeding.

Another thing that really helps the deer feel more comfortable...leave some brush in the pen. Make it as natural as possible.

anybody got pics of the pens? I need to set some up

48' x 48' 39" no climb with one strand of barb wire.
This is a pic from one corner across the pen

My son and I bought 10ft prefabbed panels from Simon Brothers Mercantile in Roosevelt for around $45 per panel. Set up 15 panels per feed pen, comes out to just shy of 50ft. in diameter.

This one was done with 4 panels and 4 tpost lol... gets the job done just fine

[img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/h...4a1ab8203ba1e58[/img]

One a bit bigger
[img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/h...b4d72620ffdd215[/img]

My pen was originally 32X48. Never had a mature buck on camera, increased the size to 40X48 and now have mature bucks in the pen.

Mine is 40X40, deer seem to be plenty comfortable with it.

What ever you decide...Double it, my only regret is not going Round..

Bigger the better IMO

Mine is set up with (4) 16' hog panels on 3 sides. The front is barbed wire (3 strans) with T-posts. Has a 8' hog panel, in the back,for a swinging gate to pull truck in to fill feeder. No problem with mature deer coming in and corn does not get thrown outside fence.

Every pen I build is bigger than the previous one. All are round.