feeder distance thoughts..

i just moved to a new lease and i got my stand set up at a 4 way.. then i went to set up my feeder and realized i need a little more clearing before i get it at a comfortable distance, but it currently sits around 50 yards from my stand.. my thoughts are to slowly move it away as i clear more brush.. what are y'alls thoughts?

50 yards is too close IMO, unless you are bow hunting and plan on chumming a little closer. Most my rifle stands are set up for a shot around 120 yards. Far enough to allow for some noise but close enough to see at low light conditions.

Good Luck

I like to have more distance. If I need to cough or sneeze or whatever I don't want to blow all the deer off of the feeder. Minimum is 100 yards 150 to 200 yards is perfect.

I like a feeder to be 100-150 yards...you have to be to quite and still if it's any closer.

I agree 50 is to close..I've got one set at 110 and the other at 180.

thanks.. the furthest i'll be able to move it in the direction i currently have it is about 150 yards.. i just need to get out there and get the brush out of the way.. my main thought was to get it set up and start gettin' some attention around my area.. i'm right on the only pond with water, so i'm hopin' that helps some too..

100 to 200 yards is optimum depending of the terrain.

just do it, 50 yds is plenty far, just dont be burping farting coughing etc, just have to be a little more quiet, ive sat down behind a tree 20 yds from a feeder and smoked a hog with a bow

X2 most of mine sit within 100 yrds...i just rifle hunt pigs anyway...deer dnt seem to mind

I have one at 150 and another at 85, basically due to the terrain and habitat. 50 yds sounds kinda close but you're working with what you've got. Moving it out as you have the opportunity sounds like a logical plan.

I am getting old and I like it as close as I can get it.

100 to 160 yards for my setups most at 150

When I hunted out west, my stands were 200 - 250 yeards from the feeders. Now I'm hunting east and am only 90 yards from my feeder. I feel like I'm sitting right on top of my feeder but the deer don't pay it any attention at all.

Mine is about 50yards, but I am on really small acreage now. On a lease I'd like 100 yards + just so my approach is somewhat more manageable.

Biggest problems for me at this range is getting in and out of the blind, suppose I could hunt off my back porch to get a 12o yard deal, but that would suck..

Can you just clear the brush in a day to get you another 30-40 yards? Have/borrow a tractor? or get in a spot that can "oversee" the brush would probably be good.

Really depends on your surroundings. I have one stand that is only 60yds from the feeder but that stand and feeder are in a pretty wooded area. My other set up is 110yds apart because it is in a more open area.

mine is 200 and my fil is 300. i can make alot of noise, coughing ect...

I have a spot w/ feeder at 50 yds in a hardwood bottom with lots of brush. I have another spot on a logging road with a feeder @150. Same amount of deer come to both. Depends on the area and the amount of cover you're hunting over.

Mine is at 130, I can get away with a lot of movement and noise.

50 yards for us on small acerage. if the deer are used to people then making noises wont matter.

i have one lease thats small acreage, we all hunt over there, but everytime I gather wood I spook deer right next to the cabin, think I will start hunting next to the cabin

My stand is 12 yards away, but I'm bowhunting on 2 acres, so I don't have that much of a choice. I think that 40-50 yards is perfect for rifle hunting. If your 200 yards away you aren't even close to hunting. You don't have to be still or quiet, what's the fun in that? And I enjoy the excitment of having a stare down with a deer at 15 yards, otherwise its just sniping. That's just what I like.

so true

Distance the feeder should be is the distance you feel comfortable with for a shot.

The farther away you are the harder it is to tell what's what in low light. Make sure you have good optics.

I have done the vast majority of my hunting from a blind in the hill country that was 32 yards from blind to dead under the feeder. I only shot 3 deer at the feeder in about a 15 year span. Most were in the 50-75 yard range. On our place now our feeders range from 75-100 yards. I droped my 10x50 binoculars from my knee straight to the floor 2 weeks ago with 13 deer at the feeder 85 yards away, one of which was 5.5 YO buck and they didnt spook off,looked but didnt run.

The distance debat is just like my diesel truck gets 26 mpg and my sticker pecks out 2 foot...

My main blind has two feeders . One is 95 yrds & the other is 75.One is in front of me and the other is to my right.

I like mine right at 100 yards. When you think about it, particularly in more open or broken country, that makes a great range estimation tool.

Most folks can easily relate to 100 yards (football field). But 85, 135, 160?

Can easily get away with noise and movement at 100 yards.

I have one blind with 2 feeders set at 100 yards and 75 yards. I could move them back further if I wanted to but the deer dont seem to mind and personally I have great confidence shooting at 100-150 yards then 150+.

My other blind has the feeder 50 yards in front (53 according to the range finder) and I've taken several deer and hogs from that set up. I do have to be aware of my movement and noise some but i have bumped my rifle on the window and wispered to my father several times and it didn't spook them off

It's all about preference so moving it back some is really up to you

basically, everyone has their own range they prefer is what i'm gettin'.. i'm comfortable with longer shots, but like some of y'all have mentioned, the closer, the trickier sometimes.. where i am at is heavily wooded, so that's the reason for it being where it's located.. i'll keep it where it's at for now and see what happens..

Mine is only about 60 yards and it's too close. I put that stand down there for pigs, but the deer could definitely see me moving.

Dont move when they are looking and hang a shirt/coat over the back window so they cant sillowet(I know that is way wrong spelled but have no idea how to spell it) you, it helps alot.

I would give you a A+ for creativity

There isn't a stand and feeder one on our whole place that's over 125 yards. Far enough that your still hunting but close enough you can see. Once you get out past 200 yards your just a sniper!

Mine are about 60 yards also. I have camo burlap on the inside behind me and camo burlap on the whole front of my box blind with a split in the middle of the window to shoot from. Never been picked off in it yet. My homemade ladder stand is about 12' high but it is about 16' higher than my feeder because it is on an elevated position. Have had deer close enough to to jump off onto their backs before. Even had one scratch his side on the ladder while I was sitting in it having a smoke.

If you was my teacher I'd bring you a apple

Amen...mine are all setup at 75 yards. Far enough, yet not too far in my humble opinion. Earl

The opening of a beer also sounds a bit to close to a distress blow for comfort.

We setup at 75 yards ... but ya know.. it is pretty cool when the deer walk toward you sometimes then its like 20 yards... Gotta be still .. We have all the windows covered as well to mask silhouette.

At any given time having one of my 5 kids hunting with I have to be at least 100 yds !

I agree with STXRANCHMAN - whatever you're comfortable with.
I hunt with 1 feeder 100yds. and 1 @ 200yds. Although I've shot many a hog at the 200yd in the head, I'm not as comfortable shooting at a big buck at that distance. I throw corn out from both the 200yd feeder up to about 70yds and they always graze up to that point and stay from 15min-over an hour. I'm talking about a 4.5yo 10pt and a 5.5yo 8pt. and 10+ does. I have sliding plexy glass windows and usually keep them shut. In my opinion, deer prefer to graze over the corn more than under the feeder so I throw out a lot before morning hunt and just a little before evening. Throw up to the distance you think you are most comfortable with and throw heavy there. I can't kill either of these deer cause we are only allowed 1 good buck and my hubby already killed a 12pt. Putting someone else in my stand this weekend to take the 8.

I've got one at 65 and one at 120. Nothing has ever bothered deer or hogs at either one. They may look up at me from time to time if I make a noise but they don't just jump naked and run off.

I have one at 108 and one at 85. The distance was determined by the available area in which to set up the feeder in an open area and and the blinds tucked into the oak trees. I have a fully enclosed 16' tripod at one and an enclosed 12' at the other so movement isn't much of an issue. I have some cheap, black throws that I bought at WallyWorld that I hang behind me and I wear black.

Mine is at 180 simply because that was the best layout. Anything between 75 and 250 is fine with me for a rifle. I like 20 to 25 with a bow.

We have them from 60 to 160, but I prefer right at 100...

If the terrain permits and you are comfortable with the shot, I like them at 200 yards or so. Especially if you got other people with you who move around and make noise.

I have bow hunted with deer at the base of my open tripod. I have sat on the ground and had deer walk within a few feet of me and never know I was there. OP, your stand is fine at 50 yards. My problem these days is that I just simply can't see well enough at a distance of over 100 yards to make what I consider an ethical shot. It's one of the down sides of getting older and everyone will get there.. But boy do I ever get a kick out of watchin' the younguns enjoy and grow into the sport...

I have my blinds 35 to 50 yards from feeder and most feeders have a tree bow stand within 15 yards of the feeder. The window openings are only 10 wide x 8 high with sliding glass or plexiglass and the off side has curtain sliding on wire to avoid being skylighted. I want to be close since we hunt mainly does and some family are hunting crossbow. Most rifle shots are head and neck. Works for us.

Be like Ma Bell, reach out and touch some deer, turkey or hogs. If guns were illegal, I'd hunt with a ball bat.

Depends on your terrain, rifle, & comfort zone. For me, all of our feeders I set at 75-100 yrds & zero my rifle @ 100yrds. You won't spook anything unless you really make some noise. Where I hunt there is normally never a need to shoot past 150 yrds. I don't want to try to judge a buck at dusk at 200-250 yrds, just be quiet & hunt on the ready. Learning to be a good bowhunter will help you to become a great rifle hunter, you don't need your feeders a mile away & you don't need to shoot a cannon.

134 yards here

pop-up is at 15 yards. my tripod is at 63 yards. My stand is at 397 yards so try to wind me, Im darein you.

Minimum 75 yards for me and max of 150-200. It's pretty close to opening day be clearing and disrupting a bunch of brush etc although they do adapt to change pretty quick. If you're set up at a 4 way, you may want to just put another feeder up on one of the other sendero's at about 100-150 yards. If all elements are equal in each direction, I would suggest putting it to the north of the blind since we'll hopefully be getting most of our weather from the north. Just some thoughts. Good luck on the new lease!!!!

I have mine about 60 yards, I could go farther but my 10 yr old does most of the shooting so sticking with the closer yardage for now.

I have two feeders, one 130 yards & the other only 40 yards. I wish the second one was further, but it just isn't possible.

A fence row / tree line separates the two feeders & the closer one is on the opposite side of the fence from my blind. I trimmed some vines to have a clear view, and it helps hide the blind from view.

Hopefully the distance won't be an issue.

Just right at 100yds from both blinds! Windows have very rudimentary curtains to block light and give me a little fudge room for moving around. Both blinds have shots up to about 150 or 175.