feeder hunting

gonna get a lot of flack for this I'm guessing but I don't get feeder hunting. Especially when people who are anti high fence hunt over a feeder. Is it still hunting when you can nap until you hear the dinner bell spin to wake you up as the deer walk in to the picnic.

Not saying I don't agree with supplemental feeding but just don't find it very sporting to sit in front of a feeder and "hunt" over it.

Our lease (and many if not most) hunting from a stand is for safty as much as anything. 6+ guys hunting spot and stalk on 1,000 acres would be a huge safety concern. The feeder hopefully draws in deer to your area. Without the feeder you would likely sit in a blind all day and not see a thing. I enjoy spot and stalk or sitting under a tree, but can only do that when at the lease alone.

you can't argue that hunting under a feeder is harder than not. maybe some argument that big bucks don't hit feeders. each hunter has decide their own ethics all under the laws. high fence, feeder, food plots, rifle/bow, long distance shots, rut hunting, rattling, scent attractors, grunt calls, public DIY, etc.

you can also say using a rifle to hunt is not much sport either. since you can shoot a deer over a 100 yards and such. But if you break it down you can do the same thing with a compound bow versus a traditional bow and what not. You just have to do what you feel is right and not worry about others.

Don't know about everyone else, but the deer don't "come running" when my feeders go off. Everyone acts like they are a bunch of trained lab rats, but I've some of our feeders pile up corn for several days in a row and then all of a sudden, they'll start hitting it again but not right when it goes off. I've got almost pics from one feeder last week that doesn't have a single daytime picture on it. I generally shoot most of my deer along the edge of the field rather than under the feeder, but the feeder is there to get them into the field where they wouldn't normally be.

x2 They just have not figured out the dinner bell I guess, same at my place

Same here toolman. Deer on my place are most likely to be seen in the creek bottoms. Once every few days they come out and eat whatever the hogs left behind. We see more hogs at the feeder than deer.

I don't hear the feeder go off most of the time. Wind blows a lot. Then we just hope we see something. Guess I need to find one of them dinner bell leases.

if the wind is blowing out of the South, I can't hear my feeder for it to wake me up

The simple truth is that it's legal and it helps us to see more deer.

We've got a huge amount of oak trees and when the acorns fall the corn just piles up under the feeder. When that happens we hunt the trails leading to the oaks so I guess some would think that is unfair also.
This year we have absolutely no acorns and the deer are really hitting the feeders hard.
I say take advantage of it while you can, since it's not always that way.
The game camera really is an eye opener and I see more bucks and quality bucks that I haven't seen before.

I actually have feeders out to give the deer something extra to eat. Don't really care if it's daylight or dark that they;re doing the eating. It's kind of like dogs and/or cats, if you like them you make sure they're fed something.

Its legal and everyone has to decide ethics for them selves. I often hunt near feeders but sometimes it may be 2 or more days between visits by deer to those feeders. Is it any different in hunting feeders and hunting food plots or acorn dropping oaks, IMO no. I haven't seen deer come to a feeder right after it went off since the lease in Lampassas county in 1994 and sometimes they still did not showup there except a few does which are good bait to have around for the bucks to showup.

On one of the places I see a lot more deer away from the stands and feeders than at them. Have even dumped out some corn on the ground near a stand that was gone the next day with 4 different deer seen eating it, this was in late season when corn was building up under the feeder.

OP...If you really want to be "sporting" try using a rock to hunt with!....Post pictures and we'll all tell you how wonderful you are!
Why do I get the feeling you are just

^^ that's how our place is. if you dump 50#s on the edge of the field away from all the feeders a lot of times they'll have it cleaned up by daylight.

I usually don't shoot the deer that come running to the dinner bell. But then again I am the guy that liks to fish with "bait". Pretty sure I would have a good chance getting skunked if I dropped a empty hook in the water.

Yeah I was just bored in class and was curious as to the responses I'd get.

I'm not knocking it at all or saying its unethical. I never really thought about the acorns/food plot being similar which is a good point.

I don't hunt over the feeders I hunt over the does that come in and bring daddy in for my over scoped and over gunned self to let loose or my bow.

Hunting under an oak is the same as hunting over a feeder, if the oak drops it's acorns at exactly 7:00 AM every day.

Okay, don't have to say anything now.

I TOTTALLY AGREE... but I do it any way.
On our place you probably wouldn't see anything if you didn't hunt the feeders.
AND I'm getting old enough that I really appreciate having a comfortable chair to sit in with a heater if needed.

I spent MANY years hunting on foot and sitting on rocks and in trees freezing my butt off. I remember when I didn't even know what a feeder or a blind was.

I'm starting to agree with the OP.
I think that this season I'll take one cartridge to the stand and while it's still dark I'll toss the cartridge over my shouldler just before I crawl into the stand.
If I see a good buck I'll have to quietly crawl down and look for the cartridge, and if I should find it I'll then have to quietly load the rifle, crawl back up into the stand and hopefully the deer will still be there where I can get a shot off.
It should work since those deer won't hardly run off from a feeder!

Be sure to toss that round in the area where you go #2 to make it more of a challenge...

I completely agree... I hunt out west and we've got maybe about 1" of rain alllll summer, maybe!

But I heard the deer out there love dry burnt grass and chewing on dead mesquite limbs so ima rip my feeder batteries out next time I'm up that way

There's certain deer that come to the feeder every day, but those aren't the deer you necessarily want to kill.

Turd stirrers is what my ex-wife called them.

I really don't give a rats a** about what anyone else thinks about the way I hunt. Over the years I have done a lot of guiding hunters. I have found that a lot do a lot of talking about how good they are. I have also found that most that do the talking are not near as good as they think they are. I have taken out hunters that said hunting out of a blind was not really hunting. I have walked them rocking canyons, spot and stalking, sat and glassed until the next day they either wanted to sit in a blind or ride in the truck.Their idea of hunting changed a lot when they did not see an animal the first few hours. I had one hunter that wanted a free range axis buck with a bow. He said that shooting one with a gun was really not hunting. I took him to a place where there were quite a few good axis. I let him out and showed him a windmill on top of a rise that you could see from the entire ranch. I would meet him there at noon. At noon he had see bucks but could not get a shot. I was to meet him again in the evening before dark. I got there early and he showed up as well. He asked if he could borrow my rifle to shoot an axis. I said sure and had seen a good one driving in. Took him back to where I had seen it and he shot it out of the truck. Amazing how some people talk out of both sides of their mouths. They tell others that they should have waited another year to take that deer or they should not have taken it out of a blind or the only real hunting is with a bow. A lot of times what they say and what they do are two completely different things.

where did I say I was better than anyone or tell anyone to change the way they hunt?

But are you hunting deer coming to the feeder or are the deer hunting you watching the feeder? Are you hoping they will show up or are they hoping you won't be there?

They're hoping to dodge the truck

I prefer to shoot them before they hit the pen. I don't see the hi fence/feeder theory tho

I often shoot does at/near the feeder. We're MLD III, and that's part of the tag filling we do.

Bucks, on the other hand.....I cannot think of a time when they've EVER been shot near a feeder. They're generally passing around the perimeter, chasing a doe nearby, or hauling a** somewhere in the line of sight on/near the game trails.

Regarding it being sporting......some would probably argue it's not "fair" unless we're physically wrestling them naked...but my ancestors didn't climb to the top of the food chain to continue to tackle dinner.

Oh, and I fish with bait too......

I hunt a feeder and its certainly not a sure thing. When I hunt during the rut, it is a sure thing...mostly. Corn as bait or doe in heat as bait? I know which one I'd choose.

I hunt feeders, it's legal and do not apologize for doing so. Topography and natural browse don't allow for as much diverse terrain as KS, IA or IL, so we make due with feeders/baiting. BTW, I've heard several individuals from those states that do not allow baiting, e.g., AL, GA, and they said they'd love to use "feeders". Therefore, I'd say the grass isn't always greener.

There is only one way of real hunting and I do this so I am the only true hunter on this forum…

The only ETHICAL way of hunting deer is to get on a horse and chase one down like a calf and then wrestle it to the ground and tie rope around its feet.

AND I go in the middle of the day because that’s when all the biggest mature bucks are out feeding

Thank you

No, if you were a real hunter you chase him down on foot.

Only cheaters use horses...

I hunt a few different locales, and I hunt feeders, food plots, funnels, acorns, the sunny side of a hill after a cold front, a watering hole, creek crossing, trails to bedding areas, etc. I have found that seeing deer at a feeder is not any more or less predictable than any of the other methods that I use. Sometimes they come in right when the feeder goes off, sometimes before, sometimes after, sometimes never. It surely is not as simple as sitting there taking a nap until the dinner bell goes off, and saying that is a dis-service to someone who is trying to get into or learn about hunting.

I don't know why some people feel that it's necessary to apologize for being the most intelligent animal on the planet. Cheetahs don't apologize for being the fastest. Bears don't apologize for having and using their teeth and claws. Lions don't apologize for hunting in large groups, neither do wolves.

Why should I feel bad that I have figured out how to use complex tools, opposing thumbs and the knowledge that deer will come to corn. God gave us the most advanced brain and intelligence in the animal kingdom. He did not give us great speed or a fur coat to protect us from the cold and wet. We all use our God given talents to our advantage.

Hunting over bait is not cheating.

LP for president!

The following happend about 3,000 years ago.

A young man goes to his father, and says he has trouble understanding what people think.

His father said, "come along, I will show you something"

The father took their donkey, and both him and his started walking.

They passed by some people, and one of them commented "look at that silly man and his son, they have a donkey, and they don't ride it while it is so hot to walk"

The father and son then both ride the donkey.

They pass some people. They heard them say "God, look at that heartless man and his son. They are riding that poor donkey in this heat!"

The father gets off the donkey, and leaves his son on it.

They pass some people. They said "Isn't that incredible? Look at that mannerless boy, he is riding the donkey while his poor father is walking in this heat!"

He gets his son off the donkey, and he rides it.

They pass some more people. The said "Look at that man! He is riding the donkey in comfort, while the poor boy is walking in this heat!"

The father gets off the donkey, and he and his son carry the donkey instead.

They pass some people. They said "how stupid can one get? Look at those two, they have donkey, and instead of riding it, they are carrying it!"

I am not crazy about High Fencing.. I understad the protecting what you have and all. But I would rather see antler/age restrictions or something to help with the killing of the wrong quality or age of deer than the high fences. To me this gives the best Natrual selection and possibilities of who knows what will cross your fence... Some argue because there are unethical hunters killing what they see fit and this can hurt you on your ranch having a low fence... That being said I dont really like high fences but I am not anti...

Now... I think high fence and hunting under a feeder are apples and oranges... dont think I have ever heard of a high fence ranch that did not have any feeders... I can think of all the bucks, big bucks I have killed and only one was under a feeder... I figure they are there to draw the deer in mainly does that bring the big boys in... Now feeders also give you a chance to really look at the animal you may take... rather than stalking and not hunting around feeders... you may get too excited or take a quick shot not really getting a full view of the buck you are hunting and he may turn out to be a 3 1/2 year old 10 when he should have been passed... but you did not get a chance to really look him over.... there in lies the feeders.... its all how you look at it.

What LandPirate said is dead on. I'm sure this has also been said, didn't read every post but here are my .02cents.

I've hunted my family land for years. We all hunted over a feeder, on blinds that we had set up when I was a younger guy - so they had been there for years. We spent a few years feeding year round, sometimes we would start prior to the season. The results were always the same.

We could go an entire season without seeing a deer. We've never seen them come right after the feeder goes off. I personally enjoy morning hunting more, and usually it would be 2-3 hours after sunrise, when the feeder went off, before a deer would come out. Even the hogs wouldn't come right when it went off.

Granted this is 3 people hunting 50 acres East Texas, and we never proved it, but we suspected the neighbors of hunting year round, so this is not a golden rule. I just signed up for a lease since my family no longer owns the land. Maybe things will be different, but I think it's still a safe bet that I wont be seeing a deer at sunrise and sunset every hunt.

I AM such an ethical sportsman that I refused to shoot this buck because he went to the feeder.

who said cheating?

It was a question admittedly to stir the pot because I was bored in a 3hr lecture class. Didn't know it was gonna over flow to other posts and sections of the forum, some people take the internet too seriously.

My sincere apologies to those who think I called them cheaters or unethical

hooligan. There is an old saying "If it don't stink don't stir it" Well, you stirred it and now the stink is all over you. Don't worry the stink goes away pretty quick.

Feeders are always going to be a little bit controversial. I hunt them, but most Whitetail states do not allow them so most hunters tend to look down on "Texas" Whitetail hunting. That's why you don't see alot of feeder hunting on all the hunting shows on TV - you see some, but not much.

I am also a big Bass fishersman. The big deal there is that most "real" Bass fishermen look down on those who use "live" bait (Shiners, worms, etc.). Most major tournaments and most rabid Bass fishermen totally look down on those who use live bait.

This feeder thing reminds me of that. I bow hunt alot with a compound bow. Traditional archers would never consider taking a deer with a compound bow and they consider crossbows the equivalent of using a rifle.

Automatic feeders are here to stay. I think those that choose not to hunt under them are entitled to that opinion and those of us that do hunt under them should be honest and admit that they do give us a tremendous advantage of at least increasing our odds of seeing deer, maybe not trophys, but good average deer.

When you stir the pot, it will ususally boil over.

I don’t see the difference in hunting at a feeder or hunting the only strip of woods that is surrounded by hundreds or even thousands of acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa or some other mass planted crop. If folks in other states don’t think hunters in Texas should to be able to hunt feeders, let them try a one mile limit from any agricultural field. I bet they would cry like a bunch of babies.

Yep, our northern brethren hunt ag areas. Absolutely no difference than hunting a feeder. Our African brethren hunt water holes. Absolutely no difference than hunting a feeder.

Some people hunt over natural mineral licks, some hunt bears on open beaches.

This whole debate is ignorant in my opinion. It's pointless.

i shot a deer in a oat field once.

It felt oh-so good to know that he was not shot under a feeder

come to think of it.....out of the last 4 bucks I've killed, only one was at a feeder......a protein feeder at that, and he had jumped out of the pen and was making his way into the woods when I shot him.

one was in an oat field. another way was cruising thru the brush.

and the last one was rubbing his horns on a mesquite tree.



Guess I"m a better hunter than I thought

but you keep coming back so it worked

The argument about hunting ag fields being the same thing is a little ignorant. I hunt in Missouri with plenty of corn and soy bean fields and they can be tough to hunt, especially standing corn. Most are killed in staging areas, traveling corridors and fence rows.

But they are still coming to "feed". You can do the same thing when hunting feeders here in Texas if you wanted to. I think it is in Georgia that you can have feeders up to attract game but can not set a stand up where you can see the feeder. You can only hunt them as they approach the feeder on the trails.

When I hunted in the panhandle a few years ago I discovered that when I corned the road leading to the feeder the deer would stay a minute or two at the feeder but would stay for 30 - 45 minutes on the road. Maybe it seemed more natural to them?

When I hunted Val Verde county years ago 20 - 30 ( about 1 to 2 ratio bucks to does ) deer would come everytime the feeder went off. I had a 75' diameter feedpen and most of them would jump in at the same time. In the mornings you could see shadows in the hills and around the feedpen as the deer staged waiting for it to go off.

In S. Tx. I've seen very few deer hit the feeders. However, they'll swarm over a road or sendero that's been freshly corned.

That's how our deer are, except corning pipelines/highlines/treelines. I've had cams on 3 feeders for 2 months and had pics of 10 deer and nightly hogs, corned the edge of our hayfield and picked up 2 hogs and the other 800 pics were solid deer.

That could be because when you have to go #2 you just "grab a limb and growl" close to your stand. They are just getting as far away as they can .

ive never shot a big deer under a feeder, all my bigger deer have come out dogging does or running fence/tree lines during rut.

yea thats the real way to do it, feeders.... who needs them

We have taken 1 buck 2 does 2 pigs
On our lease in eastland co
And none were taken from under any of our 3 feeders

Its not a feeder its a seed spreader. If I could ever get the first crop started I'd move it. I can't help that the deer keep eating all the seed.

That has been my experience as well with feeders. Like the buck below that I took in Mississippi many years ago that I caught in an area between a food plot and a box stand that had been there for many years. I decided to throw up a ladder stand a couple hundred yards from the foot plot and near the edge of a bedding area, thinking I might catch one scent checking the food plot on his way to bed for the evening while avoiding the box stand. Luck was on my side that same evening when he poped a twig and turned my attention to him trying to pass to my right. I can still see that "where did you come from" look that he had on his face just before the neck shot from my .270.

Well I have shot many deer at feeders, many deer on corned senderos, and many deer at water holes. I've also shot them chasing does, just passing by, running trails from one area to another, etc. etc. etc.

I make no apologies for shooting a deer in a legal manner.

I killed them on the interstate as well...had to have been the brightest of the bunch.

No doubt. We have lots of suicidal deer in Hays Co. I've had a number of them run into the side of my patrol car.

No doubt. My sis always tells me to plant lots of flowers to attract them bc they are always attracted to her yard.

Plant plenty of saplings for them to rub their antlers on.

All they have in Austin are saplings

Well guess I'm different I grew up hunting ag feilds, Infact that's all we had, until I started hunting TX. I feel its 10 Times easier then setting on a feeder or corned road. Ag deer are easier to scout pattern, and hunt period

When you have large amounts of ag those travel routes are highly and clearly defined. You know the staging areas.

When you have a feeder or corned road, you have no idea where the staging areas are, or the routes they will come in. Nor do you know the down wind scent check area bucks use to scent check does at the feeders.