Texas Hunting Forum

To Pen or Not to Pen

Posted By: fishbait

To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 01:00 PM

For hunters with hogs ...would you recommend a pen around feeders or not?
Posted By: Rustler

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 01:25 PM

Yes.
Posted By: Grizz

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 01:26 PM

The only thing I would want to keep away from the corn would be cows. Everything else is welcome to come on in. No cows = no pen for me.
Posted By: DQ Kid

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 01:40 PM

Here's my take on pen vs no pen and I have done both. No pens equal hogs all hours through the night and fewer nighttime deer feedings. Pens equal no hugs and more nighttime deer feedings. The real question is does the daytime deer feedings improve with or without pens and do you want to primarily feed hogs instead of deer at night. My daytime feedings are maybe a little better with pens than without so I elect to have pens.
Posted By: Stub

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 01:43 PM

If you want to maximize your deer hunting opportunities then put up a pen, use at least 10 hog panels if you can.

Hogs being the pigs that they are will still come into that area because they know food is there, so you will probably still be able to put some Pork in the freezer if you want.
Posted By: corkys son

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 01:48 PM

If you have hogs- pen it, I've tried both, pens are the only way to go.
Posted By: 4Weight

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 02:06 PM

You bet
Posted By: TPACK

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 02:22 PM

I don`t have a pen but do not see hogs in daytime. I have a few cows but they are never a problem at the feeders. Almost all of my pictures of the hogs are at night time. No pen for me.
Posted By: Old Smuggler

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 02:54 PM

Have a pen around both my feeders and during deer season keep the pigs out.. After the season I open up a hole and let the pigs in so I can hunt them all spring and summer.
Posted By: Dave Davidson

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/18/20 03:04 PM

Nothing I have found will destroy a corn feeder quicker than a horse.
Posted By: Hudbone

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/19/20 02:27 PM

Hog pressures leave scents that deer donor want to smell. Heavily recommend feeder pens.
Posted By: CharlieCTx

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/19/20 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by fishbait
For hunters with hogs ...would you recommend a pen around feeders or not?


It would help if you told us what you're trying to do...

- Keep hogs out for deer? Yes, big enough pen for sure.
- Bring hogs in, keep cows out? Yes, pen for sure, elevate some panels about 18" or above the ground. Just needs to be big enough to enclose most of your thrown corn circle.

If you have cows, the answer is yes to both of the above. Cows will f'up a hunting season if they decide your area is a good place to hang out.

Charlie
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/19/20 06:18 PM

I would never have a feeder I am going to hunt deer over without a large pen around it. Hogs can feed on the neighbors places and ruin their hunting. I hate hogs.
Posted By: TKandMike

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 01:58 PM

Pen if you're hellbent on deer only. If not, have fun blasting hogs
Posted By: redchevy

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 02:21 PM

We have 4 corn feeders and had hogs galore.

We penned our two best deer stands where we predominately see our best bucks and most deer and left the other two un penned. The hogs have all but disappeared. All season we have seen and shot hogs 1 time (im ok with that).

Even though we have 2 un penned feeders the hogs just don't go to them for whatever reason.
Posted By: PMK

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by stxranchman
I would never have a feeder I am going to hunt deer over without a large pen around it. Hogs can feed on the neighbors places and ruin their hunting. I hate hogs.

^^^this ...

our place SW from Ozona has feral cattle & horses along with deer and hogs. I only had 1 feeder penned that was already set up when I took over the place and the other feeders that I installed were unpenned. After the first season, the feral cattle/horses took their toll on those unpenned. I use old field wire and made a small pen to prevent the cattle/horses away, worked well until hogs moved in, that rooted under the field fencing and rooted one feeder and turned it over, then rolled it into the brush 30 yards away. Another they rooted under the field fencing, rooted a hole about 12 feet in diameter by 2 feet deep in hard pack caliche while spreading the legs out several feet. I was done with that and built good pens out of hog panels and haven't had problem since.

our place NE from Fairfield, almost all of our sets have 2 feeders, one penned and one non-penned. The hogs concentrate on the one without a pen and leave the penned one alone other than passing by. Best of both worlds in my opinion if you have enough space to put two feeders up at 90-180 degrees apart, one for hogs and one for deer.
Posted By: jrfan

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 05:13 PM

We have 4 feeders. 2 with and 2 without for this very reason.
Posted By: Pitchfork Predator

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 05:23 PM

Since I started buying Alamo feeders I don't pen unless it's a real dry year and the hogs set up shop........on a 185,000 acre ranch they tend to roam and are random.......exceptions are the deep canyon pastures where the water doesn't dry up near as much.....they tend to set up shop more there....
Posted By: Jimbo1

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 05:57 PM

Cattle on my lease so I have to use pens. Even my dedicated pig feeder is penned with 2 low openings cut out. Damn cows!
Posted By: Brother Phil

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 06:20 PM

I am on a lease near Hico. The ground is very rocky. I have three feeders, all staked down with t-posts. Because of the rocks, I was not able to pound the posts very far into the ground. There are cattle on the ranch. They could easily tip over the feeders, but have not. I do not use pens. If it is in your budget, one idea would be to try pen/no pen, on the same ranch, as see what works best.
Posted By: westtexaswatkins

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 06:41 PM

I have 4 feeder locations on my place and only one has a pen(I don't have any cows). In the pen is a protein feeder and a corn feeder that sits up right next to the fence. It throws corn in the pen as well as outside of it. That way if hogs do show up there is still corn for the deer inside the pen. I am not covered up with hogs but still kill my fair share. So far this works great for me. If I had a large amount of hogs in the area I may rethink this.
Posted By: NOCOOLNAMETOO

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/20/20 09:16 PM

yes
Posted By: fouzman

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/21/20 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by stxranchman
I would never have a feeder I am going to hunt deer over without a large pen around it. Hogs can feed on the neighbors places and ruin their hunting. I hate hogs.


+1
Posted By: redchevy

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/21/20 04:26 PM

We noticed a definite increase in the use of our feeders by deer when they were penned. Many times the hogs would dominate them before. For a while after penning we would get trail camera pictures of deer in the pen and hogs on the outside... makes you grin
Posted By: dogcatcher

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/21/20 04:43 PM

None of our feeders have pens, but then we have no hogs on our place.
Posted By: Halfadozen

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/21/20 08:40 PM

We have one blind location where there are 2 feeders about 100 yards apart. One is not fenced and the other fenced. Fenced feeder is set to throw at 7 and 4, unfenced throws at 7, 12 and 4 and 12 midnight. Unfenced sees as many deer as fenced feeder and plenty of hogs.
Posted By: Klinker

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/21/20 10:27 PM

My personal experience - deer and hogs ARE NOT compatible feeder mates. If a deer is at a feeder and a hog approaches, the deer will leave. If a hog is at a feeder, a deer will not approach. A deer will stay at a feeder for 5 minutes, a hog will stay there for 2 hours. If you have pigs in your area and want to actually DEER hunt, build pens. This does not even touch on what a pain in the sphincter cows are at a feeder!
Posted By: kyle1974

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/28/20 01:02 AM

it should be a state law to have a feeder pen around a feeder anytime in use, and anyone who willingly feeds hogs should be flogged, then publicly tarred and feathered.
Posted By: Mr. T.

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/28/20 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by kyle1974
it should be a state law to have a feeder pen around a feeder anytime in use, and anyone who willingly feeds hogs should be flogged, then publicly tarred and feathered.

X2 whip
Posted By: Grosvenor

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/28/20 04:29 PM

We have pens around our protein feeders, but not our corn feeders. My personal preference is to not hunt over pens. We do plenty of other things to keep the hogs at bay.
Posted By: Lone Ranger

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/28/20 04:49 PM

I have all my feeders with hog panels around them and the deer love it!!
Posted By: kmon11

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/28/20 09:57 PM

If you want to shoot more hogs at the feeder do not pen it. If you want fewer hogs and feed more deer pen it.
Posted By: Txduckman

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/29/20 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Lone Ranger
I have all my feeders with hog panels around them and the deer love it!!


X2. Seems only way we see deer at feeders anymore consistently.
Posted By: Herbie Hancock

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 01/29/20 12:23 PM

Pen for sure, gotta keep the goats and sheep out.
Posted By: WatersFowler

Re: To Pen or Not to Pen - 02/07/20 09:53 PM

I agree that a pen is a must if you focus is on maximizing your big buck potential. I also agree that 10 panels is a minimum. Deer don't like to be in a small pen. I've seen a ton of feeders surrounded by small pens and many times big deer will have none of it. If you have the acreage, set up a feeder away from your deer stand with no pen and then go there to hunt hogs.
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