Can't Decide on Feeder Situation

In the past my pipeline spot was great, deer and pigs seemed to live in harmony, had 2 feeders going, I didn’t have a problem seeing both anytime I hunted.

Past few years pigs took over and I would guess ran the deer out so last year I penned one feeder up, off the pipeline, in the woods and another left on the pipeline about 100 yards away, but didn’t continue to fill that feeder on the pipeline so it ran out let’s say December.

My theory on that was the pigs will stop coming because they couldn’t get to the feeder and deer would come back since they could. It kinda worked but deer didn’t really come back, hit and miss no regular customers.

Pigs couldn’t get into the pen to the feeder but pipeline stayed rooted up so I could tell they stayed in the area.

Here is where I keep going back and forth, is filling the other feeder that is on the pipeline or moving it into the pen as a protein feeder.

The feeder that is on the pipeline is a gravity feeder I converted to a spin feeder, my first idea was to turn it back into a gravity feeder and put it in the pen. Then corn the pipeline instead of having a feeder on it.

But if the deer are still spotty this year than having that second feeder going on the pipeline I would able to shoot pigs and not have to try and corn the pipeline every time I go up and it also gives deer a second option if they don’t want to go to the pen.

So Im split between moving that second feeder into the pen or leaving it on the pipeline and waiting to fill it till late September and only having the feeder pen going right now.

yalls thoughts?

Seems the deer liked the pipeline better. So ask yourself which you prefer to hunt, pigs or deer. If the latter, pen up the pipeline and take the pen down on the other. Guarantee the pigs will find the other and the pen will keep them off the pipeline feeder.

I originally wanted to pen up the pipeline but cant put Tpost in on the pipeline

Is that because of nothing permanent in the right of way? Or depth to pipe or what?

I’d start trapping and killing pigs. Somewhere close to but off the pipeline.

Keep the two feeders at least 250 yards apart if possible. Ask if you can cut an inlet into the woods 30-40 yards wide to add a feed pen. Ask about food plots, spend as much time hog hunting/trapping as you can.

You can build a feed pen without having to drive a t-post in the ground. Search old posts on here about feed pens and you will find a thread where Murph on here showed pics of how he built his pens in rocky terrain out in Edwards or Real county. You might also try to find out how wide the easement is for the ROW on the pipeline...many clear out a wider path for the working room when they install the pipeline..ie..50' ROW and 25' extra for working room. The 25' would not be in the ROW lease.

Yea nothing permanent on the pipeline is why i chose to put it just off the pipeline, no idea on the depth of the pipe as well but mostly because of the land owners rules which are nothing permanent on the pipeline.

We got our big hog trap about 350 yards away down the pipeline, about 20 yards off of it, and do a decent job trapping, do a decent job hunting over the summer as well but not the best but even years when i really pushed to hog hunt over the summer didnt make a difference.

The pen is in the woods off the pipeline maybe 10 yards in, made with 8-15 ft hog panels

food plots will be done just didnt do any summer food plots this year

I don’t consider a feed pen a permanent fixture. It is easily taken down with a post puller and some wire cutters.

Maybe you could make the argument to land owner and if there is need to remove the feed pen just to let you know?

In my experience, even though it's said that deer will only go so far in the open to a feeder, I think they like some openness so nothing takes them by surprise. On my place the previous lease hunters had all their feeders tucked into little brush openings. I kept one going and what show's up is very hit or miss. I put another feeder in a wide open area and the deer seem to love it. 'Think they get claustrophobic, just like us.

If you build it, they will come

X2

trying to put all this together so yall think it would be better to move my feeder pen from the woods to the pipeline right?

And im still trying to figure out the reasoning. the spot in the woods isnt heavy woods, they were recently thinned so all thats really left is hard woods so its not that thick in there.

I dont know about the build it and they will come because its built and so far they arent coming but im putting that in the giving it time more then a real issue.

lets say I dont move the feeder pen, yall think i should leave a feeder not in a pen on the pipeline or have a gravity and a spin feeder in the pen and nothing on the pipeline?

I got curious about your comment regarding building a feeder pen without T posts. I can't find that old thread...any clue how he did that? my place in east Tx is on a very rocky hill and you can't get 1/2 inch into the ground with anything. It's also been clear cut recently , so there are no trees to use as posts, lol. Just looking for some sort of suggestion. I get lots of deer pics each summer until the first boar shows up and then the deer are gone.

PropaneMan, Here is the link
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/fo..._about_hog_fences_around_fee#Post2245123

From my feeder pen adventure as well as being in East Texas, the hogs didnt really test the panel when it went up.

Now i cant be 100% sure on that but i do have one of those game cams that sends me the pics on the phone and saw when the pig showed up the first time after putting it up. the group all walked up to it staring into the pen, then went away. ever since then i see them come by and have had little piglets get through the opening but they never tried jumping or anything that i saw in the pics.

you might be able to get away with rebar or something a little weaker then t-post

I've had much better luck hand corning my pipeline. Having a spin feeder produces hogs. I only feed protein year round and hand corn once closer to season. Talking pouring a 50lb bag night I get there and same for the day I leave. Do this every weekend. Hardly any issues with hogs for the most part