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Bigger Deer and Feeder Pen Question

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    Bigger Deer and Feeder Pen Question

    All our feeders have pens around them. They are circles with 12-14 hog panels each except one. We have 12 of these set ups and most of them have been in the same spots for 13 years now. We have noticed a drop off in the number of deer coming to some of the feeders. We have noticed that seeing bigger deer around some of them has completely stopped.

    The one feeder that has no pen at all we just threw up 3 weeks ago, 80 yards behind the mobile home to possibly watch a few deer out the kitchen window. Well since we put it up the bucks are swarming around it. There are 7-10 bucks around it every time.

    We do have a lot of hogs and cattle on the place.

    My questions should we take some of the feeders and move them 100-150 yards from the pens and see what happens with the deer?

    Don't over think it and not worry about it?

    What are y'alls experiences with these type of situations?

    #2
    If you are shooting deer in those pens the older ones may have figured that out

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      #3
      what about your wheat fields?

      Were you accustomed to seeing big deer in the feilds and now are not seeing them there either or are you still seeing some big deer in the wheat fields, but not at the feeders?

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        #4
        We had this issue with two of our spots. We completely got rid of one of those spots and put a new spot in between the two (roughly 150 yards from one and 600 yards from the other). We immediately noticed a difference in game we saw. We went from hardly seeing deer to seeing bucks he hadn't see before, more doe, turkey, pigs, everything.

        I am a believer in moving your set ups after deer begin to lose interest.

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          #5
          They would rather have one without a pen around it. Sounds like to me you sucked all the deer around you to that station. Put a pen around it and they will probably spread back out. I don't think deer that smart they love food.

          Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

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            #6
            Originally posted by Codie View Post
            what about your wheat fields?

            Were you accustomed to seeing big deer in the feilds and now are not seeing them there either or are you still seeing some big deer in the wheat fields, but not at the feeders?
            Well we have always said if we have wheat we will have a lot of deer.

            This year we hardly have any wheat due to many factors so we are not seeing many deer big or small deer on the wheat/oats.

            The feeder issue has been on my mind for 2-3 years now. Our south side used to produce some really good bucks and deer numbers. In the last 3 years its like there are a family of black panthers living in the area. Gone from seeing 8-12 deer a sit to 1-3 per sit.

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              #7
              Originally posted by AntlerCollector View Post
              If you are shooting deer in those pens the older ones may have figured that out
              We can see for a long ways around most of the feeders. We never shoot them in the pens. Most are shot 100-200 yards from the pens I would guess.

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                #8
                I know I have a few bucks that just never get in my pens.

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                  #9
                  Maybe take a few pens down and increase the size of some other ones? Like take down 1 pen and double another one with those panels.

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                    #10
                    Get rid of pens, build barn wire fence around feeder, they feel less confined.

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                      #11
                      Smart bucks have figured out they will get shot in the pen is my guess.
                      I know we have a few older bucks that avoid the pen if they can

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                        #12
                        How big is your pen? Mine is 32' diameter and deer stay in mine until all the corn is gone. Mine is also 3 wire bobwire so they aren't constrained at all. They can go under, through, or over pretty easily.

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                          #13
                          Man, that big wheat field was like a deer farm late season.

                          I have a buddy that did away with all of his spin feeders and swears it's a direct result of seeing more mature deer. He took everyone off his place. CD actually played for him, ironically enough. He uses tree feeders only now and claims it's the best thing he did. I know this isn't pen related, but might be something to consider.
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                            #14
                            I run one with a Nd one without

                            I run one with aNd one without a feeder pen. The one Witt has protein in it

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                              #15
                              It’s always better to go with out a feeder pen if at all possible it seems like the deer use them a lot more without pens

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