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Where to put protein feeders and how many?

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    #1

    Where to put protein feeders and how many?

    This is the first time my leasemates and I are going to feed protein. We have 600 acres. My question is how many protein stations we should have? We just finished building two 55 gal drum protein feeders and we have one 800 lb feeder. We are thinking that we should just put them all in one feed pen in a central location since we have such small acreage.

    Also, do you make the protein stations off limits for hunting?

    Met a fellow TBH member today, pecoshunter. Great guy.
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    #2
    i would say 1-3 depending on herd size and within a couple hundred yards from water

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      #3
      Put them where the deer are. It's easier to take the protein to the deer than to put them where you THINK might be good and wait for the deer to find them. A couple hundred yards could make the difference between a so-so pen and a great usage pen.

      I'd put as many as the deer will use. Put one every 150 acres. If they last a while, then you're good. If they empty them in a wk to 10 days, then you'll need bigger feeders.

      I have two 1000 lb feeders that I maintain. I have a tripod about 50 yards from one and I have the protein and corn feeder in the same pen with my blind at the other. I see no benefit to not hunting them. They have me coming and going, filling the feeder all year. With a 55 gallon feeder, once they get on it, they'll have YOU coming and going A LOT.

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        #4
        i hunt in la we have 5 55gallon drum protein and one 1000lb on 1500arce and the drum one we have to fill about once a month.we are slowly buying bigger ones,we have ours drum ones at our stands and the 1000 in the center of the lease. but we have stands about 400 yards from it......

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          #5
          Optimum placement is 1 per every 80 acres, or 1 per 12-15 deer.

          Comment

            #6
            Originally posted by canny View Post
            Optimum placement is 1 per every 80 acres, or 1 per 12-15 deer.
            "Optimum" is probably where they use a large cluster of them for daytime cover...

            As close to water as you can get them... and as much money as you can afford to consistently spend on your deer welfare program is really the answer.

            If you can't afford to feed evenly over your entire place enough to get the herd "on" feed... find your most promising deer young and get a feeder to them... they may not take to it... or they might be feeder hogs... never know til you try.

            Tuthdoc has said that works for him in places where he can't feed everything... and it seems to me like the best strategy for the person who only wants to feed a couple of feeders.

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              #7
              we have 600 acres on the Young/Throckmorton Cnty. line. I have one 55 gallon protein feeder and water trough set up in the middle of the place. It has been out for two months and has not had but about 100 lbs. eaten out of it. These deer have never had protein fed to them before so they are not quite used to it. For this reason I started out with just one. After a year or so when the deer get used to it, I assume they will eat it faster; and at that time I will add another 55 gallon feeder, either in the same pen or in another location.

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                #8
                The last place we were feeding protein on was 2600 (not all deer habitat) acres and we had 8-800# feeders. When we first put them out, it took them about 3 months to go through 1/2 of a feeder. Then they got a taste for it and we had to refill all of them every 2 weeks. The next year, the took off just like it ended...8X800lbs every 2 weeks.

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                  #9
                  We have a 2000 lb feeder centrally located on our pasture (300) acres and we also put out four 55 gallon feeders (3) at our stands with the corn feeders and one at the house for grins. We also lease another 300 acres to hunters where we have another 2000 lb feeder and they have protein in their broadcast feeders this time of year. So roughly 5500 +/- lbs going and we have to top them off usually 4000 lbs every 6 weeks or so on 600 acres.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Encinal View Post
                    "Optimum" is probably where they use a large cluster of them for daytime cover...

                    As close to water as you can get them... and as much money as you can afford to consistently spend on your deer welfare program is really the answer.
                    If you can't afford to feed evenly over your entire place enough to get the herd "on" feed... find your most promising deer young and get a feeder to them... they may not take to it... or they might be feeder hogs... never know til you try.

                    Tuthdoc has said that works for him in places where he can't feed everything... and it seems to me like the best strategy for the person who only wants to feed a couple of feeders.
                    Couldn't agree more

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                      #11
                      The ranches that I have been on that feed protien are one for every hundred acres, with a corn feeder and alfalfa feeder all in the same general area.

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                        #12
                        I run a 800#, a 1000#, and a 1400# on 1,300 low-fenced acres. I am only able to go to the lease about once a month, and they are always empty when I get there. Just feed as much as you can afford. And listen to what Tuthdoc and Encinal suggested.

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