Advice Needed/Shooting into a Feeder Pen

[TSUBryanG]

Need advice/tips after this weekends fiasco.

Background: About 5 years back, we wanted to be able to do protein on out deer lease so we put up feeder pens. My current setup has two feeder areas. One feeder is not fenced in for pigs. The other is fenced in with cattle panels and has a protein feeder next to it that we try to keep going year round. We hunt in the hill country in a heavily pressured area and having the feeder pen/protein gives us an advantage over the neighbors with keeping pigs and cows out, and allowing the protein to keeps the bucks on our side during the season. It’s been an absolute game changer.

My dilemma: I was after an old 8 point all year and noticed he was only going to the one feeder with the pen. He’d slip in for a few minutes and then slip out. Finally had him come in and I took a nice steady shot and the deer reacted as if he had been hit good. Come to find out, I hit the panel. Small blood trail, no deer recovered. This is the second time this has happened but I recovered the deer the first go round. The guilt feeling is real guys.

My question: Was I wrong to take the shot in the pen? Do y’all have issues shooting into a pen? What have y’all done to better your setup for the older mature bucks that prefer the pen? I’ve heard people shooting into pens for years and never having issues. Did I just get really unlucky or do I need to reevaluate taking deer at that feeder altogether?

I’m sure there are people out there who have more knowledge and experience than me on this issue and I’m looking too build off of that to prevent this happening again. Any ideas and input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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[txheartshot]

First thing, I’d you’re not in an elevated blind, put your blind on some sort of platform. The last one I did is about 7’ from the ground to the platform. 2nd thing you can do is cut notches out of the top section of the panel, 6” or so, depending on panel type. Only do this where you know your shooting lanes are, or where you want to “funnel” or encourage the deer to enter and exit the pen. 3rd thing to do is put hand corn outside the pen to try and get them to feed outside before or after jumping in. This pen isn’t notched, but once they get about 1/3 of the way into the pen, I have a clear shot. You can see in the 2nd pic below that just the top of the deer’s back is exposed as he’s closest to me. Once he moves 5-7’ back, I have a clear shot at his vitals. Hope this helps.






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[brokeno]

Shoot in between the squares. Sorry you lost your deer. You just had bad luck. A lot of rifle Hunter's shoot through their feed panels

[texan16]

Get elevated or shoot them outside of the pen would be the only options I can think of.

[Jon B]

Is it me or was that shot fairly low on the pen to start with?

[Drycreek3189]

I passed on a doe this past weekend because when I put my crosshairs on her the top wire of the hog panel was exactly on her high shoulder. I took the gamble that she would walk clear and lost. When she started up she kept walking and I got no shot. She was on the backside of the pen, not in it. It is what it is.

The only bow shot I ever took on a deer in a pen ended badly so I never took another. Hate wounding and losing deer……

[PoppinPiggies]

Personally I dont shoot through pens just to avoid the situation you went through. To open shot opportunities up elevate your blind so you can shoot over the pen. Other things we have done is shorten the panel in your shooting lane slightly to increase your shot opportunity. Or if you have a gun try and clear a lane on each side of the pen and you might be able to shoot them coming in or leaving as well.

[buck_wild]

Our pen gates are always the front of the feeder pen so we'll walk down to open them up each time we hunt OR in some places the panels don't effect the back area of the pen therefore we'll put piles on corn in the back area the day we are hunting it.

We do not let clients shoot through a panel under any circumstances.

[TSUBryanG]

First thing, I’d you’re not in an elevated blind, put your blind on some sort of platform. The last one I did is about 7’ from the ground to the platform. 2nd thing you can do is cut notches out of the top section of the panel, 6” or so, depending on panel type. Only do this where you know your shooting lanes are, or where you want to “funnel” or encourage the deer to enter and exit the pen. 3rd thing to do is put hand corn outside the pen to try and get them to feed outside before or after jumping in. This pen isn’t notched, but once they get about 1/3 of the way into the pen, I have a clear shot. You can see in the 2nd pic below that just the top of the deer’s back is exposed as he’s closest to me. Once he moves 5-7’ back, I have a clear shot at his vitals. Hope this helps.






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Great advice. I may need to move my blind a little closer to get more of an angle like you have. It’s about 7-8 feet in the air but the feeder is down the hill which I think is making it tough to have that open area between the back and the front. May look to take off some off the top of the front panel. Maybe moving the feeder further back may help some as well. I’ve done the hand corn some too and that seems to be really helpful. I’ll look for a picture from the blind


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[Bisch]

Raise your blind up so you shoot over the fence.

Bisch


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[kingranch]

i just would open the pen on that side when i used to hunt like that... easy fix

[TSUBryanG]

Is it me or was that shot fairly low on the pen to start with?

It does seem like it’s low but the pen is down the hill, it lines up with the shot directly under the feeder unfortunately.

Also side note, I’m shooting a rifle, and it’s about 95 yards. I wouldn’t take a bow shot through a pen


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[Chew]

My son felt your pain back in the day....

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3327584&postcount=1

[TSUBryanG]

Opening the pen door is an option I never thought about. Not a bad idea at all. The only issue is the landowners cows are persistent. That’s the main reason we had to put the pen up because the hunts kept getting ruined.


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[TSUBryanG]

My son felt your pain back in the day....

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.c...84&postcount=1

Man I hate that. Not a feeling I wish on anyone, especially a young hunter.


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