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Thoughts on bulk feeders and costs ?

chipterp

chipterp

PMA Member
Many of you like me have probably noticed a correlation between some guys who are feeding year round with bulk feeders and being successful at holding and killing specific deer if a guy could afford it. Im not sure if I quite agree with feeding them like cattle all year so they stay around but it seems to work very well. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with them and what they put in them and at what costs to keep them full .
 
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We just flipped the switch on our 800# feeder after shotgun season (done hunting there). The cost of corn is around $70 to fill and how we have it set now that should get us through January. I'll bump it up when the first nasty cold comes through. We were lucky enough to get some brassicas in and also rye to help. We also put some Alfalfa bales on the south facing slopes and dressed them up a bit with corn. We'll keep it going till green up.
 
I think I'm going to get a feeder and put it out after late muzzy. Plan on mixing corn out of the bin with protein pellets. I'll see how it goes. Not sure if it's needed with all of the grain left in our food plots and low deer numbers, but I'll see how it goes.
 
chipterp said:
Many of you like me have probably noticed a correlation between some guys who are feeding year round with bulk feeders and being successful at holding and killing specific deer if a guy could afford it. Im not sure if I quite agree with feeding them like cattle all year so they stay around but it seems to work very well. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with them and what they put in them and at what costs to keep them full .
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Some guy named Lee in SE iowa is doing this and this is his whole strategy :D
 
I bought pellets the past 2 years and mixed in corn- the amount of deer it will draw is staggering. That being said- I’ve got 2 little girls now and putting my funds towards more
Important things and just focus more on all year food plots. It’s cheaper for me to buy seed than pellets. I spent about $1000 year on pellets in 3 months time.
I didn’t have to buy the corn to mix- otherwise it would have been higher. I would never do straight corn- bro in law did that one bad winter and killed a bunch of deer from them over feeding on straight corn
 
abell3 said:
Some guy named Lee in SE iowa is doing this and this is his whole strategy :D
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I think that is just one strategy in growing and holding mature bucks that he uses..I can guarantee 100% unless he is killing them on big farms (1000s of acres), then he has some great neighbors doing what he does with trigger control on young bucks.
 
Windlooker said:
He has 1000’s of acres.
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Most of their farms aren’t that large . Our neighbor by Stockport has 2600 acres in a big spread out chunk. Now that’s a lot lol. Maybe not a lot compared to some big farms in south central Iowa but to get ahold of that in southeast Iowa took a few years.
 
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chipterp said:
Most of their farms aren’t that large . Our neighbor by Stockport has 2600 acres in a big spread out chunk. Now that’s a lot lol. Maybe not a lot compared to some big farms in south central Iowa but to get ahold of that in southeast Iowa took a few years.
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Correct, while they may own and/or lease a large number of acres, their parcels are not necessarily contiguous. They definitely would be exposed to the "neighbor effect" on most, maybe nearly all, of their ground. They combat this in multiple ways, but food, and plenty of it, to include feeders, are a big part of their strategy. This is not to say that they are hunting over their feeders...just that "their" deer are not wandering around looking for a good meal...they have that right where they live....all year long.
 
Feeding deer in the off-season does not bother me at all. If done properly and consistently feeding would have saved thousands of deer in Minnesota.

It was a terrible winter ! This year is looking like the opposite!
 
hillrunner said:
I hate the thought of this. Feeders and baiting is not the direction I want iowa hunting culture to go. Even if we can't hunt over them.
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Exactly what is going to happen.........soon hunting over bait will be in Iowa.......gonna look just like Kansas unfortunately.
 
Slick said:
Exactly what is going to happen.........soon hunting over bait will be in Iowa.......gonna look just like Kansas unfortunately.
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I have seen more than one "hunting" show on the Outdoor channel where there is no attempt to disguise that the hunters are sitting a bait pile. Sheesh.
 
I’m perhaps a “hybrid” on this issue…. Very much against baiting during season. But pro-supplemental feed not during the season. Long list of reasons why on both.
My reason I want to be pro-supplement is all health benefits. Whether mineral or feed or clearly all around nutrition on farm.
Our area is plagued with ehd break outs & even the garlic & mineral - I fully believe helps at a massive level.
The amount of guys that feed to extreme for HEALTH reasons - antler & body & EHD - it’s so few guys it’s insane. Like, .0001% if I had to guess. Lee’s name is first anyone says cause so few do it like that.
With outbreaks of new strains of ehd & how devastating they are to areas…. I’d PERSONALLY take feeding deer, causing bigger racks, better immune systems, repelling insect properties, etc etc over letting EHD wipe deer out. Ehd being new…. We will build immunity to these strains. We probably are past the worst of it. Hopefully. I hate it so much & don’t wanna see 5 years dissapear from a midge & new southern strain. I’m personally convinced feeding & minerals work. Do they add to racks- FOR SURE.
Cost…. Depends on acres …. One big 2000 lbs feeder…. Depends how much fill but $300-2000 depending on how much a guy filled it or how went about it. Could do at select target times when needed the most & cost be more doable.
I can unpack this more & can go down more into: how, why , costs, what to do. And I’m more than happy to discuss ethics about it too on another note. That part is simply opinion. & I know my position is fairly unique on anti-bait but pro-supplement.
 
tall@wide said:
I think that is just one strategy in growing and holding mature bucks that he uses..I can guarantee 100% unless he is killing them on big farms (1000s of acres), then he has some great neighbors doing what he does with trigger control on young bucks.
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Let me say I think Lee is a killer and knows his stuff! I think he sheds a good light on hunting.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out they drop a pile of ani-logics once a week in the summer in a bucks core area then time it right and go in and kill his target. Especially when they started doing their youtube channel. The ani-logics feed isn't cheap. Him getting it free is net positive for him. He's putting out thousands and thousands of dollars in feed. Daver said it right their deer aren't going hungry!
 
In Iowa if I feed it is mostly for camera pics .. to see what survived?

In Minnesota it can mean survival or dead deer. Last year the deer that survived were in back yards by bird feeders, or guys were putting out feed.

North Dakota & South Dakota were similar . ND had farm sites with dozens of dead deer ! Sad
 
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