looking for deer feeder plans to build a gravity feeder to place in places were we can't put in food plots. Any ideas or instruction would be appreciated by me
I also make various contraptions for luring wild game with feed.
The most simple is a wooden feeder, which essentially is just an upright box made of treated 2" x 10" lumber. ###This is built in about 30 minutes for about $10. ###It works well and is probably the most simple to make, aside from the PVC versions.
Here is a vague diagram that I threw together.
I usually build them about 36" inches tall. ###I usually drill a hole through the sides so that I can insert a rope which loops through the feeder and around a tree to keep the feeder from being toppled. ###Also, the removable lid is actually made from two pieces of lumber. ###A piece of wood cut to the INSIDE DIMENSIONS of the feeeder is fastened to the bottom of the lid and this keeps it from being knocked off by mischevious critters.
A more fancy feeder that I like better is one that I welded from scrap pieces of 4" steel conduit. ###I take a 30" inch piece of said conduit and weld brackets to each side of the conduit at one end so I can bolt to it a galvanized feed pan. ###The brackets are made in such a way that there is about a 1" gap between the end of the conduit and the bottom of the pan. ###This allows the feed to fall into the pan as it is being eaten. ###At the other end, or top of the feeder, I weld two loops so that the feeder can be tied to hang between two trees in the middle of a deer trail or other path. ###A plastic drinking cup or coffee can of suitable size serves as a handy top and lid for the feeder. ###This feeder is the most durable.
07/18/01 NOTE
Thought you guys might like the slightly updated diagram instead. ###Enjoy.
What i use for a deer feeder is a 5 Gallon Bucket a broom handle and a bolt and a rope ### ###
Drill hole in the end of broom handle put the bolt a nuts in ###then drill hole in the bucket and put the broom handle threw the ###5 gallon bucket fill with feed
hang from tree ###or what ever you like when the deer touch the broom handle a little corn or feed will fall out ... There you go and good luck
One of my friends has had a small doe get her head stuck in the "Y" and died. Not sure if the solution is to set it lower so it's easier to access or to use a butane torch and soften then flatten out the opening.
ONE OF THE EASIEST I EVER MADE WAS A 33 GALLON RUBBERMAID TRASHCAN ABOUT $8.00. ###JUST CUT FOUR HOLES WHERE THE BASE AND BOTTOM COME TOGETHER ABOUT 3 INCHES TALL BY 4-6 INCHES LONG. ###FILL W CORN WILL HOLD APROX 200 LBS AND GRAVITY WILL DO THE REST. ###JUST MAKE SURE YOU SECURE THE TOP W/BUNGEE CORD OR SOMETHING ###TO KEEP OUT RAIN AND CRITTERS. ### ###WORKS GREAT.
Thanks Tinhorn. I made one of these over the weekend and it's out now. There was a deer in last night (i have it in view of my house and outside spotlight). I made it with 4" pvc and about 5' long. It held about 3/4 of a 50 lb sack of shelled corn. Maybe for fun I'll set a cam out and see what's around late at night.
Be careful when feeding turkeys. I guess if the corn gets wet and moldy it can kill a turkey. Also there are different kinds of corn. I really dont know the particulars, maybe someone can help me on this, but there is only certain corn that can be fed to birds. Some corn can be toxic to birds. ### ### ### ### ###Fubar
Fubar, good point and one that must be taken seriously. ###There is a fungus that does grow on damp corn, the name of which escapes me right now. ###That fungus is lethal to turkeys as well as other game, including deer. ###It must be noted, according to MS wildlife officials, that in areas where bait is used, there is a higher rate of disease among wild animals. ###That is one of the reasons I am told that it is illegal to hunt over bait in Mississippi.
I built one using the PVC and the "Y". I but it out on Sunday and and placed my gamecam to take a pic of any action. I spread corn around and across the game trail it is next to show them where it is... I will let y'all know how it goes.. ###
One 10' piece of pipe and two "Y"s about $10.00. If they work that is $5.00 a feeder. That's cheep! ### Later ###Billy
Billy in VA - hope yours lasts longer than mine. The deer ate all the corn in 2 nights! I filled to the top again and 2-3 days later - ALL GONE! Gonna have to put some type of damper on this thing.
In East Texas there seem to be an abudent supply of plastic 5 gl buckets. ###You have to was the oil residue from them. ###I take a 2 to 3 food piece of 4 inch PCC pipe. ###Mark the bottom of the bucket where the pipe will fit snug out the bottom of the bucket. ###To hold the pipe in place drill a 1/4 inch hole on both sided of the pipe about 1 inch down from the end and stick a wood or metal rod all the way thru. ###I had a welding rod. ###You want the rod to fit from sid to side of the bottom of the bucket. ###Next take a 16 inch piece of 4 inch PCC pipe and cut a 2 inch stip ou f the side end to end. ###Spread the piece of pipe out to fit over the bottom of the pipe sticking out the end of the bucket. ###(you could use pipe Tees and or 45 if you want but we are going for thrift here). ###Use wire, rope, stirng. bolts, what ever you think necessary to hold this short piece of pipe on the bottom of the longer piece. ###User you judgment on how much of a crack to leave in this tee joint to allow the corn to sift out. ###Hang this feeder with the Tee atleast wast high. ###Fill with corn and this will make a cheep free feeder. ###Wish I had a pic to clip on.......
A friend of mine use's a 55 gallon barrel/drum, cuts' a mouse hole in the bottom edge. Fills with 400#'s of corn and says it will last 2-3 months. Chains it to a tree. Because of only one hole usually only one deer at a time can feed at it, but others will wait in the wings for a chance.
He just made four more of them yesterday. He got tired of battery operated feeders. To many problems he says. Why fool around with 5 and 10 gallon feeders.
Welby - I believe the fungus you are referring to is "Aflatoxin". Only use corn that has been tested for it and shown to be within safe limits.
Another feeder design (very similar to Arrowhead's) uses a 55 gal. steel drum. Layout three openings equally spaced around lower side of the drum. The openings should be in a 4" x 4" U-shape. The bottom of the "U" should be just above the floor of the drum. With a cutting torch, cut along the sides and bottom of the "U". Then heat the steel across the top of the "U" and bend it into the interior of the drum (as close to horizontal as you can). This tab of metal prevents the feed from continuously pouring out of the drum, but will allow three deer to get at it. I put a large rock or 5-gal. bucket of concrete in the bottom center of the drum before filling with feed. The drum will last longer if it is setting on a stump or rocks, instead of the ground. Of course, a water-tight lid must be used on the drum.
Guys thanks for the posts on this strand. The guys I am hunting with were preparing to buy some really expensive feeders. After telling them some of your ideas, we are buying the essentials for making a few tube and drum feeders. Again, Jesse and the gang has saved another hard working hunter some money.
Keep the ideas coming. Oh!, by they way. Welby I really appreciated your diagram. It's one thing to read it, but another to see it!
Sorry Tinhorn, but a Granny Knot's about the best I can do. ###Guess I didn't pay attention to that part of Boy Scouts too well.
Buckoholic, thank you for the compliments and I hope that you are very satisfied with the feeders that you will build. ###There is one addendum to my diagram (actually a correction) that I would like to provide.
I said in my diagram that there should be at least a 1" gap between the feeding pan and the tube. HOWEVER....that gap should be AT MOST 1", but most useful would be if you could make it so that it is adjustable. ###On my feeder built in that manner, I have a 1" gap, but I wish it were actually a little smaller and adjustable.
Here is an suggestion for making it adjustable. ###For the brackets that connect the tube (or feeder body) to the feeding pan, weld three 2-1/2" lengths of 5/16" threaded rod in even spaces around the circumference of the bottom of the tube so that the rod extends at least 1-1/2" beyond the end of the tube. ###Drill holes in your feeding pan so that it will fit onto those threaded rods. ###The holes should be just a hair larger than the rods so that the pan can move up and down the them for adjustment. ###Finally, bolt the feeding pan to the tube by way of the threaded rods. ###Use a nut and washer on top and bottom of the feeding pan. ###This will allow you to move the pan up and down the threaded rod to adjust your gap and then you can cinch the nuts tight to lock it in place.
If you need further clarification of this suggestion, I will provide a diagram if needed. ###Just holler.
TinHorn;
I moved the cam but left the feeder. It was about empity when I went to check it on the 22-aug. I dod not take corn in with me but will refill tomarrow and try to get a pic for people . It is working but at this time I may be feeding the little critters and not the deer. ###I am going to move the cam back and see. ###Thanks for the idear. ###Billy
Been working on making one of the Pennco-style dump feeders.......just need to iron out a few of the bugs, if and when I get time! ###LOL ###May have to be a winter project after cameras and hunting season....
I have made a few tube style feeders using 4" black corregated drain pipe. ###All materials came from Home Depot. Use the solid corregated pipe, 10' for $2.00, makes the body for two feeders. Black caps for the top of your feeder and green inserts (green drain disc with holes... fits perfectly up in the pipe).
Cut the 10' section of pipe in half. Place cap on one end....this end will be the top of your feeder. ###Insert the green disc in the bottom of the pipe. ###I used a couple of screws, through the side of the pipe, ###to secure the green insert to the bottom. ###I then used a torch to burn a small hole on the bottom edge of the pipe, through the pipe and green disc. I trimmed the melted hole with a knife. The feeder is now ready to be placed on the tree. I used wire to secure them to the tree. Bungie cords or baler twine could be used too. The grooves in the pipe will not let the wire slip off. ### By using screws to secure the green disc, you can adjust the size of the hole that the feed flows through by removing the screws and rotating the green disc then replacing the screws. These feeders work great! Corn is all I have used in these feeders and it flows quite well. They hold about 25 lbs of corn each. ### When placing them on the tree, keep them an inch or two off the ground. Secure them to the tree at the top and bottom of the feeder. ### The black cap and the green insert together are about $3.00. ###With the materials and 15-20 minutes you can build two feeders. ###When finished I have about $4.00 in each feeder.
I made three of these Penco type feeders and like them very much. Now can dump food at time and the deer can not pig out on it any time they want to they have to wait untill it dumps again the next day. I use a 6 gallon bucket and the food last for nine day and take three ###refills to use up a fourty pound sack of corn. The materials cost me around $10.00 and I change a few items on it as well instead of fish hook I used small Hoby welding rod (found this to be more flexable and wont break as easy ###as the hook) , the dump pivot I used a normal sized welding rod ( is much straighter and the wire nut screws right onto it).
Good luck to Hunting this year . BE SAFE.
1bowhunter
i am in the process of making the dump feeder . the hopper and frame is simple but i am having problems w/clock arm being able to trip the trigger and then the trigger resetting itself every time like its supposed to.i am trying to work out these problems do you have any hints. i am using a coat hanger as my trigger pin that locks into the trigger. ###what did you make your clock arms from. do you have it to feed twice daily or once. ###i was trying twice but i am trying to get it to work w/one now. ### ###thanks in advance
SWAMPFOOT ###
I had that ###same problem to . after working with it###I noticed it works better with the set up to be around the top of the clock as if it was to trip close the 12:00 O'clock position.
### The hand of the clock needs to overlap the trigger very little (roughly about about a 16 th. of an inch over lap just or just enough to slide it to the trip point) once this contact is made. I dont know exactlythe measurement is right now and cant measure it ###because all my ###feeders ###are out. But it is real close to this you just have to bend the tab on the trigger in and out to make this adjustment. While here I put a temperary spring on the bottom of the hopper and the edge of the bucket to put tennsion on it as if the hopper was full of corn had bucket upside down ###and set clock close to triggering point so I could monitor the action and ###make the adjustments needed here. ###
As for the trigger wire I WENT TO ACE HARDWARE AND PURCHASED the small Brazing rods. think the pack was $2.50 and had three rods in it. I am not sure about the hanger but is if dont bend easy you might be all right.
###I am useing a 12 hour movement clock and dump twice a day that equals about two to three cups of corn per day.
I might add here I made a funnel for each of the buckets as well. I took the ###double the bucket Diameter and used this measurement to draw a half circle on a sheet of alluminum and cut out, then pop riveted into a funnel shape then placed inside the bucket and pop riveted inside the bucket as well.
let me know if you if you get or what ever.
Good luck have a good time Hunting and be carefull
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