Trying the impossible.

[jrwest66]

I had a terrible season this year. I hunt on a small place about 70ac. I put up my feeder last Spring and threw corn all year. The deer came to it all Spring and Summer and even had a real nice buck come in at night. But as soon as Bow season starting the deer stopped coming to corn and didn't return until about a week ago. I believe acorns got me. There is mainly cedars where I hunt but oaks are on properties around me. So how can I make my place more appealing? I've heard trying rice bran with my corn would help. If I bought a galvanized trough and put water in it would they drink from it? Any ideas to help make my place more appealing would be appreciated as you can tell I'm a novice at it.

[thebomb6_99]

Food plot?

[wellingtontx]

Protein feeder, give it a try. Feed the feed and they will come!

[The "Juan" 12]

id say keep feeding corn! and hunt their crossings to the feeder and their bedding area. drop some hand corn on the crossing, thts what i did this year. wasnt even in a blind, just used a tree tht broke my silouhette and sat abt 30 yards off the crossings, 5 does and a small buck is what i saw! and they never knew i was there

[jcso139]

acorns prolly what it was. just keep feeding.

[Mac...]

JMO, stay away from bedding areas. Especially on as small of place as you're hunting. Quick way torun em off. I'd find where the deer are crossing (as mentioned above) could try food plot or protien if you have the cash.
I wouldn't worry about the water, deer don't drink near as much water as one would think. They get a lot of tbeir water intake from the food they eat.

May try saving some urine in a water jug and poring it here and there to let the deer know that the area is being used. And in about Sept/Oct go make 20-30 scrapes in a 50-60 yard radious of where you'll be hunting.

Just a few suggestions that may help.

[jrwest66]

Thanks for all the help. I don't want this next season to be like this last one.

[flyby]

We had the same problem. Lots of acorns and no deer at the feeders once they dropped. A little late we moved to trails and hand corn. Saw alot more deer.

We were mixing protein with the corn about 50/50, but that still didn't bring them in.

[holepuncher]

Food plot?

what he said< not knowing where or how you hunt? acorns , acorns, acorns. that as good of an excuse as any. I guess. first check your hunting setups for wind direction, ease of getting too them.
Put in at least two feed stations. I don't care how careful you are about scent control and all, eventually the deer pattern you.If the wind isn't right don't hunt. Like I always say. " Sometimes the deer win"

[iamntxhunter]

Do you have hogs and if so you need to put a pen up around your feeder. Second I would put up a trail camera in some different areas on the property or move the one you have occasionaly. Hunt your area only when the wind is right. A smaller property has to be handled a little more carefully. If you don't have cattle I would also recommend the food plots maybe 2-3 small ones. You can also apply fertilizer if you have some natural browse that the deer like. Go out and look at your property from a different point of view on how some of these things could be done if not all of them. How long have you been on this place? What county are you huntng in? Is there any water on the place at all or how far away from some water source are you?

[jrwest66]

There are no hogs on the place there are about 3 cows. Today I went out and bought some protein/soy bean mix and corn/pea mix I'm going to mix it all together in my feeder. I also bought a protein block. The deer season that just finished was my first season on this place. I'm hunting in Burnet County. There is no creek or anything I know of. I thought about buying a galvanized trough for water but someone in a earlier post said I shouldn't worry about water deer get most of what they need from the food they eat.

[txfireguy2003]

Not sure about the amount of protien you are feeding, but I've heard that it needs to be near water. Makes sense to me. As far as whether or not they will drink from the trough, I bet they would. I've seen pics of south Texas places with concrete troughs specifically for wildlife. Those water holes get as much animal traffic as the feeders on really dry places.

Sent from my Samsung Captivate using Tapatalk.

[bm22]

I put a trail camera on a windmill and i got alot of pictures of deer, a running creek was only about 300 yards away and they just come to the trough. If you are close enough i would put out water and keep it full. Most people that feed protein say they will eat more if there is water close by. If you can build a small food plot.

Also try to throw about a bag of corn in a 50 yard circle and hunt that, if you dont build a food plot. Alot of people have more sucess chuming areas then hunting feeders.

[Hoytfan]

I can sympathize - saw this guy once during season and then he started camping out on the camera starting Jan 14th. Oh well - maybe next year!

[Great White]

Food plots if you can, water can't hurt especially in dry area, they will drink it.

It's a lot of work but I have gathered acorns and dumped them at my feeders to keep the deer coming to them....