Using my feeder? Deer feeders are new to me. I bought one and put it up in a spot where I had plenty of deer on my camera last fall, and where there is still a fresh deer trail.

That was a week ago. So far on my camera all I've seen is 1 coon and 1 possum that come every night, and a bunch of crows, but not a single deer. I'm just using whole kernel corn, not "deer corn" if that makes any difference.

Does it take awhile for them to get used to it or did I just pick a really bad spot for it?

This time of the year there is plenty of natural food. It might take a while before they stumble onto it.

Is it a rotor feeder ? Noticed those get animals in waaayyy faster then anything else

This time of year up here they are gorging on acorns and apples.

What kind of feeder? Pour a bag on the ground by the feeder they will find it. I have always just put a few bag on the ground this year I started using a gravity feeder and they started using it pretty quickly.

It's this feeder.



I spilled a good bit of corn when I filled it, plus it's been chucking corn twice a day all week so there's plenty of corn on the ground.

Soybean field within 100yds?

No crop fields within a thousand yards. Middle of the woods. Muscadines are starting to get ripe though.

feeders are a better draw when natural food is less plentiful

we can't have feeders here

a good hay field with a secluded corner or a hay field in the woods seems to be deer magnet here

lol

We start feeding on the deck and once the deer find it we add the feeder with still plenty of food on the deck. I always put my feeders in natural feeding areas, say in oaks where acorns drop, next to muscadines, etc. It normally wouldn’t take long for the deer to get used to it and become regulars. My first year with a gravity feeder, Boss Buck, the does wouldn’t have anything to do with it, but the bucks would.
I’ve only killed one “good” deer over a feeder, the rest have come from trails to and from a feeder. I’ve noticed once the rut kicks in, the “good” bucks are mainly checking out the feeders for hot does. I had a trough feeder in an oak flat that I had to fill once a week…200# of corn. Once the acorns started dropping I sat on that feeder and out of 22 deer around me, one spike came in and got a bite of corn then went back to feeding on acorns. Of course my “good” buck stayed just out of range.
I’m guessing you already had deer feeding and then stuck the feeder up?

No difference in whole kernel and deer corn. That's just an sale gimmick calling it deer corn.

Those deer are likely a little spooky of your feeder. Give it time and they will "accept" the feeder and the racket it makes when it goes off.

The other thing that depends is if the deer have ever been hunted on that land you are now. I was very lucky to hunt land before my deployment in Georgia that did not have any hunters on it for 20+ years, those deer wouldn't touch corn at all unless you mixed it with apples or persimmons. They move in cycles from their bedding to where they know food is and back. Once they add that spot to their mental map of "food spots" you will see them. The one thing you want to be very careful of is if you have hogs around your area, because they will eat all of that corn really fast, along with the raccoons.

Deer won't hit corn here until the temperatures start to drop. The just don't need that many calories in warm weather

Somebody near by have better snacks at their feeder ?

Just a thought

Just give them time. Deer seem to take a while compared to every thing else in general. When I set up roto freezer sfor coon I usually don't see. Deer within the first two to three week.then after that constantly.

What everyone else said: give it time, the feeder/noise will spook them at first, they will eventually use it heavy.

I kind of figured it was just a matter of giving it time. I know even when putting up a new bird feeder it sometimes takes 3 or more weeks before the birds start using it. I just figured I'd see what y'all had to say.



No I didn't have deer feeding. Truth be told I'm not that crazy about deer hunting. Just want to shoot some to eat. Does are fine. I'd seen deer cross there before so built a blind there last year and hung up a camera. Saw deer often on the camera. So figured would stick a feeder there and hopefully see deer there more often, lol.

Dump some corn on the ground till you get deer coming regurally on camera. Then add your feeder. Whole corn works great.

Maybe add a salt block or two near the base. Might be a good idea to put some dp's there to kill off the coons/possums. Also, deer love peanut butter.....you might smear some of that around on the legs or find a way to spread it ...seems to me that corn works well around here after it cools off some...try some peanut butter.

Is the placement of the feeder working to your advantage? Certain spots are loaded with deer sign and some spots are not. Near a trail intersection may be a good place. I know if I am hunting a trail I will follow it along and try to find where another trail or two (ideal situation) intersect it.

Also check the settings on the camera and its placement.

Anyway that looks like a very good feeder and I wish you luck with your endeavors.