Deer Proofing Feeders

[Pilky]

Am pretty sure the shoot i help on is not the only one to have this problem. In recent years on one of the dareas we shoot the deer are becoming a real pain with eating the wheat / kncoking over and damaging feeders.

Does anyone have any useful tips on how to prevent this (Shooting the deer is not an option).

Also any tips on helping prevent squirel damage would be great (Shooting is an option).

 

[Bentos]

for deer if possible with problem feeders rope them to a nearby tree this should stop them being knocked over

 

never found a solution for squirrel apart from patience and an air rifle

[Brixsmaid]

Best solution I have come up with is to encircle the feeder with stock netting and posts, with small holes at the bottom of the netting so pheasants can still come and go

[MattSoanes]

As above but we use 6" square reinforcing mesh, another good way I've seen is 4 pallets secured together with a couple of the bottom slats knocked off.

[Mr pigeon]

Can you not hand feed that particular drive? You would probably have better results aswell.

 

All the best.

[scotslad]

Wot type pf deer are causing the bother?

 

Best thing i have seen is with harris fencing bent at 90 so takes 2 per feeder, and a couple of small holes cut.

We use 3/4 pallets but only take 1 piece of timber of bottom or cut holes and take some slats of the top to let more light in esp if only using 3 pallets.

Works ok but ots a struggle to get enough pallets, and don't knock to many slats of or deer can get on there knees and get their head onto the spring

 

If ur a big deer species they just push any wire fences in unless u put some rails on and anything tied/secured down they just bash to get the wheat out so it stays upright but they stil empty it

 

Is 6" sq rebar sheets expensive?? That would work well, wot height do u cut the mesh? Full hopper height or just folding a ring under the hopper?

 

The big problem u get no matter wot u do is the deer champing all the area roundabout the hopper so its like a mudbath, but its a major pain to move the hoppers by the time u move the fencing etc, even pallets are a pita.

 

If u hand feed unless u are on the whistle the deer wil just hover it all up before the birds get to it, esp if only hand feeding every couple of days

[Paul223]

Hang them from a tree branch

[MattSoanes]

I'm not sure how much it is, we have loads buck shee at work

I cut it so it's just below the top of the feeder, I also cut the bottom bar off so they can be pushed easily into the ground.

Also good for putting round minola feeders as the deer like to knock the top hats off and lick them clean!!

[Tollerman]

We had a terrible problem with deer attacking our feeders.We built stockades around them.Four sturdy fence poles with pig wire at the bottom and chicken wire at the top.The pheasants can easily access the wheat but it keeps the deer out.Worked well got us and saved an awful lot of wheat going to waste.

[henry_o]

We have the same issue with our roe's. We use concrete weld mesh. Four sections per feeder. Cut so they push into the ground and interlock with each other. This way they're fairly easy to transport too as they lay flat in a pick up/ on a trailer.

[paul041075]

Use "wright" feeders instead of springs and secure the feeders to stakes or trees. The feeders paid for them selves in the first week in the amount of corn saved from deers.