This is my first off season having two feeders and two game cameras up at the ranch. I've read some things like limiting feeding to once per day, and taking down the game cams for a couple of months. I'd rather keep them up and see what all is coming by.

How do you all manage your feeders and field equipment during the off season? Right now I have one feeder that goes off once a day in the morning, and the other goes off once a day in the evening. The ranch isn't very far from where I live, so getting out there is no problem.

Sounds like youre doing good. We run our feeders once a day in the offseason for maybe 3 seconds, just enough to keep them interested without attracting every hog in the area. I like to keep cams going year round also. We keep alfalfa bales available to them as a protein source from now through September also.

I keep my feeders and cameras going year round. I would keep the feeders going the same as you did during the season if you can afford it. might even try feeding protien this time of year to boost that nutrition up

Thanks for the tips. I might just put some protein pellets in the feeder instead of alfalfa bales. Any experience with mineral blocks? are they a gimmick?

I leave my cameras out all year, mostly to pattern the hogs.

I feed "some" year round, I cut them down to about 3 seconds until July or so when everything is dead and dried out.
I like to make a salt lick, I'll bury some rock salt in a low spot and pour a some water on it. I also buy small mineral blocks at Tractor Supp in the horse section, they're cheaper than the "deer" mineral blocks.

At our lease, the blinds that feed year around are MUCH better than the ones that don't.

i use mineral blocks. they will hit them hard at times and other times seems like they don't, but i do use them anyway. just standard cattle blocks salt or trace mineral

cameras come down a little after season ends, but usually run the feeders nonstop. This year I cut our feeders off mid-Jan to see if the hogs would leave.

I run Cameras and feeders year round, I still feed twice a day but I cut back my time a bit.

I pour the feed to the deer in the off season.... after the rut, late january is when they need it the most. When they start growing horns is another critical time to pour as much as possible to them.

If you put protein in your spin feeders, keep a close eye on them. Some protein pellets will clog up your feeder, particularly if it gets wet - you'll get a lot of wastage.

And it'll be a complete PITA! I'll never spin protein again. Gravity feeders for protein from here on out.

We feed 4 seconds in the morning and night 365 days a year at our 6 feeders. We also keep our 4 protein feeders filled year around. All 5 cameras are also going year around.

With the lack of rain in most areas right now is the time to feed as much as you can. The first month after the rut is the most critical time for bucks since it is usually in the worst time of the winter. I let the corn feeders run out in a month or so and they are on free choice protein 365 days a year.

Because we offer hunts for hogs and turkeys, we keep our spin feeders going year round, twice a day for 5 seconds each feeding.

One feeding at 7 a.m. and one at 6 p.m..

For the past month, we have been keeping our protein feeders filled.

not to rub it in or anything, but we are very much green and water levels are on the rise.

free choise protien x3 feeders year round , spin corn from 9 feeders twice a day 6 sec year round . cams come down after they shed horns and back out in august.

we keep our feeders going year round and start putting up new locations too

I have had ok luck running one bag of protein mixed really well with corn and milo. Had 1 minor plug out of about 10 feeders I ran like that for a year or 2, but it was pretty dry when I ran it like that. Moisture is your enemy and will cause the clumping. Don't know if I really helped the wildlife much feeding like that though. Run a pair of 300# free choice now, but at $50 a fill per feeder that can cost ya. Filled mine to the brim Jan 28, and they went dry by about Feb 24th and were due for a refill. Lots of very promising activity on cam though, and I know the game needs it as dry as it is out there. If you do run free choice definitely fence it off. If I didn't the hogs and exotic sheep would empty mine in a matter of days.

This, and I also feed protein from Feb. through the first of Oct.

I just cut back te corn to once a day for a few seconds. The protein has been up since mid-January, they are hitting it hard now- 350 pounds from 2 feeders last week.

I just built a granular salt/mineral feeder it works great for attracting deer. When I first set it out I had pics of about 30-35 big game animals around it (no hogs). Salt seems to work the best for me and it is cheap to keep the feeder filled as any animla will only be able to eat a limited amount of salt.

But you just did When you are green enough and spillways are running then send some south ASAP

hard to do that with all the wells going in.

Now you are just really rubbing it in. Wanna buy a 100 acres of minerals only?

I am about as tapped out on funds as a person can get.