Howdy Ya'll! I have mainly been a waterfowl hunter for the last several years. This year, I went on my first deer hunt for a management buck. Since then, I have been addicted and trying to learn as much about deer hunting as possible. I have nearly 200 acres in Central Texas.

Part of my property has an empty creek bed which I found out this year that the deer love to stay at. I have never hunted my own property before but this is my plan:

Setup a feeder roughly 50 yards from the dry creek bed. Setup a game camera to see what all is out there. Setup a camo tripod for about a 150 yard shot.

My questions...
1. Anything wrong with my setup?
2. Any specific corn I should feed and how often do I need to restock the corn?
3. Game camera... any suggestions?

I'm pretty much trying to get setup for next deer season and I figured right now was a good time to start. Any other advice would be awesome. Thanks...

Welcome. If you are just going to feed corn from a spin feeder the best thing you can do is get the cleanest corn you can find. By clean I mean stuff without pieces of cob or husk in it. You can use regular corn or if it's available in your area apple scented corn works well. Restock the feeder as it goes empty or is close to being empty. A five second throw on the spinner twice a day, on most brands of 250-300 pound capacity feeders, should last about 4 weeks.

Keep the feeder semi close to what will give the deer the feeloing they still have cover. You'll get more to come by than if it is just out and completely open. Take time to figure out which direction your prevailing winds come from and take that into account as you choose your feeder and tripod sights.

I don't know how good of a shot you are, but consider putting your tripod into the 100 to 125 yard range if it is feasible. When you set up your tripod try to find a location where you have some sort of brush or tree behind you to break up your outline. Some sort of oak tree is my favorite because they tend to keep their leaves until spring.

Game cameras, there is a ton out there. I used Cuddeback and haven't had any problems.

That's just some generic stuff. I'm sure others will be along to offer more suggestions.

Good luck.

Agree with what deerfeeder said...also try to make sure you have more than one shooting lane, so you arent staring at your feeder the entire time. If the big bucks dont come to the feeder with the does they will hide and wait in the brush. Make you some shooting lanes so you can maybe catch them crossing. Dont want to disturb the area too much but now would be the time to do any trimming you have in mind. Cheap cameras that have worked for us are Wildview, they make several different megapixel models. If you want to spend more go with cuddeback or a stealthcam.

Everything everyone else said and try to setup downwind of the feeder according to the predominant wind

Everyone has given you some very good advice. The only thing I really have to add is; Think about how your going to travel to your stand. I mean some people dont care, they'll drive all the was to there stand with there four wheelers. I think personally I stay away with the Four wheeler, and I stay away from my feeder completely unless I need to put corn or check camera. I dont want any extra scent around my feeder.

All good advice... might I say if driving a 4wheeler in is a must... take along about 5-10 lbs of corn with you to sprinkle out. After a while a lot of the deer won't mind the sound of it driving in b/c they'll associate extra food to it.

jello mixed in with the corn and milo also helps bring in all sorts of game if you only want deer fence the feeder off with some hog pannels and if ya have cattle strap it down to the ground with stakes or t post

Welcome to THF!!!

Great info so far.. let me add....
Don't set up too close to bedding areas. Scout the deer and find out when and where they move during the day. Find their trails to and from food, water and bedding ares. Figure out how they move when there is a bright or full moon.
Don't forget to hunt mid-day, especially during the rut. Mornings and evenings are not always the best time to hunt.
Bucks lose their minds during the rut.
That is the best I can do for now.

PS.. don't forget to chamber a bullet before you pull the trigger. Don't ask how I know this... a wealth of do's and don'ts just seem to come to me outta no where.

Hey Guys... I really appreciate all the input and help. I know most is pretty common sense, but ya'll are helping with all the details. If anyone else has more advice, I would certainly welcome it.

About my property and the deer there... It's 200 acres in the outskirts of Temple, roughly 60-70 acres are wooded. There is activity on the property as we have a farm house with a family living in it. I have seen deer out there, in fact I saw a beautiful 10 point going out one afternoon dove hunting. There are three corn fields, 1 small and 2 large (key to know because I go dove hunting in the fields - gun noise and how it will effect the deer?), and the 60-70 acres of wooded area backs up to these two large corn fields by a single tree line. About 30 yards past this tree line is the dry creek bed I spoke about earlier. I know/think (was told by some friends) the deer bed in that dry creek bed as I spoke about earlier. I've also noticed brush marks on the trees close to the dry creek bed/bedding area; never have found dropped horns though - then again, I never really looked.

Imagine a "T" where each line is a tree line and the horizontal tree line seperates the corn fields from the wooded area and the verticle treeline seperates the two corn fields.

I was planning on putting my corn feeder and game camera right where the two tree line merge (there is an opening there). Then I would place two tripods on my property, one @ 100 yards south of the feeder (backed by a different tree line) and another @ 150 yards to the north of the feeder (again, having another tree line for backing). So this way I have a relatively close shot with two options depending on the wind direction (north and south - and here, most of the time it will be S-SW winds), also back by plenty of trees.

The dove hunting probably won't bother the deer as long as you aren't trying to do both at the same time or shooting in their bedding area.

Make sure your deer feeder is away from the dove hunting area due to the law. There is no set distance, just make sure it doesn't look like you are hunting it which shouldn't be a prob since you are hunting corn fields.

I wouldn't count on taking the good buck at the feeder unless the rut is on and he follows the does in.Might want to set up something else just in case.Talking about maybe a ladder stand on one of those trees along the travel corridor?Alittle more up close and personal but it can be done.Just make sure your well up off the ground.
Good Luck and let us know how it turns out.

I would set up 100 yards away. Play your angles of sunrise and sunset with your stand set up.

pretty good advise the only thing i would add is on the game cams i you go with the wildview i can honestly say go with the wildview 2 the 1 takes crappy pics and the 3s 4s and 5s eat batteries way to quick the 2 takes a real descent picture and is pretty reliable and fairly priced if you dont feel youve learned enough take me to your place and watch me hunt i wont even charge some people say im soft hearted just kiddin i dont have time to hunt all the places i can hunt now

Gentlemen... Thank you for all the advise. I'm getting so pumped! I don't know how to post a picture on here but I have a great picture of a 8 pt. He looks to be about 3 if I had to guess. Hopefully he will be around for next year! I was hoping to see some pigs but so far all I have seen is deer and coons.

Also... When will the deer's antlers start falling off? I thought they were already supposed to fall off by now? Another question... I have many many pictures of deer at my feeder and the vast majority of them of small4 or 6 points. I suppose those are just very young bucks??? I saw more of them than does. Is there a reason I am seeing so many of these guys right now, this time of the year? All the big ones been killed off you think?

Thanks...

Bucks are back in their bachelor groups. The big ones may not necessarily be "gone" just hidden. Does may be checking out places to have fawns in a few months. They should be dropping now. Just check the game cam & see when the bucks start coming in with 1 side missing or none at all.

Thanks Maggie

I would build a ground blind right on the fenceline next to the corn fields. Pay the farmer to leave a row or two.

Cuddeback or pm txbowhunter on camera!

Unfortunately, I cannot hunt out of a ground blind due to the proximty of my neighbors. I have to be at an elevation. I plan on setting up three tripods to account for the wind when I hunt. I have a good place for all three, I just have to trim back some trees, but they will provide a good background for me.

It worked! Ok... so here is that 8 point I was talking about earlier. I have only had my camera up for about 4-5 days and. I checked my card on Saturday, and this buck appeared Saturday morning. Its the only time I have seen him. I want to go back out and get my card out again - but I don't want to go too often and mess up the habitat.

Like I said, I am here to learn and I just started all this stuff a year ago. What do you guys think of him? How old? I figured maybe 2.5 - 3 years old. How do you think his antlers will develop? My property is low fenced and I know the property owner behind me hunts as well - I think it is just us two that hunt in the area, as we are on the outskirts of the city. I would love to pass on him next year and then get my shot the following year, but given the circumstance I am in, I doubt he will survive another season - I just home he survives and sticks around for next deer season. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!