PVC Pipe Gravity Deer Feeders- Thoughts?

Guys just looking for some advice on PVC corn gravity deer feeders. Has anyone used these and had success? Some of my concerns are water getting into the opening, varmits, and pigs. What are you thought?

Thanks
Something like this....

Would not like them for all the same reasons you stated, 2Lt coke bottle works better I think in my 02.

I have great luck with them and build a few new ones each year. For the rain, I just drill a bunch of holes in the very bottom so that it can drain through the corn and out of the bottom. Has to rain first, but way to be hopeful! If you have hogs, they will definitely test your pipe feeders though. I screw each section to the next section and attach the completed pipe to a tree or two tposts driven close to each other. I put the spout high enough that the deer don't have to duck their heads and the pigs generally won't destroy it.

You can save some $$ by not putting a cleanout on either end and use a cap instead.

Thanks guys appreciate your comments!

i use those to check out new places because at about $12 a piece i'm not afraid to lose one. i like them, coons will mess with them but you can put them high enough that the hogs cant. drill some holes in the bottom to help with the water and you can probably rig up some type of water shield (modified plastic dust pan) to keep some water out.

had a big nontypical last year on my lease that was only ever seen at one of these, he wouldnt come close to a spinner.

downfall is they can eat whenever they want.

Another pitfall is they don't hold much corn and need to be filled often.....which leads you to leave scent each time you are there. You better control your coons and critters or they will eat you out quick.

How tall do you guys normally make these? Tall enough to fit a 40 lb sack of corn?

thanks

mine are only about 5ft each and they wont quite hold a whole sack. i always thought about somehow mounting a 5 gallon bucket on top of it, which will hold almost an entire bag.

if u live close enough to be able to fill it every week or so they arent a bad, cheap, feeder.

i just cap the bottoms of mine too, not sure what it costs for those fittings you have with the plug, but u might save a bit of money with just a cap.

I make them to where I get 2 feeders out of a stick of pipe. Usually will take just a bit shy of a 50lb bag of corn if I remember correctly. What I tried last year is to put a 6 or 8 inch section on the top and necked it down to 4 inch at the bottom so that it would hold quite a bit more corn. It works great, but its much larger and the fitting are not cheap. I have been toying with the idea of a 5 gallon bucket, but I haven't tried that yet.

Way before the auto feeders were as common and cheap as they are today we had those scattered around the place. The deer would clean them out in a couple days, they were also a pain to keep filled. The corn costs add up quickly, soon you will find that it can be cheaper in the long run to get a automatic feeder.

Use a cap on the bottom and not the plug. Drill holes in the bottom cap and it will not hold water. You can mount it out of the reach of most pigs and the deer can still eat out of it. Raccoons are the bigger problem. I've had them sit on the spout and eat until they are full of corn or protein. Its seems like I can see them getting fatter in each picture through the night. Some are even snarling at the deer when they deer try to come and feed. I think a buck would just knock him out of the way but some coons are mean. If you find a way to coon proof it let me know.

We use them a lot. I have several out right now. My deer are going through the pipes about every 4 days here in East Texas. Don't worry about scent too much. I am at the deer lease every week messing around my hunting area. The deer seem to hand around a lot and are there checking things out several hours after I leave eating out of them. I just use a ratchet strap on a tree. I also have some made out of 6" PVC Pipe too. Its like an all you can eat buffet around my hunting area. LOL The hogs will try and knock them off the trees though. Just got to make sure they are secure.

I agree with the cap idea. All
Mine are built that way. Don't forget to drill holes. The coons love them to death though. Also the cows. If you can put
Them inside a feeder pen you won't have to fill them as much. A
Cow
Can eat an entire tube of corn at once. Very annoying. Nothing you can do about coons that I have found

I use lots of that exact same feeder. Only difference is I use a threaded fitting/screw on clean-out cap on top and drill the cap to install an eye-bolt. I hang them by thin cable from tree-limbs, with a cleat mounted to the tree. They're swinging on the cables so coons can't get ahold of them to clean them out, but deer eat out of them happily.

I used those for more years than I care to remember a LONG time ago. Take a full length piece (8-10', not sure which they are) and cut 'em in half. Viola, two feeder tubes. They hold just under 40 lbs. of corn after you install the Y. I used to use a short piece of thin rebar (like 3/8"x 12") inserted through mounting holes drilled toward the top just under where your cap bottom edge stops to hang them from. Use something STURDY to tie them up with or bolt them to a tree unless you want to go looking for them after the hogs carry them off.

They work, just not always WHEN you are there watching them. They are good for a quick start up on a new stand location.

Holes in the bottom are a good idea. Great if you are there often.

To help add more corn capacity you can attach a 5 gallon bucket to the top with a toilet flange and attach it to a t-post instead of a tree.

Skip the bucket...put another tee and 90 or a y and 45 and add a second tube or even a third with a double y. many options when you're building them yourself

I have used them and they work great. Easy to move around. Only difference is I Drilled a lot of small holes on the clean out part to let the moisture through. Felt like it helped keeping them from clogging all to heck.

Wow! I am making this tomorrow. Will the flex corn work in these? I have an auto feeder and the wife was trying to be nice and bought me two bags of the flex but don't want to put it in the auto.

any kind of feed will work in them.

also, i dont nail them to the tree, i usually just wire them up, that way they can be moved if needed, or raised to account for big pigs.

We use a toilet flange, with a 4" pipe coming down off that. At the bottom is a 90 tee. A couple of inches on the bottom of the tee is cut out so rain can't swell the protein. This is screwed into an old 55 gallon drum. I'll see if I can post a pic for you.

Thanks for all the comments and suggests! Like Hoosier stated, several options since I am building myself.

Six on way or Half-a-dozen send me some pics if you can find them.

thanks

Here are two we made. The PVC one has been modified since this picture was taken. Now, the corn doesn't spill everywhere.

There are holes drilled in the corners of the box feeder and it drains really well. The PVC feeder doesn't have a lip on the platform, so the water runs right off when it rains hard. It also takes the some of the corn with it, but not enough to cause more to fall out of the tube.

I've been using them for years. However, I don't cap the bottom. I use hardware cloth across the bottom and screwed up onto the sides. The water just drips out. I also don't use the cup at the bottom. I saw about half way through the pipe about 2 inches from the bottom. Then I heat the area just above the cut with a torch of any kind. As the pvc is softening, I push it inward with a piece of shovel handle or anything else until the desired opening is made. Hold the stick until the plastic hardens. I put a bucket or metal coffee can over the top to keep squirrels out. They will keep going in until they can no longer jump out. Then, you have a stinky mess on your hands.