Setting Timer on feeder

How many times a day do you set feeder to go off, and for how long
Was thinking about once in the morning and evening for about 30 seconds
Thanks

Whoa up there friend! I know there's lots of variables, but, for most of us, 30 seconds, 2x a day, we'd have to fill the feeder every 3rd day or so. This time of year, let's go with 2 to 4 seconds. Late October go to 5 to 7. Save...your...money!

5 seconds 2x day.

What type of feeder do you have?

My feeder throws approximately 3-1/4 lbs on a five second cycle. Twice per day, my 600 lb feeder empties in three months.

Depending on your equipment and what are you trying to accomplish...Probably most folks just put out very little just to keep deer traveling by. One other thing, no two deer leases are alike so different times for different leases for different reasons. 30 seconds on the timer may seem very aggressive..however, it is not all that aggressive if you have reasons you think is necessary. I have to say set your timer .... then adjust it such that it will accomplish your target reason. Experience will teach you how to set your timer.

1/2 a second if it's filled with corn. Seen prices lately?

all depends on how much corn you want to throw that will get consumed by the animals. Pretty much all of my set ups (maintaining ~14) throw about 2 pounds of corn per second (give or take) and I have them all set for twice a day (7:15-7:30 am and 4:50-5:20 pm) for 1 second (2 lbs) from Feb. thru Aug. (about 90 days) and 2-4 seconds (4-8 lbs) Sept. thru Jan.

easy way to tell how much corn your feeder throw, take an open top 5 gallon bucket and slip up over the feeder motor box after pushing the test button. That should give you approximate lbs for the number of seconds your test runs the motor. Then you can adjust the timer accordingly for how many pounds you want to dispense.

We just spritz 1 second throws on corn feeders in off season and keep protein feeders full. We'll ramp up spin times @ September but even then only 2-3 seconds morning and evening. We run 2-3 broadcast feeders at each spot to minimize risk of having a solo feeder fail. Nothing more frustrating to show up and realize you haven't been spinning anything for a week or more.

4 times a day on my feeders. During the offseason I feed at dark, in the nightime and before or at daylight. Sept, I feed 4 times a day and start at about 10 minutes after daylight, 1 hour later, then about 1.5 hrs before dark and then about 10 minutes before sundown. The amount of seconds depends on the range conditions and how the deer are hitting the feeders. Trail cams give me that info.

As much as I respect STX, I dont think you can convince me to feed at night. I would still love to know your thinking behind it.

During the off season, I only feed at night. It's hot during the day and our deer are nocturnal during this time anyways.

This and I don't feed now it's too green. Usually start 1st of Sept.

I assumed that could be the only reason but still doesnt seem to make that much sense. Im an open minded kind of a guy so I will think about it.

We don't start slinging until September. Feeder sling times are different because no two feeders sling the same amount. We try to get at least 6 weeks out of 6 bags.

Couldn’t agree more. Feedlot I work at is buying corn for $8.50 a bushel right now. Our feed last year this time was around $230 a ton, a little up or down depending on the week, now it’s costing $360 a ton

What doesn't make sense? Why in the whole wide world would you want to feed something when it is not there? Just throw it out the there in the morning so varmints and birds consume it all before your targeted consumer gets there? That makes no sense (zero) here.

I said “doesn’t make that much sense”, not NO sense. What doesn’t make sense to me is getting them off their timing pattern of coming to a certain place at a CERTAIN TIME. I’m not saying what’s right or wrong but that’s my thought process. Maybe way north of you so it’s not as hot, but our deer still come to feeder in the morning. I’m really impressed with anyone that would think so far as to feed at night-just never heard of it. I’m still thinking about it.

Why not feed when the deer are most active? I am only interested in feeding mature deer so I feed when they are most active in the antler growing season. This is when I feed in the offseason... "During the offseason I feed at dark, in the nightime and before or at daylight." ..so 3 or 4 times per day. I keep them coming to the locations year round with the way I feed...I keep them coming from the time they jump into the feed pens and until they are killed by me or a neighbor. I start adjusting feed times gradually at the end of the summer to get them into the daylight hunting times. The deer are most active at first or last light due to the heat and time of the year. I also feed protein so they are getting free choice protein 24 hrs per day...wanna guess when the bucks are most active in the summer time? The hours of 11 pm to 4 am is when I get most of the pics of mature bucks when it is hot and dry. Rainy or cooler summer temps will get them active closer to first or last light. They are still going to be back in the feed pens from 11 pm to 4 am. Mature healthy deer in most of Texas are not going to spend a lot of time in the daylight. The only deer active in the daylight hours in the summer will be does, fawns and maybe a few young bucks. If there is corn leftover from the last morning feed then they can get to it. Same for the time at or close to dark. When deer are raised around the sound of a feeder going off..guess when they show up...when they hear it. Once they are used to time changes they still react to it the same, even after a feed time change. Using a tailgate/road feeder for the last 30 yrs has taught me that deer will react to the sound of a feeder when they hear it or need it.

That all makes sense and I really appreciate the info. I’m a creature of habit and I just never heard of feeding at night so I had never given it any thought. I need to spend more time thinking outside the box(or more time on THF where y’all think for me.)

We start turning it back around labor Day. September is also typically the first month we start to get photos of deer when the sun is up.

Feed 'em when they want it and will get to it is what we say.

I do this year round.

Most mature deer and most deer in general are going to have to travel a distance to get to a feeder. They don't live that close in most cases, so traveling in the heat is not the norm for an animal in a fur coat. Unless you have a feeder at water or very close to it, deer are generally going to go to water first then to a feeder in the evenings. In the mornings they are going to leave a feeder and go to water...IME most bucks will leave a feed pen 30 to 60 minutes before daylight. They will be at water then heading to their bedding area. One of the first things I do is look at water, travel routes and bedding areas. If I can't put the 3 very close together at the feed location then I I will put the travel/bedding areas close the feeder and move water to it. Early season hunting is much better when you have water at the feeder location.

^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^

Right now my corn feeders are going off just after sundown and about 30-40 minutes before sunup!
About mid September I will adjust it some for only the afternoon feed time. The morning feed time never changes unless I go even earlier in the off-season.
During the season I keep my feeders going off about 35-40 minutes before sunup. Yes it is still dark and that is good because this will some times entice mature more nocturnal bucks to it and they will sometimes stay until you can see them good. My afternoon feed time during the season will be between 30 minutes and 1 hour before sundown.

During hunting season: 6:00AM- 8 seconds. Noon, 4 seconds. 4:00 PM 5 seconds.

During the year, 7:00AM for 5 seconds and 6:00PM for 5 seconds.

At nearly $10 a #50 now you could go broke at 30 seconds a pop. I do 4 seconds twice a day during season & 2 seconds twice a day the other 9.5 months.

I have not changed my feeding times in 15 years, Clocks are always on Standard Time and feed times set to sunrise and 1 hour before sunset of the shortest day of the season at a rate of 7 seconds.

We leave ours on standard time and never mess with the feed times. We do turn them down from February to September usually just a couple seconds but we're pouring protein to them at that point.

We paid $10 / #50 bag on two pallets last weekend and the feed store told us the next shipment would be going up. The cheapest we found out our way was $9.75 / #50 bag in Comanche.

Huh? If you don't change the feed time how does it know when sunrise and sunset are?

Example for SA TX 2021
June 21 sunup 6:34am sundown 8:36pm
Dec 21 sunup 7:24am sundown 5:40pm

So how does the same feed time set on your timer keep it feeding at sunup and an hour before sundown without changing it periodically throughout the year?

First of all.....I totally disregard DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME while operating the feeders!!! Deer go by their routine cycles....not by a clock or watch! Consequently, my timers are set for STANDARD TIME year round which for the most part follows the same cycles the deer follow.

Morning time is set year-round for 0645 for 6 seconds; 1200 for 3 seconds; 1600 for 6 seconds. During the fall, When the deer are more active, I will add two seconds to the feeding times.

For the past 12 years, I have been using a roasted soybean/corn mixture of STAMPEDE from MICOBE FEED in Hamilton, TX. The results have been fantastic and as a result have eliminated using protein feeders completely. Therefore, no clogged feeders - gravity or spin feeders. I'm using a 300lbs ALL SEASONS STAND/FILL and a 12ft. tripod feeder; no feed pens at either location!

Currently, out biggest problem is an over population of does; for some reason, we continue to draw a large number from around the area. 5 of us took off 11 does last year, and they are still coming!

Each feeder is going thru 50 lbs. corn each week. This time of year deer are feeding more on available natural feed. Will increase in September and add small amount of corn at 2:00 am. According to the camera, we have as much activity at 2 am as we would around 6:30 am.

sounds good

Looking good sir

Yep, and not much need to feed this time of year. Especially with the rain we have had.