Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Attracting deer

Last year I saw a large buck on my property. He had at least 10 points, probably more but he ran off as I was trying to count. There is a herd of 5-10 does and fawns feeding on our alfalfa field almost every night but I haven�t seen the large buck yet this year.

What�s the easiest way to attract or bait him for a picture with my game camera? I have a Texas Hunter fish feeder that I am not using for the winter � is that suitable to throw cracked corn or another type of feed? Or it just as easy and effective to throw a bunch out by hand each day? Or should I use a scent or lure?

I'd re-purpose the TH feeder and see how it works. Maybe angle it down a bit so it doesn't throw the corn over such a large of an area like it does with the fish food. Easier to cover that area with a trail cam then.

Scents and stuff will attract some deer, but I think corn is more reliable now that temps are getting colder. During cold weather deer prefer food that is higher in carbs like corn.

Try starting off putting a couple of bags of corn on the ground first to get them coming in and then use the feeder. Trophy mineral rocks are good to use too!

I suggest getting some of the Acorn Rage or Sugarbeet Crush. Just pour it out on the ground. Also, I don't know baiting laws in PA. I had a friend that would repurpose halloween candy, but I never supported that method due to potential tooth decay. Deer like sweet stuff for sure.

Get the doe to come in and he will show up if the rut is on he will show sooner or later. If he has not been killed already.

RC

Looks like PA doesn't allow feeding or baiting from 30 days prior to the season until the end of the season. I'm assuming that it doesn't matter that I don't hunt and am only taking pictures.

I could always steal some of my wife's horses sweet feed and accidentally toss that around....

Dig a 6 inch trench in a circle of about 15 or 20 foot. Fill the trench with rock salt then cover. Set back and watch all kinds of critters.

In PA you can place feed out year round, you just cannot take advantage of it to hunt over. So since you are not hunting, you are fine to place feed out...

Having taken lots of game camera photos of deer in PA, I can tell you corn is the winner. There is nothing deer like more this time of year other than acorns. This year, PA had a complete failure of both red and white oak acorns. This means the deer are really struggling to fatten up for winter. So they are really hitting other food sources hard. Corn is high is carbs, so the deer crave it as the colder temps come. Corn is far cheaper than all that fancy garbage in a big with fancy names.

Outside of the fall/winter months when deer are in hard antler, as in spring into summer nothing beats a good mineral pit for getting deer photos. It can sometimes take a bit to get one established, but once the deer know where it is. They'll usually hammer it hard. I really like the Trophy Rock or more natural minerals for getting a sight established. Once, the deer find it you can start using other types. Higher salt content helps to get the deer interested. However, it is not as good for them as those with more calcium, phosphorus, etc. The stuff I use now I get from a friend who is a deer farmer. He has medicated mineral/feed blocks that help kill ticks and keep the biting flies under control. For sight selection, pick an area near cover that is shaded, close to water(very important) and near a well used deer trail. Deer will find it quickly and utilize a sight like this heavily from April through early August. Around the time the antlers start to harden to tend to not use the mineral pit as often. That is when the corn comes into play...

This stuff is sick and works great. This is all we use and really works well. It is like cocaine to deer. They just keep coming back.

Cheers Don.

I use corn and apples, and Purina deer blocks. You want whole shelled corn not cracked. And don't use apples unless you can get them for free or very cheap. Once deer find corn they will keep coming back. Apples bring them in faster because of the scent. Purina deer blocks also work very good, smell sweet and bring them in the first night. Deer don't just lick these blocks they try to eat them.

In Maryland baiting for deer is OK on private property. Most hunters use corn and just throw it out around their stand.

I have 6 corn feeders. My deer are mostly nocturnal so not a lot of return on investment.

Dave:

Have you tried setting the feeders so they throw corn an hour after sunrise and about 2 hrs before sunset?

CJ, that's a good tip on the medicated mineral blocks. I know a deer farmer, I'll ask him.

Yep, they all go off at 7 am and 4:30 pm.

Thanks for the advice. I'll get some corn (not cracked) and maybe mix in some sweet feed. There is already a horse salt lick next to the field.

When do bucks drop their antlers in my area (SE Pennsylvania)?

Depending on the stress that the animal is under, January thru early March. Stress = dropping them earlier. I've shot a buck in late December that didn't have his antlers, he had a broken rear leg that was starting to heal back together.

Don't ever, ever, put sweet feed in a corn feeder. It will gum up everything.

RobA, expect the bucks to drop antlers early this year, especially if it gets cold and snowy early. With the dismal acorn crop, the deer are hurting this fall. I've seen bucks lose their antlers during PA's firearms season which is early December generally and I have seen PA bucks with their antlers on at Easter. But as esshup said, 80-90%+ will lose their antlers between Jan and March.

For the last several weeks, you only need to live near me to attract deer. My wife called to me about sunrise as she was brushing her teeth. There were four deer outside the bathroom window. As we were having breakfast, there were another five outside the kitchen window. As I went to check on the chickens, there were two really big does and three smaller deer standing in my garden area. I don't think that any of these sightings included the same deer. We just have way too many.

I've already got about 90 lbs. of de-boned venison in the freezer this season, and I've given away about 50 lbs. That is all I need for the year.

Maybe the deer know it is safe to be in my yard! But, being "old", hunting on my own property, and having gotten an "old dude's" lifetime hunting/trapping/fishing license -- I get to hunt deer during lots of seasons, including the youth seasons, with most anything I want to use, except for rimfire. I may take a few more for some of the elderly neighbors.

With no acorns this year, the deer are coming out to forage on alternative food sources. Those are most like the left overs in your garden and the clover growing in your yard.