Five (5) Gallon/40 LB Auto feeder advice

[Leo801]

Does anyone use the 5 gallon bucket type hanging feeders? If so, how close to the feed funnel do you run the slinger blade? I don't want to have it run out each time the wind blows but I don't want it to jam up either. (It's factory set at 3/8 " but there's no details or examples of how much corn/grain it will sling)

 

Here's my thoughts so far...

I figure I'll run it :

 4 seconds at 6:30 AM

 2 seconds at 11 AM (During the heavy rut)

 3 seconds at 5:30 PM

For now, I want them to have to work for it, not have it piled up TOO easy. Am I on the right track?

 

 

 

 

[Haskell_Hunter]

I use a 5-gallon bucket feeder.  Very happy with it.

 

I bought a Moultrie feeder.  http://www.moultriefeeders.com/6-5-gallon-pro-hunter-hanging-feeder

 

So I had the bucket and spinner in the same package, and it was easy to set up.  I think I got it at Walmart a couple of years ago.  It's been in the woods for a full year at this point.  Some rust is showing on the bucket.

 

You want a metal bucket.  Critters will chew through plastic.  I also have mine attached to a pulley that is attached to a wire rope strung between two trees.  I have another wire rope through the pulley to an eye hook on a tree.  That wire rope has two clasps, one to hold the bucket at full height, and the other to lower it just above the ground to fill it.  Works out great and prevents critters from chewing through things, and I also have bear claw marks on the wire rope too.

 

I put one of those big, square 6-volt batteries in the feeder, and a year later it's still at 100%.  I didn't go the D-cell route, even though the feeder came with the attachment.

 

Follow the directions for the funnel and slinger spacing.  The corn will not drop in the wind.  I was amazed how well it stays in there, so it should work.  Grain moves based on the time and speed of rotation.  As long as you follow the directions, there's no need to overthink it.  It will work.

 

I had running times similar to yours and all it did was feed raccoons and tree rats.  In the first few hours from sun up, tree rats and chipmunks feed.  And they will eat up all of your corn.  Setting it to 5:30PM will feed the raccoons.  You want the deer to come out during daylight, so feed them during daylight.  I set mine this year to 10AM and 2PM, and am having much better results.  The corns stays on the ground during the day, and that brings the deer in.  I don't see any tree rats or chipmunks, not nearly as many as last year.  And the deer are showing up during the day, which is what I want.

 

4 seconds twice a day on my feeder means I am schlepping 40# of corn out to it every two weeks.  Keep that in mind when you set the duration.  Bucket feeders are great, but they don't hold a lot of corn.  I put a Killer Kube (http://www.awnaturelabs.com/killer-kube/) underneath it to supplement, and that's made the difference I think.  Rodents don't eat it, but the deer will during the evenings, and eventually come in during the day for the corn that drops.  They can also smell the full feeder.

 

Set a couple of cameras up too.  That'll give you an idea of what critters are coming in and when they're feeding.

 

Hope this helps.

[Merkel]

Agree with Haskell. I would only add that I primed the unpainted seam on the outside of the feeder to prevent rust. I also cover the lid with plastic to prevent water collection.

[Rusty]

I could type a bunch of really useful stuff but HH already did so I'm not going to.    

[Leo801]

Awesome advice HH, thanks.

I only have instructions on how to set the timer. It was a gift, an American Hunter. It had no other instructions with it.

So far, the 6V battery has been going off for a month at 6 A and 6 P for 5 seconds in my bedroom and no signs of slowing down so, I'll have to wait and see how long a full charge lasts after I set it out.

40 pounds every two weeks would be great. So, maybe I'll do one second shorter in the PM if 8 seconds = 40 pounds bi-weekly. I want SOME on the ground around noon for when the moon turns the rut, hoping the boys will chase the girls to my spot. 

 

Oddly, I have not ONE pic of any coons on camera in almost a full year and have never seen a tree rat in that whole area. I had to hunt for them in another zone. (I always thought that was strange) but, I forgot about Alvin and his friends. I guess I'll be fitting it to a metal bucket soon.

 

I hadn't figured my hanging system yet but I guess having the pulley on a guidewire as opposed to a limb is the way to go.

 

One thing though, I'll almost always need to be out of the woods between 10 and 12. (from 10 until 12 I should say).. How do you think a 7:30 AM feeding will work out? (I know the camera will tell, but, since you've done then testing, I'll cheat)

 

Thanks again.  

Edited October 26, 2016 by Leo801

[Haskell_Hunter]

Oddly, I have not ONE pic of any coons on camera in almost a full year and have never seen a tree rat in that whole area. I had to hunt for them in another zone. (I always thought that was strange) but, I forgot about Alvin and his friends. I guess I'll be fitting it to a metal bucket soon.

 

I hadn't figured my hanging system yet but I guess having the pulley on a guidewire as opposed to a limb is the way to go.

 

One thing though, I'll almost always need to be out of the woods between 10 and 12. (from 10 until 12 I should say).. How do you think a 7:30 AM feeding will work out? (I know the camera will tell, but, since you've done then testing, I'll cheat)

 

Thanks again.  

 

 

Home Depot shopping list:

 

To create a wire between two trees:

Wire Rope

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-8-in-x-50-ft-Galvanized-Uncoated-Metal-Wire-Rope-803152/203958867

 

Clamps

http://www.homedepot.com/p/National-Hardware-3-16-in-Zinc-Plated-Wire-Cable-Clamp-3230BC-3-16-WR-CBL-CLMP/204617722

 

Pulley

http://www.homedepot.com/p/National-Hardware-2-1-2-in-Zinc-Plated-Fixed-Single-Pulley-3213BC-2-1-2-SGL-PULLEY/204722013

 

Hauling wire rope (get it cut to length, longer than you think you need...and consider that the bucket needs to be lowered, and you need to have some slack)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-8-in-x-250-ft-Galvanized-Vinyl-Coated-Wire-Rope-806390/203958874

 

Things to hold the bucket with the wire rope

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-32-in-x-1-8-in-Zinc-Plated-Clamp-Set-4-Pack-43064/205887661

 

Spring lock to attach wire rope to tree (both the max. height, and to lower and fill)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Keeper-3-8-in-Spring-Link-5-Pack-89532-5/203432527

 

Those are the parts I think I used, but you can see the basic setup I have and where my head was at.  The genius part was the spring locks set at two different heights.  Filling up a bucket feeder on the ground is not a 1-man job.  Figure out the length of the hauling wire rope with the bucket filled.  The weight of the corn will drop the feeder by about 2'-3'.  If you set the height too low, bears will get it, and it will be a pain to fill.  I used a set of climbing sticks to tie both ends of the wire rope between two trees (yes, wear your harness, this is not a simple job).  Have a extra clamps and one of those nutdrivers.  Expect to drop the clamps, nutdriver, and everything else when you're 25' up in a tree.  Cursing comes in handy.  I also put two clamps a few feet away from each other in the middle of the wire to prevent the bucket from sliding too far to one side or the other.  This is optional because I don't think it's doing anything for me.  A closed eye-bolt works well with the spring clamps.  Critters can't take them off.

 

Feedings should be based on sunrise/sunset.  I usually see deer at 4AM and was able to bring them in around 7AM with a 10AM feeding.  I know, it makes no sense, it's probably the Killer Kube doing that.  So you could do an 8AM feed, but it's really up to you.  If you say you don't have rodents, 7:30AM will work.  Also remember that Nov. 6 is a time change, but your feeder won't know the difference.  But, sunrise is getting later and later, so you may want to adjust a bit or accommodate for that by feeding slightly later.  Check your solar tables to find a sweet spot.

 

I have to get to my spot this week to refill the bucket.  If I get there, I'll take a couple of photos of the setup.

Edited October 26, 2016 by Haskell_Hunter

[Leo801]

We don't have bears here but the higher the better anyway, i'll set it to 10 AM.. i'll have the camera to see what it does then adjust from there. Plus, when my daughter's car is fixed, it won't matter what times they come in, i'll accommodate them as long as it keeps them in shooting hours. I guess i'll be stopping at homedepot... 

 

Second time tonight i hit the thumbs down by accident.. I hate and love this stupid Surface R/T... what's your pick for a tablet since this one might go for "The ride"...?

Edited October 26, 2016 by Leo801

[Rusty]

Second time tonight i hit the thumbs down by accident.. I hate and love this stupid Surface R/T.

 

Just hit "undo rating" and you can pick a different button.  

[Leo801]

Ahh.... learn somthing new everyday!! Damn NEW technology...lol

 

Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk

[Haskell_Hunter]

You don't have to get the exact same parts I did, but spend some quality time in the rope/fastener aisle because that's where all these parts are.  But buy extra clamps, you will drop them or the nuts that come with them, and you won't be able to find them.

[Leo801]

You don't have to get the exact same parts I did, but spend some quality time in the rope/fastener aisle because that's where all these parts are.  But buy extra clamps, you will drop them or the nuts that come with them, and you won't be able to find them.

I was a mechanic for twenty years, believe me, I'm very confident there will parts raining down....

Thanks for the idea and list, I'll be heading to home depot this afternoon.

[DRBetz]

I was a mechanic for twenty years, believe me, I'm very confident there will parts raining down....

Thanks for the idea and list, I'll be heading to home depot this afternoon.

Pick up a good strong magnet and some string and when the parts and tools start raining down you can fish them back up assuming they don't bounce away. I have an old rare earth magnet that I use for everything from finding dropped nuts and bolts in the lawn to finding studs in the walls(the magnet sticks to the nails/screws).

[Haskell_Hunter]

Pick up a good strong magnet and some string and when the parts and tools start raining down you can fish them back up assuming they don't bounce away. I have an old rare earth magnet that I use for everything from finding dropped nuts and bolts in the lawn to finding studs in the walls(the magnet sticks to the nails/screws).

 

Really good idea!

 

I have one of these that I use in my office because I drop a lot of electronic parts screws:  http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=RC4C-N52&cat=168

 

However, me being the "what's the biggest/strongest/most powerful" kind of guy, that magnet is extremely powerful.  It will destroy old CRT monitors, TVs, most anything electronic, magnetic strips on credit cards, etc.

 

Handy to have when the Feds send their robot drones after you.  Toss one of those things onto it, and down it goes.  Not that I know anything about that...

 

But it's an absurdly powerful magnet that you can tie a string to.

[BenedictGomez]

I run my feeder in the middle of the day, when deer are least likely to be present.   I know some people run them at dawn and dusk, but this makes no sense to me.  I know folks say, "the deer get used to it", but the cruisers wont.

[Leo801]

Well, here's the thing, I just got back from one spot and pulled the card from another, both cameras in those two areas are only showing does, and one spike (the same spike) so I'm trying to get the girls, and there's a fair amount, to show up during daylight and get them used to coming in during daylight so the big boys come looking for them. I don't care about racks but it would be nice to get some bigger meat sacks chasing the does when I can shoot them.  

If they seem to shy away during the times the spinner runs, I'll run it in the middle of the day and have to settle for a doe in the meantime. If they don't show up at all,  then I'll settle for does, no huge deal.

I figure, it can't hurt, The three six pointers and the two eights (one was pretty nice bodied) stopped coming around all together sometime after I pulled the camera at the end of winter bow and when I put them back a few weeks.

If the feeder scares them all away...I'll give the feeder to someone on here that has backyard deer so their kids can watch the deer eat I guess.......

 

*Side note for HH....... I lowered one camera and it's crazy, but STILL no tree rats, coons or chipmunks on the ground bait.... My plastic bucket might be safe...haha. But, how weird is that?