I was taking some pictures off the cuddeback that were taken at the ranch this past weekend. So here are a couple of them.

The antlers are starting to grow!




I was wondering where almost 1-ton of protein pellets went in 10 days. Now I know. Looks like it's time to get out the suppressed MP5 this weekend and go to war on the coons.

I was driving home this evening and saw 3-4 bucks out in a field feeding about 751pm. I could see their antlers were developed about the same as the buck in your photo.

One of the bucks looks to be a dandy already (I looked at him with my binos). He's already looking like a nontypical with bilateral drop tines and brows that appeared to be 5 inches already. Maybe he'll be quite the HOSS this fall. No matter. I can't hunt there anyway.

Do you do anything to control the racoons? They are quite prolific here also. 20 years ago you rarely seen a racoon in this part of Wy and now the highway has a smorgasboard of road killed racoons.

It looks like they are doing quite well on your place to. Higher fur prices would help!

I just dug out 18 traps from my old trapping days. The MP5 is oiled up and ready to go. I would imagine the fur is literally going to fly this weekend.

Sounds like fun!

I find it amazing how fast the coons can find a feed station and how much they can eat. Son#2 was putting out 200 pounds of shelled corn every three days was talking about all the deer hitting his corn. Two well-placed trail cameras cleared that up in one night. Coons, coons, and more coons. Three nights of shooting cleared that up a bit but new coons found the corn within days.

If I was closer you could use my hounds. They were all trained on coons, and we run them in the summer to keep them in shape for lion. They love to kill racoons, I had an airedale that was a fanatic about crunching coons!

This area is not hound friendly. It's full of cactus and nearly every other thorny plant known to mankind. Most people who run dogs in this stuff put boots on them. It's rattlesnake infested as well. Then there's the javalina that enjoy slicing and dicing hounds. The feral hogs can't hold a candle to the javalina when it comes dog injuries.

You obviously do not have very many pigs or a pile of feed like that would not stay long under a feeder .... or you have a good feeder pen.

How do you like that All Season Feeder?

I use hog panels around the feed pens. Otherwise the big boars will rub against the feeders until the protein falls out. There is no shortage of hogs. I killed nine yesterday. The All-Seasons feeder work great and are a quality product but I am thinking of trying something different. I keep having problems with coons scraping the feed out. I shot four this weekend but that is only a drop in the bucket. I just bought a 28 ton hopper and a 4 ton air blower feed trailer from atascosa wildlife supply. I may try one of their protein feeders to see if they are a little more varmintproof. These new feeders have the quick connect where you just hook up the air hose and fill the feeder from the ground. Here is a picture.You can check out their products at http://www.atascosawildlifesupply.com/

I opened the gate on my 24 ton hopper this weekend and it spit out about 500 lbs of feed then just coughed. Time to call the feed truck back in.

I use a T&S Feeder filler. It has a 2 ton capacity, but you can get a 3 ton. Kind of wish I had gotten the 3 ton now. It uses a conveyor belt instead of an auger so the pelets are not crushed, like an auger tends to do.



There is no such thing as a coon proof feeder. I use two 3000 lb American hunter feeders and one 2000 lb. feeder. (2000 lb shown) This is a coon buffet.



I also have one Bighorn Metal feeder. If any feeder will keep coons out, maybe this one will.



Deer like them all and I see no difference between any of them. I just keep hog panels around the feeder pen and only deer and Aoudad will jump in. It even keeps the Axis Deer out ...

We just bought one of these. It does not have an auger but is air driven. Four hundred pounds per minute. You don't even need a gate on the feed pen. Just hop the fence with the hose and fill away.

Interesting pictures - thanks

A question (not a flame) - Why? Those rigs and the feed must cost a lot. Can't they feed themselves?

1894mk2,

To optimize the potential of the animal. A deer on protein will grow bigger antlers, be healthier, the does will produce better offspring ... etc.

Yes, it is very expensive. Depending on your goal, it is usually worth it though.

If you are a commercial operation, bigger antlers means bigger $. It is a business and you want to optimize your potential.

A protein feeding program is not for everyone. But it certainly has a place and has proven to be effective.

I tried filling a 2000 lb feeder with bags when I first started. That was the last time I tried it. I called T&S and told them to build a feeder filler for me. There are days that I may move 8,000 lbs of feed. That is impossible with bagged feed.

Good question. Yes the deer can and do feed themselves. We do supplemental feeding. The deer will only eat a limited amount of supplemental feed while natural forage makes ut the biggest part of their intake. This helps out when the area does not get adequate rainfall. It also helps the fawn survival rate as the does will be in better condition when they give birth. During a dry year a deer that would score say 160 usually will score 180 or more when extra feed is available. The fawns recieve good nutrition early in life which makes a big difference in body and antler size when they become mature. The rigs and feed do cost a lot but it makes it all worthwhile when hunting season comes around.

Opps. Looks like Wendell and I were typing at the same time.

quote:

Opps. Looks like Wendell and I were typing at the same time.

Good thing we got our stories straight!