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Re: Kenco Feeder

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15 December 2004, 08:05
Plinker603
Re: Kenco Feeder
I used a sawzall with a metal cutting blade and cut some 2" pipe to 56" for the legs. That's almost the 5' they recommended. Anyway, it doesn't come close to throwing the feed 30 feet, it might throw it 15. That doesn't matter, but like you said, it also doesn't dispense as much as they claim. It only looked to be a few handfuls and that isn't enough for supplemental feeding. I held the button in and counted to 20, maybe that wasn't long enough, i'll try again later.

Plinker
15 December 2004, 10:10
Stonecreek
Quote:

Thanks for letting me know. It said to have the base at 5 foot minimum, but that should only matter as far as how far it throws it. I'll test it and set it to highest if necessary.

Plinker



The reason for the 5 foot minimum height is not to throw the corn further, but to prevent the deer from "self-feeding" by sticking their muzzles in between the container and the timer and causing corn to drop out on the ground. Once they learn this trick, they'll empty a feeder in no time.

Unless you shield the timer from coons and squirrels with net wire or something similar, the little buggers will do the same thing and rob you of the bulk of your corn. And since the timer needs to be shielded anyway, there's no use in elevating the container so high that you can't refill it standing on the ground.

You're correct that it is pointless to scatter the feed in a wide radius -- whatever dumps on the ground directly beneath the feeder will ALL be eaten.

Deer (and everything else) will soon become accustomed to the timing of the feeder and will come running twice a day like hogs to the trough. Some people even purchase little pocket gizmos that mimic the sound of the feeder going off to draw deer in between feedings.

I won't say that using corn in the winter as a supplement is without any value, but corn is mostly carbohydrate with only about a 7% protein content. Something with a little more potency, like soybean meal, dried peas, or the some commercial supplement might be more effective if you're trying to reduce winter kill and improve antlers.

Good luck and have fun.
15 December 2004, 13:55
Fish30114
What Stonecreek said. I don't know what your feeding is meant for, but if it is for deer health or antler development through the winter, the key is to get as much protein to them as you can. A friend of mine that manages a ranch always tells me that the corn is like candy for the deer, they come by to get it, but it doesn't really do that much for them health wise. For patterning the deer corn is great though. Jimmy always tries to get as much protein as possible out to them over the lean times in winter.
Take Care--Don.
17 December 2004, 03:40
Reloader
W/ that Kenco you'll be fine at the height you've set it.

What StoneCreek said is true for the spinning type feeders but, w/ that Kenco (Straight Shooter I Take it?) you'll be fine. The way the feeder is made will not let the game get to the feed.

The Kenco SS is excellent where varmints are a problem. W/ my regular feeders (Spinner/Funnel Type) the coons and birds spin the corn out and empty the feeders sooner than I would Like.

Good Luck!

Reloader
17 December 2004, 07:20
Stonecreek
Reloader: I've had excellent luck with other Kenco feeders, and while the Straight Shooter looks like a great idea, for the life of me I can't get them to work. I'm not sure whether it's design is subject to blockage with slightly trashy corn, or whether it's light sensor just isn't what it should be, or both, but our group tried two of them all season long last year and had to replace them with other models. I've still got one new in the box, and I'm going to give it one more try as soon as I get around to it, but I'm not holding my breath. The two-battery design looks like it would have plenty of power, etc., but our luck has just been poor with this particular device.

There's now a feeder being marketed under the Remington label that we're having great luck with.
17 December 2004, 07:38
Reloader
Stonecreek,

I bought two of the SS models last year just because they were cheap. I had good luck w/ them last season but, one of them has been unpredictable this year. My main gripes w/ them has been how loud they are when they feed and also the amount of feed they disperse(not much). They seem to do ok for what they cost.

We have our best luck out of On-Time feeders. On-Time is a local company here in North La and most of their products carry a Lifetime no hassel warranty. The OT feeders seem to be a real "Set it and Forget it" system.

You can purchase a On-Time 30 gal tripod kit w/ a Lifetime feeder for $89 at some of our local sporting goods stores.

I also like the American Hunter feeders, I picked up a couple at Bass Pro on sale and they seem to be pretty dang good feeders. I lucked up and bought 3 American Hunter digital feeders on ebay for 22 bucks a piece so, I guess I'll give them a run next year.

I usually don't even hunt the feeders I put out but, they sure will keep the does in the area and you know what that means around rut time. I usually try to hunt scrape lines and trails close to the bedding areas away from the feeders. I've killed several bucks hundreds of yards away from the feeders but, they had corn in there bellies (You know where they where everyday about Mid-night ).

Good Luck!

Reloader