I agree, I only sit on feeders when I want to shoot a fat doe or hog..I think deer get used to the feeders and the scent of the person filling them..I have shot deer at my feeder within hours after filling them..IMO..I like to run my feeders all year then when the season gets close I find a small hole somewhere away from the feeder and corn the ground everytime I go up, then when the season starts you would be amazed what you will see coming to the corn on the ground..My feeders are usually set up at least 100 yards of where my stand is and down wind..The bucks will come to the feeders to look for does during the rut in the daylight, not necessarily to eat but to look for some TAIL!!!
I've had problems with squirrels chewing the crap out of the feeder lid and just plain laying on the feeder motor eating corn and knockin it down for their buddies. I solved the problem with a 10'x2' piece of chicken wire to close off the feeder motor from the little tree rats. On the lid, I cut a piece of galv sheet metal so that it was 4" larger in diameter than the lid and then cut notches around it and bent the sides down. One quick roofing zip screw, and it's secure from wind and critters, and it doesn't get in the way when filling.
been having the same prob with squirrels and my tripod. been thinking of wrapping the spinner sect with chicken wire even if it doesn't allow it to throw the corn as far. but the galv top I was gonna do the same basic thing but bungee cord/chain the top to the tripod legs. but it will all have to be removable to change batteries/times or to fill.
The chicken wire works great, and it has no impact (or not a noticeable impact) on the feeder's ability to throw corn. I just used a piece of wire to "sew" the bottom triangle on so that I can get at the battery and timer. For the lid, the metal lid is actually screwed with a couple zip screws to the top of the feeder lid. That way it won't blow off, and the tree rats and coons can't knock it off or chew on the lid anymore. A 24" piece of galv sheet metal cut into a circle with slits cut every 4 inches or so about 1.5" in from the edge, and bend them over. It's real handy, and the folded over section acts as a rain barrier since the tree rats chewed most of the top off.
My problem is that they jump on top of the barrel and eat thru,last time there were two of them stuck inside of it.I need a steel barrel I guess.
