Trough Feeders or Boss Buck Type?

[jharrell]

Looking at either building a couple trough feeders or buying boss buck type feeders. Want to try and implement protein in with the corn. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[imkevdog]

check out Banks Outdoors feeders

 

[davidhelmly]

We've always used trough feeders and had good luck with them.

 

[Crakajak]

I try to make trough feeders 40" tall to the edge to help keep the critters and hogs out of them.

 

[Doolydawg03]

We've always used trough feeders and had good luck with them.

YES i also use troughs, i have 10 of them and the deer went right to them all real good, seems like right now is the time to get them accustomed. In winter when the food is scarce the deer are looking for food i filled mine in January with corn the first time then 50/50 corn/protein then strait protein on the third fill up and the deer took right to it so this may be worth a try. Good Luck!!!!

 

[Triple C]

We've always used trough feeders and had good luck with them.

And u got the pics to prove it!

 

[1gr8bldr]

Electric feeder over a trough. Basically creates a place for the feed to fall, almost like a funnel to through. This will keep you from running out and ration the feed. It's better to have it everyday than in cycles of having run out.

 

[1gr8bldr]

If your deer are eating well at feeders, throwing it on the ground works fine here

 

[jharrell]

Yea got to make my mind up soon. May try a boss buck type and build a couple troughs as well. Thanks for the input guys. Seems like everybody has a different opinion so I will try them both, one is bound to work. LOL

 

[rstallings1979]

Boss Buck works for me....

I bought a boss buck from a guy that won one in a contest. I thought big bucks would avoid it but the pictures I have indicate otherwise. I will probably buy another to put at another spot on the farm considering the deer are staying right around it and hitting it often. I also built a trough feeder two years ago. The amount of money for materials was about the same cost for the 200lb boss feeder. In other words I can save my time and buy another boss.

 

[ddavis1120]

I use both and each has positives and negatives. Boss buck is harder to fill but is easier to keep raccoons out of and you can somewhat control the flow of feed. Troughs are cheaper (especially when you make a couple) and easier to fill but raccoons can and will park in the things and eat their fill. Boss bucks also require pellets. Either will work.

 

[mike bell]

What do you guys make your trough feeders out of?

 

[Bellasdaddy1611]

We use troughs and love them. If we have anything other than buck muscle crumble the raccoons hammer it. However when we switch to the the winter blend buck muscle pellets the raccoons start hammering them again. We just switched back to the crumble the raccoons went away. I don’t think like the powder on their feet or nose or something. Just thought I would throw that out there for the guys having problem with raccoons eating corn or pellets.

 

[Bellasdaddy1611]

What do you guys make your trough feeders out of?

We had 4 of ours made from a mix of treated wood and untreated wood. The wood wasn’t brand new so the treated wood had already dried out. We built one out of freshly treated wood and put it out the same time. I don’t know if it was location or if was cause it was fresh wood but it took the deer 5-6 months to start eating it well. Now a year later they hammer the feed out of it. The other troughs only took a few weeks.

 

[Doolydawg03]

I made my legs, main frame and roof frames out of PT wood and was able to score a huge pile of 3/4 none PT plywood enough for 10 troughs and made all the troughs just where the feed sits out of that plywood they were eating out of mine within 2-3 days these deer have not been fed out of troughs ever. I made mine 30" wide 4' long some 5' long and 8-10" deep mine hold between 250-350 lbs of protein i made the top of the trough part along the 4' side 28" high the narrow 30" wide ends i dropped down to 25" so the yearlings had no problem eating out of them and it seemed that most of the deer used the shorter sides if it wasn't occupied attached is a few pics for ref.

 

[Todd E]

For about 100 bucks ea.....I like moultrie dinner plates.

 

[Mark K]

I use both and each has positives and negatives. Boss buck is harder to fill but is easier to keep raccoons out of and you can somewhat control the flow of feed. Troughs are cheaper (especially when you make a couple) and easier to fill but raccoons can and will park in the things and eat their fill. Boss bucks also require pellets. Either will work.

Not sure where you getting your info on Boss Bucks require pellets, but that is false. Been running corn out of mine for 2 years now and just recently switched to Buck Muscle. It did take a while for the deer to get used to it, but it draws in bucks more than does. Does will eat the fallout after the bucks finish eating from the feeder itself. But again...it did take several weeks before anything would come around it. Best to pour out a bag or two of corn around the general area to get them used to it. I plan to purchase another soon. I can bungee it to the back rack of my 4-wheeler to move around and a 5 gallon bucket lets me fill it up down in the woods. I just leave a camo bucket in the brush near each feeder and don’t have any issues.

 

[SRShunter]

Just started using trough feeders this year surprisingly our deer took right to them. We also bought a bank's gravity feeder I think its the 250 the deer are scared to death of it. It's been out since February and not a deer one has put a nose in it. We have some funny deer!

 

[SRShunter]

I know corn is a sore subject in here, but has anyone found a protein feed that will hold a candle to it as far as deer consumption goes? Our deer will devour 100lbs of corn in no time. This protein feed I'm using lasts for weeks (meadows edge deer fuel) I know on the Texas forum's them boys using double down go through it in tons in no time. Think I need to try a different protein feed!?‍

 

[shdw633]

I know corn is a sore subject in here, but has anyone found a protein feed that will hold a candle to it as far as deer consumption goes? Our deer will devour 100lbs of corn in no time. This protein feed I'm using lasts for weeks (meadows edge deer fuel) I know on the Texas forum's them boys using double down go through it in tons in no time. Think I need to try a different protein feed!?‍

We couldn't get the deer to eat the Meadows Edge and those that I know are feeding it have had to put a lot of corn with it in the beginning to get the deer to start eating it. Once they started to eat it they didn't have any issues after that but I'm not a fan of it, especially at the price point they are at.

As far as the OP's question, I prefer trough feeders. Easier to get feed into and the deer take to them quickly and I have had up to six deer eating on one time on them. They also don't clog up when I put protein feed in them. I have a couple of gravity type feeders and the protein seems to clog up in them too much, causing me a pain to get unclogged. If you run just corn it does not seem to be a problem. I am intrigue by the Moultrie dinner plate and may have to get me one of those to see how well it works with a protein/corn mix.