Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

For the past couple months I have been feeding shelled corn and watching the game feed on it with a camera. I know this sure isn't a scientific study but it sure has increased my thinking on how these animals are feeding.

When I started out. The deer were the first to find it. Had 3 does and 3 fawns show up within hours. The the group after a couple days was only 5 as one fawn went missing. They would come in once or twice at dark and also just after daylight and dusk. Coon showed up in about a week. They seemed to come in several times a night and there are 4 of them. Turkeys started showing up after about 2 week just after daylight. There were 9 of them. Also had 3 different bucks and they were at different times all at night. Never seen them feeding with the does. Several nights I would get a picture of the does staring at something and then in a few minutes. They were gone and a buck in the picture.

I let the corn run out in the feeder and what was spread on the ground. The turkeys were the first to leave. The deer slowed down their visits. But the coon never gave up. Last night they were digging up the ground all night long and I have pictures that 4 coon were there every hour of the night looking for some corn. The last coon left at 8:30 this morning.

This buck has a messed up rack.


This coon spent the night digging for corn.

__________________
www.ConkeysOutdoors.com
"Boss Lights"

Last edited by Bruce m. Conkey on 08-29-2021 at 03:13 PM

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Sheridan, WY
Posts: 1148

That is very interesting

__________________
______________________________
Seeking Soli Deo Gloria through the hounds.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 1176

I have done it for yrs right behind my house. The habits for all the game change through out the yr. My big boy bucks never go to the feeder 1st, they let young bucks go to see if it's safe then go in and never for long. During rut they visit often (every nite) but just to sniff out the doe's never to eat. I have Red and Grey fox that come in only in the winter. They love chicken meat and figure out fast to come before the coon right before dark to get choice out for dinner. They grab food and carry it off. I can tell you anything you want to know about coon from looking at the pic's and sitting at the feeder in the summer months while they feed. I learned more about coon in 3 months last yr setting with them than I had in 22 yrs of hunting them.

__________________
Home of the Original Whiskey Hounds!
Rebecca Agee

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Sheridan, WY
Posts: 1148

quote:

---

Originally posted by River Birch Run
I have done it for yrs right behind my house. The habits for all the game change through out the yr. My big boy bucks never go to the feeder 1st, they let young bucks go to see if it's safe then go in and never for long. During rut they visit often (every nite) but just to sniff out the doe's never to eat. I have Red and Grey fox that come in only in the winter. They love chicken meat and figure out fast to come before the coon right before dark to get choice out for dinner. They grab food and carry it off. I can tell you anything you want to know about coon from looking at the pic's and sitting at the feeder in the summer months while they feed. I learned more about coon in 3 months last yr setting with them than I had in 22 yrs of hunting them.

---

__________________
______________________________
Seeking Soli Deo Gloria through the hounds.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

The feed is scarce right now as I let the corn run out. The doe's figured that's out fast and haven't been there in a day. The one buck with the damaged right horn is the only one visiting right now. One Coon been out there and hour now digging around. Have to wait and see if the other Coon and doe's come in later.

__________________
www.ConkeysOutdoors.com
"Boss Lights"

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 1176

So here's my set up, I have one lone norway spruce tree in the middle of a field. Tree lines within 25 yards to the west, north and south, open to the east after 50 yards turns into mowed lawn. I have a few mowed paths up to the tree and mowed about 20 ft all the way around the spruce. So I have a 55 gallon feeder with corn in it 15 ft from the spruce to the west. I have a pan of water sunk into to ground 15 ft from the spruce to the east. where I toss corn down by the water. Early summer I have two small feeders and 8 bowls of food under the spruce, which is full of sweets and cat food. There are weeds, saplings and brush up around the outside bottom of the spruce for cover. Once my cameras start show kitten coon I put a chair out under the spruce and will sit out there about and hr before dark. I keep a bag of marsh mellows with me and as soon as coon come under the spruce I toss them mellows. It don't take long before at least half of them are eating out of my hand both adult and kittens. So some of the things I have learned.

1) Coon still run the same on a full moon. However they are really, really jumpy. They are on high alert the whole time, they flush faster, go further and stay gone longer.

2) They are dang near blind. They don't see well at all and spend more time on two hind legs with there head in the air winding. This is also why they put there hands in water all the time it makes there since touch even more effective.

3)There is always a matriarch female all other females stay out of her way and are scared to death if her kittens get near them. If she makes the danger noise everyone runs for cover.

4) Some females are just more mean than others, there offspring will fight with anyone and try to run off all other coon. The mellow females have offspring that get along with anyone.

5) When spooked the females do not put there kittens up a tree. The females take off running (how for I don't know). The kittens take off on there own and run up the 1st tree or shrub (or human leg) they come too. Some will stay up till the sow comes back, some slowly come down on there own. Some cry and go looking for the sow, some just hang out stay busy and wait.

I've got more but out of time for now.

__________________
Home of the Original Whiskey Hounds!
Rebecca Agee

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2006
Location: Deputy, Indiana
Posts: 422

That is very interesting. I have corn out all year long and find some periods of the year they leave it but the squirrels are always there

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Sheridan, WY
Posts: 1148

quote:

---

Originally posted by River Birch Run
So here's my set up, I have one lone norway spruce tree in the middle of a field. Tree lines within 25 yards to the west, north and south, open to the east after 50 yards turns into mowed lawn. I have a few mowed paths up to the tree and mowed about 20 ft all the way around the spruce. So I have a 55 gallon feeder with corn in it 15 ft from the spruce to the west. I have a pan of water sunk into to ground 15 ft from the spruce to the east. where I toss corn down by the water. Early summer I have two small feeders and 8 bowls of food under the spruce, which is full of sweets and cat food. There are weeds, saplings and brush up around the outside bottom of the spruce for cover. Once my cameras start show kitten coon I put a chair out under the spruce and will sit out there about and hr before dark. I keep a bag of marsh mellows with me and as soon as coon come under the spruce I toss them mellows. It don't take long before at least half of them are eating out of my hand both adult and kittens. So some of the things I have learned.

1) Coon still run the same on a full moon. However they are really, really jumpy. They are on high alert the whole time, they flush faster, go further and stay gone longer.

2) They are dang near blind. They don't see well at all and spend more time on two hind legs with there head in the air winding. This is also why they put there hands in water all the time it makes there since touch even more effective.

3)There is always a matriarch female all other females stay out of her way and are scared to death if her kittens get near them. If she makes the danger noise everyone runs for cover.

4) Some females are just more mean than others, there offspring will fight with anyone and try to run off all other coon. The mellow females have offspring that get along with anyone.

5) When spooked the females do not put there kittens up a tree. The females take off running (how for I don't know). The kittens take off on there own and run up the 1st tree or shrub (or human leg) they come too. Some will stay up till the sow comes back, some slowly come down on there own. Some cry and go looking for the sow, some just hang out stay busy and wait.

I've got more but out of time for now.

---

__________________
______________________________
Seeking Soli Deo Gloria through the hounds.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Sep 2009
Location: Monticello, Wi
Posts: 744

My house is located in the hillside overlooking a river bottom and several hundred acres of swamp across the road. for the last three years a doe has had fawns about 200 feet from my house in the river bottom. My hounds are located next to my house in the woods. When my dogs bark an alarm type bark the doe will come to check the fawns and if they are OK she will run in a circle around them and duckout so they cant follow her. Sometime the hounds are still barking when she goes back to feeding where ever she came from. If the hounds bark for any other reason the doe never comes to check the fawns. I have observed this many times when I'm sitting on the deck having a cup of coffee. My conclusion is that this doe could call hounds better than many competition hunters!

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2021
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 136

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kler Kry
My house is located in the hillside overlooking a river bottom and several hundred acres of swamp across the road. for the last three years a doe has had fawns about 200 feet from my house in the river bottom. My hounds are located next to my house in the woods. When my dogs bark an alarm type bark the doe will come to check the fawns and if they are OK she will run in a circle around them and duckout so they cant follow her. Sometime the hounds are still barking when she goes back to feeding where ever she came from. If the hounds bark for any other reason the doe never comes to check the fawns. I have observed this many times when I'm sitting on the deck having a cup of coffee. My conclusion is that this doe could call hounds better than many competition hunters!

---

__________________
Tom Wood

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 1176

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kler Kry
My house is located in the hillside overlooking a river bottom and several hundred acres of swamp across the road. for the last three years a doe has had fawns about 200 feet from my house in the river bottom. My hounds are located next to my house in the woods. When my dogs bark an alarm type bark the doe will come to check the fawns and if they are OK she will run in a circle around them and duckout so they cant follow her. Sometime the hounds are still barking when she goes back to feeding where ever she came from. If the hounds bark for any other reason the doe never comes to check the fawns. I have observed this many times when I'm sitting on the deck having a cup of coffee. My conclusion is that this doe could call hounds better than many competition hunters!

---

__________________
Home of the Original Whiskey Hounds!
Rebecca Agee

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged