How to choose a deer feeder
Assuming feeding is legal where you hunt, the choice comes down to what you want the feeder to do, how much you can carry to fill it, and whether you want a timer at all.
Timed vs gravity — the fundamental split
A timed feederuses a battery-powered spin plate to throw a set amount of feed at set times — the point is control. Program it to feed in the first and last minutes of legal light and you condition deer to visit when you can hunt them. A gravity feedersimply lets feed flow down into ports as deer eat, with no timer, battery or moving parts to fail — ideal for free-choice off-season protein and far lower-maintenance. Decide whether you want scheduled feeding for hunting or constant free-choice nutrition; that answer picks your feeder type.
Mounting: hanging, tripod, or post
Hangingfeeders are the simplest — hoist a self-contained unit from a limb and go — but you need a suitable tree and the muscle to lift a full hopper. Tripod feeders stand anywhere and carry the biggest hoppers, at the cost of assembly and a two-person fill. Post/gravity feeders mount low for free-choice feeding. Match the mount to your site: open field with no good limb favors a tripod; a wooded edge with a stout branch favors a hanging unit.
Capacity vs how you’ll fill it
A big hopper means fewer trips — but only if you can actually fill it. A 250- or 270-pound feeder is a lot of corn to haul and hoist, so a huge capacity is only an advantage where a truck or ATV can reach the site. For a hand-carry site deep in the timber, a smaller hanging feeder you can top off with a single bag may serve you far better than a giant tripod you dread refilling. Buy the capacity your access supports, not the biggest number.
Keep the varmints and spoilage out
Feeders attract more than deer. Raccoons, hogs and squirrels will drain a poorly-guarded feeder, and feed left wet spoils and can grow mold that’s dangerous to deer. Look for varmint guards, secure lids, and a design that keeps feed dry, and site the feeder where you can service it. A gravity feeder’s enclosed ports waste less to non-target animals than a broadcast spinner throwing corn on the open ground.
The disease responsibility that comes with a feeder
Running a feeder is a bigger commitment than putting out an attractant, because it concentrates deer at one spot day after day — which increases the contact that spreads diseases like CWD. That’s the reason so many states restrict or ban feeding. If you run one where it’s legal, do it responsibly: follow your state’s rules to the letter, keep the site clean, and be ready to pull the feeder if regulations or a local CWD detection change. Our feeder setup guide covers doing it right.
