If you want to attract deer to your property, adding a deer feeder is one of the easiest ways. You can spend a lot on fancy feeders and deer feed at a farm supply store or make your own homemade deer feeder for a more budget-conscious option. Fortunately, there are easy-to-make plans that use common items. You can also add special features to make it more accessible or easier to fill.
Before making a homemade deer feeder, it’s important to research and understand local regulations. Setting up deer feeders for the purpose of hunting is illegal in some areas. Look up deer baiting laws before adding a deer feeder to your property.
Bucket Feeder
This is one of the simplest designs for a homemade deer feeder. You might even have all of the required materials already! It starts with a large bucket. A 5-gallon bucket will generally do the trick. If your bucket is smaller, you might find yourself refilling it often if it is very popular with the deer in your area. A larger bucket is heavier and can limit where you place the feeder.
Make a hole in the bottom of the bucket. This is where the feed will dispense so it should be pretty small. Once you have a hole in the bottom, insert a long dowel rod with a screw through it around 4 inches from one end. You may need to drill a pilot hole in the dowel rod, then screw the screw into the rod. The screw should be perpendicular to the rod with equal parts sticking out of either side of the dowel rod. This is meant to keep the dowel rod from falling through the hole in the bucket.
Insert the dowel rod into the hole with the screw on the inside of the bucket. The dowel rod keeps the feed from flowing freely through the hole to the ground below. A portion of the dowel rod should hang down below the bucket. When a deer knocks against this hanging portion, the rod swings slightly and lets some feed out of the bucket. The feed falls to the ground, where the deer can eat it.
Hang the bucket from a tree or other overhead location. Fill the bucket with deer feed and test it by pressing against the dowel rod slightly. The feed should fall out of the hole to the ground below. Make sure that the hole isn’t too large or the dowel rod won’t be able to adequately plug up the hole. The exact measurements will depend on the diameter of the dowel rod. If your hole is too big, you can use duct tape to make it smaller, although you may need multiple layers to make it strong enough.
PVC Pipe Feeder
Another popular design for a homemade deer feeder is to use PVC pipe to create a rigid feeder that is open on one end. You’ll need a few feet of a 6-inch diameter PVC pipe, a corresponding PVC wye, and a corresponding PVC cap. You can use a narrower diameter as long as all of your PVC components have the same diameter.
You can use any attachment medium for the PVC pipe that works for you. Cement is certainly the most durable and if you plan to keep your deer feeder up for a long time in the elements, it’s a good idea to make sure that it won’t come apart. Attach the wye to the main length of PVC and put the cap on the top. It’s a good idea to add a securing bolt that you can open and close to the cap. This keeps critters from getting in while still allowing you to open it to refill as needed.
You can also add attachment points by drilling holes into the top of the PVC pipe. Run a rope or straps through the holes and secure it to a large tree or other upright structure. While you can run the ropes or straps around the outside of the cylinder, it will be easily knocked over by animals or weather. Another great step is to paint the feeder with green spray paint. You can even add a camouflage pattern to help it blend into the surroundings. Just make sure to give it a few days to off-gas before setting it up. If not, the deer will avoid the feeder and the food inside due to the fumes.