Where baiting is legal, deer feeders are a popular hunting accessory. Many sportsmen use them as much to gather data on the local deer herd as they do for hunting.

One of the downsides of hunting a wildlife feeder is the creatures that become attracted, especially black bears. They often destroy feeders to access corn or minerals. What’s worse, their scent will repel deer.

Black bears are significant predators of whitetail deer, especially fawns, so it’s no wonder that the buck in the field above is headed for the tall and uncut.

Wild turkeys are also attracted to feeders; a flock of feeding birds will intimidate deer from feeding.

Instead of using a feeder, it’s not too late to plant a small food plot with rape, brassica, and turnips. This way, the groceries will become appealing after bears are in hibernation and wild turkeys will be concentrating on acorns and soft mast.

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