Hang 'em High
Just a quick Monday post while the rain falls outside.
Bow season is only 3 months away. I am hunting in a new section of our deer lease , so I have a lot of work to do. We have already determined the location of my tree stand and feeder. The feeder requires the most effort, so I thought I would share a bit of that process with you.
Because my son will be hunting my old spot this season, we are leaving the feeders there in place. So I need to get a new feeder going in the next week or two in the new spot.
I picked up a couple of metal barrels from Craigslist. Saturday morning we spent a couple hours cutting and welding hanging brackets for the feeder.
[caption id="attachment_268" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Barrel after installing the hanging bracket[/caption]
At our lease, we have cattle and goats which can be problematic for feeders. Using hanging feeders is a great way to protect your investment without building feeder pens that are costly and labor intensive. Event the coons seem to leave the hanging feeders alone.
After the brackets were fabricated and welded in place, I installed a funnel from Boss Buck. This funnel slides into the barrel and prevents corn from getting in the corners of the feeder and spoiling. It also helps the corn feed a lot better.
[caption id="attachment_273" align="aligncenter" width="263"]
Photo from Boss Buck.com[/caption]
This required me to be able to cut a hole in the exact center of the bottom of the barrel. A quick Google search found this nifty method to find the center of a circle, which worked perfectly. Using my electric drill and a 2.5 inch hole saw for metal, the hole was quickly cut. After filing the edges to remove burrs, the funnel went in pretty easily.
Next I ran to the hardware big box store and bought several cans of cam0flauge spray paint in various colors. A Khaki base coat went on first.
Next I created some templates from some old poster board I had laying around. I drew a couple different branch patterns and cut them out to make templates. Next time I do this I will choose a stiffer material for the templates. The poster board was not as sturdy as I had hoped. The paint job could be a lot better, but overall I was happy with the results. The main goal was to cover up any bare metal to prevent rust. The added camo was just for fun.
[caption id="attachment_274" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Finished product including a metal slip on lid, also from Boss Buck[/caption]
Later this week the control box and solar panel will be installed, and hopefully we will get it hung from a sturdy tree this weekend. I will try to get a few pics and post a follow up to show you how we rig this to hang from a sturdy tree limb.
Bow season is only 3 months away. I am hunting in a new section of our deer lease , so I have a lot of work to do. We have already determined the location of my tree stand and feeder. The feeder requires the most effort, so I thought I would share a bit of that process with you.
Because my son will be hunting my old spot this season, we are leaving the feeders there in place. So I need to get a new feeder going in the next week or two in the new spot.
I picked up a couple of metal barrels from Craigslist. Saturday morning we spent a couple hours cutting and welding hanging brackets for the feeder.
[caption id="attachment_268" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Barrel after installing the hanging bracket[/caption]At our lease, we have cattle and goats which can be problematic for feeders. Using hanging feeders is a great way to protect your investment without building feeder pens that are costly and labor intensive. Event the coons seem to leave the hanging feeders alone.
After the brackets were fabricated and welded in place, I installed a funnel from Boss Buck. This funnel slides into the barrel and prevents corn from getting in the corners of the feeder and spoiling. It also helps the corn feed a lot better.
[caption id="attachment_273" align="aligncenter" width="263"]
Photo from Boss Buck.com[/caption]This required me to be able to cut a hole in the exact center of the bottom of the barrel. A quick Google search found this nifty method to find the center of a circle, which worked perfectly. Using my electric drill and a 2.5 inch hole saw for metal, the hole was quickly cut. After filing the edges to remove burrs, the funnel went in pretty easily.
Next I ran to the hardware big box store and bought several cans of cam0flauge spray paint in various colors. A Khaki base coat went on first.
Next I created some templates from some old poster board I had laying around. I drew a couple different branch patterns and cut them out to make templates. Next time I do this I will choose a stiffer material for the templates. The poster board was not as sturdy as I had hoped. The paint job could be a lot better, but overall I was happy with the results. The main goal was to cover up any bare metal to prevent rust. The added camo was just for fun.
[caption id="attachment_274" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Finished product including a metal slip on lid, also from Boss Buck[/caption]Later this week the control box and solar panel will be installed, and hopefully we will get it hung from a sturdy tree this weekend. I will try to get a few pics and post a follow up to show you how we rig this to hang from a sturdy tree limb.
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