How far should your feeder be from your hunting spot?

[Noah_2]

How far should your feeder be from your hunting spot?

[herbie57_57]

Within shooting range if you want to hunt it. Probably about 50 yards for rifle or 30 for bow unless you just want to set up along a trail leading into it.

[bonnier-admin_2]

Your feeder is your hunting spot, state laws permitting

[T]

However far you're comfortable shooting at is probably how far you should put it out for rifle. For bow the probably 30 or less yards.

[jshaffer]

For bow hunting put it about 20 to 30 yards away. For rifel hunting put it about 70 yards away.

[whiteriverguide1]

I have a stand where my feeder is directly below my treestand. It is a very successful stand. My other spots I put my stands/blinds about 20 to 30 yards away. I only bowhunt and my maxium range is 40 yards. This puts me in the strike zone. Place your stand the maximum you can make the shot ethically away and you shouldn't have to many problems.

[kvlazer22]

If you are hunting above the feeder make sure you put your stand high enough to stay out of deer sight. They do a lot of looking around while they stand there and eat.

[Beekeeper]

One shoots over a feeder. One doesn't hunt over a feeder. It is called hunting for a reason.

[willkillsdeer]

I'd set up on a trail leading to it about 75 yards away

[Lead Curtn]

Is hunting over a feeder really hunting at all? Were's the challenge?

[buckhunter]

If your after a big buck don't hunt your feeder. Expect a big buck to stage in a thicket down wind scent checking does. Pattern the path the does use to get to the feeder. Do not hunt that path but down wind of that path into the closest thick area. Feeders work great to get your neighbors deer onto your property. The more deer the more comfortable a big buck will feel.

[Smitty77]

I myself dont use feeders. I like to set up in travel corridors to feeding area from bedding areas. I think feeders alter the natural movement of the deer and dont consider it fair.

This is just my opinion. I know other people have theres. No offense intended

[buckhunter]

Smitty,

I agree. I don't hunt feeders but have a feeder because if I didn't all the deer would be at my neighbors feeders. We live near the city and compete for the same deer.

I do allow young hunters and first timers to hunter the feeder. It's guarenteed success.

[Del in KS]

Buckhunter is right about feeders and keeping deer around. The big 10 pt in my profile came to a grunt call from a thicket 150 yd from a feeder. I would hunt over a feeder if hunting just for meat. A big buck would not mean much to me if he was shot over bait. Last fall I placed a trailcam over a feeder and got pics of 3 ten pointers and 2 eights in only 2 days. All came in at night. Plenty of doe and fawns came in during daylight. They almost always come in from downwind and with great caution. My state has too many deer in some areas and many doe need to be shot to get numbers down. Feeders help with that. It's not hunting really it's shooting but necessary.

[kjflorian]

Yeah, in MI we are not allowed to bait, plus I was never a big fan of it. Where I am at there are just to many crop fields in during the fall, it's kind of futile. I know people that had property further N. of where I am, where there are fewer crop fields, and they baited when it was permitted. In that situation I could see trying to bring a deer in, because there was nothing up there but woods. I see both sides of that one, just not a fan of hunting over bait.