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Turkey feeders


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Looking to make a few turkey feeders for my property to help out during the winter.

 

I was hoping that I could get some info and experirnce on condtructing these to include type, materials, food, etc.

 

These can be made permanent also.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

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 I feed the birds sunflower seeds  all year.  I have all types of birds here all the time, which include 20-28 turkeys almost everyday.  I have told the turkeys they shouldn't be here but they keep coming back!  Sob's trying to get me in trouble! ha.   I would say make a big feeder so you don't have to keep filling it every day.

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If it was ever necessary to feed turkeys, a good way is to take one of those big wooden cable spools…and cover it with 1-inch welded wire. Put a pipe through it and elevate it a couple feet off the ground and fill with whole corn (on the cob) so it spins (make a door out of the wire and bend for refills.) That way the turkey can peck at it through the wire and the deer can't get it. When the corn gets eaten on the bottom level, it turns, because it is heavier on the top. 

Edited by Buckstopshere
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2 minutes ago, Buckstopshere said:

If it was ever necessary to feed turkeys, a good way is to take one of those big wooden cable spools…and cover it with 1-inch welded wire. Put a pipe through it and elevate it a couple feet off the ground and fill with whole corn (on the cob) so it spins (make a door out of the wire and bend for refills.) That way the turkey can peck at it through the wire and the deer can't get it. When the corn gets eaten on the bottom level, it turns, because it is heavier on the top. 

Brilliant!  Takes the law right out of it!

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3 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:

Proven wrong many times over. Done right and its the best thing going for wildlife in our high snow areas. 

I'd love to see that proof... there is no evidence to the contrary that I'm aware of other than you saying so. Unless we're talking about plantings of winter browse material, which is not what we're talking about. We're talking about using artificial feeding stations here and one is not the same as the other. One will allow animals to find and feed naturally and instinctively, the other programs animals to eat somewhere that is based on a human schedule which is not always reliable.

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I'd love to see that proof... there is no evidence to the contrary that I'm aware of other than you saying so. Unless we're talking about plantings of winter browse material, which is not what we're talking about. We're talking about using artificial feeding stations here and one is not the same as the other. One will allow animals to find and feed naturally and instinctively, the other programs animals to eat somewhere that is based on a human schedule which is not always reliable.

It's proven around here year in and year out. The table is always set and plates are always full. Truth is that they really don't hammer the feed like one would think. They come and go as they please.


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15 hours ago, Four Season Whitetails said:


It's proven around here year in and year out. The table is always set and plates are always full. Truth is that they really don't hammer the feed like one would think. They come and go as they please.


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Sorry... but it's hard for me to get my head around being a hunter, and a part of population control and conservation, only to interfere further with mother nature by not allowing her to play her part in natural selection. If the animals don't make it through the winter... that is part of the plan. I'm just not that guy who thinks that the object is to preserve or raise a species simply for the enjoyment of hunting them, but rather enjoy my hunt knowing I'm helping mother nature with the daunting task of balancing things out given mans role in causing the reduction of natural habitat. We're just of two different mindsets i guess.

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19 hours ago, hunter49 said:

 I feed the birds sunflower seeds  all year.  I have all types of birds here all the time, which include 20-28 turkeys almost everyday.  I have told the turkeys they shouldn't be here but they keep coming back!  Sob's trying to get me in trouble! ha.   I would say make a big feeder so you don't have to keep filling it every day.

I also have a bird feeder in my large back yard. Chuck full of of birdseed, crack corn,deer fat and everything else birds like. In feeding, birds throw seed on the ground; ( little poachers) I shovel around the feeder when it snows. I get some turkeys when the snow get's deep on the level. When the snow goes away, so do the turkey. I always like to see them wing in. 

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45 minutes ago, nyantler said:

Sorry... but it's hard for me to get my head around being a hunter, and a part of population control and conservation, only to interfere further with mother nature by not allowing her to play her part in natural selection. If the animals don't make it through the winter... that is part of the plan. I'm just not that guy who thinks that the object is to preserve or raise a species simply for the enjoyment of hunting them, but rather enjoy my hunt knowing I'm helping mother nature with the daunting task of balancing things out given mans role in causing the reduction of natural habitat. We're just of two different mindsets i guess.

I wonder when New York will try to make bird feeders and feeding illegal?  Maybe they should issue a $15.00 permit like the fee imposed on everything else. Be a good money maker for the state, and just think of the fines they could collect from it?

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Sorry... but it's hard for me to get my head around being a hunter, and a part of population control and conservation, only to interfere further with mother nature by not allowing her to play her part in natural selection. If the animals don't make it through the winter... that is part of the plan. I'm just not that guy who thinks that the object is to preserve or raise a species simply for the enjoyment of hunting them, but rather enjoy my hunt knowing I'm helping mother nature with the daunting task of balancing things out given mans role in causing the reduction of natural habitat. We're just of two different mindsets i guess.

Oh I am sure mother still takes her share of animals on way or the other but nothing worse than animals coming out of winter having to play catch up on body condition before starting their new growth. Birds maybe not so much as bucks but bucks will take a huge hit in their antler growth coming out of winter in poor condition.


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I've heard the biggest issue with feeding is the threat of cwd. I can bet that it's better to let a few deer die to a hard winter than losing a giant part of the herd to cwd.

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Proven fact that CWD has and will do nothing to any herd any where. Read the science and facts. Not the here say and agendas.


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4 hours ago, nyantler said:

Sorry... but it's hard for me to get my head around being a hunter, and a part of population control and conservation, only to interfere further with mother nature by not allowing her to play her part in natural selection. If the animals don't make it through the winter... that is part of the plan. I'm just not that guy who thinks that the object is to preserve or raise a species simply for the enjoyment of hunting them, but rather enjoy my hunt knowing I'm helping mother nature with the daunting task of balancing things out given mans role in causing the reduction of natural habitat. We're just of two different mindsets i guess.

Actually, as hunters, we are already an interference to Mother Nature's management efforts. We do have our noses stuck deep into the process some of us remove animal numbers. Others apparently work on adding numbers. Right? .....Wrong? .... your guess is as good as mine. But as long as we are paying the big bucks for all these college educated dudes, I guess whatever they say, and whatever laws they conjure up, that is what I will abide by. I don't always agree with them, but they are the ones we pay for the management processes. Might as well use them.

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1 hour ago, Doc said:

Actually, as hunters, we are already an interference to Mother Nature's management efforts. We do have our noses stuck deep into the process some of us remove animal numbers. Others apparently work on adding numbers. Right? .....Wrong? .... your guess is as good as mine. But as long as we are paying the big bucks for all these college educated dudes, I guess whatever they say, and whatever laws they conjure up, that is what I will abide by. I don't always agree with them, but they are the ones we pay for the management processes. Might as well use them.

Yeah I find that sometimes however we tend to get too involved in some of what mother nature is best at... with good intentions maybe, but with limited knowledge of what we're actually doing. But I agree that we might as well utilize that which we have invested in, or at least hold our noses and hope for the best.

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Thank you for the input. There are some great ideas and suggestions there, including the DEC.

Although I think the link was attached to enlighten me to not feed deer, and I was referring to turkeys.

Use backyard bird feeders in the winter only and keep them clean
Starting in late October through early March, you can feed birds with backyard feeders. As food becomes available in the spring, and as bears come out of hibernation, the feeders should be put away (read more about bears and bird feeders). It is also important to provide only a moderate number of feeders and keep them clean. They can be thoroughly scrubbed with a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water), rinsed in fresh water and dried completely before refilling with bird food. Additionally, birdbaths and areas surrounding feeders should be kept fresh. All of this will offer a healthy environment for our backyard birds and help prevent the spread of disease.

My backyard birds include turkey as well.

And yes I believe one of our jobs as hunters is to do what is possible to promote the growth of all animal populations. And when the snow is 3 foot deep and they are eating a portion of the same items that they ate prior to the 3 foot of snow I think it would be helpful.

And by the way, I have never hunted a day for turkeys in my life.

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