# Bear proof feeders......any ideas.



## sneakysnake (Feb 17, 2010)

If it is a metal barrel get a piece if all tread and drill a hole in each side of the barrel about 4" down. Use a nut on the inside and outside of the barrel to keep the all tread from moving. I have a picture of a feeder pole I made if you would be interested in some thing like it. I made it out of metal pipe and bears can not climb steel.


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## Shootin Jim (Dec 27, 2010)

Sounds like you just need to hunt more species.


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## Stab 'em (Dec 26, 2008)

Here is a good setup for big boss bears. It sounds similar to what you want to do. http://www.bearseast.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=share&thread=4166&page=1

Bears East Adventures is one of the best bear hunting forums I've found. Enjoy. http://www.bearseast.proboards.com/index.cgi?


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## Yawna-GO (Nov 15, 2006)

Can't hunt black bear in Florida......still protected......?

I started to design a drop rod and chain/rope hanging system, but I'm not sure with the barrel loaded with corn the deer (intended dinner guest) will be able to nudge the rod up to get corn to drop....I'll go snap some pictures to show you what i'm talking about.


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## Yawna-GO (Nov 15, 2006)

Here are some pics of how i'm trying to get this to work.

Used an old boat stearing wheel to suspend the barrel equally..









Ropes will be replaced by chain.









3/8" alluminum rod with a T-ball on one end (inside barrel end) and 16oz of weight and rubber tubing on the other end (bump end).

















The idea is to incurage the deer to bump the rod up to release corn, but I'm thinking that with the barrel loaded it might be too hard to push the T-ball up to get any corn to fall.

















I'm thinking I'm on to something, but need to get over the corn weight pressure verses free flowing corn.....?...?


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## Shootin Jim (Dec 27, 2010)

Change it from a ball to a flap - have the bar attached to one side of the flap with a pivot locating the flap over the hole. That way the leverage of the bar would more than offset the weight of the corn above it. Rather than pushing up, they'd just have to bump it sideways.

You'd also want the bar to swing freely in the direction perpendicular to the hinge. That way when they push the wrong direction, it moves freely.


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## Yawna-GO (Nov 15, 2006)

Not sure I'm getting what your sayin Jim?

A flat plate instead of the ball? Wouldn't I still be contending with corn weight?


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## Shootin Jim (Dec 27, 2010)

You would be, but instead of having to push the weight of the corn up, they'd just have to nudge the lever sideways. Remember, levers are force multipliers and you've already got a really long one in the design. 

They push it one way it moves with no resistance, they push it another way it doesn't move (or moves the whole feeder), they push it the opposite way of that and it dumps corn on them.

Another possible implimentation of the design I'm thinking of would be to use a big wind catcher on the lever. When it blows, the wind would open the valve. Depending on your location and wind conditions, that could be good or bad, but it would eliminate the learning curve of the deer.


I'm curious what you end up with, as I have better fed squirrels than deer, and I didn't intend on feeding the tree rats when I put the food out.


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## Shootin Jim (Dec 27, 2010)

Another option would be to use a cable attached to the top of the valve flapper through a pulley above it. Make it so any movement of the stick draws the cable lifting the flap. Then you could have the softball as your fulcrum (located below the current hole in the drum), but you'd need another extension beyond the end of it so you'd have enough difference in cable length to move the flapper.


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## donn92 (Apr 15, 2009)

if you can winch it up high enough why not just put the spinner back on if it is high enough I would think the bears could not reach it


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## Yawna-GO (Nov 15, 2006)

donn92 said:


> if you can winch it up high enough why not just put the spinner back on if it is high enough I would think the bears could not reach it


I'm trying not to spend the $40 for a replacement timer and having to replace the 6v battery every 3 to 4 weeks while keeping the bears at bay as well.

Although a new timer with an upgraded 12v timer and motor would give a continious feed patern.


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## patterstdeer (Feb 28, 2006)

We have had good luck by gradually getting off corn and replacing with soybeans. Deer will eat them bear don't care for them.


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## donn92 (Apr 15, 2009)

Yawna-GO said:


> I'm trying not to spend the $40 for a replacement timer and having to replace the 6v battery every 3 to 4 weeks while keeping the bears at bay as well.
> 
> Although a new timer with an upgraded 12v timer and motor would give a continious feed patern.


on my feeder which is 6volt I wired 3 6volt batteries together positive to positive and negative to negative which still gave me 6volts and they lasted from august thru this week when I removed it and still had battery life and it would feed 2 times a day for 15 seconds


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## ENIGMA20 (Mar 28, 2010)

Hanging a feeder from a tree won't work. Trust me, I tried. I even tried suspending the drum from a cable connected between two pine trees. The bears just climbed the pine trees and slid down the cable to the drum and ate from the top. Got plenty of pictures from the trail cam. Bears destroyed everything we had until the bear poles. The poles were the most effective solution. 

Patterstdeer suggestion is the best. We phased out corn and went to soybean. The bears won't eat the soy.


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## Shootin Jim (Dec 27, 2010)

Do the bears scare off the deer?

We have a bear in the woods up north and I'm wondering if I should try to get permission from the lease holder on the neighboring property to hunt it there or draw it into my lot if I can get a tag.


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## ENIGMA20 (Mar 28, 2010)

Yes they do. I have tons of trail cam pics at feeder sites where you see deer grazing around, then you see the deer looking off into the woods, then the next pic is a bear and the deer are gone. I had a couple of does feeding in front of me a couple of years ago near Panama City and they just busted out there like they were shot from a cannon. About ten seconds later a huge bull bear stepped in the fire lane. They are a nuisance.


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## Shootin Jim (Dec 27, 2010)

But the deer remain in the area in general... That's what I was wondering.

If I get a bear tag, I'll have to bait the lot for them specifically, and then have to vacate the bait to hunt deer again. So if I'm putting out corn for bear, I can't hunt deer over it. Baited sites remain "baited" for 10 days after all of the food has been removed here.

I've heard others claim that if you have any bears in the area, the deer won't stay; and that's obviously very wrong if you're seeing both hitting up a feeder.


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## ENIGMA20 (Mar 28, 2010)

Our lease near Panama City was loaded with deer and bears, and more recently a Florida Panther. The lease near Daytona has a lot of deer and an occasional hog, but only a few bear sightings in 3 years. So, I would say the deer don't mind the bears in the area, they just don't care to hang out together.


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## JPizzle (Sep 10, 2007)

I dont think your bump rod is going to work. in order for the deer to bump the rod, it has to be low enough that a standing bear will be able to reach the feeder. In addition, the bear could just pull on your bump rod and bring the whole thing down. I have seen people wrap trees in meat flashing and then hang the feeder high off the tree with the winch about 8' also off the ground and that seemed to work to some degree. 

Also, I have the moultrie tripod feeders and my 6 volt batteries last about 6 months at least.


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## MikeD74T (Jun 20, 2010)

An easier way to make a hanging spin feeder bear proof is to electrify the tree. hang the feeder from a limb & tie off to hook or attach winch 6' above the ground. Wrap the tree with four 6" bands of hardware cloth (wire mesh) spaced off the tree with vertical lengths of plastic pipe spaced so that the wire doesn't touch the bark. Attach the wire mesh to a battery powered electric fence unit (mounted above the mesh) , 2 to ground terminal & two to power terminal. Wire a switch to the fence unit power supply to shut it off when filling the feeder. MikeD74T


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