Feeding wildlife n winter?

[cathryn]

do any of y'all put out any feeders for the birds and other wildlife this time of year?

Ive made several feeders myself this year.

i have several varieties of birds, some deer and so far one gray squirrel( i just put him a feeder with nuts today cause i only first saw him at the bird feeder last night)

so if y'all do feed any. what kind of fed do you put out?

i made homemade suet balls, both out of and pbutter)a walnut feeder and a regular seed feeder.

i sprinkle seeds on the ground for the ground feeding birds as well.

do any of ya'll have any tips or advice as to how to lure different species into feeders?

ive toyed with the idea of putting out fruit but didnt know if itd work?

[JohnP]

My wife claims she feeds the birds, but I'm the one going to the feed store buying the seeds and filling the feeders.  But she is the one that feeds the birds or so she claims.  We buy sunflower seeds (jays and woodpeckers), scratch (quail) thistle (finches) and then a bunch of assorted seeds and cracked corn for all the others.  "We" make suet out of bacon drippings and assorted seeds, we also use peanut butter stuffed into pine cones and hang in the trees.  We also use fruit, apples, organges, grapes that are going bad.  We do not purposely feed any of the big game animals, but at times they help theirself to what is out there.

[pitw]

Cool pic John.  Sure goes to show what anything will do for a free handout. 

[Silencer]

awesome pic John, I have 2 bird feeders out but I find myself keeping the local cats away more than enjoying the birds.  Nobody cares about their cats, they let em run all over this town. 

[slagmaker]

I just put corn out on a  stump in my camp site. I can see it from the hsoue and I leave my spotting scope out on a tripod so you can walk by and look to see who is on the stump. I have squirells, cardinals, wood peckers, Blue jays and numerous other animals that frequent my stump.

Watching the animals on the stump I have come to learn that a large male Cardinal can break a squirells paw. The squirell went away bleeding and he still has a limp anyway.

[pitw]

Cathryn I guess yes I feed the animals around here.  They get cracked grain filled with whatever weed seeds there were in 9% dockage, best quaulity hay my wife can find for her horses, All the scraps from our table they have and a full garden to pick out of. 

[cathryn]

heres one feeding station i have set up. i can see it from the front porch.

there are 5 or 6 different kinds of feed at thie location.

[Silencer]

I see a cardinal in there, I still have a male hanging around here and a few doves that didnt migrate.
Kinda hard to tell what the others are but you have a bunch there !

Possible bluejay in that mix on the larger branch ?

[alscalls]

I been feeding the deer.......Corn, lead and broad heads all winter but I had to stop everything but the corn since season ran out.

We really thinned out the heard this year due to lack of food and we did not kill any of our bucks this year.
The deer and the turkeys are hurting bad for food this winter and we have seen the deer eating bark off of trees for a good while now. (about 3 months) So I know we will loose some......but feeding is definitely helping.
I hope we get a good mast this year.

[keekee]

I deal with feeders everyday being in the nuicance contol ind. I dont recomend feeders at all if you live in the city or urban area, or if your house is not sealed up good.

If you live in the country and are willing to deal with the critters got for it! But I dont recomend them close to your homes. I feed the deer on the farm during the winter months but I dont live there......Out of 100 pic's from the trail cam, half will be coons, SQ and doves - birds, and the other half deer and turkeys with a few predators looking for they prey at the feeders.

If your house isnt sealed good or you dont want problems dont feed then close to you house! If you want to feed the deer and turkeys plant food plots, not feeders.

[KySongDog]

I agree that food plots are best for deer and turkeys.  In my experience only small deer/does come in to a feeder while feeding turkeys makes them illegal to hunt, bunches them up even more and is bad health wise for them. 

Food plots are a better way to go. 

[FOsteology]

Wife and I have numerous bird feeders strung-up throughout our property. A variety of birds frequent the feeders and my wife enjoys watching them and listening to them sing.

[Jimmie in Ky]

Don't have feeders close to the house huh 

I thought if ya had dogs and cats they were supposed to be close to the house    Sure keeps the stareling numbers way down  Jimmie

[FinsnFur]

aahhh yah we got some of that going on.

click image to enlarge

[alscalls]

The deer on our farm......quit hitting the food plots as soon as the snow came......and there has been so much of it this year things are tough for them........so that is why all the corn.
Plus a piled corn food plot is way more productive......

I made a deal with the guys I let hunt.......Bring corn out in the winter months and you can come back next year.......
That way we all share in the responsibility.

I dont feed the birds at the house....   or the next thing ya know yer 4# + sitting in a bean bag chair naked......eating Cheetos shooting up the neighborhood with your Red Ryder........

[cathryn]

maybe having feeders out near my home is the ignorant hillbilly thing to do but i enjoy looking out and seeing the birds and deer and squirrels taht come aound. i love to hear the birds sing in the early morning hours.

as for predators  ? like with most backwards,backwoods hillbilly houses theres plenty of dogs round to keep the nuisances out of the yard.10 to be exact tween me and my folks,lol.

if the dogs dont help the 6 or so strategically placed footholds will dp the trick.

theres a reason that most nuisance control people get their work in the cities and suburbs...its cause us country folks no how to get rid of things we dont like coming around without paying someone to do it for us.

ill keep my birds and deal with any 4 legged predators that come along quick and swiftly,lol.

[alscalls]

Mean ass .......^^^

[cathryn]

and dont YOU forget it! 

[keekee]

theres a reason that most nuisance control people get their work in the cities and suburbs...its cause us country folks no how to get rid of things we dont like coming around without paying someone to do it for us.

ill keep my birds and deal with any 4 legged predators that come along quick and swiftly,lol.

lol....Hell ya! You are spot on there!...lol

We do allot of work in the county to but for the most part we spend most of our time in the city or urban areas.

Standard practice is a natural responce to feeding criters close to the house for us. I do work all the time were people have both dogs and cats in the yard and still have critters, they can get around the dogs and cats.


Most people are not like all of us, they freak out when they get up and have a critter looking at them!...lol

[alscalls]

Most people are not like all of us, they freak out when they get up and have a critter looking at them!...lol

Must be how Jerry feels Eh Cathryn.........