# Turkey Feeder



## drydoe

Anyone have knowledge of a legal turkey feeder in Michigan that is accepteable with the deer ban baiting law. I have read where you can elevate a platform so the Turkey would have to fly up to the feed. Anyone have suceess with this?


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## Hamilton Reef

My turkey feeder is a treated 3/4"x4'x8' elevated on 4"x4" post legs just like a 5' table platform. On top of the platform is a gravity small barrel feeder on three legs with 1-1/2" diameter pipe from bottom center of the barrel to a plate about 12" above the platform. The pipe is about 2" above the plate. That distance can be adjusted to control the rate of corn dispersal. It can handle 6-8 feeding birds at a time and attract every squirrel from 40-acres.


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## Linda G.

Go to http://www.mwtha.net

click on "photos"'

First photo that comes up. 

You can also feed on the ground this winter, if you measure out the feed so you know exactly how much each bird needs to eat, then clean up what's left over. If you have the measurement down correctly, you won't need to clean up anything. If you are older and have concerns about climbing six feet into the air with 50 pound bags of shelled corn to fill the feeder, on snow and ice, you might just want to go with cleaning it up off the ground. Safer.

We figure 1/4 pound of shelled corn per bird per day once it is very cold with at least a foot of snow on the ground. There is no real need to provide supplemental feed until those conditions occur-the birds can move and get to natural food. Remember that turkeys eat twice a day, morning and afternoon, so you need to put out 1/8 of a pound per bird in the morning, 1/8 in the afternoon. 

The platforms, unfortunately, will NOT stop the deer from congregating underneath the platforms, which is what I would think would concern the biologists. It only stops the deer from actually getting into the feed. 

That's what I don't get about this...we have to use the elevated platforms, and if we do, we're okay. But we're not going to stop the deer from congregating there, and the DNR knows that. Just as we can't stop the deer from fraternizing with one another in a deer yard...or just out wandering around. It's nuts.


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## Jim Maturen

I have plans for a turkey feeder that we have designed to be deer proof. It is a gravity tpe that can be made from rough lumber. We built a number of them some 20 years ago and they worked just grest. Can be built to any lenght desired. I have the plans if you are interested. Call me at 231 832-1575.

Jim Maturen
MWTHA (Michigan Wild Turkey
Hunters Association


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## Linda G.

Jim-how are yours different from ours? They say ours are, too, but they still don't stop the deer from gathering...they can't get in the barrel to get the food, tho...Can you send me a copy of the plans? If you can, I'll scan them and put them online...


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## Jim Maturen

Linda

Just visited this site after my last message. I'll send you the plans tomorrow. Very little corn is on the ground. Never had a problem wih deer getting to the corn.


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## drydoe

Started on my feeder. It 6' x 6', 7/16" osb platform. I went 6ft off the ground w/ 4 legs. I put a 35lb automatic feeder on top with a cut up 9" side plastic pail at the lower base to knock down the feed as it shoots out. I will post picks after this weekend.


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## drydoe

Can not post a URL until I reach 15 posts :sad:


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## drydoe

I am using a automatic feeder.


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## drydoe

I cut up a pail & added it to the feeder as a knock down device so the corn does not shoot 35 feet.


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## drydoe

Rather straight down onto the platform.


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## drydoe

I have not witnessed turkey on the platform yet.


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## drydoe

I did have 5 Toms pass under it after they flew over it.


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## drydoe

I plan on setting up a trail cam


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## drydoe

This is 6 feet off the ground


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## drydoe

I screwed down branches for the turkey to perch on.


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## drydoe

I plan on adding some gravel as well.


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## drydoe

now I can send my pic!


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## drydoe

Any questions?


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## swampbuck

I saw one in s.w. Crawford county several times during M.L. season were they were just throwing large quantitys of corn on the ground in about a 50x50 area. There was probably 50+ turkeys and 5-10 deer there every time I looked probably a dozen+ times at various times of the day. They had it pretty well hid but if you looked down an extra drive by the pole barn you could see it from the road.

I reported it. Next time I get up that way I will see if the problem has been corrected. Situations like that will not help your efforts to be allowed to feed them in the future. Linda does your organization cover Crawford County near Camp Grayling?


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## Linda G.

No, we don't. Last I heard, there was a chapter of NWTF covering that area, and they couldn't afford to do much feeding at all, that was several years ago. I don't think there's any organized efforts down there anymore. 

Drydoe, couple of questions. 

First of all, how do you get the bucket down to fill it? Is it on a rope or something? If you do have birds, you'll have to be careful with that rope, we've found they can't see it and often the birds can injure themselves or even kill themselves when they fly into that rope...

Second, how are the birds expected to feed from that bucket? Do you have holes cut into it somewhere that doesn't show on the photo?

Third, how often do you plan on filling that bucket? If you get a flock of, say, 40 turkeys on it, you'll have to fill that bucket every couple of days. 

Fourth, those sticks may look good, but if they aren't already, they will dry and become brittle...and the birds will break them off. Better just to remove them now and make sure you have a nice, wide (at least four feet around), solid (I've noticed the birds are very jumpy when they can see through slats to the ground) platform. 

Fifth, that looks a little rickety...you used 2x4's, didn't you? Get 30 birds up there, and it's liable to go right over-also a good strong wind. 

Last, are there birds there now? Cause our experience is that we have had to take the feeders to the turkeys-they have set patterns as to where they want to be in the summer, fall, winter, etc...and by now their winter pattern is pretty well set, especially if you have deep snow. You can't just build a feeder and expect the birds to come to it unless they pass by there every day during the fall and early winter-and we're four weeks past that point. Turkeys are funny birds, they may only be 200 yards away, but that's 200 yards too far if they don't know your feeder is there....

Keep us informed, and thanks for your efforts...


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## drydoe

Linda G. said:


> No, we don't. Last I heard, there was a chapter of NWTF covering that area, and they couldn't afford to do much feeding at all, that was several years ago. I don't think there's any organized efforts down there anymore. No corn makes it to the ground with my set up.
> 
> Drydoe, couple of questions.
> 
> First of all, how do you get the bucket down to fill it? Is it on a rope or something? If you do have birds, you'll have to be careful with that rope, we've found they can't see it and often the birds can injure themselves or even kill themselves when they fly into that rope...I have a small front section that I remove & I bring a ladder to access closer to the center of the top of my 35 gallon can. There are no hazards. This has a plywood flooring deck.
> 
> Second, how are the birds expected to feed from that bucket? Do you have holes cut into it somewhere that doesn't show on the photo? This is a Cabela's automatic feeder that I set to go off at 8 am & 3:30PM every day for 6 seconds each time. I also added a lower plastic pail to block the feed from shooting 35 feet, thus falling straight onto the plywood deck.
> 
> Third, how often do you plan on filling that bucket? If you get a flock of, say, 40 turkeys on it, you'll have to fill that bucket every couple of days. By metering out the feed for 6 seconds, twice a day, I will not have to refill for 3 weeks. If this proves to get utilized by the turkey, I have a 70 gallon unit I will install.
> 
> Fourth, those sticks may look good, but if they aren't already, they will dry and become brittle...and the birds will break them off. Better just to remove them now and make sure you have a nice, wide (at least four feet around), solid (I've noticed the birds are very jumpy when they can see through slats to the ground) platform. I added the sticks on the outside edge only. They are approx. 2" in dia. I thought this would help the turkey while landing verses sliding on the plywood.
> 
> Fifth, that looks a little rickety...you used 2x4's, didn't you? Get 30 birds up there, and it's liable to go right over-also a good strong wind. I used 2 x 4's & 3/8" carriage bolts. I plan on adding leg kickers once the snow melts & addition cross braces on the lower bottom.
> 
> Last, are there birds there now? I currently have had turkey roost on my property for past 3 years I have owned it. Its only 20 acres but that has been there home consistently throughout the (4) seasons. Cause our experience is that we have had to take the feeders to the turkeys-they have set patterns as to where they want to be in the summer, fall, winter, etc...and by now their winter pattern is pretty well set, especially if you have deep snow. You can't just build a feeder and expect the birds to come to it unless they pass by there every day during the fall and early winter-and we're four weeks past that point. Turkeys are funny birds, they may only be 200 yards away, but that's 200 yards too far if they don't know your feeder is there....
> 
> Keep us informed, and thanks for your efforts...


I plan on setting up a trail cam & will post pics if I am successful.


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## Linda G.

We have a set schedule of feeding a wild turkey 1/4 pound per shelled corn per day. More if it's a big tom or it's extremely cold, as in under zero. Using that formula, which was recommended to us by DNR wildlife biologists, your bucket will only feed a flock of more than ten birds for a couple of days. These are big birds that have far higher nutrition requirements than songbirds. 

We don't recommend feeding any longer than absolutely necessary, and never in the spring, summer or fall. The birds probably won't go to it anyway during warmer weather, they prefer wild foods when they can get to them. And you want to make sure you're not offering a situation that poachers might try to take advantage of during the spring and fall hunting seasons-most of the birds leave the feeding areas, anyway, but you don't want to take any chances. Therefore, our feeders are GONE after the snow melts. 

Keep us posted.


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## drydoe

Thanks Linda for the advise. This is all new to me. When I saw the turkey feeder on your web site that encouraged me to do something to help the turkey despite the deer baiting law.


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