How to Make Corn Feeders for Deer

Deer gather around a corn feeder where corn collects in the Y joint from pipe above.

The easiest way to watch for deer is to simply provide food for them. Creating your own corn feeders for deer will attract them and once the deer feel safe eating from your corn feeders, they will come back looking for more. Corn feeders are often used for hunting, but they can also be a great way for you and your family to watch for wildlife.

Things You'll Need

• post hole diggers
• large pole or piece of pipe at lease 10 feet tall
• bag of concrete
• PVC pipe (4 feet of 4" diameter)
• PVC pipe Y joint
• Drill
• Short screws
• ladder
• duct tape
• sheets of tin
• corn

Instructions

How to make corn feeders

1. Dig a 3- to 4-foot hole with post hole diggers.

2. Place a sturdy pole or large piece of pipe at least 10 feet tall into the hole. Fill the hole with dirt or fill with concrete. You will be attaching the feeder to this structure instead of a tree. This will help keep away other animals.

3. Cut a 4-foot piece of 4-inch diameter pvc pipe. This pipe will be where you put the corn. As deer feed from the bottom, gravity will pull down more corn and keep the feeder full until no more corn is left.

4. Attach the Y joint to the bottom of the 4-foot PVC pipe using screws. Cap the bottom of the Y joint with the PVC pipe cap and use screws to hold in place. The Y joint will be the area where deer will feed from.

5. Drill several small holes in the bottom of the Y joint cap so water can drain out of the feeder.

6. Using duct tape, attach the pipe to the structure you placed in the ground. Place the bottom of the feeder, which is the Y joint end, about 3 feet off the ground so squirrels will not be able to get into the feeder.

7. Wrap tin around the bottom of the whole structure for added protection against squirrels.

8. Fill your corn feeder by putting corn in at the top. The corn will collect at the bottom of the feeder in the Y joint. As deer feed, more corn will come down through the pipe to fill the Y joint. Place a bucket or PVC cap on top to protect from rain.

Tips & Warnings

• Use plenty of duct tape to attach the feeder to the in-ground structure.

• Baiting deer with corn feeders for hunting purposes may not be legal in all states. Check with your state's fish and wildlife management agency for applicable rules.

References

• PVC Homemade Deer Feeders
• Making a Homemade Deer Feeder

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Gravity Fed Homemade Deer Feeder Plans
• State By State Wildlife Regulations