For those of you who feed via broadcasting (don't put food on the ground or in a trough)... what is your strategy and does it change during the season?

For the regular part of the season, we typically broadcast twice a day - once at 7 AM and another at 4:30 PM. However, once the rut hits we feed at 5:30 AM, 7 AM, Noon, 3 PM, and 4:30 PM. The idea behind 5:30 is that hopefully we keep most does in the area at the feeder around daylight rather than randomly scattered throughout the woods. The increased feeding times are to enhance the possibility that does with a buck will come to the feeder during the day - as we've often seen does visiting food plots during non-typical feeding times when being serviced by a buck (11 AM, 1 AM, etc.). I've been reminded of all of this with the cold coming. We have zero acorns this year and food in the woods is scarce on our properties... so we increased the amount of feed we're broadcasting over the next week. Would be interested to hear from others on the subject.

Nope feed right around daylight for 17 seconds and a few minutes after 4 same time. My does normally aren’t far away then.

I’m glad you posted this question, as I have been considering posting something similar for a while now.

We set out feeders for 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm only. The areas we hunt are mostly thick pine timber, very few if any feed trees or open woods. Our strategy is keep the pressure down in mornings, sneak in midday to hunt the evening. When we tried to hunt mornings it seems we would spook more deer and reduce the numbers we would see overall.

I understand we probably miss some opportunities by not hunting mornings very often but with the layout of our property this approach has worked fairly well for us over the years.

Middle of the day for 20 seconds. On all my feeders. I never change the time.

I know a few clubs that do this and it works well for them. It’s not a rule really but they just get lazy and would rather cook a big breakfast and hang out at the camp. Keeps pressure down.

This is fantastic advice. So many evenings are ruined by bumping deer in the mornings. Stay out let them bed where they want to bed, go in and kill them in the afternoon.

I have my feeders set for 7:00 am 30 sec and 4:30 pm for 30sec. Turkeys have about quit feeding then. If you are going to kill deer off that feeder, the deer have to feel comfortable feeding in daylight and you need to be able to get in and out of your stand without them ever knowing you were there. I like to be around 150 yards away. Feeder take 350# to fill. 12 v batteries and solar panels. Low maintenance. Feed year round. Did it this way with good food plots for years before corn.

I run mine four times per day. Set them at 6 seconds per time at 7am, 8am, 3:45pm and 4:30pm. I start all my spin feeders by the first of August and they stay the same setting throughout season. Only thing I change feeding wise is that when it gets January, I will broadcast roads and patches with corn via a hitch spreader.

Interesting approach… we have multiple types of timber and do most of our hunting in the evenings also. One reason we went to the 5:30 AM setting was due to the fact we’d spook deer going in most mornings. That was primarily due to the fact that the doe groups were spread out since the feeder wouldn’t go off until 7. By condensing them down to a more narrow area, not only do we not spook as many going in, but cruising morning bucks can go visit that one area versus hitting 3 or 4.

Twice a day, 6:30am and 3pm. Since the deer are at the feeder sometimes within minutes, I want to make sure I’m settled in before the feeder runs. I also want feed on the ground while I’m sitting and not sit for 2 hours before the feeder goes off.

7am and 4pm, for about 7 seconds. I’m cheap

All of mine are set to go off at 7:30 am and 4:30pm for 10 seconds each time.

interesting...

1 p.m. and 3 p.m. cranked them to 20 seconds on high. leaves some for nighttime bucks cruising through. It's all gone by the next morning.