I have a salt lick on our property for more than 15 years. The bucks wear it out during the summer and I have a camera within 20 feet of the salt lick. Every year, activity is phenomenal during the summer, but it stops about mid-October. This year I decided to move a corn feeder adjacent to the salt lick so that I could monitor it using the same camera. I put the corn feeder out in early September, and I never got another picture of a non-yearling buck at that site for four straight weeks. In view of this, it was not the camera - but the corn that spooked off the bucks. I will not do that again.

I rarely get pictures of a mature buck at a corn feeder, but I know they are still there because I get images of big bucks in the food plots. Big bucks learn that an easy meal is TROUBLE.

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I did the same thing 1984dog this year by one of my yearly mineral sites except I put the food on the ground for weeks - then I finally put a camera up - got some nice pics of nice bucks hitting the rice bran but most of them were one and done (they not fan of camera). I hav Since taken camera down and still feed some at that location

On the feeder - seen it happen multiple times but not all deer act the same - what I hav seen some - u put a new feeder up and it may take deer weeks to get use to it - on my big field - took them over year to get use to it. Finally got a camera up at big field and basically got one pic of several good bucks - since cut that camera off

I hav seen cameras and feeders spook deer but it may not b like that with all deer. I got a lot of my field cameras off now - I hunt the wind anyway and I May turn them back on by January. I know what’s around but by Jan anything could show up

It wasn’t the corn that spooked the deer it was the feeder. I use to get 10-15 different bucks on camera every year behind my house. Put a feeder up and poof I’ve had 4 bucks on camera in two years. It wasn’t the corn that changed them it was most definitely the feeder.

In all the places I've hunted, does won't even come to corn in daylight. They will be all over it 10 minutes after dark though. I get pretty annoyed when I get to my stand and find that the last guy threw a bunch of corn down. It basically guarantees I won't see a deer. It is useful for keeping does on the property, which is all you need once the rut starts.

You know why they hit it hard until Mid october? Deer need the salt to metabolize all the water they take in from the plants they are eating. Then they switch to eating more mast in the fall, and don't need as much salt.

You must hunt some HIGHLY pressured land.

This ^^^^^^

Was it a wooden feeder? Treated lumber? If so thats your problem. The chemical repelled the deer at my place for months and not much repells my deer. I have since started leaving any feeder or anything made of wood (shooting house etc) outside for months before moving it to the farm. This completely solved my feeder spooking issue

Not mine. Mines a gravity feeder winched up off the ground with a hand crank.

Update ....
After not get any pictures of bucks on my feeder cameras, I took the advice from this several on this site and moved put two cameras away from the feeders a considerable distance and also to just pour some corn on the ground. Both of these suggested worked.

I moved one camera about 75 yards away in the woods and put out a small pile of corn. The camera caught several bucks - some of which I have not seen in months. The camera on the feeder likewise caught nothing but does and not a single buck.

I moved one camera back in the woods away from the food plot and feeder (in the food plot) and got several bucks on camera. The bucks are simply staying in the woods back from the food plot. I get plenty of does in the food plot or at the feeder, but not a single buck.

The bottom line here is that mature bucks simply do not like feeders and will go hungry before they give up any security. We will have to wait to see how they respond to a "hot" doe.

1984dog that is true of alot of bucks but not all. Some wont come to a feeder, some will. Some wont come out of the woods, some will. Some wont eat corn out of a pile, some will. Some will eat out of a trough but not a feeder. Some will eat out of a gravity feeder but wont go around a spinner. These are all things ive personally witnessed. I guess it wouldbe a pretty good idea to move your cameras around some to really see whats there. Deer are strange creatures.

Absolutely true research findings here. We’ve got a couple of 6 year old bucks on one of our tracts that will not get near a spin feeder or tube tied to a tree. Dump feed on the ground and they’ll be eating it 6 hours later.

There’s no other explanation, other than some deer are just strange. I can’t afford it, but like I said before, I know of 2 clubs that shut down all spin feeders and they both said there buck sightings tripled when they went to spread on the ground or tube tied to a tree feeders. I just can’t afford to put that much corn out , so I have to use the spin feeders.

Different deer behave in different ways. They’re all individuals.

I had two nice bucks coming to a feeder this last week and was going to try to get one of my boys one. The feeder was 25 yards from our blind in a food plot. It was that close due to bow hunting earlier in the year. I moved it a few yards back to allow for the known noises that you’ll make with kids while preparing to shoot. We hunted it that same day. Same feeder that’s been there for months, just a few yards farther away. It sent every deer we saw into absolute chaos. They couldn’t and wouldn’t accept it. Totally blew the hunt that day. Every deer that came to the field from every direction saw it immediately and panicked, from fawns all the way up to adults.

Some Mature bucks can act finakey or stay away from some feeders - some more than others - and even shy away from cameras and also some more than others

I turned my field cams back on in Clarke since I caught 2 kids walking my property on cell road cam and wanted to be able to see if they entered fields

Hope u kill a bigun 1984Dog - wish this weather get cold

My uncle was trying to lure a couple of BIG ones out of the woods into his food plot. He got pics of them every night in the woods. He moved the corn pile closer and closer to the edge of the field then poured it out in a line the last 100ft or so to the field. They ate every kernel up to about 20ft from the edge of the field. They wouldnt come an inch closer. That is some pretty cool knowledge right there. I also have a theory about different bucks "chasing does" different ways. I believe some bucks follow does and go where they go, being strung along by the doe. I believe the oldest biggest bucks kindof herd the doe where they want them to go and then physically keep them there until theyre done with them.

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Heck yea JWalker - does can lead them around by the nose some but I hav seen even if the doe is in the field especially smaller fields - the buck can herd the doe out of the field without ever going in the field and herd them away from the field

You're hunting in the wrong places. On my place, the does will run over you when the feeder is about to go off. If the feeder is empty, the deer stand around trying to figure out where the corn is. Same way on my 2 leases. They know exactly when the feeder is about to go off and they don't want to be left out

[quote=jwalker77. I also have a theory about different bucks "chasing does" different ways. I believe some bucks follow does and go where they go, being strung along by the doe. I believe the oldest biggest bucks kindof herd the doe where they want them to go and then physically keep them there until theyre done with them. [/quote]

Many years ago during my wildlife photographer days, I saw exactly what you described. The young bucks (<3.5 years) would follow the hot does around. When the mature buck (4+ years) showed up - he simply came in and bullied the doe to go with him much like a cutting horse does. The big buck did not pussyfoot around as he came in and was gone in less than a minute. I witnessed this big buck do this two mornings in a row

Sounds like I should be hunting at your place lol. My two options are public land and a hunt club with over 20 members. From what I've seen, baiting has made pressured deer even more pressured. I have a much easier time finding public land deer, and I think that is due to the lack of bait.