Feeder leg questions

DaveABQ

Albuquerque, NM
Ok, so I use the cheap Moultrie plastic feeders and as you know, the come with cheaper thin round steel tubing. At my lease, the guys swear that the hogs all destroy their feeders by hammering on the legs to tip over the feeders.

While I don't doubt that hogs are smart enough, I believe that securing the legs properly is part of the issue. Some of the guys use thick one piece square or round steel tubing. I've been out to the lease several times when there have been feeders laying on their sides, the guys on the lease say that the hogs are knocking them over, yet I have yet to see one pic from a game camera of this happening. But what I did notice is what I believe is happening, heavy winds are blowing over the feeders.

I have up 3 feeders, all using the cheap Moultrie round tubing that comes with the feeder, and I've also secured other feeders in the way that I do my Moultrie feeders and not one has went over. The problem is see is where you drive a T-post in straight up and down and wire it to the feeder leg. To me, that doesn't do much more than not having a T-post. What happens is when the wind blows or a hog pushes on the leg, the feeder lifts right up and the legs slides through the wire.

What I have don't on my feeder legs is first drill holes where each leg slides in to the next and put a bolt through it, then I drive in the T-post almost perpendicular to the leg, I drill a hole through the feeder leg and I wire around the T-post and through the leg, there will be no moving. I'm not saying that a big boar that is strong enough can't collapse the legs, as I believe they can, but what I'm saying is that in most cases where I have seen feeders on the ground is when the wind was heavy. I had seen no indication of hogs in the area or on camera before the feeders were down or if there were hogs, I didn't see in the pics where they have pounded the legs.

Putting in the T-posts, would be even better angled from the inside to the outside of the feeder area, but then you limited the access under the feeder.

Here is an example of one of my feeders:
153253438.jpg


I do believe big hogs can knock over feeders, either knocking it enough to get above a T-post, or collapsing the legs. But I've seen feeders over on their sides even with the big steel thick legs, but the T-post was just wired around the leg, which in that case their is really nothing holding it from blowing it over.

Earlier this year I was at the lease, we had 60+ mph hour winds, I went out, two feeders were on their sides, one had a game camera on it, no hogs were present.

So wanted others experiences? My feeders are still running and we have some big hogs on the lease.

Notice the pic of the boar on the bottom left of the pic above, at first I thought he had shiny nuts lol, but looks to be an infection or boil or something, thoughts? Thanks for your inputs, I'm an amateur when it comes to feeders, even though I've shot a boatload of hogs when I lived in florida, I never used a feeder, I would just walk around the property I had access to and shoot them, during the day, as there were so many, or I would sit in a tree stand in a heavily populated area of hogs.
 

pruhdlr

Cantonment,Fla.
SUS VENATOR CLUB
I have two of the same feeders. I use the original equipment,however I "sleeve" the three legs with thick walled PVC pipe.

When installing the feeder,I dig a hole with post hole digger about 6 inches deep for the legs to sit down into. That way the hogs cannot spread them causing the feeder to topple.

I had one set up this way at a club that I was in and even the bigger hogs failed to topple it. BUT......I am convinced that a large hog could if he really wanted to.

Re. the "shiny nuts" thing. Never had 'em...don't want 'em. Did some bad assed mo-fo chase him down and stick one of those "bright eyes" tacks in him ?? You just might have to kill him to find out. --- pruhdlr
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
Dave, the only thing I might do that you have not is sleeve the cheap metal legs w larger diameter pipe, then do your securing. I have a new one like that I have never used, I hate those as all mine are on a winch system on really big and wide tripods. I have thought about reversing the ring on the barrel the legs attach to and hang from a cross brace either between trees or 4x4's and get away from the thin legs that come with them. If a large hog does not knock it over our bears will!
 

TEXASLAWMAN

Lone Star Boars Owner
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
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LoneStarBoars Supporter
I use bailing wire and t-post to keep the hogs from tipping them. We had a fairly large boar learn to lean on the legs and bend them. It was this guy.

image.jpg
 

DaveABQ

Albuquerque, NM
I can believe those big boars can knock things around, the boar that is my avatar was 300 pounds and one of the guys killed a 377 pound boar with a crossbow, sure he could have done a number on feeders

I'm wondering if that was a rattlesnake bite on the rear of that hog in the pic above
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
yeah that big boy is/was gonna lean on anything he wanted to...lol
 

1956_4x4

Crestview, Florida
LoneStarBoars Supporter
I can believe those big boars can knock things around, the boar that is my avatar was 300 pounds and one of the guys killed a 377 pound boar with a crossbow, sure he could have done a number on feeders

I'm wondering if that was a rattlesnake bite on the rear of that hog in the pic above


That last statement just made me wince a bit.

Smitty
 

DFWRoadkill

New Member
SUS VENATOR CLUB
I have had feeder pics wherein the hogs had gotten a leg loose from the t-posts we anchor them two and they were shaking the feeder to get corn out. He had the leg in his mouth and was lifting and shaking the feeder. They can absolutely pick them up and turn them over.

In this case we caught it in time and were only out the barel of corn that was shaken out. I would replace or sleeve the thin walled legs on that type feeder for sure.
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
Because of hog and bear I just don't use that type of feeder, I get a large tripod with a winch or hang the barrel from trees or a crossbar type of setup.
 

1956_4x4

Crestview, Florida
LoneStarBoars Supporter
Need to agree with Frank on this one. I had two of these feeders and both of them have been torn up. I was able to make one out of the two and I have it set up again, but when it gets torn up to the point that I can't repair it I won't buy another one. The tall tripods with a boat winch are easier to refill and they hold up better. I have 4 of the better tripods and two bear poles in my hunting areas.

Smitty
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
One of out local feed stores makes these for $154 and they are well worth it. 12' and I use this one as a skinning rack but they are made to hang feeders from.

PICT0428.jpg
PICT0430.jpg
 

Wildfowler

Mis'sippi
SUS VENATOR CLUB
How are those three legs assembled together at the top.

Could you post a picture of the assembly they use to hold all that together?

I've got a bunch of long spare poles and have thought about trying to turn one of them into a tripod.

Thanks
 

FrankT

Destin FL
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
LoneStarBoars Supporter
the top is a small triangle welded together with a hardpoint and pulley, as I remember they are about 3' long, the legs are reduced to slide into the top about 12". I don't have a close up of the build, sorry. Here is an older model that has been in the field at least 5 years with a feeder on it, these I don't believe pull apart and are smaller diameter legs. hope that helps.
MFDC1680.JPG
This one is a portable, I use for a can feeder or skinning rack, found under tripods at Sportsmans guide, much smaller and not as high. Hogs have never tipped it but a bear has.


We als0 have 2 made out of old tripod shooting stand that had seat on the top, just welded a hard point and reinforced the bracing, then welded on a large winch, works well for a skinning rack or feeder.
 

DaveABQ

Albuquerque, NM
I have had feeder pics wherein the hogs had gotten a leg loose from the t-posts we anchor them two and they were shaking the feeder to get corn out. He had the leg in his mouth and was lifting and shaking the feeder. They can absolutely pick them up and turn them over.

In this case we caught it in time and were only out the barel of corn that was shaken out. I would replace or sleeve the thin walled legs on that type feeder for sure.

I drill a hole through the legs, wire through the leg to the t-post, no picking them up, none have went over since I started doing this, and we have some big boars, my friend killed a 300 pounder that is my avatar, another killed a boar that went 377 pounds

No bears in the area, so don't have to worry about that, also very few raccoons....just hogs, but I agree the legs that come with the feeder are like sheet metal thin, so if they worked at it they could probably buckle them
 
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