🦌 White-tailed Deer · Hunting gear
Texas Deer Feeder Guide: Timer Settings, Corn and the Rules (2026-27)
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A spin-cast corn feeder in front of a box blind is about as Texas as deer hunting gets. Set up well, a feeder brings deer into daylight at a predictable spot and a known distance. Set up badly, it feeds hogs and raccoons at 2 a.m., wastes corn and can even make wildlife sick. Here is how to get it right, starting with what the law allows.
Is it legal to hunt deer over a feeder in Texas?
Yes, on private land with the landowner's permission. TPWD's means and methods rules allow you to bait game animals, nongame animals and upland game birds, with two big exceptions and one big caveat:
- No baiting for migratory game birds (doves, ducks, geese, cranes) or for wild turkey in the East Zone. A deer feeder near a dove field or a duck pond can make that area a "baited area" for birds.
- Baiting is unlawful on most public property. On TPWD public hunting lands you may not bait wildlife or hunt over a baited area unless the department authorizes it for a specific unit and time.
- Legal shooting hours for deer and other game animals run from one-half hour before official sunrise to one-half hour after official sunset. You may not use artificial light that illuminates a game animal to hunt it, so a feeder light does not extend deer hunting into the night.
Bag limits, antler restrictions and antlerless days still apply county by county. Look up your county's 2026-27 deer season before you hunt, and see our Texas deer hunting gear checklist for the rest of your blind kit.
Sources: TPWD Hunting Means and Methods, TPWD Hunting Definitions and Public Hunting Lands rules, checked Oct. 24, 2026.
Types of deer feeders
Spin-cast (broadcast) feeders are the classic Texas setup: a barrel or hopper on a tripod, or hung from a limb, with a battery-powered motor and timer that throws corn in a circle. They are the right tool for hunting because the timed throw trains deer to show up at set times.
Gravity or "protein" feeders let deer eat pelleted feed on demand from a trough or port. Many Texas landowners run them in spring and summer as supplemental nutrition rather than as a hunting attractant. They hold a lot of feed, so they need protection from hogs and raccoons.
Tripod vs. hanging: a tripod lets you put the feeder exactly where you want it, such as in an open sendero with a clear shooting lane. A hanging feeder is lighter and cheaper but needs a stout limb in the right spot.
1. Spin-cast feeder
Pick a hopper size you can actually fill and haul to the lease. Bigger capacity means fewer trips, but every pound has to be lifted into the barrel. Look for sturdy legs, a funnel that keeps corn flowing to the motor, and a lid that seals out rain.
2. Digital timer and solar charger
The timer is the brain of the feeder. Most let you set several feedings a day and choose the spin length for each. A small solar panel keeps the battery topped up between trips, which matters on leases you only visit on weekends.
Deer feeder timer settings for Texas
Every feeder throws a different amount of corn per second, depending on the motor, spinner plate and the gap below the hopper. So treat these as starting points, run a test, and adjust from what lands on the ground and what shows up on your camera.
| Time of year | Suggested feedings | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-season (late summer to early fall) | 2 a day: shortly after sunrise and before sunset | Builds the habit. A midday feeding can help with trail-camera inventory when you are not hunting. |
| Archery and early general season (Oct. to Nov.) | 2 a day, both inside legal shooting hours | Set the morning spin after first light, not before, so deer don't clean it up in the dark. |
| Rut and late season (Dec. to Jan.) | 2 a day, evening spin a little earlier | Cold fronts and colder days often bring more daylight movement. Update times as sunset shifts. |
Spin length: start around 5 seconds, then add or subtract a second or two. More corn is not always better. A smaller, consistent throw keeps deer coming back and leaves less for hogs, raccoons and birds overnight.
Daylight saving time: it ends on Nov. 1, 2026, the week before the general season opens. Unless your timer adjusts on its own, reset it, or your "after sunrise" spin will go off an hour early.
Want to line up your sits with moon phase and the best movement windows? Try our free solunar times calculator. It is built for fishing, but many hunters check the same major and minor periods.
Choosing and storing deer corn
Corn can carry aflatoxin, a toxin made by molds that thrive in drought-stressed and damp grain. According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension:
- Read the label. Corn sold as wildlife feed with elevated aflatoxin has to say so in a warning statement, and unlabeled bags are a red flag.
- Wildlife specialists recommend using only corn labeled under 20 ppb aflatoxin.
- Corn at 100 ppb or more should not be fed to wildlife.
- Deer appear less sensitive than grain-eating birds such as quail and turkey and small mammals such as squirrels and rabbits, which is another reason to keep corn clean.
- The molds grow best when corn is warm and wet. Store corn cool and dry, keep feeders clean and leak-free, and never let corn sit wet in the hopper.
Source: "Hunters use caution when feeding corn to wildlife", Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
3. Airtight feed storage
A sealed metal can or airtight bin keeps corn dry and keeps rodents out at camp or in the barn between refills.
Keeping hogs and raccoons off your feeder
Feral hogs can empty a feeder area overnight and push deer off it. Raccoons climb tripods and hang on spinner plates to rake corn out. A few common fixes:
- Spinner cage or raccoon guard around the motor so nothing can grab the plate.
- Feeder pen or panel fence around protein feeders, built so deer can reach the feed but hogs can't.
- Timing: avoid night feedings during hunting season. They mostly feed hogs and teach deer to come after dark.
- Remove the hogs. Texas allows trapping feral hogs and other nongame and exotic animals on private property. Moving and releasing live hogs is illegal unless you follow Texas Animal Health Commission rules. See our Texas feral hog hunting guide.
4. Spinner cage and hog-resistant fencing
A cage keeps raccoons off the motor. Panel fencing around a protein feeder keeps hogs from eating the expensive pellets.
5. Gravity protein feeder (optional)
A protein feeder is a separate, year-round nutrition tool rather than a hunting setup. If you run one, plan for hog protection from day one.
Where to put the feeder
- Distance: place it at a distance you shoot confidently, then range it from the blind window so you know the exact yardage. Bow hunters will set it much closer than rifle hunters.
- Wind: put the feeder where your usual wind direction blows your scent away from the trails deer use to reach it.
- Background and lane: a safe backstop behind the feeder, and an open lane for a clean shot. Keep it well away from property lines and roads.
- Cover nearby: mature bucks are more comfortable approaching a feeder that has brush within a short walk.
- Away from bird hunting spots: remember the migratory bird baiting rules if you also hunt doves or ducks on the same place.
6. Trail camera
A camera on the feeder tells you which deer use it, when they show up, and whether hogs or raccoons are winning. Cellular models send photos to your phone so you don't have to walk in and leave scent.
Keep a record
Write down feeding times, spin lengths, wind and what you saw on every sit. After a season, the patterns jump out. Our Texas Deer Hunting Log has a page for each sit with wind, moon phase, sightings and trail-camera notes. And if you want something for the feeder crew at camp, check out the "The Feeder Goes Off at 6:30" mug in our shop.
TPWD hunting regulations · 2026-27 season dates
FAQ
What time should I set my deer feeder in Texas?
A common starting point is two feedings a day: one shortly after first light and one an hour or two before sunset, so the spin happens in legal shooting hours. Shift the times as sunrise and sunset move, and adjust based on what your trail camera shows.
How long should the feeder spin?
There is no single right number because every feeder throws a different amount per second. Start around 5 seconds, run one test feeding, look at how much corn is on the ground, and add or cut a second or two from there.
Can I hunt deer over a feeder on public land in Texas?
Generally no. Baiting and hunting over a baited area are prohibited on TPWD public hunting lands unless the department authorizes it for a specific unit, activity and time period. Feeders are a private-land tool.
Can I hunt deer at night under a feeder light?
No. Texas law prohibits hunting game animals with the aid of artificial light that illuminates the animal, and deer may only be hunted during legal shooting hours. Feeder lights are used for feral hogs, which are not game animals.
What does the aflatoxin number on a bag of deer corn mean?
It is the level of a mold toxin in the corn, in parts per billion (ppb). Texas A&M AgriLife wildlife specialists recommend using only corn labeled below 20 ppb, and say corn at 100 ppb or more should not be fed to wildlife.
Regulation details checked against the TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual on October 23, 2026. Regulations can change mid-year. Confirm at tpwd.texas.gov before you go.
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