The use of staging areas in the whitetail hunting world has been really popular over the last decade. Conversely, hunting over deer feeders has been popular over several decades. While the latter is a polarizing topic, it’s a great way to bow hunt deer in states where it’s legal.
It’s also misunderstood.
Many deer hunters, particularly those in non-baiting states, claim (and even assume) it’s easy. However, I’ve got a little secret; deer feeders are not slam dunks, especially when hunting for mature bucks. Deer feeders conjure up images of zombie-like deer groups coming in like a wagon train shortly after dawn and before dusk. Their desire for corn borne of whirring spinner plates means you sit, shoot, and load’em on the truck. Whether or not you hold this opinion, the scenario rarely plays out when pursuing wise old bucks. At best, you might get a good bow shot at one, but the activity eventually sounds an alarm for older deer and the spot dries up pretty quickly.
This is the main reason I love bowhunting staging areas – that’s right, deer feeder staging areas.
Here is a scenario. As pre-dusk sets in, does and young bucks start filtering out of the cover headed to your feeder. Whether they’re anticipating or answering the dinner bell, there are a few that seem to come like clockwork. It’s often true.
You can do better than the “build it and they will come” mentality when it comes to deer feeders.
Before we go any further, let’s define staging area. In simple terms, staging areas are areas deer use right before moving into a more open area to feed. They sit between bedding and feeding areas. One common example is small stretches of cover lining an ag field or food plot. Many deer hunters (particularly bow hunters) have learned to leverage these zones for big buck success.
The same can be achieved in the zones adjacent to busy deer feeder areas.
This is a great tactic on several fronts. Why? Largely for the same reasons you would hunt any of these temporary holding spots. Here are some thoughts based on my experience bowhunting around feeder areas.
Micro-Bed to Food
Capitalizing on a buck’s bedding area to food travel pattern is largely what hunting staging areas are all about in the first place. The best way to a deer’s heart is through his stomach and well-managed feeder areas can be a bow hunter’s dream.
Setting up a good ambush spot on a known or likely pathway to a deer feeder can often create a quality archery shot.
Most traditional staging areas sit next to fields and plots. Open feeding areas mean more difficulty locating the true staging area, as deer can enter them from a variety of points. This is tough for archery hunters seeking manageable shots.
Heavily visited feeder areas are much smaller in size, making it easier to determine the likely pathways and staging areas for bucks.
Feeder Setup
The whole concept of bowhunting staging areas can easily be reverse-engineered by considering where to set up the feeder itself. This is a far cry from the “build it and they will come” mentality that many bowhunters behold. With that, set up your feeder where there are logical pathways to it – ones with enough cover to set up a tree stand or ground blind. If needed, you can even make modifications to create likely trails to the feeder area. For example, you can clear a small section along the path to your feeding site. Pick your projected staging area and clear a path to the feeder. Whether 40-yards or 100-yards away, these temporary holding areas can be money in the bank if ample thought is put into feeder placement on the front end.
Mature bucks often approach a feeder after good shooting light. A well-placed staging area can help you to head them off early.
Minimizing Feeder Disturbance
Perhaps the main benefit of hunting a staging area rather than the feeder itself is the inherent reduction of direct pressure to the feeder area itself. You’d be surprised how much ruckus is caused by a projectile arrow landing near tripod legs and under hanging feeders. This is magnified 100-fold if anybody rifle hunts the feeder. Less pressure means that the golden area can remain fruitful for future hunts and intel gathering. It’s a lot harder to burn out a staging area stand than one set up directly over a feeder.
FOMO on the Purgatory Pathway
In bait-legal states like Texas, Louisiana, and Ohio, it can be so tempting to simply set a popup blind or tree stand 30-yards from a feeder and call it a day – and it often works. However, as mentioned, it’s all too common for older bucks to wait until past shooting light to make their approach – that is if they show up there at all during daylight hours. Fear of missing out (or FOMO in the land of acronyms) can be difficult. After all, you can’t help but wonder what’s actually at your feeder. While it’s painful, a thoughtful setup along deer corridors to the feeding area can be pure gold for an ambush site. For every hunt you sit wondering what’s under the feeder less than 60-yards from you, there is a great chance you’ll catch a mature buck coming into sweet purgatory. This is a particularly good approach for evening hunts. Again, how many times have you had the most mature buck of the bunch come into a feeder shooting light?
Do your homework and peace of mind will come. Thoughtfully place trail cameras near your feeding area in a way that gives clues to the direction they approach from. Better yet, step back and view the area from a distance a couple of times. You’ll likely get directional clues. It’s worth it.
Combatting the Negative Chatter About Feeders
Deer feeder use is admonished by many in the whitetail stratosphere. In fact, check out just about any hunting forum and you’ll likely have a public land hunter or spot and stalk genius poke out their chest and declare the cheating ways of the bait-hunting crowd. While I can live with that, many find it bewildering, even discouraging. If you’re a disappointed member of the deer feeder low-life society, you can use them a different way. You guessed it, by marrying your feeder with thoughtfully-crafted staging areas. If done right, you might not only put a buck on the wall but find your man-card unblemished. I jest. Deer feeders are great tools and can be even better if you think outside the box.
While feeders can draw a lot of deer, they’re not a slam dunk when it comes to older, wiser bucks.
Consider giving a deer feeder staging area a try. Whether you create one or utilize a natural one, this is a great way to use the nearby land features to your advantage. Be cautious with your entry and exit routes, manage your scent, and get after it. It can be a bow hunting game changer.
