Build a Deer Feeder to Attract Wildlife

Things You Need:
1 x 12 pine or cedar board
Basic Woodworking Tools
Weather-resistant Screws or NailsCut the board into the following parts:

Part A (sides) - 18" long by 8½" wide (quantity of two needed)

Part B (back) - 18" long by 7 ½" wide

Part C (slanted front) - 17" long by 7 ½" wide

Part D (bottom) - 7 ¾ long by 7 ½" wide

Part E (lid) - 10" long by 10 ½ " wide

Part F (tray front) - 9" long by 2 ½ " wide
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Attach the sides (Part A) to the Back (Part B) using screws or nails.

Next, attach the bottom (Part D) to the back and sides, again using screws or nails.

Cut a 22 ½ degree bevel across one end of the slanted front (Part C). The bevel lines up against the top edges of the sides, forming a triangular bin with a small opening at the bottom. The opening at the bottom of the bin is approximately ¾ '' wide between the slanted front and the back of the feeder box.

Attach the tray front (Part F) across the bottom, forming a tray to hold the feed in the box.

Cut small cleats from a couple of scrap pieces to attach to the bottom of the lid (Part E). Position the cleats to hold the lid in the center of the box.

Cut two more cleats to form a handle for the lid. Make the lower cleat narrower than the upper cleat, making it easier to grasp and remove the lid for filling the feed box.

Mount the finished wildlife feeder box to a tree or a pole, with the tray approximately 16" above the ground, and fill the feeder with cracked corn or specialty deer feed.

The deer, turkeys, squirrels and chipmunks will find the feeder quickly. We have generations of deer who visit our feeder box regularly, including does with young fawns and even large bucks, who are often wary and seldom seen out in the open.

We also hang a salt lick near the wildlife feeder to attract more deer to the feeding area.

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Make a simple cleat system for hanging projects such as this wildlife feeder, birdhouses and window boxes. The cleat is made by ripping a piece of stock at a 45 degree angle.

Start with a piece of wood at least four inches wide, and slightly shorter than the width of the feeder. Tilt the table saw blade to 45 degrees, then set the fence to 2 ½" from the blade to rip the stock into two mirror image pieces, each with a 45 degree bevel cut along one edge.

Attached one of the pieces to the back of the project with the 45 degree angle of the cleat pointing downward to form an inverted "V" between the back of the feeder and the outside surface of the cleat.

Attach the second piece where you want to hang the feeder, this time with the "V" of the cleat facing upward. Use weather resistant screws, and make sure the cleat is level.

When fitted together, the two 45 degree "V"s from each piece lock together to securely hold the feeder in place.

Add a filler strip along the bottom edge of the feeder, below the cleat on the backside, to hold the feeder upright and plumb. Cut the filler strip to the same thickness as the cleats.

The white-tailed deer is named for its signature tail. When alarmed, the deer sprints away from danger with its tail raised upright. The white underside of the tail flashes like a flag, warning other deer of the potential dangers.

White-tailed deer lived in wooded areas from southern Canada and throughout most of the continental United States except for the Southwest.

Deer typically feed in the early morning and late in the early afternoon, bedding down in cover for most of the day. They eat fresh grass and green leaves during the spring and summer. During the fall and winter months, deer scrape away the snow and fallen leaves from the ground in search of acorns and nuts. They will also browse for twigs and buds.

Creatures of habit, white-tailed deer routinely use the same trails to travel between feeding and bedding areas. They home range is about one square mile.

Deer are herbivores, and only eat plants. In suburban areas with high deer populations, white-tails will raid yards and gardens to eat shrubs and perennials.

Only the male white-tailed deer grows antlers, which it sheds each year. A large male white-tailed deer can weigh up to 300 pounds. Females are smaller, typically weighing between 90 to 150 pounds. They can run up to 30 miles per hour, and can leap a six-foot tall fence. Deer are also excellent swimmers.

White-tailed deer mate in late fall and early winter. After a six month gestation period, the females give birth to spotted fawns. Twins are common, but singles and triplets are not unusual.

Fawns can walk about birth, and run within a few hours. Females lick the young fawns to remove most of their scent, making it difficult for predators to find a hiding fawn.

image credit: US Fish and Wildlife