# Luring animals to your land



## homesteadpastor (Jan 27, 2014)

I don't have a bunch of land but I do have a couple of acres. Every now and the I see some small animals passing through like rabbits or a possum. I've heard someone spotted some pigs once but only once and they certainly don't live on the land. We don't have a water source on the property like a creek or pool so I'm thinking having a food source is what I need to bring some animals around, but I'm not sure how to go about it.

I do plan to add some vegetation at some point, but for now I'm thinking of getting a bag of deer corn to spread out in certain spots every now and then. I'd like to see some pigs come around and smaller animals to take and process. Will a bag of corn do it? Will animals even know it's there other than the birds? I'd appreciate any advice on attracting animals.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Well, what is your two acres like? Open, wooded, hilly? What animals are you wanting to draw in? 

It is amazing how animals will home in on a food source, if they have a consistent supply over time. 

If your land has some kind of cover on it furthest from the house, and you have decent habitat around you to draw them from, you should be well able to draw in wildlife with some corn or other grains, good quality hay, salt blocks, mineral licks, or even kitchen waste.


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## OffGridCooker (Jan 29, 2010)

Water and food will bring them in, dripping water will really bring them in, haul it in if you have to, and use a solar fountain pump.
Corn is a basic food I feed all year long.
Animals like cracked corn for quick consumption and whole corn for cashing/storage.
Sunflower is very popular and will bring in the cridders but it is expensive. The birds at my platform feeder will eat 2 lb a day if I am willing to do it. That is almost a buck!
Many animals like sunflower.
Birds or bird feeders attract other wildlife, so put up a bird feeder.
Millet based bird feed attract rodents, rodents attract owls and hawks and foxes.
Put you feeders in a clearing to give the predators a chance to keeping the rodents in check.

When I moved to my place there was on sign of wildlife, now with water, corn and the bird feeder, we have a very active site. Our dog stays very busy guarding the place at night. It keeps her active. When the dog sleeps inside the cridders swoop in and clean up any food on the ground.

I once had a combination bird, squirrel and hawk feeder, used a 16 ft pole that pivoted, the squirrels could climb up but they were a little too slow climbing down.
Am I a bad person?


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## homesteadpastor (Jan 27, 2014)

farmerDale said:


> Well, what is your two acres like? Open, wooded, hilly? What animals are you wanting to draw in?
> 
> It is amazing how animals will home in on a food source, if they have a consistent supply over time.
> 
> If your land has some kind of cover on it furthest from the house, and you have decent habitat around you to draw them from, you should be well able to draw in wildlife with some corn or other grains, good quality hay, salt blocks, mineral licks, or even kitchen waste.



There's some trees and shrubbery here. It's a flat land. There is a small river a couple hundred yards away on the next property. I'd like to draw in anything that's hog size and smaller that's good eating.


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## homesteadpastor (Jan 27, 2014)

OffGridCooker said:


> Water and food will bring them in, dripping water will really bring them in, haul it in if you have to, and use a solar fountain pump.
> Corn is a basic food I feed all year long.
> Animals like cracked corn for quick consumption and whole corn for cashing/storage.
> Sunflower is very popular and will bring in the cridders but it is expensive. The birds at my platform feeder will eat 2 lb a day if I am willing to do it. That is almost a buck!
> ...



I'd say you're hunting smart. I'd rather pay $5 for a bag of corn and get 50lbs of hog meat or several squirrels and rabbits. The high price of food these days is horrible.


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## OffGridCooker (Jan 29, 2010)

homesteadpastor said:


> I'd say you're hunting smart. I'd rather pay $5 for a bag of corn and get 50lbs of hog meat or several squirrels and rabbits. The high price of food these days is horrible.


I could fill my freezer from my deck but my wife will not eat venison.
I need a good country girl.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I'm convinced that animals watch each other to find food sources.

It sounds like if you provided a water source the animals would soon find it.

If you are looking for a source of wild game to eat ***** would probably be a no-brainer AND you could get paid for removing them. Just get yourself some quality cage traps and advertise your **** control service. The furs are virtually worthless for southern **** but the meat is still good.

In some areas you could literally fill a freezer with **** meat.


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

Depends on what animals. Fruit trees help. Brush piles make good habitat. peace and quiet as well. I have no problem with deer coming through all year round. In fact, I have a problem WITH deer coming through all year round, but I have noticed during hunting season they prefer one corner where I have a grove of pecans and lots of growth and tall grasses bordering so it is like their secret little corner.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

food , cover , water make for a very inviting place 

apple orchards are very hard to beet they draw in deer like flees to a dog but cover near by is important 

I kicked up a big fat doe at the edge of a mowed yard with a dozen apple trees about 60 yards from the thick cover of Juniper , she was about 15 yards into the cover waiting for dark to male her way in for the apples , I had a shot while she was still laying down but had already filled my doe tag , she jumped up and run over to my son who filled his doe tag with a nice shot and she went right down.

my uncle has a 10 acre orchard and would shoot several deer a year from it , until he fenced the whole thing a few years ago he go to know when they passed through , he had a little shed that sat at the one end of the orchard and looked down a wider row ,they were so predictable in their travels he actually nailed a block of wood to the door frame at the perfect height to set his gun on her would set in the door with the gun resting on the block when he saw it walking through the rows he sat up strait put his shoulder to his shotgun and waited for it to step into the cross hairs , he would squeeze then go get the tractor and drag it out and hang it up and call who was next to get a deer if he already had enough

a few years ago I though it was strange we hadn't gotten a call to take a deer in two years , they had thanks giving that year and I realized why we hadn't gotten a call, he had fenced the orchard.

expect to have to fence right around the trees till they get going , but 3 t-posts and a loop of welded wire is enough


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