How to Use a Feed Station to Draw Deer

Locate an area with a good-sized deer population. You may want to set up a camera to watch a specific area for a few days to see how many deer walk through a specific area. A wooded area is a common spot to find lots of deer. You can also search for deer by looking for deer beds, or matted-down areas of grass, to find where they sleep at night.

Set up a feed station. You can put feed on the ground, in a trough, or build a more elaborate feeding station like a gravity deer feeder. Create a feeder that blends in with the surroundings so it will not frighten deer away. A trough carved from wood will be more effective than a brightly colored metal trough if you plan on placing it in the woods.

Select feed that deer enjoy. Millets, sorghum, peas, corn and soybeans are popular choices. If you want to draw deer to your area for hunting or to look at them, you can use whole corn in your feeder to attract them. However, if you want to provide adequate nourishment to the deer and give them supplementary food during the summer months when crops are growing, consider providing the deer with a feed rich in protein, calcium, fiber and phosphorus.

Fill the feed station daily. Deer will stop coming to a feed station if they visit it several times and find there is no food. Supplemental feeding is especially important between May and September since crops are growing and deer don't have many food options.