Homemade 55-Gallon Barrel Gravity Deer Feeders

Clean the barrel thoroughly -- you don't want to poison the deer. A metal barrel is better to use instead of plastic. If you use plastic, smaller animals can eat the plastic, making your hole bigger. Too much feed will come out if this happens.

Cut a small hole about an inch from the bottom on one or both sides of the barrel with a metal-cutting blade on a saber saw. Begin cutting one inch from the bottom and cut upwards one inch. Cut over to the left or right about 3 inches and cut back down one inch. If you don't have a saber saw, you can use a large hammer and metal-cutting chisel.

Bend the flap downward toward the ground. This will help control the amount of feed that comes out.

Pour the feed into the barrel. Check to make sure that enough comes out of the hole. If it does not, make the hole bigger.

Put on a tight-fitting lid to keep rain out of the barrel.