The great State of Texas allows hunters and landowners to feed wildlife, both in season and out of season and this becomes very important especially during periods of extended drought like we are experiencing now!  For the deer, food is scarce, water is scarce and it’s really tough times for wildlife!  Ranchers are feeding cows that haven’t been sold, paying exorbitant prices for baled hay, or feeding them hay baled last summer, or coastal Bermuda baled this spring, corn prices are skyrocketing, beef prices falling, stock tanks and water wells are drying up, tough times in Texas, in fact the entire southwest, for ranchers and livestock too!

Based on the preceding background, this week I started my corn feeder over a month early, generally starting them after Labor Day. Putting game cameras on a fence post around the corn feeder and a tree by the water trough, I was expecting some great “shots”, the pressure overcame me and I fudged on some shots from the trough, posting them on July 25.   Finally getting the memory cards out of the game cameras, then checking all of the pictures, it dawned on me that because there were so many good “shots”, I should split the posts and make one about the corn feeder and the other about the water trough.  Today’s post are pictures from the corn feeder.

The first deer to show up on the 22nd was a big spike.  First chance we get, he’ll get smoked!

Early Saturday morning, five more deer, four doe and a fawn stopped by for a bite.  After the deer left, four coons, a coon family, was picking up the corn.
    
Later Saturday morning, two squirrel and a doe showed up.  This goes to prove my theory that wildlife benefits from deer feeding.  So far deer, coons and squirrels are dining on the corn and who knows what else will show up?

Sunday morning, a spotted fawn and a doe were feeding and shortly a doe, a six pointer and button buck, along with a squirrel, posed for a “shot”.  A deer family, who knows, but it looks like it?
     
In the middle of the night on the 25th, this is a most unusual picture of a fawn nursing, while the mother picks up corn!  Everyone has to eat!  Later that morning a doe, spike and button buck stopped by, probably, adding the six pointer, the same deer family?
    
Monday afternoon, in my truck, I went out and replaced the memory card in the game camera, notice the “shot”, I’m in my summer outfit, boots, shorts, tee shirt and let me tell you, it was plenty hot!  The camera was almost too hot to touch, showing 118, but it was “cooking” in the sun.