Turkeys are fun birds to hunt, however, attracting them can prove difficult. Most commercial feeders cost a lot of money but are very efficient at attracting turkeys. Homemade Turkey feeders can be just as effective but can cost less than half what a normal feeder costs, using items you find around the garage.
Gathering the Materials
Before getting stated, you need a 6-inch PVC pipe, a bolt and a nut, a pulley, a rope, a PVC pipe plug and a 45-degree T fitting to fit on your PVC pipe. You also will need a tree around where turkeys have been spotted.
Forming the Feeder
You can begin forming your feeder before you nail down a location for it to be emplaced, especially as it will be fairly mobile. The pipe is fairly simple and should require very little assembly. To begin building your feeder, attach the T fitting at the bottom of the PVC pipe. The pipe protruding from the side of the fitting should point upward. Once you have done this, attach the PVC pipe plug on the bottom of the fitting so that the only exposed hole on the bottom of the feeder is protruding from the side.
Hanging the Feeder
Hanging the feeder is a great way to keep squirrels or raccoon from getting into the feed. To hang the feeder, drill a hole in the top side the feeder, horizontally going through the feeder so that you can put your bolt through the hole. Attach the nut to ensure that the bolt does not slide out in case of wind or any other disturbance to the feeder. This bolt will act as a hook to attach the rope to, enabling you to hang the feeder. By now, you need to know which tree you want to hang the feeder from. Attach the pulley to a branch you want to hang your feeder from. Attach one end of your rope to your feeder and run the other end through the pulley. You can tie the other end to the tree at your desired height and adjust the height to your liking. Keep in mind that the turkeys still need to reach the feeder, so do not place it too high up the tree.
Writer Bio
Jason Gabriel is a technical writer with a graduate degree from the University of Alabama. His work has been recognized and published by universities, businesses and the government. Gabriel was the winner of the Arizona Statehood Writing Contest.