THERE’S NO RIGHT OR WRONG way to build this system and every application will be a little different based on your specific feeder.
Security Light available for $35 from Harbor Freight. The light mounts on the bottom end of the bracket away from the feeder. This allows you to adjust the light so it shines away from the feeder at an angle and, more important, to aim the motion sensor so it detects movement as game approaches The “poor your feeder. man’s night The solar panel is mounted on vision.” the top outside end of the bracket so it faces the sun and recharges This system provides a very bright the batteries during the day. Keeping motion-activated light that’s powerful enough to shoot from one hundred yards or it away from the feeder is essential so it gets direct sun to recharge during the day and more. It’s solar powered so there are no batteries doesn’t spend long hours in shadows. Most security lights have an option to to buy or change and it’s always on so you’re not going to scent up your feeder area and adjust the length of time they’ll stay on and the motion sensitivity. I’ve found that setting run the risk of being winded. To build this system you need lights and the light on the longest setting and the sensia mounting bracket. This is again the most tivity at about 40 percent works best. This basic design you can expand upon at will gives you light to shoot from for a long period based on your own needs and durability of time, yet the lights won’t come on with every field mouse that drops by for a snack. requirements. Two lights mounted on opposite sides I built my first brackets out of treated lumber scraps which lasted two years before I had of the feeder provide enough coverage that to replace them. For a more durable solution you can have your entire feeder area illuminated. We’ve even expanded the system and you could weld a mounting bracket. The material is not nearly important as mounted additional lights mounted on t-posts the design. The mount must allow the lights in a circle around our feeder pens to alert us to be mounted away from the feeder around to incoming hogs. Just make sure you’re not pointing lights 18 to 24 inches away from the barrel and the mounting surface needs to run parallel to the toward your feeder that would interfere with your vision. ground. These lights are bright white, and I’ve In its simplest form, for a 55-gallon drum feeder, cut two 24 inch pieces of 2x4 lumber often been questioned about the light color. and build an L-shaped wooden bracket to Most lights marketed toward feeders or huntmount to the feeder. There’s a variety of more ing are colored lights. I’ve had a few dozen durable options, but I held the arms in place people use this system across the state, and against the feeder and wrapped a ratchet the color of the light has not been a problem strap around them and secured them in place one single time. In some instances the game will spook on the feeder barrel. The mounting brackets are used to mount slightly for a few days but within three days solar powered LED motion-activated lights they simply ignore it. We found the easiest which are sold as “home security lights” in way to combat this is to throw a gallon of soured corn under the feeder after the lights stores. are installed, and the hogs act like the light’s not there. These lights are essential because: If you’re looking for an inexpensive and • LED lights draw little power • Solar powered lights assure the batteries exciting way to light up your night hunting there’s no better system for a budget constay charged • Motion-activated option assures they are scious hunter. For less than $100 per feeder you can experience the thrill of night hunting only on when needed You’ll find a variety of options in hard- and help reduce the Texas hog problem. ware stores some of which cost $100 or more but after a lot of wasted time and money I found the best option for a 60 LED Home
but I spent a lot of time worrying. When I wasn’t worrying it was an amazing experience seeing crystal clear images of game in total darkness at distances farther than I could shoot. It opened my eyes to the world of night vision. After the “taste” of night vision I spent that afternoon shopping around online. I’d convinced myself I’d “just find something lower quality and less elaborate” and that I could get something cheaper.” After researching I found prices ranged from “your wife won’t talk to you for a month” to “she’ll divorce you” and everywhere in between. Excited from the previous night’s hunt we decided to head back and hunt the feeder where the big boar kept appearing. I scanned the area with night vision but quickly grew weary of the system while hunting from our box blind and ideas started flowing through my head. We’d used gun mounted “kill lights” (high powered flashlights with colored lights) for a good while. I’d seen a variety of feeder lights as well but nothing that fit our needs. I purchased several manufactured products, none of which I was happy with for my application. I found several designs online, all of which were overcomplicated and didn’t have the features I wanted. With each light I noted the positives and negatives and worked closer each time to determining what the perfect system would be. Every light had the same issues, they weren’t bright enough, required expensive batteries, had batteries that wouldn’t last or required walking to the feeder to turn them on for a night’s hunt. Through trial and error I developed a system that not only exceeded all my expectations and worked perfectly but was also inexpensive. I’m not discounting night vision. If you’re hunting at night on foot or using any other method not involving a stand and feeder it’s hard to beat. Hunting a feeder on the other hand it just seemed like a hassle and almost like putting an elevator in an outhouse. Plus it’s obviously very expensive.
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