Starting a Purina feeding program is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. CHOOSE THE CORRECT PURINA MILLS DEER CHOW

Deer and elk have unique nutritional needs at different times of the year, so optimal health requires year-round supplemental feeding. Purina Mills® has specially formulated Deer Chow® and Elk Chow® diets to match the needs of these animals all year round.

Deer Feeding Recommendations - Bagged feeds for Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer & Exotics (Antelope, Red & Fallow Deer, Reindeer)

New Deer Chow® Diet	Order #	Feed Type	When to Feed	Amount to feed, lb/d
AntlerMax® Deer 20	59SB	Supplement	Jan – Sept	Bucks: 1.75 – 3	Does: 1.25 – 2
AntlerMax® Rut & Conditioning Deer 16	59SD	Supplement	Oct – Dec	Bucks: 1 – 2.5	Does: 1 – 2
AntlerMax® Deer & Elk Trophy Mineral™	59SF	Supplement	Year Round	Free-choice
AntlerMax® WaterShield™ Deer 20	59SS	Supplement	Jan – Sept	Bucks: 1.75 – 3	Does: 1.25 – 2
AntlerMax® WaterShield™ Rut & Conditioning Deer 16	59ST	Supplement	Oct-Dec	Bucks: 1 – 2.5	Does: 1 – 2
AntlerMax® Breeder 16	59SN	Complete	Year Round	Bucks: 6 – 8	Does: 4.3 – 6
AntlerMax® Professional Hi-Energy Breeder 16	59UA	Complete	Year Round	Bucks: 6 – 8	Does: 4.3 – 6

Deer and Elk Feeding Recommendations
Bagged feeds for Elk

New Elk Chow® Diet	Order #	Feed Type	When to Feed	Amount to feed, lb/d
AntlerMax® Elk 20	59SG	Supplement	Jan – Sept	Bulls: 4.5 – 8	Cows: 2.75 – 5.5
AntlerMax® Deer & Elk Trophy Mineral™	59SF	Supplement	Year Round	Free-choice
AntlerMax® High-Energy Elk 14	59TA	Supplement	Oct – Dec	Bulls: 3 – 5.5	Cows: 2 – 4
AntlerMax® WaterShield™ Elk 20	59SU	Supplement	Jan – Sept	Bulls: 4.5 – 8	Cows: 2.75 – 5.5
AntlerMax® Breeder 16	59SN	Complete	Year Round	Bulls: 10 – 20	Cows: 7 – 16
AntlerMax® Professional Hi-Energy Breeder 16	59UA	Complete	Year Round	Bulls: 10 – 20	Cows: 7 – 16

2. CHOOSE A HIGH QUALITY DEER FEEDER

Free-choice self-feeders protect Deer Chow® pellets and provide them to deer whenever they want to eat. Because deer eat at different times several times a day, professionally made free-choice feeders (or even trough feeders) are the best way to feed your deer for maximum intake and antler growth. Spin feeders toss out grain or AntlerMax® WaterShield® Deer Chow® pellets at timed intervals. They are also good to use with corn to attract deer to the area you want to start feeding with free-choice feeders.

One free-choice feeder can comfortably feed 25 free-ranging deer, each consuming an average of 1.5 lbs of AntlerMax® Deer 20 per day. Place your feeders along frequently used runways or trails and be sure to have enough so that they do not have to travel more than ½ to ¾ of a mile to a feeder. A good rule of thumb is to provide one feeder per 300-400 acres. Never hunt in a feeding area.

For best results, make sure your feeder location provides:

• An easy approach into the wind
• Good visibility
• Access to fresh clear water
• Easy escape routes near cover
• Good deer traffic

To help keep deer on your low or unfenced property, place your feeding areas near the center of your land and no closer than 500 feet from the perimeter. Do not place feeders along fence lines, roads, power lines or in large openings.

3. FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO GET DEER EATING DEER CHOW

Most deer are not used to seeing protein pellets. So they must be trained to recognize them as food and to eat them out of a feeder. It is best to start a supplemental feeding program when typical food sources (farm crops, natural vegetation, new food plots or even acorns) are no longer in abundance, such as during winter or drought conditions.

Corn is extremely low in the nutrients necessary to grow big antlers. In addition, corn can founder and even kill deer if too much is consumed at one time. But when safely used in moderation, it is ideal for drawing deer to an area and training them to eat pellets.

Choose an area where traffic is good, and then follow these steps:

1. Set up a spin feeder to throw out 1-2 pounds of corn every 6 hours, or spread it by hand using gloves or a scoop to limit human scent. This safe amount will attract them to the area you want to feed. Be sure to have at least one feeding in the middle of the night. Continue this until deer are consistently coming to the area to eat every day. This may take several weeks, depending on deer density, time of year and availability of other foods.
2. Once deer are consistently coming to the area daily looking for corn, set up a free-choice feeder filled with corn. Hand-toss corn on the ground around the feeder. When you observe deer consistently eating out of the free-choice feeder, stop hand-tossing corn.
3. Once deer are eating corn out of the feeder for at least one week, change the self-feeder mixture to 1/3 Deer Chow® and 2/3 corn for at least a week so the deer can get accustomed to eating pellets. Make sure they clean up the pellets before replacing the mix. If they refuse to clean up the pellets, mix in more corn with the pellets.
4. After deer are cleaning up the pellets, change the mixture to ½ Deer Chow® and ½ corn for at least one week. If they continue to sort out the corn and leave the pellets, keep mixing corn in but gradually reduce the amount of corn until they have access to only pellets.
5. If the deer are consistently cleaning up the mixture and don’t leave any pellets, put 25 to 50 pounds of straight Deer Chow® in the free-choice feeder. NEVER fill a feeder full of pellets the first time regardless of its size - you need to leave room to mix in a little corn in case the deer regress a bit and stop eating pellets. When they are consistently eating pellets from the self-feeder, you may fill it completely with Deer Chow®.
6. Keep feeders clean. Remove old, wet or spoiled feed before refilling, as deer are very sensitive to odors, and damp or spoiled feed may prevent fresh feed from flowing down. Fresh feed will keep deer coming back.