Using a gravity/self feeder around here I would be concerned that the coons might start topping 100 lbs!
rost: how often do you fill a 1000# feeder?
Hard to say, as unfortunately where I have the big feeders we have to be off the place Jan 31, and not back on until Oct 1. I set my auto feeders to where they last that long, simply by weighing feedings and setting run time to work out feeding twice a day, for 240 days or so...
At home in a drought year, I can feed each protein feeder, up to 50 pounds a day in bad years. Other years, like this past one, I doubt I've gone through 400 pounds in each one all year long. But they are set up in soybean/claypea food plots that had food all year too...
Its really variable.
Back to 1000 pound auto, this year I had it set such that during season, I went through 1100 pounds of corn in 3.5 months basically...
I want to buy a 3500 pound protein self for the place we are not allowed on in the summer, to last longer.
RE coons, auto feeders have pipes on teh legs to keep the coons off them.
And there is a self feeder out there thats a lot of cash, 2400 I think for a 3000 pound version, thats fairly varmint proof the way its set up. I simply can't justify almost 2500 dollars for a feeder right now....trying to split that big feeder with 2 other hunters on the lease, the metal ones are half the cost which is workable.
