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My family has been hunting my husband's uncle's property for a few years. Our feeding "strategy" (if you can call it that) has been simple: Toss out some corn from the local farm every couple of weeks by hand. Effective? Sure. But efficient? Not so much. So when I had the chance to test out the new Moultrie deer feeder, I was very excited for something a little less labor-intensive.
That excitement was valid—because the 250-pound connected feeder is a game-changer. Not only because it doesn't involve us trekking through the field for hours, but because it connects to cellular networks so you can control it from anywhere via your phone. It's as cool (and as time-saving) as it sounds. We've been testing it for a couple of weeks now, and plan to use it for the upcoming seasons. Here's a full breakdown of the cellular Moultrie deer feeder.
Quick Overview
Specs
Capacity: 250 pounds
Fill Height: 6 feet
Power: 6V battery or solar power
Material: Steel
Feed Times Per Day: Up to 10
Feed Coverage: 360 degrees
Pros
Can be controlled and operated from anywhere via the phone app
Has a large 250-pound capacity
Comes with a solar panel
Easy to use: set it and forget it
Lots of customization options for feeding
Cons
Battery sold separately
Requires monthly subscription
Testing Analysis and Results
Setup
I was shocked at how painless it was to set up the Moultrie deer feeder. It took my husband and I less than 45 minutes, and all we needed tool-wise was a Philips screwdriver. That includes putting together the physical feeder itself, signing up for the app/subscription, and pairing the two together. This is something one person could easily do alone without any issue.
The only potentially frustrating part of setting up the feeder is that the battery is sold separately—which I didn't realize until we were already out in the field trying to get it online. That meant I had to order it, wait a few days, and then go back to finalize the setup. Not a huge deal, but something to know before you make the same mistake I did (a.k.a. order the battery ahead of time!). Another potential downside—particularly if you're on a budget—is that the feeder requires you to purchase a Moultrie Mobile subscription plan. It costs $49.99 per year (if you pay annually) or $6.99 per month (if you pay monthly).
Operation and Ease of Use
First off, the 6-foot fill height makes it really easy to stock this bad boy up with corn. My husband just pulls his truck up next to it, we pop off the twist-lock lid, and dump in the five bags of Field & Stream feed we snagged at our local Tractor Supply. And on the topic of filling, this feeder holds up to 250 pounds of feed, which is awesome. It means less time spent refilling.
The first time we used the feeder, it took a little time to figure it all out, but the instructions were clear and easy to follow. After that, it's a breeze. You literally just set it and forget it. The only time you really have to do anything is if you want to manually feed. Otherwise, it just feeds on the schedule you choose—no effort required on your part. You can customize the feed settings a variety of ways. Schedule up to 10 feedings a day between 1 and 60 seconds at speeds of either low, medium, or high. I love how you can tailor the feeder to fit your specific needs (and then adjust accordingly throughout the season).
The app is equally intuitive and easy to use. Along with being able to schedule and control feeding, it provides you all the data you need to monitor your feeder, including current feed level (so you know when to refill), battery power, and cellular connectivity. It also integrates any Moultrie cameras you might have running, so you can see everything in one convenient hub.
Battery Life and Durability
Let's start with construction and quality. This thing is built tough. The hopper itself is made of a heavy-duty plastic and the legs are constructed of steel. It's a beast. It's sturdy and durable—it's stood up to some pretty nasty wind and rain storms here in Maryland. As for the battery life, I like that this Moultrie feeder has two power source options: battery or solar. And the solar power is worth highlighting. We've had our feeder out for a few weeks and it's still at 100 percent battery thanks to the included solar panel. You really can't beat that.
Final Verdict
There are a ton of perks to using a cellular feeder like the new Moultrie 250-pound connected deer feeder. The biggest one? That you can manage every part of the feeder—from scheduling when and how much it feeds to monitoring the feed level and battery—from your fingertips from literally anywhere thanks to the app and cellular connectivity. That kind of remote access and control is well worth the $200 investment, in my opinion.
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