it's been my experience that the deer don't do much with food put out TILL IT'S COLD! they won't go for corn or salt lick much at all till late november, december to february they will rip up (and eat) stumps and decaying logs, to get the corn and salt lick inside. I like to stomp old rotten tree trunks in, and pour corn and corn flavored buck jam mixed 50% with beer (preferably Pabst Blue Ribbon, which is distilled from corn syrup). put some deer cane on top of the goop and pour a fine trail from that to the nearest fence line. you'll run out of logs in a couple weeks if the weather is harsh.
specifically here (MO) the food has to be removed 10 days prior to hunting the area... if it's not cold (not terribly predictable here) I have to be really cautious as the food may sit a month before desperation causes the deer to find it. my biggest concern though, is that while the bait is out and I'M NOT IN THE WOODS, SOME GUY WHO SHOULDN'T BE IN MY AREA AT ALL WON'T THINK TO POACH, OVER BAIT, WHILE HE'S ALREADY TRESPASSING! You need to hide your stuff good, preferably drag those logs into thick thornbrush. deer will bed in that stuff too, and they get really comfortable in those areas. put a stand 30-50yds away from the thornbrush, and put fertilizer and such into that patch year round so it doesn't die off. I've grown one thin patch to about an acre, all by itself in a semi-sparse area, right by a fenceline and creek, it's got drawing power for 100yds. they won't pass through without going to it to investigate any scents or calls I put out.... plus those conditioned deer bedding in it and leaving real scent. put scrapes leading to the area year round (not even high quality ones, just kick up some bare dirt and pee and spit in it, and a low branch overhead needs to get chewed and spit on) and the deer will keep using it.
