I've gained some education hunting over corn the past 4 years. I've been going on a semi-guided hunt in KY where it's legal. I've hunted all seasons, from the first bow hunt in early September, an early rut hunt in late October, the hottest rut week in November, to the latest one, a mid-January bow hunt this year. Two weeks ago, I decided to stop the semi-guided hunts, and I'm now on a KY lease and can hunt the way I'm used to hunting in TN.
In talking with many hunters in KY over the years, it seems most hunters don't bow hunt like in TN. They wait until the gun season, hunt over their corn piles and/or feeders, and shoot their one buck, and they're done. Here's what I've experienced hunting over their corn piles: Out of 4 semi-guided hunts across 4 very different periods of the season, I only killed one 10-point during the peak rut hunt that was chasing a doe and nowhere near that corn pile; however, last year in the early-September bow hunt I missed a chance at a 160" coming to the corn pile that was killed by another hunter the next week from the same stand. I attribute that to zero-pressure hunting while they are on tight late summer patterns. That first week of season over corn is by far their highest success rate. The early rut hunt in October 4 years ago I saw 65 does over the first three days before seeing a buck. They were hitting the corn hard, but no bucks. When I moved away from the corn and hunted somewhere that wasn't baited I saw several bucks the last two days and one shooter. I guess I say all that to say this. Deer can clearly be drawn to congregate at corn piles, but it appears you've mostly just created a great place to kill does and younger bucks. It may not be so much that mature buck's natural instincts are to recognize that pile of corn (or feeder) as a source of danger, more so than it is that we teach them that very quickly by sneaking into and exiting a stand under cover of darkness that's 30-50 yards or so away. Almost every time I walked to one of their stands I would blow out deer at the corn pile. And, how does one sneak out of a stand with 10-15 deer binging on a corn pile 30 yards away?...you don't! Bottom line: KY has been hunting over corn for a very long time, at least 20 years that I can remember. They are still a top state for taking a B&C, and in fact, they were moved up from the #5 state to the #4 state with the most B&C bucks taken since 2020. Tennessee, with its non-baiting law, had to deal with CWD long before KY did. IMHO, we are blowing this WAY out of proportion. Make it legal, don't make it legal, I don't care. However, I've seen it work out just fine in KY for at least two decades. I believe it might increase your chances of taking a doe or small buck sooner than you normally would but decrease your chances of killing a mature buck. Either way, I don't see it changing the total numbers killed, or adversely affecting the deer population as much as some are fearing. Several states have integrated it just fine. It won't change the way I hunt because I prefer trophy hunting. I'd rather eat venison from a 140" than from a doe, it just makes me smile bigger while I'm chewing. It will make it easier to fill tags for some, but they will likely fill them anyway. The transition from recurves, old lever action 30-30s and shotguns with slugs, old Hawken muzzleloaders with round balls, trail cameras, ATVs, etc...have contributed to more deer being killed easier than a corn pile will ever do! It hasn't been the downfall in any other state that it's legal, so whether it becomes legal in TN or not, we will be ok...IMHO.