Let me add just a little.
Just to be clear, aflatoxin rarely "kills" deer, just more or less makes them sick at their stomachs, or "puny". But, that can make them temporarily weaker, and easier for dogs & coyotes to catch. Dripping diarrhea, also probably leaving a trial for those dogs & coyotes to follow as well?
Corn that is spread over a cultivated plot or field is much less likely to develop the aflatoxin mold than is corn poured in a pile in a single "spot".
There are reasons why corn spread around in a field is less likely to develop aflatoxin. Being out in a field, it's more visible to birds flying over. Birds such as blackbirds, crows, and doves will typically eat 100% of the visible corn in a matter of days. This means there is little risk of "piling" (under which aflatoxin is more likely to develop).
Another reason we see less aflatoxin in a field is because whatever corn gets left, it's continuously receiving more sunlight & wind than compared to a pile of corn in the woods. Sun & wind helps keep scattered corn kernels dry and aflatoxin-free. By contrast, corn can mold just being inside an enclosed "feeder", as well as just being "piled" on the ground.
Beyond that, there is another big difference in the aflatoxin risks of a corn field vs a corn "feeder" or a corn "pile'. Much of the corn sold in places like Wal-mart in Tennessee already contains the aflatoxin.
Corn grown in a field, left behind for wildlife, or inadvertently just a farmer's harvest loss, has to "develop" aflatoxin, which again, is simply much less likely in an open field getting sunshine & wind (unlike a shady corn pile in the woods, or an enclosed feeder, the inside burning in direct sunlight). Also, should a farmer accidently dump a "pile" of shelled corn in a field, being very visible to birds (typically crows), it gets quickly eaten, before it develops aflatoxin. It is then NOT replenished, no aflatoxin develops.
As to the deer hunting implications of hunting over a corn field (or plot) compared to a pile of corn in the woods, it's the difference of deer always coming to the same "spot" (bait pile) rather than being scattered around or over a field. And since any corn remaining in a field is not replenished (unlike a bait pile), the deer never spend much time in any particular spot.
In fact, they often are essentially "done" spending much time in any particular field or plot after only a few days of feeding on any one particular item (such as corn). Whatever they were eating, becomes gone, eaten up. But the deer will be back, maybe in days, maybe in weeks, maybe in months, because a field will grow other plants, that will sprout & grow, then become available as food for deer.
Mother Nature just spreads the food out, rather than pouring it from a bag in one spot. This is one of many ways nature "naturally" reduces predation on deer, AND provides deer with a diverse source of foods needed to be healthy. Feeding deer corn is like feeding your child only candy, i.e. not at all healthy, can even stunt bone (and antler) growth.
So everyone have a good night and God Bless !
