Corn consumption

[Football Hunter]

I live in Spartanburg now, but deer are deer, in my little plot ,a 50 lb bag of corn doesn't last 24 hours seems strange to me, plenty of rain, everything is lush and green.
Thoughts?
This has happened for weeks now, surprised.

 

[Specializedjon]

Happens on my property too. I relate it to having a refrigerator full of food, then someone opens a bag of Doritos....they're gone quickly.

Anytime we introduce a treat to them, they'll indulge for sure. Same applies to salt licks and those "granular blocks". They smoke'em

 

[Hduke86]

Do you have a camera on it? If not then raccoons and turkeys can clean it to bare ground over night

 

[BPhunter]

I live in Spartanburg now, but deer are deer, in my little plot ,a 50 lb bag of corn doesn't last 24 hours seems strange to me, plenty of rain, everything is lush and green.
Thoughts?
This has happened for weeks now, surprised.

Corn has a natural sweetness to it.

 

[MickThompson]

Raccoons

 

[BSK]

Corn is like candy to lots of animals, especially deer. The only thing that seems to outdraw corn is acorns.

 

[rifle02]

The last time I put out corn I threw approximately 15 lb in front of a camera within hours there was 15,000 crows. I'm exaggerating but there were at least 40 crows.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

That's why is so effective for poachers. I feed to watch wildlife from my house. They just eat it up.

 

[BPhunter]

We especially put out during winter month. Snows can get pretty bad here.
I should have said, it is in a contained feeder. Although we do have very low humidity here.

 

[Iglow]

I live in Spartanburg now, but deer are deer, in my little plot ,a 50 lb bag of corn doesn't last 24 hours seems strange to me, plenty of rain, everything is lush and green.
Thoughts?
This has happened for weeks now, surprised.

Coons, once the find it they'll eat more than the deer.

 

[backyardtndeer]

I would agree with those saying raccoons are hammering your corn. You may have half the coons in your county coming to your corn pile. They find it quick and can clean it out in no time.

 

[Doecrusher]

Coons. Its been a few years since i put out any but the last time i did i had atleast 10 coons on the trail camera all in the same picture. Said heck with that..

 

[BPhunter]

Coons. Its been a few years since i put out any but the last time i did i had atleast 10 coons on the trail camera all in the same picture. Said heck with that..

We're talking about animals here, right?

 

[BSK]

Coons. Its been a few years since i put out any but the last time i did i had atleast 10 coons on the trail camera all in the same picture. Said heck with that..

I try to dissuade clients from feeding corn in summer, but some still do, and some use corn to run their baited late-summer census. I try to work with them to set up the safest corn feeding stations possible, but I've got summer census camera pictures of so many coons piled into their feeders that it looks like a coon zombie apocalypse.

 

[TheLBLman]

I totally stopped using corn many years ago.
IMO, more liability than asset, from an overall perspective.

 

[TNTreeman]

EVERYTHING loves corn. Coons, possums , crows, turkeys, etc. Deer are probably the last ones getting the scraps . This is what I encountered when I ran feeders and cameras to see my inventory of bucks. I get more quality pics on minerals.

 

[Planking]

I keep a couple of dps with dry dog food in it around my feeder when im trying to trap hogs. Not seeing much of anything at the feeder right now but coons just keep pouring in.

 

[Spurhunter]

Football Hunter! That's a blast from the past. Haven't seen you here in years. Welcome back.

 

[rifle02]

I haven't seen a coon on any of my cameras for months. Maybe not since about this time last year. Coyotes? You bet. I think they are why I see no Coons. They probably ate every one of them!

 

[redblood]

I will never feed another kernel unless the combine spills it in one of my fields. Just not cost effective

 

[TheLBLman]

I haven't seen a coon on any of my cameras for months. Maybe not since about this time last year. Coyotes? You bet. I think they are why I see no Coons.

I'd speculate the coons simply have such an abundance of food & food choices the past month & now, they don't have to move around much, and be more scattered. Their food includes ground-nesting birds. They eat the eggs, and when they can, the sitting hen as well. They also seem to have more opportunities to eat fish now.

 

[waterman]

Raccoons

this

 

[TheLBLman]

When I used to feed corn (been @ 20 yrs now since) the raccoons & crows generally got more of it than did deer.

Then I had some aflatoxin "develop" in some "aflatoxin-FREE" corn (which costs more, but is certified aflatoxin-free), and that killed all the turkeys in the area. After that one batch of corn developing aflatoxin,, it took years for the local turkey population to recover. I haven't fed any corn since, as just don't think it's worth the risk if turkeys (and any other birds) are of value to you.

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the factors going against turkeys (and quail) thriving has to be the increase in people feeding corn. As the corn feeding has increased, the turkey & quail populations have decreased. Probably not the main reason, but a factor in their declines.

 

[Ski]

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the factors going against turkeys (and quail) thriving has to be the increase in people feeding corn. As the corn feeding has increased, the turkey & quail populations have decreased. Probably not the main reason, but a factor in their declines.

I agree 1000%. I wish hunters would educate themselves on the benefit vs. risk of putting corn out.

 

[DoubleRidge]

When I used to feed corn (been @ 20 yrs now since) the raccoons & crows generally got more of it than did deer.

Then I had some aflatoxin "develop" in some "aflatoxin-FREE" corn (which costs more, but is certified aflatoxin-free), and that killed all the turkeys in the area. After that one batch of corn developing aflatoxin,, it took years for the local turkey population to recover. I haven't fed any corn since, as just don't think it's worth the risk if turkeys (and any other birds) are of value to you.

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the factors going against turkeys (and quail) thriving has to be the increase in people feeding corn. As the corn feeding has increased, the turkey & quail populations have decreased. Probably not the main reason, but a factor in their declines.

Is there a way to add more that one like?

I completely agree...no way could I agree more.

There are so many other things more benifical to wildlife to spend your money on....for starters, one gallon of chainsaw gas will give a much greater return on investment verses a bag a corn...heck, verses a pallet of bagged corn.....stop feeding coons and other nest raiders and open up the canopy to allow sunlight to the forest floor and improve nesting habitat, fawning ground and create tons of healthy forage for wildlife. Also, as mentioned...in our humid climate dont risk afltoxin contaminated feed...it is deadly to poults and other song birds so theres no way I'd feed it...especially this time of year.....other options....spray some grassy areas and disk to disturb the soil, open up the seed bank and watch the benifical forage develop...then theres burning....the list is long of items that cost less and are much more benifical than feeding corn.

 

[Ski]

There are so many other things more benifical to wildlife to spend your money on....for starters, one gallon of chainsaw gas will give a much greater return on investment verses a bag a corn...heck, verses a pallet of bagged corn.....stop feeding coons and other nest raiders and open up the canopy to allow sunlight to the forest floor and improve nesting habitat, fawning ground and create tons of healthy forage for wildlife. Also, as mentioned...in our humid climate dont risk afltoxin contaminated feed...it is deadly to poults and other song birds so theres no way I'd feed it...especially this time of year.....other options....spray some grassy areas and disk to disturb the soil, open up the seed bank and watch the benifical forage develop...then theres burning....the list is long of items that cost less and are much more benifical than feeding corn.

All great points. Of all the habitat and hunting related things you could spend money on, corn ranks pretty low in the "cost : effect" department.

 

[TheLBLman]

Another aspect to "feeding" anything (from a stationary "feeder") is increased predation of whatever is eating the "feed".

Those who think they would find the evidence of this carnage are mostly mistaken. Bobcats, dogs, and coyotes can quickly figure out that a feeder location makes for the perfect "ambush" location. These predators will not necessarily kill their prey in front of your trail cam, but often on just close-by trails.

Then they may just walk off with their prey (such as fawns & turkeys), consuming it elsewhere.

Think you can find the evidence of a fawn that has been ambushed near your feeder, then eaten by a coyote or a bobcat? Think again. You usually will note nothing, other than wondering what happened to those fawns.

More deer under 6 months of age die annually than any other age group of deer. How many bones have you ever found from dead fawns? If killed (or found dead) by a coyote, you can expect no evidence that a coyote consumed it all.

Worse, it is the male fawns that get preyed upon at a higher rate, mainly due to their greater curiosity, often just walking towards danger.

 

[BPhunter]

Another aspect to "feeding" anything (from a stationary "feeder") is increased predation of whatever is eating the "feed".

Those who think they would find the evidence of this carnage are mostly mistaken. Bobcats, dogs, and coyotes can quickly figure out that a feeder location makes for the perfect "ambush" location. These predators will not necessarily kill their prey in front of your trail cam, but often on just close-by trails.

Then they may just walk off with their prey (such as fawns & turkeys), consuming it elsewhere.

Think you can find the evidence of a fawn that has been ambushed near your feeder, then eaten by a coyote or a bobcat? Think again. You usually will note nothing, other than wondering what happened to those fawns.

More deer under 6 months of age die annually than any other age group of deer. How many bones have you ever found from dead fawns? If killed (or found dead) by a coyote, you can expect no evidence that a coyote consumed it all.

Worse, it is the male fawns that get preyed upon at a higher rate, mainly due to their greater curiosity, often just walking towards danger.

Sorry, I just don't worry that much about it. Game of all sorts is very abundant around here. They all have to eat to survive.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Sorry, I just don't worry that much about it. Game of all sorts is very abundant around here. They all have to eat to survive.

I agree...all animals have to eat to survive....but concentrating mamas with fawns around a corn feeder, making it easier for predators, isnt natural....and then theres aflatoxin contamination thats deadly to poults and other song birds....but I do agree that some fawns dieing to predation is natural....I just prefer to do all i can to help the animals that I like to hunt and eat...and feeding corn to them is of little to no help and in many cases can have negative effects.

 

[BPhunter]

I agree...all animals have to eat to survive....but concentrating mamas with fawns around a corn feeder, making it easier for predators, isnt natural....and then theres aflatoxin contamination thats deadly to poults and other song birds....but I do agree that some fawns dieing to predation is natural....I just prefer to do all i can to help the animals that I like to hunt and eat...and feeding corn to them is of little to no help and in many cases can have negative effects.

Okay.