midtndeerhunter
Well-Known Member
I have read articles that say placing corn out for deer is detrimental to them. Is this true? I just hand throw out a bag every couple weeks to get pictures.
Feeding deer corn
- Thread starter midtndeerhunter
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ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER
Well-Known Member
I been hand throwing it out for decades with no issues that I am aware of.I have changed to the twice cleaned corn recently after watching a episode about it on growing deer tv.they seem to really like it alot better
BSK
Well-Known Member
ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER":2eyym6y1 said:
And that's a view I have trouble with. Lots of terrible things happen within local deer herds that even the most observant of people never notice.
I'm not saying feeding corn in winter is a bad thing. I'm just saying I seriously doubt anyone would notice if it was causing a problem.
BSK
Well-Known Member
midtndeerhunter":1bomyvug said:
Depends on the situation, and what the supplemental feeding is attempting to accomplish.
Unless your willing to spend a great deal of money, supplemental feeding at anything but the grand scale usually does little good. However, feeding some corn in winter probably does little harm. Corn does provide some readily available "energy" for the winter months. However, feeding corn in summer could do considerable harm.
Shed Hunter
Well-Known Member
BSK-what good, if any, does "cleaning" corn do? Is that just a gimmick to get people to buy "deer corn"
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
BSK may not say it, but I say feeding corn is generally doing more harm than good, and potentially can do a great deal of harm, in more ways than most will ever think about.
I believe somewhere around half of all fawns fail to reach their 1st year of age. How much evidence of their deaths do any of us ever find? 2%? 5% None? A sickened fawn is a weakened fawn, more easily caught by predators, more likely to succumb to another disease.
However, the most deadly aspects of feeding corn may not involve deer, as aflatoxin corn tends to mainly just make deer "sick" (like a human having a stomach virus, losing some weight, and becoming weak). But a single kernel will flat out kill a turkey, and you'll likely never find any evidence of it.
BSK":2y9drbxg said:
I believe somewhere around half of all fawns fail to reach their 1st year of age. How much evidence of their deaths do any of us ever find? 2%? 5% None? A sickened fawn is a weakened fawn, more easily caught by predators, more likely to succumb to another disease.
However, the most deadly aspects of feeding corn may not involve deer, as aflatoxin corn tends to mainly just make deer "sick" (like a human having a stomach virus, losing some weight, and becoming weak). But a single kernel will flat out kill a turkey, and you'll likely never find any evidence of it.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Master Chief":15rne6jh said:
I believe it's an attempt to remove any aflatoxin or other mold/mildew associated toxins, which can be very bad for wildlife even in the tiniest amounts.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Wes Parrish":1hrid1r6 said:
Unquestionably true Wes. Feeding corn at any time of year might be dangerous, depending on where the corn comes from and whether deer in the area have access to corn at other times of the year. Suddenly introducing corn into a deer's diet that is not accustomed to it can be deadly. If they don't have access to corn at other times of the year, deer may not have the gut bacteria needed to digest it, which can actually kill them.
BSK, can you elaborate on why its a bad thing in the summer time?
BSK
Well-Known Member
BigAl":gnhv4y8e said:
The hot, humid conditions are ripe for aflatoxin poisoning. From Wikipedia: "Aflatoxins are naturally occurring mycotoxins that are produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, species of fungi. Aflatoxins are toxic and among the most carcinogenic substances known." Even the tiniest amounts can be deadly to some wildlife, and certainly make most animals who eat it sick. Even humans can be killed by aflatoxin poisoning. The primary hosts for the fungi that produce aflatoxin are grains, most commonly corn.
Another consideration for corn feeding in summer is the nutritional value. Although the high starch content of corn can produce valuable carbohydrates for energy production in winter, those same starches are basically "empty calories" in summer. And deer provided with supplemental corn for long periods of time tend to rely on it--eating it to the exclusion of much better quality food sources. In essence, feeding corn in summer is like giving your children a bag of potato chips before dinner. They fill up on the low-value chips and are too full to eat a nutritious meal.
midtndeerhunter
Well-Known Member
Clearly a food plot is the best option, unfortunately that is not possible for me. What is something I can hand throw in the off season to (a) benefit the deer, (b) keep them around, and (c) get some good trail cam pics? I've seen the feeds, but from what I read they turn to mush once a good rain comes. Any suggestions ?
BSK
Well-Known Member
midtndeerhunter":12rra8sv said:
For small-land managers where budgets are limited, I'm not always a big fan of summer food plots. First, you may not even be feeding the deer you are hunting (due to seasonal range shifts), and secondly, unless you are willing to get involved in food plotting at a nearly production agriculture level, I think summer food plots are not the best place to spend limited resources. In summer, simply getting more sunlight on the ground, and disturbing the soil, is where the greatest "bang for the buck" can be produced. Let nature do the work for you by providing the opportunity for natural food production.
As for producing a trail-camera location, I would give salt licks a try. They don't work everywhere (especially not well in sandy soil), but I've had darn good results with them in Middle TN. Just make sure salt licks are established long before they are to be used for camera set-ups. I like to establish licks in April that will be used for August camera set-ups.
midtndeerhunter
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the insight BSK. Going to ditch the corn and do as advised.
BSK":fdpbgvce said:
I have never fed corn to deer, but I have a few hundred bushels put up from thrashing this past fall. I always keep a barrel full by the house and throw out a few scoops to the squirrels ever day or two out in the yard. But if I wanted to set up a feeder for deer in the winter, could this be harmful? They have been out in the field eating on this corn this past fall, especially all that hit the ground after silage was cut and it was thrashed. I haven't planned on putting any out for deer, but I was curious if it would hurt if I did. If it would benefit them then I would plan on putting some out. I have always used salt licks for camera's.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Honestly huntinkev, I seriously doubt there are many deer in TN--with the possible exception of in the eastern mountains--that don't come in contact with corn at times throughout the year. Personally, I think corn is a pretty safe bet in winter. But I advise against it in summer.
Hunter 257W
Well-Known Member
For Winter corn feeding I prefer to mix corn in my food plots so there is standing corn all Fall and Winter. Since it is hanging off the ground and protected by the husks until a deer pulls it off, mold isn't an issue.
Yep , all that corn in Ky, Il, In does seem to be killing a lot of bucks , and big ones .. Every year . We are feeding both by standing and shelled .. Along with food plots , my videos show they will eat some corn along with beans,clover and brassicas . Only one I found dead was the 10 pt that stopped for a bit too long in front of me . More pics earlier than ever before of more shooters than ever before and I know it's the above combination that's to " blame "
