MSU Deer Lab Corn Feeder Survey

[BSK]

Not trying to be jerk (I don't have to try), but I always love to hear people lamenting others "not following the science," yet here science is and because it's suddenly inconvenient for them, many many excuses being made for not following the science.

 

[rukiddin]

I worked the commercial poultry business (layer houses/broiler broodstock) for years in NC. The biggest majority of our corn came from out west on rail cars. There were two reasons 90% of our corn we used for feed we only bought local if we absolutely had to. 1. We simply used too much corn to depend on local farms in sept, oct and November and 2. Aflatoxins. Like already mentioned, corn from out west seldom if ever has aflatoxins present due to low humidity. It's not near as big a deal with broilers because it doesn't affect them like it does layers. It'll hurt egg production guaranteed though.

I'll let you in on a simple trick to see if your corn has aflatoxins present. This is how we would "quick test" corn samples. Take a cup or two of corn. Put it in a blender and grind it for a few seconds. Then put that ground/cracked corn under a black light. If that corn looks like a disco ball with bright spots and sparkles, you've got aflatoxins present.

 

[Ski]

Not trying to be jerk (I don't have to try), but I always love to hear people lamenting others "not following the science," yet here science is and because it's suddenly inconvenient for them, many many excuses being made for not following the science.

Tough pill to swallow hearing that you've not only been doing something wrong, but doing harm. In these times when "science" is regularly being used to carry agendas intended to upheave our lives, it's easy to see why some folks would be skeptical.

That said, I don't personally believe there's anything unscrupulous about the MSU studies. In fact I'm tickled pink that such a program exists. I've learned more from their released findings than I have in 35yrs of actual hunting.

 

[rukiddin]

Tough pill to swallow hearing that you've not only been doing something wrong, but doing harm. In these times when "science" is regularly being used to carry agendas intended to upheave our lives, it's easy to see why some folks would be skeptical.

That said, I don't personally believe there's anything unscrupulous about the MSU studies. In fact I'm tickled pink that such a program exists. I've learned more from their released findings than I have in 35yrs of actual hunting.

Kinda off topic but if you like podcasts, check out mossy oak's "a fistful of dirt" podcast hosted by Cuz Strickland. His latest podcast is a two part series with Dr Bronson Strickland from the MSU deer lab. It's really interesting!!!

 

[Granddaddy]

Scary
Think about how many "feeders" dot the landscape compared to years past.
And more being installed continuously.

I suspect feeders are a significant factor in wild turkey declinations across the Southeast, and may also be contributing the the near extinction of bobwhite quail.

Maybe but nothing like fireants, armadillos, foxes & coyotes. And feeders also give these predators a great locale for ambush.

 

[Ski]

Kinda off topic but if you like podcasts, check out mossy oak's "a fistful of dirt" podcast hosted by Cuz Strickland. His latest podcast is a two part series with Dr Bronson Strickland from the MSU deer lab. It's really interesting!!!

Thank you! I've seen a few clips on YouTube. Super interesting stuff. If I were a young man I'd just about have to go through their program. Heck, I'm tempted to do it anyway after retirement, just for the education.

 

[BSK]

Tough pill to swallow hearing that you've not only been doing something wrong, but doing harm. In these times when "science" is regularly being used to carry agendas intended to upheave our lives, it's easy to see why some folks would be skeptical.

On that we both agree. As someone who prides himself on being a scientist, I'm horrified by the plethora of junk science out there being used (and intentionally conducted) to push a political agenda. Few fields of science aren't being ruined by this trend.

 

[Headhunter]

Science is not what it used to be. Now, if it benefits a political agenda (sometimes even in the hunting and fishing worlds) then follow the science. If it does not help a political agenda, then it is not science, even if it is a proven scientific law. Science means so much less to me than it ever has and for the most part I do not listen to or believe much of what it being reported as "science".

 

[holstonangler]

I've never heard of any deer ever that have died of aflatoxins, are there any studies on this?

 

[megalomaniac]

I've never heard of any deer ever that have died of aflatoxins, are there any studies on this?

Just Google aflatoxin poisoning in humans, pets, other animals. Bazillions of articles and studies how it fries the liver.

 

[AT Hiker]

I suspect feeders are a significant factor in wild turkey declinations across the Southeast, and may also be contributing the the near extinction of bobwhite quail.

I do not doubt that but that doesnt explain the LBL and Ft Campbell Turkey decline, imo.

 

[Ski]

Eh, I think people on both sides are being a little extreme. It is not an exhaustive report or instructional. It's an educational pamphlet that let's layman like me make more informed decisions. Nothing more & nothing less.

 

[TheLBLman]

I do not doubt that but that doesnt explain the LBL and Ft Campbell Turkey decline, imo.

I agree, and don't think the cause of these declinations is ANY one thing so much as it's a myriad of very many factors working together. But if we started placing corn feeders in every square mile of Ft. Campbell and LBL, I suspect we would just be making the declinations worse.

 

[Bone Collector]

Not trying to be smart in anyway, and I understand corn at feeders is concentrated, but my question is concerning the mold. does the same thing not occur to spillage or in harvested fields?

I don't know and think it is a good question. I would say based on the findings and this line "In order for Alfatoxins to grow the conditions must be above 55 degrees F and above 60% humidity." the answer is likely no. From my observation, corn is harvested in the fall (late oct. -Mid Nov.). So the chance (around here anyway) of getting those conditions for long periods is low. It does happen some years, but also could be 32 degrees and no humidity. At that point acorns start to dwindle, deer move more for the rut and eat as they go. Most the spillage would be gone pretty quickly IMO.

 

[Bone Collector]

Maybe but nothing like fireants, armadillos, foxes & coyotes. And feeders also give these predators a great locale for ambush.

Someone just posted a pic on FB of a bobcat pouncing on a hen at at feeder...

 

[BSK]

I'll see if I can find the link again, but there's a very extensive article (actually, almost book-length) that is a compendium of all of the research on the benefits and negatives of supplemental feeding. And in certain circumstances there are benefits, especially in areas with very limited quality or quantity of resources year-round or just seasonally. But the negatives of supplemental feeding documented in scientific studies are numerous, with many being very subtle. Providing a concentrated spot for predators to hunt their prey is one of those subtle negatives. So is the concentration of wildlife around the feeders. Not only does this increase the risk of communicable disease transmission, wildlife concentrating on a feeder site eat far more than just the food in the feeder. They end up devastating the habitat near the feeders. I've seen this with my own eyes. While touring a new clients property, I can often tell when we are getting close to a feeder because of the concentrated excessive browse pressure.