Deer are browsers, and they ususally don't fill up on just one type of food, unless maybe that is all there is. They eat a little bit of this, and then move on.

Browsers by nature, if were feeding them every day in the same spot and there filling there bellies why do they need to browse. Were changeing there habits to an extent by feeding them.

My dad has 36 acers he is trying to manage, he a has planted food plots, made watering holes, salt licks and now has a feeder. He put the feeder up so that he could get pics of deer. HE said he was going to take it down before season but I have my doubts. Anyway, I have pics of the same deer coming in twice a day for more than a week. The only reason I don't have anymore is b/c the batteries went dead in the camera and he hasn't bought anymore. I told him that he should limit the amount of corn being put out so that they don't get dependent. Has he? No, b/c he's scared the deer want be able to fill up and want come back. I'm not saying this happens everywere but there is more and more people feeding deer. It has become an acceptable practice that may need to be looked into a little more. I think anything we do to wildlife effects nature. I have pic of animals not even 2 minutes after the feeder goes off. Is that normal that a deer comes running to the sound of a corn buck (don't think so). They are depending on that corn/grain to fill there bellies for the day. I'm off the soap box, I don't think there is anything wrong with feeding them but we need to do it responsibly. Happy hunitng

I found it strange that Mulies don't come to the feeders.

On the property I previously discussed there are a few mulies and many whitetails.

All five feeders have cameras on them year round. In two years there have only been 2 Mulies observed at the feeders. One of them had his last meal @ said feeder. The other was a doe who was only photographed at the same feeder on two seperate occations.

Go figure

I absolutely believe that feeding deer can be habit forming or all of the seed companies that are selling food plot material would be out of business. I personally dont agree with it for one simple reason, deer are not cattle. I attended a clinic earlier this year on food plots just to see what the fuss was all about. One gentelman there explained that when he moved into his property that the most deer that he would see at any given time were about 7, now after planting his food plots he sees somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 deer at a time.

I believe that all habitats have a carrying capacity and by artificially changing the habitat we also change the capacity. What now happens if he sells the property to someone that doesnt carry on with what he is doing? Since he is only providing a spring and summer forage is he now creating a problem for the winter range by overloading the carry capacity?

So many questions that have yet to be answered.

SO.....all of these corn and soybean fields here in the Midwest need to be dug up and moved every few daysso that the deers feeding habits don't alter? That makes no sense to me, deer will only hit a feeder hard if there is no other food source readily available, they are mostly browsers, theywon't founder. A picked corn/soybeanfield is loaded with "dropped grain", sowhy isn'tevery deer in the adjacent woods standing side by side for hours on end in these fields?We all know deer do come to these fields and eat, but not to eat until they areon the verge of engorgement.Yes, at certain times you may drive by a field and see a bunch of deer in a field, but for the most part that is in the late winter months.

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I put out 50 lb of corn in front of my trail cam and it lasted two weeks...i had over 300 pics in that time of deer. Also had numerous pics of squirrels, coons, and crows. By looking at my pics the deer would stick around for about 20 min then move on, but show up again a few hours later.

Solo,.... deer aren't totally smart. If they have a big pile of corn in an area where food is scarce they'll go right to it and pig out. Nutrician experts will tell you a big helping of corn does not provide all they need. It's a short term fix for a hungry stomach. The fields you talk about are not piles. Deer feed going and while there they have to forge and they nibble other things along the way. Your fields are not the same as a bait site. At the bait site deer stop browsing and foraging as they do to, in and around your fields.

u got a good point there.

About how long have you been doing this? The reason I ask is b/c the longer you do it the more they will eat. I think the deer will get in the habit of being provided for (not browsing). I'm seeing it happen with my own eyes. We used to raise goats, you had to limit there grain b/c if you gave them too much they wouldn't eat the brush we needed them to eat. I don't completly disagree with feeding deer but we have to be responsible about it.