When do deer start eating corn?
 

This may be a dumb question, and I'm sure the answer varies geographically and is dependent upon the other forage available, but I'm wondering when deer start eating corn off the stalks?

I'm hunting a cornfield edge, and it's a really high-traffic area, but I didn't start hunting there until the rut started to heat up last year (around Halloween). I'm wondering if it would behoove me to hunt that location starting on the opening day (around October 1)? This is the only cornfield in the area, and it draws a lot of deer into it.

Right now, I've been seeing deer moving around the cornfields at night, but the corn ears are really small and soft, barely developed.

I guess I'm just wondering how early you can effectively start hunting over a cornfield. Corn hunters, help me out.

I usually hunt acorn flats, draws, benches, scrapelines and travel corridors, so my buck last year was the first deer I've ever killed while hunting a cornfield, and it only took 2 nights to get him. That didn't give me much of a chance to get a good feel for their patterns/etc.

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

Here in Indiana we have more corn than we know what to do with. Deer start to eat the corn as soon as the ears develope. Not only do the deer utilize the cornfield for food, but also for security. A cornfield provides food and cover at the same time allowing the deer to stay there for extended periods. Hunting the edge of a cornfield and/or the deer trails that lead up to it have been very successfulfor me in the past.I think that if you are hunting an area that only has one cornfield nearby it would be a fantastic location to hang a stand. Good luck.

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

Im just outside Philly and I was watching a doe and a fawn munch on some corn last week. Ears are small. I used to have this one farm I could hunt before the township bought it and turned it into a park.. I used to sit on a funnel from a bedding area to the corn field. WHen the corn was standing itwas a hard hunt. They wouldnt come out of the corn much. After the corn was chopped I had non stop deer from dawn until dusk. If you ever get a really windy day.. try stalking the corn field.. You should be able to get away with it.

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

pretty much as soon as the ears develop the deer start to eat it. and usually won't leave it alone until it gets shelled. i started a post on the bowhunting forum that's titled "still hunting in standing corn" there might be something on that you can use or help answer some questions.

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

Deer will feed on corn plants as soon as they are big enough to browse on.I have seen where deer have eaten the small corn plants that are about 4 inches tall.They will eat just about anything.Question is what "dont" deer eat?Their diet contains many plants.I was out on sunday morn and watched a deer eat queen ann lace flowertops off like it was candy.
The corn is hit much harded when food supplies dwindle,but mostly when it is ripe and hardened.Usually a deer will pull a plant over on the ground and eat one side then go on.As was posted earlier,an excellent place to hunt in october is edges of corn fields.We have also done drives through corn with good success,they do hang out in cover that good.My 2 cents!

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

They love it very small and sweet ,close to the new cob and when we could even eat the cob

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

I would think that the deer actually prefer smaller cobs with softer kernels. Hunting corn field edges are good places. Find enterance and exit corridors, set up a ways off watching them and be ready! Deer can seem to materialize out of nowhere in those corn edges. Come rut time, some doe in heat scent really gets things going. Play the wind.

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

Thanks guys

I have a really good setup on the only wooded corner of the field. The deer seem to cross diagonally across the corner, with a couple heavy trails on both the west and south woodlines.

I used some estrus and put a mock scrape in that corner last year and killed a nice 9 pointer on the second night.

I waited until the corn dried up to start hunting that location (Halloween week), but upon close investigation, it was evident that the deer had been slamming on the corn for a while.

I'll be perched up there for the opener this year.

Thanks for the input guys. If I tag out early, I'll post a picture.

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

Ditto most of the posts above. Iown a camp off the Big Black river in central Mississippi. The deer seem to hit the corn fields soon as the raccoons start pulling down the stalks and stripping the ears. They also like to hole up in the fields to escape the deer flies, etc. that are unbearable in the swamp.

RE: When do deer start eating corn?
 

When they get hungry!