I manage a private 202 acre farm here in PA. 70% of it is field and 30% is woods. The farm was an operating cattle farm with the fields that were all pastures. The farm is surrounded by public State Game Lands on three sides. The four side is private property. I have posted the property due to trespassing and vandalism. I control how many people hunt on the farm and keep it down to no more than 15 hunter s per season.
We usually do pretty well and last year we pulled 8 bucks that were 8 points or better. No real monsters but nice 2-3 year old bucks.
Pre season scouting showed us withsome nice 8 , 10 and 12 points. But when the season started we got skunked. Not a single buck.
The one thing that changed form laast year was that we leased some of the acres to a nearby farmer so that we could plant corn. The funny thing is ... he never harvested the corn. So we have about 30 acres of standing corn.
Do you think that the standing corn changed the deer habits to more of a nocturnal feeding habits during the season?
We can't figure it out. I would appreciate any insight you guys may have.
Thanks in advance.

The deer will use the standing corn to bed and for food .Standing corn can change the normal travel patterns because the deer feel safe in the corn. If the deer have water , then they have it all cover, food and water.
I live in farm country standing corn and cut corn is a fact of hunting . I hunt tree stands that are at the edge of standing or cut corn and still hunt the standing

Exactly what he said. The deer were prolly spending basically all day/night in the corn.

Johnch and PA Trophy Man,
Yep that is what we thought also. We pushed that corn every day we hunted and nothing came out of it. I think they went nocturnal on us. I was coming out of tree standing walking to the truck in the dark and I flushed three deer on the edge of the woodlot and the corn. I think they are bedding on the surrounding properties and there wasn't enough pressure to push them to us. I may have to rethink my future strategy of planting food plots on the farm.
BTW , PA Trophy Man where do you live in Slippery Rock? I am a 1975 grad and lived down in a cottage in Rock Falls. That was when it was a nice area.

I have noticed that standing corn can have huge effects on what deer do and how they move. It gives them everything they need for sustanance and can live in a cornfield for a long time. Wish you luck with your hunting and if you can get that corn down!!!

This year just seemed like a strange one all season. I would think on your land you would need alot of pressure from the surrounding area. 15 guys hunting 30 acres of woods. It should be no more than 2 & you shoudn't be doing any drives at least not till the last day.

I've noticed ,not just deer ,but all type critters seem to be just dissappearing Including snakes,lizards, and such. The balance is shifting and it concerns me

just my 2 cents but do you know if things have changed on other properties near you, i.e like food plots heavy hunting pressure, buck to doe ratio. there are many things that can change the patterns of any given deer heard. just my 2 cents I would refrain from driving your property. until the very end of the season. this will drive deer onto other properties where they feel more safe. keep the human traffic to a minimum 15 hunters per season is alot on 200 acres.

15 hunters on 30 acres of woods is about 14 too many.

If I were a deer I don't believe I would venture on to your property either. 15 hunters hunting 30 acre's of woods, the odds aren't to good for a deer to slip through unnoticed. I would start by evicting about 14 hunters then you may start to see some deer. Until then its gonna be a long season my friend.