deer and corn?
 

ive herd that a deer needs to have certain bacteria in there stomach to be able to process the corn and it takes time for them to fully eat it. thats supposed to be the reason why your not supposed to feed deer corn in the winter? can they get all clogged up in the intestines and die? in maine i talked to a former game warden who thought this. if you feed them year round will it matter?

RE: deer and corn?
 

i've heard the same thing but i say for fact its true.

RE: deer and corn?
 

I heard this stuff a long, long time ago. We've fed in the winter for years, and we've never seen any evidence to support it. In fact, it is the opposite that seems true. I've read some biology studies online about winter feeding and just as they have said, I've seen deer - particularly fawns - get diarrhea from too much corn in the winter. A blend with corn, oats, and other grains is supposed to be better for them.

RE: deer and corn?
 

I hunt over a baited area of corn. I don't believe this is true because there are a lot of natural habitats that involve corn still on the stalks and corn that's been plowed or broken down....

RE: deer and corn?
 

dear like corn at my place

RE: deer and corn?
 

It's not bacteria, it's the enzymes that change with the season to allow deer to digest foods with different fiber content. That is not the greatest threat to deer, however, when feeding corn. Many of the corn and corn products available through various distributors, are not certified as animal feeds and will flat out kill deer, turkeys or anything else that eats them.
If you have any questions or concerns about feeding deer or other wildlife, contact the wildlife biologist in your regional DNR office or your county agricultural extension agent. These folks are great sources of information and usually very happy to help out.

RE: deer and corn?
 

i'm pretty sure it has something to do with a deers stomach getting set up to digest hard mast twigs and acorns and such corn is soft mast.

RE: deer and corn?
 

the area i hunt doesnt have many farms or corn field but i have been baiting heavily since august and up till a week ago i stopped. i was wondering if i keep feeding them am i only hurting them.

RE: deer and corn?
 

I feed deer through the late part of the winter into spring to help them come through the winter healthy. So my question is to the rest of you that feed corn through the winter if there is truth to this theory are you finding alot of dead deer on your property as a result of this. Sure this probably affects there bowel movements and digestion if they are on alot of corn just as alot of grain,acorns,or heavy grass grazing does any livestock but I don't think it is fatal.

RE: deer and corn?
 

Not sure if its regional. But there are so many feeders in TX that go all year or at least to spring, and no die offs that anyone can tell.

The poison spoken of is aflatoxin and is only present in drought stressed corn. We get corn locally and know how the season was and what to watch for.

Jeff