So I have heard a lot about corn being bad to put out for deer in the winter because their bodies cannot process it during the cold. I do not know all the info behind it, just know Ive heard it a lot. When season ends, I would like to put something out, so I can get pictures of course but also to help keep good food options for my deer during the winter. I have my Raxx out, but want more then just minerals. So what are some better winter options?
You shouldn't have a problem with corn. Deer flock to uncut corn fields every winter here in Minnesota... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah I have been feeding 25 pounds of whitetail delite a day and that is mostly corn since I tagged out, not a problem for the deer at all.
Not all deer are created equal. A deer that lives in the corn belt is used to eating corn. Their bodies can handle it just fine because it has been a part of their diet their entire lives. Deer that live in non-agricultural areas cannot handle corn in the same way. Those deer have adapted to be able to digest woody type browse during the winter months. If you feed them a high protein diet, they could likely starve to death because they do not have the proper microorganisms in their stomach to properly digest the corn. Honestly, it's best to let them fend for themselves for their food sources. They know better than us what they should be eating.
I agree with Skywalker. There has been a report/write up on the effects of feeding deer during the winter. I just wish I could remember wear I read it. Beefie
The issues deer have corn is when the deer are in starvation mode, before that they can and do adapt without a problem. Look at Northern Wisconsin for example big woods country, every hunting season there is corn all over the woods.
And there's no way to quantify if these deer are surviving or dying because of or in spite of the corn.
Just my opinion... Take it as you will. Because of the severe winter of 2014, the Minnesota DNR held an emergency deer feeding initiative in the northern parts of the state (big woods area)... Where there are little to no AG fields. Here are the findings: 2014 Emergency Winter Deer Feeding Initiative Archives - Minnesota Deer Hunters Association I highly doubt the DNR would allow 585 tons of feed to be distributed throughout the state if there was a risk of starvation. That is what they are trying to prevent.
If a feeding program is done properly and continued throughout the entire winter, then it can be beneficial, but for one person to think they are going to feed their deer population enough corn to sustain them for the entire winter is a little far fetched. Also, they did not feed the deer Corn, as the final report states, it was pelleted deer feed. Food that is designed with the deer's digestive system in mind. Huge difference from feeding corn. The fact of the matter is that the deer's digestive system is adapted to eat less food and harsher foods like brush and tree branches during the winter. If the snow pack is too high, and the deer cannot reach their browse, then they will most likely starve to death also, but that doesn't happen very often. How do we think all those giant bucks in Canada survive without a feeding program? I just want people to understand that feeding deer in most circumstances can do more harm than good, especially when you introduce a foreign food source. If someone is choosing to feed the deer, then a deer or horse feed would be an acceptable choice, but you need to be able to commit to having enough feed to support every deer that's going to frequent your feeding area and continue the feeding throughout the entire winter. A deer will eat 2-4lbs of feed a day, so if you have 30 deer in the area, your talking about 90lbs of feed a day for 90 days, so about 8100lbs of feed. We're talking about a couple thousand bucks easily.
So to the OP... If you're worried you may starve your deer, maybe try deer feed/pellets. But as Skywalker stated - It could get quite spendy. Forget corn and my OP.
I find it really hard to believe that a deer will starve while eating corn I don't care where its at. Can someone please provide a link or some info?
Skywalker... Yes, our Maine biologists are very critical of how deer are fed in the winter due to the negative results of too many them herding up together which increases the chances of disease etc etc.
Lol, I guess I better run down to the crop ground and fence off my corn fields or I won't have any deer by next week. I'm surprised I had any on cameras last week since they've been hammering my corn fields and feeders all year.
Covey, you clearly are missing the point here. It's obvious that you live in the corn belt, which means the deer are used to digesting corn, they have been doing it all fall. It's a staple for them and their bodies are completely capable of handling it. However, if you lived in an area without ag production, then it's a different story.
