If EVERY deer you killed for an entire season had a stomach FULL of corn and the nearest corn to your land is nearly 2 miles as the crow flies would you assume someone is baiting nearby as a more likely explanation??
A lot has to be factored into trying to figure that out. Available food sources in the area, deer density, time of year killed. Two miles isn't far for a buck to travel during the rut, but early season for a buck or doe I'd be suprised to see them travel that far for corn given there's other reliable food sources in the area. I'd start asking neighbors in the area if they're baiting. You could also reference google earth and look for the piles. In the summer when I'm doing inventory my corn piles are easily visible on google earth.
More than likely, yes. Really depends on what part of the season it is, weather, temps, water sources in the area, other food sources. Deer will absolutely move if a previous food source suddenly becomes unavailable for any reason or if there is now a perceived threat in that area. I've seen more and more deer move into an area that I hunt as the season progresses because its a farm with cattle and the farmer plants winter food plots for the cattle.
If it was maybe 1 or 2 deer that had corn in their belly, I would assume that maybe they were traveling from the field. But EVERY deer, I doubt it.
Maybe somebody is baiting, maybe they are just feeding and not hunting the deer. Regardless, it seems that they are hitting some corn way closer than the field that is 2 miles away.
Whoever is doing it must not be killing very many, most of them are getting killed over on other property by Atlas.
10 this year but it's been 2-3 years now of FULL bellies of corn on every deer we kill buck or doe. Our one neighbor was leasing out 8-10 acres to local farmer for corn and that's what we always attributed it to. He stopped the lease 2 years ago though and nothing has changed. The volume of corn in the deer just doesn't look like opportunistic scavenging. I think he may still want corn but not the hassle he went through with the farmer........plus he is VERY paranoid about anyone going on his land. Now I think he's afraid we will stumble onto his bait piles. He is law enforcement so hunting law violations would maybe cost him more then a fine. Really no way to know without trespassing.......he's not just going to admit it and he may not even be doing it.
That's the thing.........the guy we suspect never kills squat. Doesn't even bow hunt and we almost never hear them shoot. In fact I have a stand I killed 2 bucks from because they drive an Atv in late and out early and push deer to us all the time. I should send him a Christmas card and say next year toss in some minerals while you're at it
He only has 60 acres with 20ish open field we can see from our land as we sit higher. He converted it to half clover/chickory and half brassicas. That's what it looks like anyways
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious. He probably just enjoys watching the deer, there are many people like that. I know one guy that developed a $300,000 complex for waterfowl just because he likes to sit in a blind and watch and take pics and he likes to own and train retrievers. Making it illegal to feed deer corn, if it's not being hunted over, is stupid in the first place.
