I am looking to do the same thing as well. So I am in for the read!

 

Bad idea. Deer switch diets during the winter and excess corn ingestion causes too much acidity in the rumen limiting or ceasing the deers ability to digest any of the food they eat.(acidosis). Many deer have died during the winter with bellies full of undigested corn.

Many articles have been published warning good intended people of this condition. Many of those same articles list alternative ways of providing deer proper nutrition during extreme winter conditions.

 

THIS^^^

we had an elk die here in PA last year because someone was feeding it corn in january. the article stated that the same goes for whitetails.

 

No, its not. At this time of year the prominent bacteria present in the whitetail's intestinal tract is not efficient at digesting grain, but rather very efficient at digesting woody browse. A sudden increase of corn in their diet will cause an increase in lactic acid in their digestive tract which will kill beneficial microbes and can be fatal.

 

Just like cows and even ourselves, the stomach cannot process corn. The winter months are the hardest because they need the nutrients and corn does not supply that so their stomachs make it even harder to process... we feed our cows chop, ground up corn to help the process all year. I'm sure there are still acorns around as I walked around the other night and there was still an amazing amount left for the winter feedings. The deer are to be using fat preserves through the winter to burn their energy. Feeding them could be a death sentence depending on how cold it is, and right now in Central PA it is brutal. They would go from a diet of natural food to a processed food and within a few days their stomachs will not digest the corn properly and could die of the acid build up. Even "deer" corn that you see in the stores is bad, corn is bad, bad corn. We plant an acre of turnips and after the first freeze the deer hit it hard, we do too because they sure are delicious!

 

I'd say go for it. Corn is a major crop here in eastern Colorado. Guess where deer spend the majority of their time? They eat it all the time, especially after harvest when lots of it is spewed on the ground during harvest. We find them out in the cut corn fields all winter long. Not much better eating than a corn fed deer. By the way, I was born and raised around Pittsburgh and back during the 1950's we always hauled corn into the state forests in January and February to feed deer and help them survive during harsh winters.

 

And you probably killed more deer than you helped.Corn won't hurt deer if it's been part of their diet all year long.It can kill them if it's suddenly introduced to them during the winter and in large quantities.Several elk died from people feeding them corn up here the last couple of years.Deer need browse during the winter.If you want to help the deer,do some hinge cutting and kill more does.

 

People around here feed deer corn all the time in the winter. Doesn't seem to do them any harm.

 

If you are just introducing them to the corn now, you will do more harm then good. If you have been feeding them all along it won't hurt them. I would try and mix it with something to give them more nutrition. I used to feed them year round with corn, but now it is illegal in my area. Never has an issue or found any dead deer.

 

Bingo the correct answer

 

Deer have been making it a long time without mans help. What deer eat in the winter months is more of a filler then for sustenance.

 

What about sweet feed?? The equine stuff?

 

Oddly the deer on my farm have been eating corn for the last 3 months from the fields, and we just put another 300# out last night. So where I am, corn is most definitely an option. It all depends where you are and what they've been eating.

 

Probably depends on what area you're in...if you have corn fed deer during the summer and fall into the winter....feeding it to them now probably isn't going to hurt a thing. If you're feeding it to them where there isn't an abundance of it throughout the year...yea, might not be the best thing.

 

What if there are many corn fields that just got cut in the area? I mean like right down the road. It's been a part of their diet up until that point. ( I realize this may go along with "it depends on where you are" kinda thing). Would it be bad to feed deer corn in these kinds of areas. IDK, I just thought about how many times people say to hunt late season near standing corn and so on and so forth. Are all those deer supposedly dying or are they fine because they live off the corn throughout a good portion of the year?

 

Then it's not a problem.The problem arises when you introduce it,in large quantities late in the year in areas where deer haven't been eating it up to that point.

 

What else can you feed the deer that would be beneficial for them?

 

Cut browse for them.Otherwise,if there isn't enough food for them in the winter,you have too many deer.Kill more doe.

 

OK so......

What if I put a feeder out that is on a timer and it just throws a small amount (2-4 cups) of corn twice a day. Squirrels will probably get most of it.
I ask because I just got one and wanted to set it up for pictures.

 

here we still have corn out in the field along with soy beans the farmers have not yet cut and the deer are in the fields........

 

What about sweetfeed mixed with the corn?

 

Corn alone is not a good thing for the deer, but corn mixed with other things like clover or some form of greens isnt bad. They have to have a variety of foods to keep things working properly...I like alfalfa and corn...and throw in some oats.....

 

I feed corn year round, also have clover and brasica plots out. Between that and the browse the deer eat anyway the ones in my area sure look healthy and well fed in the spring even after a hard winter like last year.

 

Boy this is an interesting debate. I do feed the deer a small amount of corn near my cameras, when it is legal to do so. That is the only corn that I know of that they receive(there are no AG fields here). I do know other neighbors do feed them corn. I guess what I will do is just feed them small amounts occasionally. I did put a bushel out last night and will let that go until it is gone, it probably only take a couple of days. I have a nephew that feeds the deer all year and does not ever have any issues.

 

Throw out a small half gallon size bucket of corn every day. Wont hurt them in the least. Once they find it, it will keep them coming back for more.

 

I feed deer in northern Minnesota,i have a lot nicer deer because I feed deer corn,apples and whole sugar beets all winter we have snow and cold 5 months a year sometimes longer

 

There is another good reason NOT to feed in PA right now -- CWD. Baiting and Feeding causes unnatural concentration of deer, which can be a major source of spreading CWD. In the CWD management zones, feeding is prohibited. It would be helpful if everyone in the state quite feeding the deer right now.

Here's a pdf with a ton more info. http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/707296/feeding_deer_pdf

 

If you are in an agricultural area where crops are grown there should be no harm.Deep woods deer,not a good idea.Lots feed corn and round bales in our area.We still have standing corn fields in Jan.and they are full of deer.

 

i start them on corn and slowly bring them into pelletized feed

 

Where I hunt and have watched deer eat corn, oven ever seen any eat a lot at one sitting. They hang around for a few minutes then head out. But I've heard it's not good. I feel deer are smart enough to know how it affects them.