Why aren't the deer hitting this cornfield?

[ninepointer]

The broader area is a roughly equal mix of woodlots and agricultural fields, but most of the fields are in hay or pasture, except for one field that is in corn.

I figured that the lone cornfield would be an obvious draw, but there's no sign yet of deer feeding on the corn (no nibbled cobs or peeled back husks). The corn stalks are still green top to bottom.

If they aren't hitting the corn now, will they do so later?

[Pydpiper]

My primary field is usually barren right up until hunting season starts. I dont know why it works like that, but it does.
I think the first controlled hunt gets the deer moving, but they seem to be absent right up until the beginning of October.
This year for some reason there are a lot of deer there, and it makes me nervous.
Be patient.. if the land will sustain them, they will be there.

[Limbs and Sticks]

Corn has to reach a certain stage for deer to eat it, they'll get to it along with every thing else when the time right. Here they don't touch turnips until the frost hits it, until then clover gets hit hard, frost kills the clover ripens the turnips then you change stands.

Wes

[Waif]

Here deer will bed in corn depending on available cover, sometimes they go in it and sulk. L.o.l.. My best hunting of green corn is from facing a corner of the field,(seated outside of it) with in bow range. Till ears dry they show little interest in eating it.They do utilize it in winter for sure. Racoons will tear it up in the milky stage. Unless predators,you included give them a reason to stay away a single field of corn ,even after harvest will see deer come freezing weather and as long as they can get to it all winter if they are recovering any kernels. Daytime activity depends on weather and of course their experience of depredation in area.. Right now they are still enjoying a smorgasbord of forbs and too any local mast starting to fall that trumps corn for feed.

[cevans]

I noticed the last couple of years that the deer are not knocking the corn down and bedding in it like they used to where they would take a area and knock all the stalks down and lay and feed. Even walking around the corn fields, the ears on the first few rows of corn weren't touched but plenty of tracks for miles in the edges and no ruined corn. I asked a couple of the farmers on this and they think the new hybridized corn they are planting is the reason but truly don't know the answer. In shining this year below the house,,,I am not seeing the deer in the edges of the corn at nite,,but in the beans and with the abundance of acorns, they might not hit the corn again till its harvested. But the new combines used by farmers today, leave very little if any corn left on the ground also, and if farmers get a dry spell after harvesting they will chop those corn fields up also in getting ready for the next spring planting. I used to enjoy hanging a stand and hunting around standing corn but don't put any faith in it any more. Maybe this hybrid corn they are planting is something the deer don't care for as I have to think this has something to do with it. As the corn drys out,,will walk around the 150 acre corn field below me to check it out this year. This field is surrounded by big woods on all sides, and a small river down one side of which the deer cross is numerous places. It used to be a prime killing zone but anymore, isn't. I am betting if I walk the entire field edges, I don't find any corn bothered except maybe by the coons and beaver cutting it down.

[dutchhunter]

deer normaly do not nock corn plants down at all thy will lay between the rows and will nibble some cobs but not nock it down .coons will pull down the corn when thy climb up and hang on the cob pulling down the plant .bears and hogs will pull down the plant as well but not deer .Dutch

[cevans]

deer normaly do not nock corn plants down at all thy will lay between the rows and will nibble some cobs but not nock it down .coons will pull down the corn when thy climb up and hang on the cob pulling down the plant .bears and hogs will pull down the plant as well but not deer .Dutch

M:aybe not in your area, but here,,where we have way more big hills of woods, and way less fields, I have always hunted edges of cornfields for over 40 yrs and seen them wallow out areas in cornfields of 30-40' dia. areas and bed down. I have even during gun season jumped tons of deer hiding in these bedding areas. I have also stand hunted the edges watching deer knock a stalk down grabbing a ear to eat and busting corn rows. Just have noticed the past few years of my stalking corn fields as we don't have that many bottom fields of corn, that they quit and don't touch it any more and the farmers have quit complaining to DNR to where they are no longer getting the depredation permits any more. I also realize, that we have thinned our deer heards down over the years, but we still have lots of deer. Give you an example, below my house of which my house and fields are surrounded by hills and deep woods for miles..is a 150 acre corn filed, and in the corner is 40 acres also of beans. I can see 20 deer every nite in the beans, nothing touching the corn. 1/2 mile as the crow flys, is a favorite area I hunt. 300 acres of woods each direction around a 100 acres of bottom corn field, and so far,,nothing touched. That field should even have a couple of trails thru the corn from woods to woods, and doesn't. For some reason the past few years, here in my location,,,the deer have avoided the corn and the farmers that own those fields are bragging about it even. I also think,,cause of the less deer now, and the more natural food in the woods for them, that could be the prime reason they don't hit the corn like they used to. And we have a bumper crop of acorns with some white oak acorns littering the ground that are larger than a quarter size and the deer are feeding heavy right now in the oaks. We won't run out of acorns this year. Give you a idea of how many deer we have in this county. We can kill 2 with early bow season, 1 with gun during gun season, 1 during muzzleloading season, and 3 more does any time with any weapon for depredation tags. I can go to county east of me, and kill 8 more does. County west of me, 2 more does, county south and north of me, and 3 more in each. How many deer do I need in my freezer? Only 1 deer can be a buck. All the rest have to be does. If I put in for the military and state park hunts and hunted every county for does..I can legally kill over 150 deer a year in Indiana. there has been years, where I have taken up to 10 a year. Getting older,,I get tired anymore of gutting and dragging them out and only need 4-5 a year to eat so that is all I kill anymore.
I know I havev killed at least 75 deer hunting corn and now I only use a 1 shot rule hunting with a TC Bone Collector 50 cal muzzleloader using Blackhorn 209 powder, and my Excal Crossbow. I am also retired, will be 65 this year, and spend all my time, hunting and fishing and occasionally backpacking.

[ninepointer]

Deer density is not high in my area and I think you guys are right; lots of forbs & browse this time of year, yummier stuff than immature corn. Perhaps that will change as the season moves on.

I've also heard it said that deer eat a cornfield from the inside out (security cover). Gotta check that.

[cevans]

Deer density is not high in my area and I think you guys are right; lots of forbs & browse this time of year, yummier stuff than immature corn. Perhaps that will change as the season moves on.

I've also heard it said that deer eat a cornfield from the inside out (security cover). Gotta check that.

They alternate that 150 acre cornfield across from my 40 acres every year they plant..either corn or beans. For 4 years now, the wife hasn't seen a deer come out of that field as she gets the spotting scope out, sits at the end of our drive way, and watches the field edges the day the farmer shows up with his combine and semi's and cuts corn. She enjoyed watching the deer as they would follow the combine and she hasn't seen them for last 2 times they have cut corn in 4 years or so. Driveway sits about 300' higher in elevation than the cornfield so with the spotting scope, she can see the entire field. I walked that field edge down the side next to the woods for a mile today, and just didn't see enough tracks to make me want to hang a stand anywhere as I have my spots from latter years of hunting and they just don't look good yet at all. But,,I can walk the woods edge back that mile, and see everywhere they are pounding the acorns as the ground is getting covered right and left with the acorns especially the big white oak acorns. Nice size on the Red Oaks too as they are falling in clusters of 2's and 3's still together in a clump. My stands will be in the white oaks this year as this is the everyother year of the white oaks. We had none last year,,and won't have any next year, but this is the on year for them and the deer seem to favor them the most. Now if yu can find a water oak, next to a river,,those acorns are as big as a silver dollar,,and the deer pound heck out of them as well. Largest acorns we have are the water oaks and not many of them around anymore.

[JPjunkie]

As the corn starts to turn brown they will start feeding on it I wanna say it has to do with the corn starting to hardin Its more of a late season thing around here

[cevans]

As the corn starts to turn brown they will start feeding on it I wanna say it has to do with the corn starting to hardin Its more of a late season thing around here

\So true! Deer adapt. If we are putting too much pressure on them hunting corn fields, they change. They are smart and just know how to stay alive and adapt to man's living patterns. We have to change the ways we hunt them as they change.

[ninepointer]

Leaves me wondering if early in the season its better to treat standing corn as a bedding area rather than a food source, and adjust strategies accordingly?

[cevans]

I would think if they are bedding in the corn, they are eating the corn. A big buck usually hides in the thickest cover he can find as close to water and food as possible. Only time he is at his weakest point is when he is in full rut, and then he makes his mistakes. If I find where deer are bedding next to or in corn, I sure look for a nice place to stand hunt. I am not done checking out standing corn myself as I am still looking for that one good spot.