Advice on Corn

[HornHunter]

I have never hunted over any type of bait and usually am not interested in doing so. However, lately almost all the areas around where I hunt have out feeders or piles of corn and the numbers of deer seem to be on the decline. The deer seem to be traveling across the land where I hunt and not spending alot of time there. So I have decided to go against my grain and put out some grain (if I can't beat them I guess I'll join them). I plan on putting out some corn this Sat. so hopefully they'll be using that area by next Sat. Should I put the corn out in field edges, ridges, sideslopes, near trails, or bedding areas? Any advice is appreciated. I plan on putting out about 300lbs should it be in a pile or spread out or divided into small piles. Most of what i have seen seems to be about a sackful in one spot but this is all new to me.

[stickslinger]

if it was me i would put up some pipe feeders or barrel feeders. i would also put them on trails close to where i was hunting. that way you could catch the traffic to the feeders. nothing wrong with putting out some bait especially this year because not alot of acorns.

to make a pipe feeder all you need is a 4" piece of drain pipe nailed to a tree 1 or 2 inches off the ground, fill it with corn gravity will do the rest. for the 55 gal barrel cut a 6 " hole in the bottom and let it flow. only thing about gravity feeders is it is there all the time so you never know when they use it. if you want them to be there when you get a timed feeder.

[skin_dog1]

the pipe feeders work well, but all the woods critters will eat you out of house and home. If you use a timed feeder it's more likely deer will pattern to when it goes off and be the ones that use it. Be prepared to feed tons of squirrel, birds, turkeys, groundhogs, coons and every other critter thats looking for an easy meal.

[ecmbowhunter]

no kidding......i too have started putting out corn since i finally got a piece of land that i have sole hunting rights on and am trying to get them patterned....man o man....you aint kidding .... i think i have drawn out every critter for miles it seems.....but hey, wouldnt you do the same if somebody was giving out a free meal?....another thing you gotta figure into the equation....you're probably gonna get stuck in your stand at some time or the other because you dont want to spook the deer that you brought in...lol

[Bray]

It is amazing what a little corn will do. I have hunted my grandfather's land for about 3 years off and on. I had never really seen many deer (except when I was turkey hunting). This year I have worked pretty hard and put up feeders and fill them once a week. I have seen more deer this year than anyother year put together. I haven't had any problem with "critters". I haven't seen one squirre bird chipmunk raccoon or turkey eat my corn. But boy have I seen the deer. I go through about 50 lbs per feeder per week. Can't wait for gun season, this bowhunting stuff is tough.

[boonectyhunter5618]

Corn is a deer magnet. In the past I have had a multrie Deer Feeder hanging in a tree somewhere on our farm and the deer and turkeys go wild over it. The pipe feeder has been proven to very unsecessfull on the farm because like everyone else has said its hard to know if they are eating from it. I had about a 20x20 bare spot on the edge of an feild last year where the deer and turkey tore it up looking for the corn. We set the timer for 10min after sunrise and 10 before sunset. Went though a lot of corn last year. Paid off in the long run. Got to know the boys at the Co-Op by name.

[ScoutMan]

If you dont have feeders and are worried about critters robbing you blind, leave the corn on the cob. A flock of turkeys can eat your pile of shelled corn in no time, but are less likely to eat your corn on the cob.

[Jblack]

I use pipe feeders myself, I got a 6in. and a 10in. feeders and the 6in. feeder alone uses 150 lbs. per week, last Sat. morning there was 5 deer on the feeder about 30 min. before shooting light but it was a bright moon and thats how I know there was 5, and if you spook them pretty hard they will go nocturnal.

[KY_Fried]

If it's a possibility for you I'd suggest getting a timed feeder if your using it in an area where there are likely to be a lot of squirrels. I was using a pipe feeder earlier this year and the squirrels were literally eating it all up so I ended up buying a timed feeder and it's worked out really well for me. Leaving the corn on the cob will help againt turkeys but it does nothing for squirrels and other rodents.

[eDuck]

Thinking about the timed feeders...

Make sure you can hang one where you want it - if it's one of those that broadcasts feed in a circle. Otherwise, you might want to consider one that shoots the feed in a single direction. >> A lesson learned the hard way!

[SixPack07]

I am also against the whole baiting thing, but like you said, it's tough to compete with everyone else who has corn out. I am very against timed feeders. I feel that if I haul out only what I can carry when I go hunting, it doesn't feel quite like cheating. Also, I never put out more than a five gallon pail full of feed. It draws the deer just as well as a big pile of corn. It seems if they know feed might be there, they'll stop by and check it out. This also cuts down on the other critters showing up because there isn't a big feast to be had. I also would say that the big bucks tend to stay away from large feeding areas too. But that is just what I have seen.

Another little side note about the corn. I have heard that it is hard for deer to digest just corn. They need other "stuff" in their diet to help with the digestion process, but if they gorge themselves on corn, they don't get this other forage. Although it gets a little more expensive, I started mixing a little oats in with the corn and it was a bit hit. Just a suggestion.

[aceoky]

Umm Umm; corn fed squirrel doesn't sound too bad! :)

To be "fair"(since you're "against it") why not feed 'em year 'round? Then you're not cheating, AND you'll have much bigger deer in the "deal"? You'd be surprised just how big they'll get IF they have enough of the right foods( I also have other food plots so they can get whatever they need/want) :)

In fact on election day a neighbor was talking about how huge the doe were coming from our place(a nice feeling indeed!) :D

[14pointer]

If I were you,I would put that 300lbs of corn next to some thick close to a bedding area.Assuming it shell corn, I would spread it out in a 10ft circle.But be ready to put more out,they could eat that in a week. Good Luck.......

[HornHunter]

Thanks for all of the replies! The corn worked filled my buck tag on a decent seven pointer.
Aceoky, I would definitely be for the year round feeding, But considering I live 4.5 hours away, do not own the land, nor do I have sole permission to hunt the land, I can't seem to justify the expense of doing so.....I would love to have a place that I could either put out food year round or plant some food plots, but with gas prices the way they are I can't come to KY enough to do the kind of job I would like to do. I'm still not the biggest fan of baiting, but I have to say it worked this year. Can't say its something I'd do every year. If there is a good acorn crop and plenty of natural food sources to hold deer I wont bother with it: but, in years when there is little food on the property and everyone around me is suplimenting with corn, I think it is a good way to help insure I'll at least see a deer.