Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Corn - What is the real draw?

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
I have a neighbor who I am very close with and he is a great guy. On my farm for the 7 years we have owned it we haven't seen high numbers of deer. We have chased some nice bucks and we love hunting the area.

I was talking with my neighbor and he has 5 feeders on a 150 acres. He fills them weekly or bi weekly I believe. He then mentioned to me that they are seeing 8-12 does every night during bow season.

I never have seen that many does since I owned the darn place! The neighbor between me and the 150 acre piece has only seen one deer all gun week.....Now I have a feeder on my farm that I fill when I can. It keeps the deer around and I will do that as long as its legal.

However, do you think that the corn feeders are really holding deer on his farm?

PS: I have about 4 to 5 acres of standing beans, rye grain, turnips, winter wheat, clover plots as well.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,738
274
North Carolina
If his place has the cover and that feed, his place will trump yours every time unless the pressure gets to high....


 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Deer will travel a long way to get to reliable food sources. If he's seeing that many deer in a routine basis, my guess is his property offers more than just food.
 

reo

Junior Member
484
68
N.E. Ohio
I have a neighbor who I am very close with and he is a great guy. On my farm for the 7 years we have owned it we haven't seen high numbers of deer. We have chased some nice bucks and we love hunting the area.

I was talking with my neighbor and he has 5 feeders on a 150 acres. He fills them weekly or bi weekly I believe. He then mentioned to me that they are seeing 8-12 does every night during bow season.

I never have seen that many does since I owned the darn place! The neighbor between me and the 150 acre piece has only seen one deer all gun week.....Now I have a feeder on my farm that I fill when I can. It keeps the deer around and I will do that as long as its legal.

However, do you think that the corn feeders are really holding deer on his farm?

PS: I have about 4 to 5 acres of standing beans, rye grain, turnips, winter wheat, clover plots as well.

How big is your farm? How much of it is nasty thick cover? What kind of pressure does your 150 acre neighbor put on his place compared to yours? How many does are killed on each place?
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
Guys I am certain I have the best foodplots around. I only own 60 some acres. Very low pressure on both spots. Neither of us have been shooting does because of what seem to be low numbers. That is until he tells me they are seeing that many at a time.

His farm had cover and so does mine. My farm is surrounded by clear cut on 4 sides.

I see deer. However my neighbor between me and the other 150 acres never sees deer. His farm is half clear cut. He still isn't seeing them.

That is why I brought up the question. Do you think this guy could be holding a ton of deer due to low pressure and a lot of corn? It is hard to believe one guy is seeing 10 does a night and the guy next door isn't seeing 10 in a season.
 

5Cent

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
12,290
212
North Central Ohio
For me the answer is yes. If your cover and pressure is the same then the varible is food. While you have great plots, maybe the corn is easier to access or more filling vs. the burden. Seems like anytime I have seen a deer in a plot, they have to linger longer meaning more exposure. I have noticed that deer tend to chow on corn and skidaddle. My observations are that even though they are there a short time, they frequent it more often. I think of it like McDonalds to humans. Sure they will/need to mix up their diet but at the end of the day its survival for them. Close cover + fast food = more deer in my mind. Its merely a reason to stop but not hang around long so knowing their bedding and travel routes is more important. Maybe fast food is not a good example, more like a gas station to humans.

Disclaimer - I hunt for meat mosty on small acreage woods with large farm fields surrounding. The thoughts above are purely my thoughts only and do not represent large acerage attempting QDM. I feel there are very few places in Ohio that offer a real QDM opportunity vs out west.
 
Last edited:

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
Exactly why I think he's bullshitting you. It doesn't add up.

Dave trust me this has crossed my mind. Accept we've shared buck pictures and even his old man will talk Lynne superstition and eveything matches up.

I have some feed on my property but I just hate to rely on it. I think I am going to try a couple spin feeders like I've had in the past.

On average I get tons of pictures of deee maybe 300-400 over a plot in a 2 week time frame. However many are at night, that is the difference I am seeing between plots and corn. Which is shocking to me but some of 5 cent response makes sense l.
 
Is there more natural feed like acorns on his property vs your? I have seen when acorns are falling this can make a huge difference in properties. Only other thing would be if there is some big ag draws on the other side of his property away from you that makes the walk shorter if the deer stay on his side. Other than that he could be telling some fibs. Even in high deer numbers around my home I have never averaged that many deer during an evening bow sits during the year.
 

jlane

Junior Member
523
0
dunn nc
Guys I am certain I have the best foodplots around. I only own 60 some acres. Very low pressure on both spots. Neither of us have been shooting does because of what seem to be low numbers. That is until he tells me they are seeing that many at a time.

His farm had cover and so does mine. My farm is surrounded by clear cut on 4 sides.

I see deer. However my neighbor between me and the other 150 acres never sees deer. His farm is half clear cut. He still isn't seeing them.

That is why I brought up the question. Do you think this guy could be holding a ton of deer due to low pressure and a lot of corn? It is hard to believe one guy is seeing 10 does a night and the guy next door isn't seeing 10 in a season.

Does;nt supprise me as me and another guy have some land that belongs to one family,
All this land (apr 350 acres or so) is in 1 big track.
I have a 40 acre track and a 132 acre track. His track is between my two tracks.
He has 4+himself hunting this track. My 40 acre track i see a good # of deer does and bucks.
The 132 acre track i;ve hunted one morning, camera doesn't show much deer activity. Hardly worth spending time on this year,
Kept it baited all year.
Now last year different story, Deer and buck movement was awesome. His track according to him is heavely used.
Early in the season he would get pics of bucks that i would not get and i would get pics of bucks he would not get. Has changed a little on camera, but still the deer will not work the whole area.
Now here is the real kicker the 40 acre track is currently be timbered by amish with horses, cutting out the big oaks, leaving the smaller oaks.
I've kept corn in there all season, I get a ton of pictures all thru the night and when there not cutting I hunt and see some of the best deer movement of any land i have. Lots of early then late afternoon.
That's where i saw the 6 and 10 pt bred the doe. The 132 acre track has a 35 acre clearcut that is all extreamly thick briar bed,(would think it would be my best track--not) Hardly any oaks for acorns, The other two tracks were full of acorns this year.
Last year no acorns anywhere- this year acorns like marbles- corn did good last year.
Does he have acorns and you don't.
It has been a hard year to pattern with the acorn crop this year,
I haven't been on the 132 acre track in 2.5 weeks, Maybe it has changed so the wife can hunt it when it finally gets cold.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
The ODNR says that baiting with corn doesn't give the hunter an advantage thus it can't be drawing in the deer so it's gotta be something else drawing and holding them there.:smiley_chinrub:
I do think however the vast majority of deer hunters don't believe them cuz the farmers and feed mills are selling a shit ton of it these days! lmao

Albert, I'd try your own test and start a couple strategically placed piles you can get in and out quickly with a quad or side by side and start pouring it to them for a month with cameras at each site. See if your numbers go up then and then ask him if his numbers changed. That'd be very interesting.:smiley_coolpeace:
 

Lundy

Member
1,307
127
It is hard to believe one guy is seeing 10 does a night and the guy next door isn't seeing 10 in a season.

I would question the guy only seeing 10 in a season more than they guy seeing 10 a night. What they heck is that guy doing wrong?
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
The ODNR says that baiting with corn doesn't give the hunter an advantage thus it can't be drawing in the deer so it's gotta be something else drawing and holding them there.:smiley_chinrub:
I do think however the vast majority of deer hunters don't believe them cuz the farmers and feed mills are selling a shit ton of it these days! lmao

Albert, I'd try your own test and start a couple strategically placed piles you can get in and out quickly with a quad or side by side and start pouring it to them for a month with cameras at each site. See if your numbers go up then and then ask him if his numbers changed. That'd be very interesting.:smiley_coolpeace:


interestingly enough I did dump 50lbs of corn Wednesday and hung a camera of it. I do have one feeder going that always seems to have SOME does on it but not 8-12. I checked the camera down in the one bottom that I dumped corn near. I had 334 pictures on a 1 minute delay since Wednesday! I noticed a lot of day time activity as well on that camera. I am sure if I increased my corn feeders I would certainly see more deer.

It really has made me wonder are the numbers lower in Ohio then they once where or are guys WAY more selective, feeding way more then they used too, and bow hunting with a gun vs. the old gun hunting groups we used to see.