Corn is an annual, warm-season grass that produces seeds attached to "ears" that grow along the stem. Although corn is relatively low in protein (8% to 10%), it is high in fat and carbohydrates, so it provides deer with an important energy source from fall until early-winter. Additionally, the tall stalks can provide ideal cover for deer.
Corn has high nutrient demands
Corn is a demanding forage that must be planted on highly fertile soils. Best growth will be achieved on well-drained, loam soils with pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Corn has high demands for water and will not tolerate drought. Additionally, weeds must be controlled in corn plots to get the best production. Many hunters find it difficult to achieve good growth of corn in food plots because of its nutrient and water demands.
Plant corn in large plots
Corn is most beneficial to deer when it is planted in large acreage plots. In most regions plots less than 2½ to 3 acres in size are often too small to influence deer nutrition significantly. The main reason for this is that much of the corn in a plot is often eaten by animals other than deer. The combined feeding activity of animals such as black bears, raccoons, squirrels, crows, and even beavers can cause significant damage to small plots of corn. Even without this damage, deer alone can consume all the corn in a small acreage plot in a short period of time. In areas with high deer densities, plots larger than 5 acres in size may be needed to assure an adequate amount of corn is available as feed for deer.
Corn varieties for food plots
Varieties of field corn or cow corn are most suitable for planting in deer food plots. Avoid planting sweet corn, unless you plan on eating some of the corn, to minimize damage caused by other wildlife. Also avoid white corn and any varieties used for making corn silage.
Corn and other forages
Corn is often planted alone, but it can also be planted in mixtures with other warm-season forages . Other forages such as sorghum or soybeans are planted with corn as an additional forage for deer and to reduce competition from weeds. The following are some examples of suitable forage mixtures with corn:
corn, forage sorghum and grain sorghum (provides a high-energy food source for deer into early winter)
corn, soybeans, and cowpeas (provides both high-energy and high-protein food source)
corn, cowpeas, and American jointvetch (provides both a high-energy and high-protein food source. American jointvetch will tolerate heavy grazing)
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