Fail Proof Deer Feeder Invented

[Tuffbroadhead]

" I don't intend to engage in a debate over his ethics, stupidity, or education on this thread. Once again, I don't understand why some have to jump on other hunters and impose their sanctimonious attitudes instead of just congratulating them for a nice buck."

For one I really dont care about his" ethics" (never brought them into question)


Yes it was a "stupid" thing he did (pour a ton of corn onto the ground)

Education , yeap he is "uneducated" (referring to the dangers of feeding mass amounts of feed in such a manner that could possibly endanger the very species in which he is intending to hunt) He needs to educate himself on the effects and dangers of feeding corn that may be contaminated with afloxins..

"Sanctimonious attitudes" LOL!! Your killing me today Berandel, LOL!! I was merely stating FACTS, no attitude.


Oh and I forgot to say congrats on a cornfed monster!!!!

Just hope next time he decides to try and feed , that he does it in a RESPONSIBLE mannor and not put native wildlife at risk just to make a harvest.....

[Chew]

I looked for some hard data on the effects of aflatoxin on deer...couldn't find much. I hope it's not a knee-jerk scare to prevent people from buying cheaper corn from "self-bagging" operations than from the bigger corporate corn producers. I'd like to read some more info on it. I think there's a difference in targeting a specific deer over a short period of time than dumping piles of corn on a regular basis year-round.

"Samples of shelled corn used for wildlife feed were taken from bait piles and storage bins in North Carolina and South Carolina (USA) from 29 September through 28 November 1993, and were analyzed for aflatoxin. Twenty (51%) of 39 samples were positive, with aflatoxin levels ranging from a trace to 750 parts per billion. Based on the high prevalence of aflatoxin-contaminated corn, exposure of wild-life to aflatoxin undoubtedly occurs, although the effects of such exposure are largely unknown."

[SKLOSS]

Silly me. I paid all that money to get a Master's Degree from A&M in agriculture and I had to do was talk to tuffbroadhead to learn everything there is to know about everything. What was I thinking?? tuffbroadhead you're a moron. Keep your comments to yourself. "5,600 posts before the big crash" who cares!!

[Joshua Flournoy]

wet corn

I'm pretty sure deer eat wet corn all the time in the midwest after the harvest. There is always a good deal of waste corn laying around after the combines go through, both shelled and still on the cob, and deer will eat on it for months. Not sure if there is a difference between that and a pile, isn't wet corn wet corn?

By the way, that's a stud buck.

Joshua

[Tuffbroadhead]

Great another aggie!!!! LOL!! Takes a big brave soul to call names behind a computer screen miles away...


A little aflatoxin info.......
Aflatoxin refers to a group of extremely poisonous mycotoxins produced by two common fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. These toxins are named for a fungus that produces them, e.g. ?A? from the genus name Aspergillus, ?fla? from the species name flavus added to ?toxin? to give the name aflatoxin. Mycotoxins are chemical compounds produced by fungi while growing on organic substances such as corn, peanuts, or cottonseed. When these compounds are consumed by animals or humans, they may produce severe undesirable health effects.

Although it has been known for over 100 years that moldy grains consumed by animals or humans could cause serious illnesses, it was not until 1961 that scientists proved that the death of over 100,000 turkey poults was caused by consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated grain. Beginning in the 1960's, intensive study of aflatoxin and the illnesses it causes has well documented that serious health effects can occur when aflatoxin-contaminated feed or food are consumed.

[Tuffbroadhead]

From TAMU...

ug. 6, 1998
CAUTION URGED FOR FEEDING DEER CORN THIS SEASON
Writer: Kathleen Phillips (979) 845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu
Contact: Neal Wilkins, (979) 845-7726, nwilkins@tamu.edu


COLLEGE STATION -- It's a simple message, but one that wildlife specialists want shouted across the countryside: Feed that is not suitable for livestock likewise should not be used for deer and other wild animals.

"I've received several calls from landowners and hunters asking whether it is OK to feed aflatoxin-tainted corn to deer in feeders," said Dr. Neal Wilkins, Texas Agricultural Extension Service wildlife specialist. "And we, of course, are trying to get out the message that, No, it is not.'"

Wilkins said that because the natural food supply for wildlife is low this year due to drought, animals are more likely to "key in on supplemental feeds," meaning that they would more likely to eat the inferior feed than if other sources of food were available.

He especially warned against buying unlabeled feed.

"There are quite a few self-bagging operations on farms that sell deer corn,'" Wilkins noted. "Anything that is marked deer corn' but has not been tested should not be fed. Only feed that is labeled and tested as suitable for livestock should be used."

The wildlife specialist said that, in addition to being toxic, aflatoxin causes liver cancer in adult cattle and other livestock. Deer and other wildlife are at the same risk, researchers believe.

"Aflatoxin also suppresses the immune system resulting in disease outbreak," he noted. "And the immune systems in deer already are down due to the drought, so they don't need additional stress.

Wilkins noted that although aflatoxin can be immediately toxic, some of the effects are not outwardly visible, so (aflatoxin) poisoning of wildlife is not something that is always immediately. "But you can be certain that it does have a negative effect," he said.

"There are tons of corn that are fed to deer in Texas every year," Wilkins said. "But as a rule, landowners and hunters should not feed corn that has not been tested, and most certainly should never feed corn rejected for livestock consumption because of high levels of aflatoxin. It's better to feed nothing at all."

-30-

WFSC

To Texas A&M Agriculture News Home Page

[Tuffbroadhead]

The problem with using corn to feed wild deer is that the grain can grow a fungus that can prove deadly.
Deer are not alone in suffering from the effects of aflatoxin. Geese, turkey, or almost any other animal is susceptible to illness or death from eating bad grain.


"There is certainly some information out there that suggests people could be hurting the wildlife on their property by feeding with grains like whole corn," said Bill Cox, a Collierville resident and member of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission. "If those grains develop aflatoxin, they can kill a number of animals, including turkey and deer."

What is aflatoxin?

Over time, dry grains like whole corn develop fungi known as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Those fungi produce aflatoxin as a defense mechanism to keep from being eaten. Severe heat and drought conditions like those being experienced in many parts of the Mid-South this summer create optimal growing conditions for the fungi.

Studies have found that animals consuming high levels of aflatoxin often develop liver damage and dysfunctional immune systems. The animals are left in generally poor health and often die from otherwise minor ailments like infected skin abrasions.

Aflatoxin poison, known asaflatoxicosis, can sometimes cause mass die-offs among wildlife populations.

In January, 1,500 snow geese were discovered dead on Arkansas' Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge. Tests performed on the birds by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service revealed they had died from aflatoxin poisoning after ingesting affected corn.

There are few ways for landowners and leaseholders to be certain the feed they are using is safe. While the U.S. Food & Drug Administration requires aflatoxin testing for grains used to feed commercial animals like cattle and chicken, grains used for wildlife feeding are not always tested.

[Landrover]

Wow, I have a B.S. & M.S. in Agriculture but I don't take myself very serious.....I did work for Cargill Grain for a few years outta school but I am sure that does not count since they are only the BIGGEST grain company out there. Heck, my wife has two degrees in Computer Science but she could not come close to knowing all the crap involved in that world either. Aflaxtoxin is a issue and can and has shut down barge, rail & ship loads of grain exports for days/weeks. There has been alot of research study around it as it relates to wildlife. There are many factors that have to be considered and the stars have to align correctly in some instances for it to form. Corn, wheat, etc left in open fields does not seem to be the issue. Storage practices (bins, piles, temperture changes) are the major concern and area of focus of most research.

[NateYJ]

Wow!!!

[whackem and stackem]

Thanks Josh for bringing up that point as I was going to say that I hunt the Midwest for a month each year and hunt over cut corn fields that get rained on periodically and if aflatoxin is such an issue on bait lying in the open, I guess the Midwest deer population and turkey population is DONE.LOL. I think it forms with the heat and humidity while in bags. I'm not completely educated on all the ways it forms but I think some of the replys to this thread are completely rediculous. Congrats on a great buck and I must say you should consider yourself lucky as according to some your deer population is DOOMED!

[mrc]

Wow every time I log on to here someone is arguing over the stupidest stuff, I think I will just go away to another site with less B.S. and I'm not talking about college degrees.

[SKLOSS]

blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. keep your comments to yourself. no one cares what you have to say "Mr. Aflatoxin" you're a moron. give me your address and i'll tell it to your face. oh, i like your article from 1998. couldn't find anything written in this century?? start your own thread if you want to boast your knowledge of fungus, but you had no right to insult Berandel and his friends. "5,600 post before the big crash" = i think i know a lot more than i really do

[Brute Killer]

At what ppb level does the aflatoxin become dangerous/lethal to deer and/o wildlife in general?


Great buck.

[raidergrad]

aflatoxin deer corn

It is funny that some of you guys are saying anything because I do business with the largest grain companies in Texas and what they sell their aflatoxin corn for is deer corn. That is just the way that it is. Heck I was reading the bag of Texas Trophy Hunter's Corn from Academy the other day and there was a warning about aflatoxin on it. For you guys that are throwing a big fit you should pay attention sometime because you look really dumb right now since the whole time the fact that most deer corn has aflatoxin has been right under your nose!

[Tuffbroadhead]

Raidergrad, you are correct sir...........Here in Texas corn with aflatoxin level higher than 20ppb (parts per billion) must have a warning label affixed to the bag....anything with a concentration over 100 cannot be sold as Deer feed.....
but to get around that and continue sales all they have to do is not label it as deer feed, LOL!!

Brute Killer, it varies from species to species , and age plays into it as well
It has been found that ducks pretty much die at exsposures over 100ppb, turkeys start to develop problems at levels 100 to 400 ppb depending on age. Deer will start to develop liver damage with prolonged exsposure over 100ppb

Lets take a pile of corn setting out in the pasture for example, the aflatoxin is already there in the corn, now add humidity and it begins to grow, it grows best at humidity levels between 15 and 50 percent according to Tamu studies, the first couple days wont be that bad for wildlife in general, no different than deer eating out of a normal motorized feeder. Now lets say that same pile is there at the end of week two and has had 14days exsposed to moisture levels that occur daily, it runs the risk of aflatoxin levels be much greater than the 20 to 100ppb than on day one, at week three the levels could be way over 2000ppb and cause death in turkeys and major liver damage in deer, that they may or may not recover from.....