Do You Think Rotten Corn Could Kill A Deer? IHave A Buck Floating In The Tank.

I was hunting at a buddy’s place two weeks ago and the feeder was stopped up. The corn had gotten wet. I dumped 250 pounds, scraped the rotten corn out and refilled. No one else has hunted down here and I have a deer floating in the tank next to the feeder. I know something like that would kill a horse, but I don’t know about a deer. What do y’all think?

I guess it's possible. I would think the deer wouldn't eat it if was too nasty. Hogs are a different story.

Yes. moldy corn has been the source of deer deaths. I would think especially if they are really chowing down on high amounts during the rut.

It could if the deer was starving to death. Another possibility could be he got a punctured gut during a fight or a gut shot deer by a hunter. IMO both of those are more likely than a deer eating moldy corn.

I was also thinking he may have been in a fight. The deer is hung up on a tree in the deepest part of the tank so I can’t get a good look at him. The body does have mud all over it. He may have just taken a bad beating.

Exactly what I was thinking too. I've found a few dead bucks over the years from fighting. Just recently had a young 3pt with blood on the spike. 8pt he was fighting snapped off his left side. Not uncommon

I had bad corn in my feeder as well and the deer gave it away. Nothing would touch the corn. I scraped and dumped corn a few hundred yards away and nothing ate it either. Last weekend at my other place I hunt, I had an old 7 point with one heck of a body build come walking in and I could tell he took a whoopin by his bloody left eye and side looked like he had been rolling on the ground. I passed him for my Brother In slaw since I got a good one already. The next morning my brother in law found him dead walking to his blind which was the same direction I seen him going the evening before. He wanted nothing to do with good corn or Doe at feeder. Was just ready to call it quits. Moral of the story is try not to beat yourself up over the corn. Is it possible? Yes! But more then likely it’s a different scenario. 25% Hunter 75% Nature taking care of itself.

I agree highly doubt in these range conditions it would eat that much spoiled corn.

Many years ago an old man told me that a wounded buck would seek water to cool the wound. Your deer might have been wounded. The old man also told me that a wounded doe would try to find the thickest brush they could find to lay down in. Over the years I've found the old man was right many times.

Bucks will beat the heck out of each other. I've seen what a buck that has been fighting can do to each other. Had a hunter have to throw away almost an entire deer after removing the hide.
The puncture marks were not all visible from the outside, with bruising and infection.
It was a pretty disgusting sight.....So more than likely the OP's deer jumped into the pond to try and relieve the burning from either a gut shot or fighting, and too weak to get out.

As a side note: That deer I mentioned above was shot at a feeder when the deer suddenly appeared and could barely walk, so it seemed that the deer was bedded down next to the feeder as he said the deer was barely able to walk as he came in to the corn.
It was a big 140's ten pointer.

I believe this ^^^ to be true. Over the years I've recovered many bucks in tanks, sloughs, creeks and does in the briars.

My buck went to water alright. He was mortally wounded though an hour earlier by me. Went 220 yards.

I once trailed a buck for over a mile and found the buck had jumped into a small creek.
I spotted an antler sticking out of the water. At first I thought it was a stick, but the "stick" had a telling resemblance of an antler.
I would have thought the deer would have floated, but it was all the way under except for the antler.

I seriously doubt if rotten corn killed the Deer. Most animals except Sheep and Horses know what is bad and when either not to eat or quit.

Yup, have found several downed deer near a creek or tank, or in it.
We also have found deer that just got old (10-12 years) dead on the bank near tanks, not in the water.

I have gone in a creek more than once to recover a deer shot by others. Last one was for my Dad. Blood loss will make an animal thursty and like others have said it is a way to cool fever. Agree with those that say fight or shot is more likely the cause than the corn.

Something about buck fights at times it is not the ones actually fighting that inflicts the worst damage but other bucks trying to join the fight

We have dumped corn many times and only hogs came to it. I would guess an injury was the cause.

As a kid when we first started seeing hogs and thought they were cool we would sour corn for weeks in advance, much like people do milo for catfish chum, and then spread it in rows hoping to draw the hogs in. Many times we shot deer over it and many times we have caught deer in hog traps using it for bait. Never seen one get sick from it but I guess it could happen. Its one of the reasons I always doubt the statement of rain etc. souring acorns so deer wont eat them.