Can deer smell corn kernels through the snow?

[NYDAN]

The last two winters I have had deer coming out into the corn fields after the corn had been combined (picked and shelled) in the winter. After the combining there are lots of loose kernels and partial cobs laying all around. The deer continue to come into the fields to feed even after there has been snowfalls which cover the ground. They continue to come into the fields until the grass greens up in the spring and then they change their feeding habits. By now you can't find a loose kernel any where.

I am curious as to how the deer locate the corn kernels through the snow. Do they just blindly paw around or can they actually smell the kernels?

Dan

 

[DrMike]

I would be compelled to guess, since I have no proof, but I would suppose that the deer's sense of smell is sufficiently acute to allow them to smell the corn even through a couple of inches of snow.

 

[Rol_P]

Dan, I cannot speak directly to their sense to smell corn, but I have personally seen where they paw through the snow to locate acorns under oak trees. Knowing their sense of smell to detect humans it would be a good bet they can smell kernels of corn under the snow. Rol

 

[ShadeTree]

I wouldn't know the definitive answer to that question, but it would shock me more if the answer was no they can't.

I would imagine a deer's nose is at least on par with a good hunting dog. I've had hunting dogs from the time my legs could move fast enough to keep up, and the things I've witnessed over the yrs with some of them in their ability to smell, boggles the mind.

 

[truck driver]

Though I don't know the answer to the question I would also like to think that since they associated finding food there before the harvest they would still associate the field after harvest and the same for the oak trees. Smell and association probably is some of why they keep coming back till they can't find anything to eat.

 

[NYDAN]

Guys, thank you for responses. I didn't think of a kernel of corn as having much of an odor. But, I think you are correct, they must be able to smell them. Especially, as ShadeTree mentioned about how amazing some dogs are at smelling things, why should anyone be surprised that a deer couldn't exhibit similar feats?

I have seen dogs with great tracking abilities. But, I never read or heard how they could tell which direction the tracks were headed. Does anyone know?

 

[cloverleaf]

As you likely know, shelled corn has a distinctive smell. When relatively fresh even a human can smell it down wind. My guess is a deer can smell it a few months old under a foot of snow. If a coyote/ fox can find a mouse under feet of snow I'd be surprised if a deer couldn't. CL

 

[ShadeTree]

Guys, thank you for responses. I didn't think of a kernel of corn as having much of an odor. But, I think you are correct, they must be able to smell them. Especially, as ShadeTree mentioned about how amazing some dogs are at smelling things, why should anyone be surprised that a deer couldn't exhibit similar feats?

I have seen dogs with great tracking abilities. But, I never read or heard how they could tell which direction the tracks were headed. Does anyone know?

I'm not a dog so I can't answer that definitively either, but the logical answer is 1 way it gets warmer, other way gets colder. The dogs that never seem confused by that and always figure things out quickly the right way, has a whole lot more to do with the clump of bumpy matter between their ears, then it does nose, IMO. Some dogs take tracks the wrong way, get bogged down, and never do figure out they will be there tomorrow yet with no end in sight. Those kind of dogs always had a short stay at my house.

Dogs that can take a cold track and get it worked out, up and running without taking a Grandma's age to do it, is a whole other skill set separate from right way, wrong way. Again, nose along with brains, IMO.

I wasn't really talking about tracking ability though, purely winding ability and nose power. Seen some things that I wont take up space with the accounts of. But simply amazing. Some dogs are born with quite a gift, that gift gets finely tuned with experience. The end result is something special.