Hunting CRP Land
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Hunting CRP Land
There is so much valuable info in the farm land thread, I wanted to see what tactics people use when hunting CRP. I hunt a few farms that are tall grass/briars with oaks and pines planted in them, with the occasional mature tree/s in a wash out. I know how I hunt those properties but I would like to here from other people that hunt similar habitat.
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
I hunt CRP just like I hunt every other terrain... Find the buck bedding and then figure out the best way to hunt it given that exact scenario... Maybe your in a tree, maybe your only a few feet up, maybe your on the ground, maybe your sitting back with bino's watching and patterning and waiting to make a move... But to me, knowing where the bedding is comes 1st.
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
I hunt a lot of farm land I have never targeted a buck in CRP. I have hunted timbers next to CRP. CRP is normally in more hilly ground that has poor soil quality. The quality of the CRP food source is not like alfalfa or clover. So it is not as good of draw as one would think.
The biggest reason I don't hunt CRP is the hunters approach is so poor. You are either sky lined going in or if you crawl like a reptile you leave so much human stench on the ground. My hunting philosophy is low impact and stealth. CRP ground isn't friendly for either one of these. I like to think if I don't get the buck today I would like a chance at him tomorrow or the next day.
Right now I only hunt one farm that has CRP and that is my least favorite farm to hunt. Most of the CRP ground has no trees in the fields. In order for a field to qualify for CRP it has to be tillable ground. This leaves out scrub brush and trees for the most part.
The biggest reason I don't hunt CRP is the hunters approach is so poor. You are either sky lined going in or if you crawl like a reptile you leave so much human stench on the ground. My hunting philosophy is low impact and stealth. CRP ground isn't friendly for either one of these. I like to think if I don't get the buck today I would like a chance at him tomorrow or the next day.
Right now I only hunt one farm that has CRP and that is my least favorite farm to hunt. Most of the CRP ground has no trees in the fields. In order for a field to qualify for CRP it has to be tillable ground. This leaves out scrub brush and trees for the most part.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
Dan, where I hunt is mostly flat and see good bucks alot, but I don't even kno where to begin to start looking for beds, so if I'm hunting flat farm land with mostly corn and soybeans around it is there a certain area that u start looking? Maybe a slight raise in terrain? Or the thickest underbrush, I feel like I do a lot of scouting but never really pays off for me, any secrets u would like to share?
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
I would be in woods surrounded by crops either corn or soybeans, I forgot to add that lol
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- UntouchableNess
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
When I bought my farm, it was 130 acres of 6 foot tall switch grass with some brushy draws. Unfortunately, most of the beds were across the road in the timber along the river. After watching things mornings and evenings, I was able to identify the preferred travel routes back to the river bottom. It was better suited to gun hunting than bow, though.
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
This is going to be my first year hunting ALOT of CRP field. I've hunted them in the past and sat on what I thought were correct travel routes with success in getting deer within killing range but never anything I wanted to kill. The one thing you have to know is, "Is there a big buck living in there". That only comes from glassing and scouting. I like to find small clumps of trees or super thick briar/rose bushes where a buck could tuck in and have super cover. Usually these areas are secluded into the middle of the fields and there's no easy or quiet access so they know your coming. Knowing this I stay out til I feel the moon, wind, and weather is right to jump in to an area close enough that I think I will get a shot during daylight. This year I will NOT be filming my hunts so I will be able to setup in areas that I normally wouldn't bc of filming reasons so I hope to gather a lot more Intel on the CRP bucks.
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
steve22 wrote:Dan, where I hunt is mostly flat and see good bucks alot, but I don't even kno where to begin to start looking for beds, so if I'm hunting flat farm land with mostly corn and soybeans around it is there a certain area that u start looking? Maybe a slight raise in terrain? Or the thickest underbrush, I feel like I do a lot of scouting but never really pays off for me, any secrets u would like to share?
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Slight rises or ridges, thick spots or small islands of brush, points jutting out into the crp from woodlots...
Its also important to note that they tend to bed in the same spots year after year... One of my properties was CRP and the buck beds were always in the same spot... It started getting cropped and that lasted a few years then when it went back into CRP the bucks showed up in exactly the same spots... If your having a hard time try getting in a high tree down wind and glassing on an evening or two before you hunt.
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Re: Hunting CRP Land
I've seen the same things as Dan in regards to high grass hunting. Look for islands or lone trees...They will use those spots year in and year out. CRP is one of my favorite habitats to hunt; My biggest buck was bedded in CRP grass ( I killed him in a field after exiting the bed); I missed a huge one the next year in nearly the same bed my buck was using the year before.
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