Bedding in Standing Corn

[Lockdown]

A comment in Hunter10's "where's the buck" thread prompted this topic. Briar said "[glow=red]I know it has been said a lot that deer don't generally bed in corn[/glow], but around us they do because its the safest daytime cover." I agree with the 2nd part. Regarding the highlighted portion, that surprised me.

A couple months ago Tcjohnsonjacks and I had a lengthy conversation about mature bucks bedding in the middle of standing corn fields. I felt big bucks spent more time bedded in corn early on in the season than Tyler did. His opinion is they are very selective when bedding in corn, and don't just lay out in the middle next to nothing. I'm confident he is right in the aspect that structure (rock piles, irrigator pivots, random trees/islands, small slews, etc) will be utilized[glow=red]if available.[/glow] (This is a subject that I'm going to be paying A LOT of attention to in the upcoming years.) Our opinions differed a little on when and where they'll bed in it. That was unusual because we normally agree on everything

Often times there isn't structure so then what? It is my opinion that bucks bed in an abyss of standing corn more than most people think they do. Tyler thought it would take a little more pressure than I did to force them to bed randomly in a flat field. Maybe I am wrong.

I'm not saying there going to find the epi-center of a quarter of corn. But I do think they'll swing in 50-75 yards downwind of a fence line and lay down "randomly" if there's no structure to key on. I'll mention different scenarios with explanations later, but I'd like to hear your thoughts/experiences first.

[<DK>]

Newb here, just gotta say before the convo takes off. From what I've learned on here, a buck will bed wherever he has some type of advantage (whether we know what it is or not). It's all about survival right? Well maybe this corn thing is a case of hill country stats. If 90% of mature buck beds are at 1/3 elevation, are you going to walk that bottom 2/3 for that 10%? Only if something leads you to it right, maybe the corn fields are that 10%?

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[MOBIGBUCKS]

I definitely have seen bucks bed in the corn. In fact, a B&C in 2013 I watched come out of a bedding area in the corn. He utilized an old washout that was maybe 75 yards long lined with grass. I've also seen them utilize points of cover just like other terrains. A guy just has to remember these areas are hot one year and dead the next with crop rotations.

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[Mibowfreak]

I will be the first to admit, I have very little information about mature bucks bedding in standing corn. But, you can bet Im all in for this conversation. I can see this one really taking off.

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[MOBIGBUCKS]

In my case, the deer I'm hunting have a lot of pressure on them. This drives them in the corn as going into wood lots typically gets them killed in daylight hours. A cush lease with no pressure they won't utilize it as much.

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[Hawthorne]

I've never ran into a buck corn stalking and I've tried more than a few times over the years. They seem to like structure within a field like a swale that doesn't get planted or a thicket on the edge. If bucks do bed in a standing cornfield and its hilly can they use thermals within the field? I have a field that has a good drop and its all corn every other year.Will have to investigate next time its corn. I have seen big bucks bed in bean fields that are up to your waist in summer. Maybe they do it to escape the bugs.

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[blizzardhunter]

I read an article in Bow and Arrow magazine a few years ago by John Eberhart about bucks bedding in standing corn. Really good read. He has killed a few good bucks that were hiding there. Wind in favor and nothing can get close without them hearing it.

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[Lockdown]

I've never ran into a buck corn stalking and I've tried more than a few times over the years. They seem to like structure within a field like a swale that doesn't get planted or a thicket on the edge. If bucks do bed in a standing cornfield and its hilly can they use thermals within the field? I have a field that has a good drop and its all corn every other year.Will have to investigate next time its corn. [glow=red]I have seen big bucks bed in bean fields[/glow] that are up to your waist in summer. Maybe they do it to escape the bugs.

[ Post made via Android ]

Same here. I actually got chased off stand by the mosquitoes one year before I had a thermacell, and on the way back to the truck I had a buck (nice two year old) heading right for the finger of trees I was walking down. He was bedded in the flat wide open (green) soybean field. A few years back Tyler saw a huge buck laying in some standing beans (mid day) in an area I hunt. Prime ground nearby too.

I definitely have seen bucks bed in the corn. In fact, a B&C in 2013 I watched come out of a bedding area in the corn. He utilized an old washout that was maybe 75 yards long lined with grass. I've also seen them utilize points of cover just like other terrains. A guy just has to remember these areas are hot one year and dead the next with crop rotations.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Do you think they'll lay out in the middle of a field? I have no doubt they're going to bed in the structure if its there. Around here there are quite a few fields that are flat, no rock piles, no fingers or islands of trees/grass... nothing. I know the smaller bucks and does do. But do the mature bucks?

[Hawthorne]

One thing I have seen and heard I did'nt mention in my earlier post is bucks will do some rutting in corn. I've heard grunting and chasing within standing cornfields. I've sat next to fields while they are combining waiting for a buck to run out many times and can't say I've ever seen a buck run out. Ive seen a ton of does tho.

[ Post made via Android ]

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I've never ran into a buck corn stalking and I've tried more than a few times over the years. They seem to like structure within a field like a swale that doesn't get planted or a thicket on the edge. If bucks do bed in a standing cornfield and its hilly can they use thermals within the field? I have a field that has a good drop and its all corn every other year.Will have to investigate next time its corn. [glow=red]I have seen big bucks bed in bean fields[/glow] that are up to your waist in summer. Maybe they do it to escape the bugs.

[ Post made via Android ]

Same here. I actually got chased off stand by the mosquitoes one year before I had a thermacell, and on the way back to the truck I had a buck (nice two year old) heading right for the finger of trees I was walking down. He was bedded in the flat wide open (green) soybean field. A few years back Tyler saw a huge buck laying in some standing beans (mid day) in an area I hunt. Prime ground nearby too.

I definitely have seen bucks bed in the corn. In fact, a B&C in 2013 I watched come out of a bedding area in the corn. He utilized an old washout that was maybe 75 yards long lined with grass. I've also seen them utilize points of cover just like other terrains. A guy just has to remember these areas are hot one year and dead the next with crop rotations.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Do you think they'll lay out in the middle of a field? I have no doubt they're going to bed in the structure if its there. Around here there are quite a few fields that are flat, no rock piles, no fingers or islands of trees/grass... nothing. I know the smaller bucks and does do. But do the mature bucks?

I'd say they will if the pressure is high enough. However, not an all of the time thing. Are you sure those fields are as featureless as you think? Have you checked tracks in suspected areas? I use fresh rains to walk the corn edges to find what I'm looking for. Often times after harvest, ill figure out what he was utilizing structure wise in that field.

I'd say the bucks will only utilize ten percent of a cornfield. I'm talking the exterior 75 yards. The rest may be for random travel as bucks are creatures of the edge.

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[Bayshorebuck8]

I watched a great video by a guy that exclusivly hunted bucks in the corn it can still be seen on youtube. Its called toads tricks for taking whitetails in the corn. Its from the 80's but its legit check it out.

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[matt1336]

I've seen rutting in corn fields. I think corn is a good place for a buck to sequester a hot doe.

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[hunter10]

Good job with the thread lockdown. I can say forsure that this coming season I will have corn on many of my farms. It is either corn or beans rotated. I love standing corn for stealth of sneaking into places and I feel with smaller wood lots that I hunt, it keeps deer around them. An island lot out in the middle of a bean field is very hard to sneak into. I can think of 2 examples of bucks bedding in standing corn. One year I was doing a quick scout on a friends farm with him before gun season and there was a grass swale in a standing corn field. We got close and bumped the buck.. Never saw what he was but we heard his antlers hitting the stalks as he ran away down the rows. Another time is getting trail cam pics of a 3 yr old on multiple occasions before the rut entering standing corn and coming out the way he came in the afternoon.

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[mainebowhunter]

This is the video mentioned. Interesting method of hunting standing corn.
[bbvideo=425,350]https://youtu.be/g1iTtqgnOeQ[/bbvideo]

[Lockdown]

Yep that's a cool video... Someone had a link to it on the beast a few years ago. I did some stalking in standing corn years ago. It was easier back then because the rows were wider and seeds planted farther apart.

I came across does multiple times but never saw any bucks. I think deer encounters were about 50/50. But every time I saw them they were up on their feet feeding.

I've got a couple islands I'd like to sneak to on super windy days. I never seem to get the opportunity to try it.

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