Corn Fields

[Uncle Lou]

I am not a teacher although I have been here for a long time. I read more than I post after all this time. But I spoke with dan today and we got talking about some members who were on their game and upped it after coming here. I offered a few names of members I have been watching up their game since they came here, and although I am not one of them, the BEAST has changed how I think. I just havn't produced better results, but enough about me.

I wanted to bring something up as I have been driving around the midwest and looking at all this nice lush deer country. I want to bring up corn fields.

Many talk of stalking the corn and hunting farm land, and hill country as it relates to farm fields, and many other techniques to hunt the corn. But as I was driving the last few weeks, I witnessed a few areas where the corn was laid down. I usually see wheat fields laid down when they get close to ripe and the wind hits them hard. But I saw some major corn circles or whatever you want to call them when a major storm lays down some corn in some areas. Can these be bedding, or openings worth hunting, or what say you?

Any corn field strategies, are welcome here. Any strategies to these wind blown corn circles? I could see myself stalking in and checking these out blind if I had any private areas left.

[seazofcheeze]

My buddy owns a pretty good sized dairy outfit. Recently we got some thunderstorms and some bad hail, which knocked down a lot of the corn in a few of his fields, possibly what you saw?

As far as hunting strategies, I like Stanley's "corridor" approach to hunting certain edges on corn fields.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Uncle Lou]

add a link if you can find it. Anything Stanley has started on corn fields could for sure help

[hunter10]

I love sitting over the corridor between woods and standing corn in farm country. Also makes getting too and from your location more hidden.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[kurt]

This is a little off topic but they don't plant field corn like the used too. The standard 30 in rows . I see a lot of The 20in rows which are closer the plants in general are taller and tighter together. The cobs are smaller. But the twin row's are gaining popularity which is two rows 7.5 inches then 30inches then 2 rows 7.5. But I hear a diamond pattern like a checker board would gain most yield.
I'm not a farmer so by no means a expert. But 20In rows are really not a fun walk or stalk I'm too wide with treestand and bow.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Uncle Lou]

This is a little off topic but they don't plant field corn like the used too. The standard 30 in rows . I see a lot of The 20in rows which are closer the plants in general are taller and tighter together. The cobs are smaller. But the twin row's are gaining popularity which is two rows 7.5 inches then 30inches then 2 rows 7.5. But I hear a diamond pattern like a checker board would gain most yield.
I'm not a farmer so by no means a expert. But 20In rows are really not a fun walk or stalk I'm too wide with treestand and bow.

[ Post made via Android ]

Now that is interesting and I am glad you added that. Maybe some farmers can add some to the row spacing and what that could mean to hunting the corn.

I just mentioned the circles to see if there is any strategy to them, but please add anything to hunting corn fields that comes to mind. Threads rarely go where you want them to

[kurt]

It's funny Lou because just last year I was planning a entrance route and I wanted to hit my mark just above a inside corner and into a certain tree above a small marsh. A bigger operation started farming it and they use the tight rows. Not only that the corn was at least 8ft it seemed. I couldn't see a thing. Not a tree top. Luckily now a days I pull out the cell phone and walk right there using Google Earth perfect row to that tree and the tree is visible on phone.

That's how I found out about twin rows farming buddies. Complaining about tight rows. I made noise but it was windy. Then again I only seen turkeys.

[ Post made via Android ]

[jmaas07]

My buddy owns a pretty good sized dairy outfit. Recently we got some thunderstorms and some bad hail, which knocked down a lot of the corn in a few of his fields, possibly what you saw?

As far as hunting strategies, I like Stanley's "corridor" approach to hunting certain edges on corn fields.

[ Post made via Android ]

I think the thread seaz is talking about is when a fence row runs through a cornfield perpendicular to a woodlot, walk the fence row towards the woodlot with the wind in your face and set up at the end of the fence row facing the woodlot to catch bucks walking the corridor between the corn and woodlot

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Arrowbender]

Lou, we had a bunch of corn fields by the cabin that had some severe wind damage....or so I thought. It was laying down and twisted and when you could get an elevated view from a higher road, you could see some of these circle patterens of which you speak. Low and behold, two weeks later....the fields look pretty darn straight again.

So...it looks to me that corn can take much more of a beating than small grains, but if it has hail damage, I don't think it's pulling out of that. But then I guess the deer wouldn't hang out in those thinned out areas either.

[Hawthorne]

Find out when the farmer is combining it then sit a stand in the nearest woodlot funnel. The more pressure the woods get the more they bed in corn. I believe bucks don't like bedding in corn unless they are heavily pressured to do. They usually combine the corn in late october around me usually hunters by then have pushed them into the corn. They like areas that are to wet plant also. I've seen nice bucks come out of those spots. I watched a huge 8 point with a doe standing right next to standing corn in the cut portion while the combine went up and down rows. They eventually made their way into the woods where I wasn't hunting. I've shot one nice buck that was pushed by a combine. Sit out there all day if the farmer is cutting. Standing corn is great for stand access. I walk 300 yds last year right thru a corn field across the rows to get to a stand along a creek in early oct. It was the best access to get in undetected. I didn't boot one deer out of the field they were all bedding along the creek. I shot a doe that night that came out of a what I thought would be a buck bed

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Lockdown]

I think Arrowbender is right about the corn rebounding.

After reading your first post I immediately thought of all of my duck hunting days accessing slews that were surrounded by corn. Any time there was a drown out there was always a concentration of deer tracks there. Even hundreds of yards from any edge... they find those openings. My way of thinking now, I'm assuming they're bedding near them and that's mostly why. Mind you, this is just speculation on my part.

I don't think a deer is going to bed in a sea of standing corn then just decide to head to that opening in the middle 200 yards away. I think its a structure related thing and when they come across it they bed by it.

IMHO I don't think you'll see a crazy amount of action, but if you've got a pocket of short/downed corn in the right place it would definitely be worth hunting. I think the only way to do it is approach from strait down wind, and still hunt the last hundred yards or so in case something is bedding on the downwind side.




Kurt is right about the row spacing. I used to still hunt corn fields, and part of the reason I haven't tried it recently is because of the close rows, and also closer seed spacing. Corn fields are ridiculous to walk through now... it never used to be that bad.

My buddy owns a pretty good sized dairy outfit. Recently we got some thunderstorms and some bad hail, which knocked down a lot of the corn in a few of his fields, possibly what you saw?

As far as hunting strategies, I like Stanley's "corridor" approach to hunting certain edges on corn fields.

[ Post made via Android ]

I think the thread seaz is talking about is when a fence row runs through a cornfield perpendicular to a woodlot, walk the fence row towards the woodlot with the wind in your face and set up at the end of the fence row facing the woodlot to catch bucks walking the corridor between the corn and woodlot

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Growing up hunting, most of the stuff I hunted was small groves. Fence lines are money. In the same way a Beast looks at a river oxbow or cattail island as bedding, I was drawn to fence lines and drainages in corn fields and that is all because of my Dad. He is a little narrow minded as far and grasping Beast tactics, but he's shot a lot of deer including some slobs. If you ask him about bowhunting farm country the first thing he'll tell you is "You need to hunt by the corn". Any structure within a cornfield makes it that much better.

[Jeff25]

i had a stand site in an inside corner, and one year when corn was planted i could see a spot where no corn had grown up, and every deer i saw walked right through that open space in the corn

[Hawthorne]

Another good find is a white oak in the middle of a cornfield. From the structure of a single tree and the dropping acorns could be a big buck hotspot. I've only hunted one farm that had one early in my hunting career. The farmer ended up cutting it down. I see them often driving

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[whitetailassasin]

I am not a teacher although I have been here for a long time. I read more than I post after all this time. But I spoke with dan today and we got talking about some members who were on their game and upped it after coming here. I offered a few names of members I have been watching up their game since they came here, and although I am not one of them, the BEAST has changed how I think. I just havn't produced better results, but enough about me.

I wanted to bring something up as I have been driving around the midwest and looking at all this nice lush deer country. I want to bring up corn fields.

Many talk of stalking the corn and hunting farm land, and hill country as it relates to farm fields, and many other techniques to hunt the corn. But as I was driving the last few weeks, I witnessed a few areas where the corn was laid down. I usually see wheat fields laid down when they get close to ripe and the wind hits them hard. But I saw some major corn circles or whatever you want to call them when a major storm lays down some corn in some areas. Can these be bedding, or openings worth hunting, or what say you?

Any corn field strategies, are welcome here. Any strategies to these wind blown corn circles? I could see myself stalking in and checking these out blind if I had any private areas left.

I agree UL, it's been nice to see some of the guys have more and more success! I'm more vocal than most, but still in the boat of learning and figuring things out. I would say your input has affected and helped many. I know I appreciate all you do! As far as the corn goes I'm paying attention to the responses and learning again!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Bowhunter4life]

I'm no expert at this but have had chances to put an arrow through deer. Most were either too small or a doe but the thrill and rush of stalking the corn is something I think everyone should at least try. Using wind or a day it has rained or is raining are great days to walk through the corn. Few things you have to think about when doing this, wind and noise. As long as you approach it smart it really can bring success, one of my buddies took a real nice 140 inch 10 two years ago by doing this. Better to wait till the corn starts to turn, it is a bit easier to see in and get through.

[ Post made via iPhone ]