Farm Country Parallel Trails & Crop Rotation - Whats your Experience

[Kokes]

Few years ago I found a faint trail a few yards inside the woods next to an ag field in farm country. Bucks seem to be using this to scent check for hot does, Last year I hung camera high and confirmed one of the best bucks in my area using this parallel trail.

The last 3 years Ive hunted this farm its been soya and wheat, This year the farm is corn and my question is do you guys notice continued use of parallel trails a few yards inside the woods OR do these bucks shift and use the woods/field edge instead of the faint trail to scent check (due to the security cover the tall corn provides)

Stanley had a post in the all time greatest threads where he labeled these as "corridors", I would guess the bucks may use the edge of corn instead of staying a few yards in the woodlots...what are your observations?

[tim]

I do hunt some farmland. Where I hunt if it’s flat and narrow woodlot they do because they have to almost. If there is and variation in elevation they parallel slightly down the drop like a 3rd elevation and there are trails shooting off it too the field edge. My farmland is made up of pretty small wood lots intertwined with small swamps and ag fields and is VERY VERY thick. I’m talking a lot of it you are on your hands and knees crawling through it.

[Kokes]

I do hunt some farmland. Where I hunt if it’s flat and narrow woodlot they do because they have to almost. If there is and variation in elevation they parallel slightly down the drop like a 3rd elevation and there are trails shooting off it too the field edge. My farmland is made up of pretty small wood lots intertwined with small swamps and ag fields and is VERY VERY thick. I’m talking a lot of it you are on your hands and knees crawling through it.

I agree with those observations Tim, bucks like to stay in security cover...

[Wlog]

I do hunt some farmland. Where I hunt if it’s flat and narrow woodlot they do because they have to almost. If there is and variation in elevation they parallel slightly down the drop like a 3rd elevation and there are trails shooting off it too the field edge. My farmland is made up of pretty small wood lots intertwined with small swamps and ag fields and is VERY VERY thick. I’m talking a lot of it you are on your hands and knees crawling through it.

Agreed. Same. The corn usually doesn’t come into play here. It’s usually all harvested by rut. Corn starts coming down mid September. I do see bucks walk the field edge sometimes usually <3 year olds, during rut and mature bucks occasionally.

In relatively narrow strips of woods, say 100-150 yards wide the bedding is usually near those edges also here so it’s really everything bundled into one. The bucks can stay just inside and literally just go from one bedding area to the next. I love intersections where a few different narrow strips come together.

[Boogieman1]

I had to deal with a major crop rotation last year. In previous years it had always been Milo and I had the pattern down pretty well. Last year they planted cotton and really threw me for a loop. The deer shifted there entire home range and previous parallel trails were a ghost town.

My guess in the case of corn would be it depends on how the does enter there beds. If the corn alters how or where they bed the bucks will adapt there parallel trails to what works best for the current situation