How to hunt a corridor.

[Stanley]

What's the difference between a corridor and an edge???

Good question, I consider a corridor two distinct edges that are close enough to form a secluded channel for deer to travel. Once the corn is picked the corridor disappears and becomes an edge. In most cases I would not hunt a field edge. Big bucks in open fields are rare(daylight). The more secluded the corridor the more big bucks will use it (daylight). Some corridors are permanent and some are temporary.

This tactic probably wouldn't work without the corridor would it? I hunt field edges and rarely do I see any bucks period. When the corn is cut do they no longer hit that corridor due to safety?

Correct.

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[backstraps]

Thought this was some good info and needed a bump!

[BassBoysLLP]

Here is a few pics of corridors.

You created a maze for the deer? Is the hope that they are so disoriented by the time they get to you that they hold still for the shot?

I'm just kidding. It will take work, but I'm thinking about making such a corridor.

Yea that was the plan, we also had in a big container with fermented apple juice n the middle of the maze to help aid in their disorientation we were hoping they actually fell over so we could save the arrow and just use a knife. It hasn't work that well yet though.

Another way to create same effect if you don't have crp/tall grass in your food plots or along the woods is to plant Egyptian wheat or sorghum along the edges or in the food plot to break them up and create corridors. Those will get to 10+ feet tall & create barriers.
Breaking up a food plot, this is early in the growth, the Egyptian wheat is only probably 4 feet in the picture and got to over 12 feet tall, you can see there is a corridor along the edge of the woods as well in the distance.


Here is using it along the wood edge.

I've created corridors in the past with Egyptian wheat. It works great. Corn holds up better into the late season, but you can save a lot of money by going the Egyptian wheat route.

Clover and brassicas are great cover crops for the corridor. I've also had a lot of luck creating licking branches in the corridor by trimming corridor trees or bending skinny trees over the corridor and securing them with a couple zip ties to another tree.

[Bowhunter4life]

Bringing this thread back to life... Stan or anyone with experience hunting these type of corridors, have you had any success with them in the early season or is this a spot you focus on more so toward the rut?

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[U.P. MAN]

Did you hunt that spot last fall stan?

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[Stanley]

Bringing this thread back to life... Stan or anyone with experience hunting these type of corridors, have you had any success with them in the early season or is this a spot you focus on more so toward the rut?

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They work during the early season. What makes this corridor great is seclusion. The timber is on one side and the standing corn on the other side. If a buck is going to be on it's feet during daylight hrs. it will be in places he can not be seen. This holds true even more for early season than rut. A lot of shy type animals travel these corridors. Yotes, Bob cats, Badgers, skunks, raccons I like setting up game cameras on these corridors you get all kinds of cool pics.

[Stanley]

Did you hunt that spot last fall stan?

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No I did not. I was going to but hunted another spot early. When I did decide to hunt this corridor, the farmer had picked the corn so the corridor was gone. This farmer never picks the corn in October and he did this year.

[jonsimoneau]

Stan this is another excellent post by you that I somehow missed. I have a lot of these types of scenarios available to me. But I have a question. So you are entering these stands by coming through the corn right? I assume in the picture you posted your stand is on the edge of the timber? So you must walk across the corridor to get into your stand. Also with the south wind your wind will be blowing across the corridor. So when you enter your stand I assume you are walking across the corridor directly in front of your tree? Also with the wind blowing into the corn are you hoping your scent simply blows over the top of the buck as he passes through the corridor? Thanks for any help.

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[Stanley]

Stan this is another excellent post by you that I somehow missed. I have a lot of these types of scenarios available to me. But I have a question. So you are entering these stands by coming through the corn right? I assume in the picture you posted your stand is on the edge of the timber? So you must walk across the corridor to get into your stand. Also with the south wind your wind will be blowing across the corridor. So when you enter your stand I assume you are walking across the corridor directly in front of your tree? Also with the wind blowing into the corn are you hoping your scent simply blows over the top of the buck as he passes through the corridor? Thanks for any help.

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Not every corridor has to be timber to corn. It could be a pond or a ditch next to a transition. It could be corn to corn even. In answer to your question yes in that scenario you would walk across the coridore and set up as close to your ground scent as possible. You don't want the buck to hit your ground scent before you have a chance to put an arrow through him.

Yes I have had many bucks pass under my scent up in a tree. Some of them are on the wall. The biggest reason bucks/wildlife use them; there are unlimited exit routes and a buck can disappear in a fraction of a second. I have seen lots of bucks hug the corn like those two bucks are doing.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I wish my corridors were a bit wider as your pictured corridors are. Mine are fairly tight to the tree cover; they might be 8-10 feet wide sometimes a bit bigger but not by much. I hunted them a couple times last season but no dice. I think these spots might be best with a prehung stand. I had a tough time maneuvering through the corn with my stand and sticks.

How do you do it Stan? Pre-sets or do you think it's doable with a stand on your back? My rows were parallel to the woods and I was walking against the grain so to speak.

Great thread here by the way. One of the best

[jonsimoneau]

Thank you Stan. Excellent information.

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[Stanley]

I wish my corridors were a bit wider as your pictured corridors are. Mine are fairly tight to the tree cover; they might be 8-10 feet wide sometimes a bit bigger but not by much. I hunted them a couple times last season but no dice. I think these spots might be best with a prehung stand. I had a tough time maneuvering through the corn with my stand and sticks.

How do you do it Stan? Pre-sets or do you think it's doable with a stand on your back? My rows were parallel to the woods and I was walking against the grain so to speak.

Great thread here by the way. One of the best

I have hunted them with a portable stand mostly. I have also just carried a camp stool and sat in the corn. I agree it is a pain walking through the corn caring a stand and sticks.

[I_Love_Scotch]

I'm glad I stumbled across this. Our family farm is in its 2nd year of CRP and the NRCS planted 15 foot wide clover buffers between the CRP and the timber. The CRP is about 6-7 feet tall and the bucks are definitely using the corridors all around the property. Stanley, I noticed in your 1st post on this thread that the bucks came into the corridor with the wind at their backs. Is this normal or do you think its because they feel so safe? I already have my trees picked out I just need have an idea of which winds to hunt them on. According to the trail cams so far they're using the corridors on pretty much every wind type but maybe that will change once they shed their velvet.

[Bucky]

So I took a brush hog and mowed two 10-15ft wide strips through brush and grass... then I killed the grass/weeds in the cuts and tried brassicas for a few years, one year it came in really good (during WI rifle season I would have 10-15 deer camped out in these cuts just browsing) . But now I stick to clover so I don't have to go in and plant/prep in August, I just mow every now and again.....









From the gun stand there is another lane making a V with this lane.... I wish I could post the whole setup with food plots... these lanes essentially lead from prime bedding out to bigger ag fields and another food plot... with some mini kill plots inbetween... it took me years to put it together but hard work has paid off....

I believe Jeff Sturgis's book covers many of the same concepts. You want to have deer follow a defined path of travel... then you slide in perpendicular to that path of travel and kill em on the way from bed to food.

[I_Love_Scotch]

So how do you guys hunt these corridors? Do you feel bucks need the wind in their face while walking to them or do you feel like they feel so safe that they don't mind not having the wind in their favor?

Only reason I ask, based off of Stan's first post...the deer are bedding off of points on a south wind where they would have had the thermal tunnel advantage with a north wind, and then wind in their face accessing the corn field and corridor. His post they have neither advantage. If I were hunting I'd be expecting the deer to bed on the north side of the cornfield.