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Anyone else struggle with standing crops around your hunting spots?

T

Trapshooter1

Well-Known Member
Here's my struggle, My best big timber/river bottom spots, are completely surrounded by corn hundreds of acres. I really struggle to hunt the rut when the harvest is really drawn out and the corns out late.

Anybody on here have strategies that combat this???
 
plant a plot of a variety of greens that will be lush during the rut. I like a mixture of peas, soybeans and oats planted in early august. Top dress with rye in September. Creates lots of green browse during the rut and beyond.
 
When it's not the rut, I think it's common for deer to live 24/7 in the fields, especially corn. During the rut though, I think hunting timber edges that boarder standing fields works just about as well as it does when the fields are picked. Maybe even better, because the standing fields kind of act like barriers. Traveling bucks will walk right along the outside edge of a standing field, where he'll freely wander out into a picked field.
 
A match? Lol

Going to be a "problem" all over and deep into the season. They havent even started beans in the areas I hunt. Corn going to be up in December I bet.
 
Corn coming down fast if it’s dry.
Side “2 cents”...... some bucks will stay in corn- no doubt. But, imo- it’s not NEAR what folks think. I’ve sat years & years overlooking massive acres of corn & timber..... not many deer live &/or bed in corn. 95% or more come out of timber. Occasionally a pressured buck or a loner buck (which should get anyone’s attention!!!!) will lay in grass water ways in center of corn fields. But overall - timber is what holds em & will suck them in when cover (pasture or more open type ground) & food starts disappearing. Regardless of time of year and if a gazillion acres of corn, still take thick, low pressure timber, brush, etc to hold the deer & hunt.
Anyways- keep praying for dry weather & if we get long dry spells- these guys are chomping to get crops down if moisture is decent. Guys with thick ideal timber will continue to pick up some bucks with each passing day.
Ur river ground, corn or no corn- it’s gonna be RUT hunting - that’s river corridor hunting to a T. Right now they pry bedded in timber near food and not traveling much. Which can be opportunity. But, Patient & the cruisers will be moving before u know it. Those river corridors about to go bananas In couple weeks.
 
I’ve had the same worries. Last early November when we had that early snow the deer where piling out of standing corn early in the AM, going right passed my stand and going to bed elsewhere. It was a great day.
 
I'm in the same situation in main area I hunt. Smaller timber blocks surrounded by a sea of crops. All you can do is gut it out. If you have a good funnel/ travel corridor they're going to pass moving from field to field. Just a matter of being in right place at right time.
 
The bedding in corn is overrated. Yes standing corn can hurt the hunting, the deer are not in there at all times. Ask farmers how many deer do you see when combining? Most see some, but it’s not as common as some think.
 
Sligh1 said:
Corn coming down fast if it’s dry.
Side “2 cents”...... some bucks will stay in corn- no doubt. But, imo- it’s not NEAR what folks think. I’ve sat years & years overlooking massive acres of corn & timber..... not many deer live &/or bed in corn. 95% or more come out of timber. Occasionally a pressured buck or a loner buck (which should get anyone’s attention!!!!) will lay in grass water ways in center of corn fields. But overall - timber is what holds em & will suck them in when cover (pasture or more open type ground) & food starts disappearing. Regardless of time of year and if a gazillion acres of corn, still take thick, low pressure timber, brush, etc to hold the deer & hunt.
Anyways- keep praying for dry weather & if we get long dry spells- these guys are chomping to get crops down if moisture is decent. Guys with thick ideal timber will continue to pick up some bucks with each passing day.
Ur river ground, corn or no corn- it’s gonna be RUT hunting - that’s river corridor hunting to a T. Right now they pry bedded in timber near food and not traveling much. Which can be opportunity. But, Patient & the cruisers will be moving before u know it. Those river corridors about to go bananas In couple weeks.
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That's what I was thinking - it seems like the deer still live in the timbers/grass/draws vs standing corn. Sure some are in the corn but not as many. They may lay on terraces or waterways in the corn that they'd never lay in when it's out but timber is still their go to bedroom. Maybe timber edges are more used for bedding given the added cover but we've had some great hunts hiking through corn fields to get to a secluded bedding area. Hard part is getting them out!
 
LoessHillsArcher said:
That's what I was thinking - it seems like the deer still live in the timbers/grass/draws vs standing corn. Sure some are in the corn but not as many. They may lay on terraces or waterways in the corn that they'd never lay in when it's out but timber is still their go to bedroom. Maybe timber edges are more used for bedding given the added cover but we've had some great hunts hiking through corn fields to get to a secluded bedding area. Hard part is getting them out!
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I've read on more than one occasion, corn only makes up 10-15% of a deers diet at any given time of yr. If that is true they have to come out of the corn each and every day, although it still could be at night.
 
It may be good if the corn fields. And timber edge is on your property but in my case both are on properties across the road from me. I have small food plots. They seem to be munching my rye and winter wheat right down but I believe its after dark when they leave the corn areas.
 
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