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Chopped corn

Fishbonker

Fishbonker

Life Member
There are a few farmers around that are chopping their corn. I'm not sure if they had planned to or if the drought stunted ear development.

What happens in a chopped field, do the deer stop trying to feed in it? Do they avoid it due to zero cover?

The 'Bonker
 
It is a frickin goose magnet and no the deer will love it. Depending on the chopper there is potential for a lot of waste. Some of the guys around here are chopping and leaving a few rows for the insurance folks to look at. Before long some fields may be too dry to chop and not pack well.
 
Most of what is getting chopped now is sileage, usually comes out early. If you knew that I apologize, I personally think you're smarter than you look and post.
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As far as deer avoiding it, I'd say they'd hit it hard to get the spilled kernals/ears off the ground before the ditch parrots get it.
 
Amen to farmers chopping corn!

Whats that sound? Its the sound of some goose stompin'!

Sept 10-11th can't come soon enough....
 
The reason I asked is I've never hunted over a chopped corn field before and looks like I might have to this year. I wouldn't think anything woud try to feed in a chopped field but I wanted to hear from some folks in the know. As far as gooses, did you ever read the book "Antlers in the Tree Top" by Who Goosed the MooseHunter?

The 'Bonker
 
Bonker,
I'm no farmer, but from what I can remember from my dad doing it there wasn't really a-lot of waste created from chopping a field. I'm sure there's some, otherwise the geese wouldn't hit them as hard as they do, but as far as hunting deer over it, I would assume it's easier for them just to walk along the standing rows and browse through the somewhat green alfalfa fields. You never know though, sometimes the spots you think are absolutely worthless end up being a magnet.
 
It all depends on how much food is available in the area.Around here, the only deer I see in chopped fields are deer crossing them to get to a better food source.Of course, most the farmers around here are so everflowing with manure by now that their chopped fields get a pretty thick layer right after the chopper leaves the field.
 
I don't think chopped corn fields would be very good for deer. Most of the chopped fields I have seen are barren wastelands. The complete stalk is chopped and blown into the forage wagon. Also, this happens so early in the season that there has been little chance for lodging (stalks falling over due to stalk rot or ears falling off the stalk due to corn borers). Maybe geese like the open areas to stand in (gives them great visibility for approaching predators) but I think deer will find better forage elsewhere. JMO, though.
 
My neighbors must have one good chopper then...because I am going to have to strongly disagree with most of you. They chop siledge every year to get the herd cows through the winter. Because of dry conditions and poor kernel development they chopped three times as much as usual.

These fields are clean, and I mean clean. No food, no waste. I have yet to see a deer in the field for three weeks now since they chopped them.

From past experience, this field won't have a deer track in it all winter long.
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Looks like JNRBRONC and I posted at the same time!
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I'll have to agree with the last two posters....there's nothing left after it's done. Or very little. Picked corn field or a combined corn field is a complete 180 from a chopped corn field. If I were you, I would concentrate my hunting on other areas.
 
My goose hunting buddies and I regularly hunt chopped fields with success. I haven't bow hunted a chopped field, there just isn't much there. Maybe if it was being used as a travel route.
The whole idea of chopping is to harvest EVERYTHING from the field and the farmers in my area do a very thorough job. The Finisher blinds look a little odd when its chopped, but they work.
 
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