Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Stalking in Corn

B

Bowhuntingboy

New Member
Conditions seem right, a big storm with lots of wind. I was thinking of stalking a cornfield tonight. The rows seem to be planted further apart than most cornfields around here. It might be perfect for a stalking hunt. I haven't tried successfully before. Any advice? Start downwind, cross field, move upwind, cross field, move upwind,cross field...? Is this what I should do? Any success stories out there?
 
Buy bowhunting October whitetails with barry wensel. He does this all the time and he shows exactly how to do it in the video. I have never done it before but it sounds like a good idea as well as lots of fun. good luck!
 
The whole key is to take your time, dont get in a hurry. Start at the downwind end of the field and move perpendicular with the rows. Check EVERY row than move up in the rows about as far as you could see down them on the first pass. Just keep making passes cross row. You dont want to run into a deer before you see it laying down row. This is why I only move up in the field a little at a time. Good luck, and it does work. When you actually see a deer, I like to count back five rows and then move in closer on it. Just remember how far you have to walk down the row to put you in bow range.
 
I agree with Fred.... only thing to add is that Barry Wensel's video shows how to do it with a group of 4 or so bowhunters.... if you are going it alone then follow Fred's (above) advise.... Good luck !!!! Don't forget to post the harvest photos
grin.gif
 
I came across this idea but have never tried it. I think it would work though. Take a lightweight aluminum ladder down the end rows. Get yourself above the corn and glass down each row. You might find a buck bedded down in a weedy patch or low area. Then stalk him like a mule deer. Sounds easy right?
 
I have done a ton of corn stocking and have killed some pretty good bucks this way. Missed a few giants too.

The problem with "starting on the downwind side" is this. If there is a buck in that corn field, he'll be bedded about 15 rows from the downwind end and about the same distance from the edge. This gives him the advantage of seeing you set up to come in from downwind.

Heres a better idea. Always work the rows WITH a quarter wind, with the downwind edge being your farthest point from the starting point. (If you are working it to the east, you'd want the wind coming over your left shoulder and hitting your chin)

If there is a buck using the corn, and you can determine this most times by simply walking its outside edge WITHOUT STOPPING, very important to keep walking. But just as important to NOT LOOK INTO THE CORN.

If the buck is still in there, you can figure the wind and guess just about exactly where he'll be bedded.

This has worked for me countless times and finding a buck in a corn field is actually very simple for the hunter that understands mature buck bedding behavior in accordance to wind direction. Even simpler with alittle practice.
 
I knew on guy that used to stalk in corn fields all the time. He killed some amazing deer doing this. (unfortunately he died about 10 years ago before passing his knowledge to me)
I have always thought about doing a stalk during my walk into my hunting areas, corn field are is the woods.
This year the deer have mowed down this cornfield. All around the field about 5 rows in, it is destroyed. Makes for a happy farmer
crazy.gif
 
DC
I'm confused about your comment relative to "not looking in the corn or stopping". Are you talking about scouting the perimeter and looking for buck sign and tracks? I assume that you are not still hunting at this point, right?
 
The best book I have ever read concerning hunting whitetails in the corn was written by Toad Smith. "Toad's Tricks to Taking Whitetails in the Corn". I would have to dig up the book to and check to make sure that was both his name and the exact title (sorry
confused.gif
) but I think I am pretty close. It is a great read and very informative. He was an old timer that knew how to bow kill deer in the corn.
 
Danno, when you are walking the perimiter of the corn field, checking to be sure the buck you want is in there, or a mature buck is in there, it is very important to not look into the corn yet. If you were to do this and the buck would happen to be within your line of sight (if he's in there, believe me, he's already watching you) and he thinks you seen him.., game over, he's gone.

I never look into a field until I'm actually hunting it.

The only down fall to hunting standing corn is that you can only look one dierction at a time. More then once I have looked down a row, then turned and looked the other direction just to see a mature buck laying 10 yards away looking at me!
 
Now I understand. Makes sense--I've had that happen, not in a corn field but in the willows on a riverbottom. There's an article on this site about corn hunting--what's your take on this philosophy? I think it may work when the acorns are short and the corn is harvested late.
When the Food Becomes the Cover
 
You know I had a funny expirience happen to me about 12 years ago hunting in a cornfield! I was hunting with a friend and his father-in-law in The Big Woods in SE Minnesota.
My friend hit a really nice 8 pointer with a nice spread. While him and his father in law were tracking it I jumped in the truck and raced down to the bottom of this huge ravine thinking if they jumped it I could cut it off before it ran into this big cornfield.
Well my assuption was right. They did jump it and it ran almost to me and I had it in my bead for a short time but not knowing where my friend was for sure just to be on the safe side I let it run (Hobble pretty good) by me. He eventually ran into a smaller carnfield about an acre to an acre and a half big.
My buddy and his father in law came by shortly. I told them I saw it run by and it was pretty gimpy. They were kind of mad why I didn't shoot. As it turns out I could of dropped him cuz they were farther back then I was expecting. But oh well.
I told them it was in the little corn field. We waited a little while for it to bleed more and stiffen up.
My friend went and stood on the north side of the little field next to a creak that on the other side had a huge 80 acre corn field. His father in law went to the south and up this hill kind of overlooking the little corn field. I got in the little field and just walked back and forth peaking my head in each row and looking both ways. The walking another 50 yards and peaking in both rows on each side of me and looking down each one. After about 1/2 hour of doing this I saw the deer. I was about 20 feet away from it at first. I watched it for a couple minutes and didn't see it move. I hollered over to my friend I found his deer. I walked up to it and reached over his back and grabbed onto to the bucks rack. I only counted 6 points!!! The fricken deer shook his head and got up really fast and litterally drug me about 3 feet with me hanging onto his rack!!!! I let go and covered my head thinking I was going to get the s**t kicked out of me! It was the wrong deer!!!! He took off out of the field and ran right by my friend who saw the whole thing happen and was laughing his a$$ off from seeing the whole thing happen! I don't know what the little buck was doing! Don't know if he was sleeping or was just trying to lay as still as he could thinking I was going to leave him or what. I stood in back of him for a couple minutes and hollered over to my friend that I found his deer! I don't know why he didn't get and run then!
Both my friend and his father in law saw the whole thing happen from each end of the field. They gave me crap about it for a long time afterwards!
Oh and by the way we did find the big 8 pointer dead in the 80 acre field after about a two hour search!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom