OneCam
Well-Known Member
When the FOOD Becomes the COVER By Ron Newman
While scouting the perimeter of a cornfield one mid-October day, I came upon a well-used trail leaving a wooded bench and coming down to the field. Numerous tracks entering the corn, and several small rubs made this spot APPEAR to be a prime candidate for the evening's hunt. I looked around and as I expected, about 20 yards off the trail, but still on the fields edge, was a portable treestand already in place. I grinned to myself and wished the guy luck. He would surely have a shot opportunity here, and quite possibly, take a small buck home with him.
Why a small buck? Because, after finally putting the pieces together from years of hunting in, or around cornfields, I have developed a theory and technique which not only increases my chances for big-buck encounters, but also is just the opposite of what every one else is doing. Rather than seeing alot of deer I am not interesting in harvesting, I generally see the bucks that seem to avoid detection by the usual methods of hunting these fields. Opposite tactics can sometimes lead to opposite results!
"Family" groups of Does, fawns and yearling bucks tend to remain as a group, traveling back and forth to bed/feed together. The bigger bucks are usually loners, and seek more solitary refuge away from the normal routine. That is why they are seen less, and got to be older and bigger in the first place. I have determined that when the cover density of one bedding area changes, the deer will shift to another, -one which will provide the adequate cover and security they seek.
This is exactly what happens, as the autumn woods begin to change. To be more specific, about the time the corn ripens and stands waiting to be harvested, cooler temperatures and decreasing daylight begins to take its toll on the foliage and cover in the woods. Each day things begin to open up more and more, until the thickest, most sensible place to bed, is in the corn itself. This is particularly practiced by the larger, more mature bucks.
Now, this is not about hunting IN the corn, (although stalking the rows on a windy day between treestand vigils can be exciting and productive.) I'm talking about hunting the BIG boys, who are using the corn as a sanctuary, complete with cover, food, and water. Most of the "in-woods" sign you DO find now, is being made at night, so naturally it's futile to hunt it during the day while the bucks are "resting". What do I propose you do different? Well, think about this...
Naturally, not ALL of the deer in the area will be bedding in the corn. Does, fawns, and younger bucks generally are more inclined to travel between a bedding area away from the food source, and are less concerned with being seen. They move in and out of fields usually about the same time, on the same trails each day (unless disturbed) leaving plenty of evidence of their presence. The rub lines made by the younger bucks leave clues as to what trail they most frequently use, and which way they are heading. That is the most common way to scout for stand sites, find a trail leading into the corn, some rubs facing the FIELDS for an evening stand, rubs facing the WOODS for a morning stand, and your in business. That's not necessarily true, if you're looking for the "BIG BOYS". Here's why....
Look at the cornfield as the BEDDING AREA. Here, the bigger more reclusive bucks can bed down for the day and be relatively undisturbed by 4-wheelers, hikers, and human activity in general. Only the occasional small-game hunters "invade" their hideout. (Coincidentally, 2 of the biggest deer I've ever seen were while pheasant hunting in corn fields during the middle of the day!) By reversing the "normal" travel pattern of going from the woods to the corn, the bucks now LEAVE the cornfields in the evening and RETURN in the morning. So, I suggest you reverse they way you do things. Now, get out and scout for that trail containing fewer and BIGGER tracks, heading INTO the woods. (See what I'm getting at?)
Look also for any ditches or "low spots", particularly coming from the direction of any trees or "islands" in the field, to give a clue as to where within the field the buck may come from. Another good choice is a fencerow seperating two cornfields. Deer follow these "breaklines" (at any time of the day), as they are still, technically, surrounded by cover. These are the places where you want to be in the EVENING, as the buck heads from the corn into the woods to feed on acorns, make/check rubs & scrapes, and cruise around lookin' for the ladies during the night. Usually, as you follow these trails back away from the corn, you will find the larger rubs facing the WOODS that weren't made in the morning en-route to the general bedding area as is usually assumed, but as the buck left his "private suite" at dusk. This is the trail you want to hunt over in the evening, if you want to increase your chances of arrowing a mature buck during the lull before the rut, when the bucks are generally inactive during daylight hours.
For morning hunts, check the perimeter trails around the fields, usually within 50 yards or so, and find where a rubline intersects with the main trail. Rubs made by the older bucks will now be facing the FIELD, being made in the morning. Again, this trail will not be as obvious as the ones traveled by the main group of deer using the field. The bucks will follow these perimeter trails before going to the cornfield to bed, as they can cross-check each trail entering or leaving the field for hot does. A stand on this perimeter trail, where it crosses a "family group" trail, near the rubs facing the field is a best bet now, (AND later, when the RUT kicks in!) especially when hunting late mornings, watching for those bucks who get up and "sniff" around after bedding for a few hours. This doesn't mean that some of the rubs facing a food source aren't made in the evening, or those facing the woods do not lead to a bedding area, but generally these will have been made by smaller, younger bucks still hanging around and being tolerated by the doe groups.
This is a BIG BUCK specific tactic, and certainly doesn't apply to every buck in the area. It is worth a try when you are not seeing the caliber of bucks you know are in the area, and have reason to believe are using the corn during daylight hours for cover. Obviously, if you are hunting the "BIG" sign, but at the wrong time, the only thing you're killing is your chances.
The key is the DIRECTION of the sign, then hunting it as if the corn was (and IS) the bedding area. Period. Accessing these spots is as with any stand near a bedding area, critical. The standing corn helps alot with keeping you out of sight, but you still must watch the wind and maintain as silent of a approach as possible. I know this goes against what we have been told and tried for a long time, but if you're NOT seeing the bigger bucks, and you are hunting where the BEST cover available nearby is the cornfield itself, why not try it? You have nothing to lose.
Always the consumate survivor, Big bucks instinctively know how to best avoid contact with humans and use whatever's available to their advantage. We need to do the same. The signs are there, we just have to interpret them properly. If you think the deer are staying in the corn, look at things from THEIR perspective and adjust your tactics to match their intentions. I know since I've used this new approach, my sightings of Mature bucks has gone up significantly. That doesn't mean I'm harvesting a lot of them, but just seeing them at this time of year, is the first step towards that goal!
If the satisfaction of even just knowing, you were in the right place at the right time, ON PURPOSE, is enough for you as it is me, then try doing things "Backwards". You just might find yourself moving forward in your quest to be a better whitetail hunter.
While scouting the perimeter of a cornfield one mid-October day, I came upon a well-used trail leaving a wooded bench and coming down to the field. Numerous tracks entering the corn, and several small rubs made this spot APPEAR to be a prime candidate for the evening's hunt. I looked around and as I expected, about 20 yards off the trail, but still on the fields edge, was a portable treestand already in place. I grinned to myself and wished the guy luck. He would surely have a shot opportunity here, and quite possibly, take a small buck home with him.
Why a small buck? Because, after finally putting the pieces together from years of hunting in, or around cornfields, I have developed a theory and technique which not only increases my chances for big-buck encounters, but also is just the opposite of what every one else is doing. Rather than seeing alot of deer I am not interesting in harvesting, I generally see the bucks that seem to avoid detection by the usual methods of hunting these fields. Opposite tactics can sometimes lead to opposite results!
"Family" groups of Does, fawns and yearling bucks tend to remain as a group, traveling back and forth to bed/feed together. The bigger bucks are usually loners, and seek more solitary refuge away from the normal routine. That is why they are seen less, and got to be older and bigger in the first place. I have determined that when the cover density of one bedding area changes, the deer will shift to another, -one which will provide the adequate cover and security they seek.
This is exactly what happens, as the autumn woods begin to change. To be more specific, about the time the corn ripens and stands waiting to be harvested, cooler temperatures and decreasing daylight begins to take its toll on the foliage and cover in the woods. Each day things begin to open up more and more, until the thickest, most sensible place to bed, is in the corn itself. This is particularly practiced by the larger, more mature bucks.
Now, this is not about hunting IN the corn, (although stalking the rows on a windy day between treestand vigils can be exciting and productive.) I'm talking about hunting the BIG boys, who are using the corn as a sanctuary, complete with cover, food, and water. Most of the "in-woods" sign you DO find now, is being made at night, so naturally it's futile to hunt it during the day while the bucks are "resting". What do I propose you do different? Well, think about this...
Naturally, not ALL of the deer in the area will be bedding in the corn. Does, fawns, and younger bucks generally are more inclined to travel between a bedding area away from the food source, and are less concerned with being seen. They move in and out of fields usually about the same time, on the same trails each day (unless disturbed) leaving plenty of evidence of their presence. The rub lines made by the younger bucks leave clues as to what trail they most frequently use, and which way they are heading. That is the most common way to scout for stand sites, find a trail leading into the corn, some rubs facing the FIELDS for an evening stand, rubs facing the WOODS for a morning stand, and your in business. That's not necessarily true, if you're looking for the "BIG BOYS". Here's why....
Look at the cornfield as the BEDDING AREA. Here, the bigger more reclusive bucks can bed down for the day and be relatively undisturbed by 4-wheelers, hikers, and human activity in general. Only the occasional small-game hunters "invade" their hideout. (Coincidentally, 2 of the biggest deer I've ever seen were while pheasant hunting in corn fields during the middle of the day!) By reversing the "normal" travel pattern of going from the woods to the corn, the bucks now LEAVE the cornfields in the evening and RETURN in the morning. So, I suggest you reverse they way you do things. Now, get out and scout for that trail containing fewer and BIGGER tracks, heading INTO the woods. (See what I'm getting at?)
Look also for any ditches or "low spots", particularly coming from the direction of any trees or "islands" in the field, to give a clue as to where within the field the buck may come from. Another good choice is a fencerow seperating two cornfields. Deer follow these "breaklines" (at any time of the day), as they are still, technically, surrounded by cover. These are the places where you want to be in the EVENING, as the buck heads from the corn into the woods to feed on acorns, make/check rubs & scrapes, and cruise around lookin' for the ladies during the night. Usually, as you follow these trails back away from the corn, you will find the larger rubs facing the WOODS that weren't made in the morning en-route to the general bedding area as is usually assumed, but as the buck left his "private suite" at dusk. This is the trail you want to hunt over in the evening, if you want to increase your chances of arrowing a mature buck during the lull before the rut, when the bucks are generally inactive during daylight hours.
For morning hunts, check the perimeter trails around the fields, usually within 50 yards or so, and find where a rubline intersects with the main trail. Rubs made by the older bucks will now be facing the FIELD, being made in the morning. Again, this trail will not be as obvious as the ones traveled by the main group of deer using the field. The bucks will follow these perimeter trails before going to the cornfield to bed, as they can cross-check each trail entering or leaving the field for hot does. A stand on this perimeter trail, where it crosses a "family group" trail, near the rubs facing the field is a best bet now, (AND later, when the RUT kicks in!) especially when hunting late mornings, watching for those bucks who get up and "sniff" around after bedding for a few hours. This doesn't mean that some of the rubs facing a food source aren't made in the evening, or those facing the woods do not lead to a bedding area, but generally these will have been made by smaller, younger bucks still hanging around and being tolerated by the doe groups.
This is a BIG BUCK specific tactic, and certainly doesn't apply to every buck in the area. It is worth a try when you are not seeing the caliber of bucks you know are in the area, and have reason to believe are using the corn during daylight hours for cover. Obviously, if you are hunting the "BIG" sign, but at the wrong time, the only thing you're killing is your chances.
The key is the DIRECTION of the sign, then hunting it as if the corn was (and IS) the bedding area. Period. Accessing these spots is as with any stand near a bedding area, critical. The standing corn helps alot with keeping you out of sight, but you still must watch the wind and maintain as silent of a approach as possible. I know this goes against what we have been told and tried for a long time, but if you're NOT seeing the bigger bucks, and you are hunting where the BEST cover available nearby is the cornfield itself, why not try it? You have nothing to lose.
Always the consumate survivor, Big bucks instinctively know how to best avoid contact with humans and use whatever's available to their advantage. We need to do the same. The signs are there, we just have to interpret them properly. If you think the deer are staying in the corn, look at things from THEIR perspective and adjust your tactics to match their intentions. I know since I've used this new approach, my sightings of Mature bucks has gone up significantly. That doesn't mean I'm harvesting a lot of them, but just seeing them at this time of year, is the first step towards that goal!
If the satisfaction of even just knowing, you were in the right place at the right time, ON PURPOSE, is enough for you as it is me, then try doing things "Backwards". You just might find yourself moving forward in your quest to be a better whitetail hunter.