Tips for hunting corn?
Massachusetts
So I have the opportunity to hunt a couple of corn fields that abut a swamp on one side, and a large area of hard wood on another, the other two sides are surrounded by high brush and short trees. I'm looking for some advice on how to hunt this area. My plan is to go in, back to the wooded area, and set up with a hole blind (dig a hole for your legs and sit in the brush as there aren't any trees near enough to the corn field to put a stand on) looking into the corn field, covering the edges on that one side. However, I know that this plan is kind of dumb as it depends on deer coming from the woods, and going into the corn. It does nothing for me if the deer are in the corn and hanging out. I'm watching all the videos and reading up on as much as I can regarding hunting standing corn, I was just hoping that some of you more experienced guys out here had any pointers? Thank you.
I would expect the deer to be bedded in the woods and to work their way to the corn the last 15 minutes of legal light. Only hunt the spot when the wind is blowing from the woods to the corn.
Do not dig a hole. Find a tree and hand a stand. Do all your prep work now. Cut shooting lanes and hang your stand. Rainy days like what we have been having are great.
Good luck.
Sosso - Will the farmer have cut the corn by the time you hunt it? Will you hunt it with standing and then cut corn a bit later in the fall?
Deer will use it both ways... but sometimes with standing corn, they bed IN the stuff, making it really tough to figure.
if the brushy stuff is nasty multiflora rose, golden rod etc, that's super bedding terrain as well...
My gut instinct is to stick to edges, and the more that connect in one spot the better. For example, if the woods, swamp and corn come close together, I'd focus my scouting there and prep a set there.
Then again, setting a few options out makes sense - for example, that spot above might work with a NW wind, but not a SW wind... See where I'm going?
In the end, corn is food and possibly cover... How would you hunt other food or cover change areas? You would look at how they are traveling the area to plan your ambush... Which brings me back to edges and seeking out where those are to check for sign.
I'd love to see what the board has to say about this, it's a really cool sounding spot!
I have no personal experience hunting corn. I read an article by John Eberhardt a while back where he stated his preferred method was to slowly stalk cornfields row by row looking for bedded deer. I'll see if I can find it and throw it up here when I do.
Will, and Wilbur, I'm hoping that the corn will still be standing as things are coming in late this season. I know sweet is already in. I'm going to head over to the area tomorrow and have another look. I'd love to hang a stand but there are no trees surrounding the field that will hold one. The bordering flora is a mix of brush, tall grass, and some small trees that I'm not familiar with. The tall oaks are set back probably another 40 yds from that, making the shot just way too long. I may set up a climber in one and try to catch them coming in after the corn is cut.
Will, I usually attack bedding, or areas just outside of it. In this case I would expect them to cross about 200 yds of hardwood just to get to the corn from their bedding area. So monitoring the borders a better bet then entering the corn itself?
No trees you might want to try cornstalk blind or tripod stand say 12 foot at or backed off from trails into fields.
Oh! Tripod! I hadn't thought of that! That's a good friggn idea!
I would probably resort to a ground blind and brush it in just inside the woodline. My experiences with corn mirror Will's most farmers cut corn in September so I doubt it will be there but there should be some ears and kernals that remain on the ground from the cutting process for a couple weeks. Once October comes though and the white oaks are dropping the deer will move off that corn if there are whites around.
Deer will bed in the corn if it’s still standing !!! You might get some smaller ones who will bed in the woods I have hunted corn for a number of years and it’s not an easy hunt unless it’s just been cut, then they will flock to it for a little while If they are not all bedded in there then there will be a couple entry and exit paths that will be easy to find. Set up a ways in because they won’t get there till after dark. Natural funnels and pinch points are your best friend at this time. Get some cameras set up now and pull them a week before the season on a rainy day and set up accordingly. If you can get dialed in early it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. If you are just sitting on an edge and waiting it’s tough. Lots of area to cover and 99% of the time the wind is not right to be setting up on the field edge on one of the trails. It’s much easier to try and intercept them in the woods off the field where the wind can be in your favor
I would find the heaviest deer trail that enters the corn, follow it back 50-100 yards and hunt in there. Most likely in one of the corners
Killed so many deer in PA like that. In my case they would come in and stage up on a few apple trees before heading to the corn right a last light. Maybe you have apple trees back there? Or oaks.. or beech trees that you could hunt over
do you know where they bed and where they stage? Also depends on your target. You will see does in the corn during daylight. But if you are looking for a big boy, he will be the last to enter and will likely hang in staging until after/right at shooting light. If a big boy is the target, make sure your plan accounts for not getting busted by does while waiting for the big guy to show up.
I second Moons idea. I honestly would combine that with hunting the oaks in the woods. I still think deer prefer oaks to anything and if the farmer cuts it down no big loss.
Sosso - I'd err to closer to bedding than to food. Moons point is a good one. If you are sure of bedding, then I'd look at how they move their to the food, and there to OTHER local foods which may be vital when the farmer cuts the field. Then assess your best spots.
Thank you all. I went and scouted the place after work today. I walked the entire perimeter of the field. They are coming in just a little north of the SE corner of the field. All of the rain recently made it about as easy as it gets to track their entry point.
I liked the tripod idea and Moons idea. It’s easy to see where they’re coming from in the hardwoods (will scout that more this week) and although there isn’t a place to hang a stand at the wood edge, there is no shortage of good trees about 40 yds beyond the edge of the corn and passed the brush and small trees. So, as soon as I can find a good area for a stand, that’s where it will go.
Additionally, I was thinking, with the packed in smaller trees, why not give a tripod a shot?
I won’t lie, I’m excited as hell for this spot because it’s the first one I’ve had that actually looks like something you’d see on the Outdoor channel. “Holy crap these spots are real!!”
Thank you all for the input. I sincerely appreciate all of it!
One thing to keep in mind I see in your post. The weather has been consistent for days now. The rain is washing tracks but the wind, what little we have had is been pretty much same direction so when this mess clears out and we cool off a bit in few weeks that point of entry into the field could change based on wind direction which will swing more west and north west as the season approaches. Don't marry spot based on what you see now is what I'm saying.
To add to many good points. I would bank on finding deer bedding in a cool spot during the first half of the season ( low and sheltered area with water ) and they will likely slide with the sun as the season gets cold. (Late season)
I had one very clear example/season of this cornfield condition. More often hunted other crops but it's similar. (Unpressured deer and private cornfield, deep woods with swamp area down below.) The standing corn was eaten from within at night I believe and deer entry shifted as the season progressed. When the corn was cut they continued to enter the field with plenty of shooting light left on the clock to pick up what was dropped and to eat the greens. Target bucks, however, stayed back until after dark. If you want the big boys then you need to keep downwind but go into the woods at least 50 yards. They will hit the oaks and often hang up until dark, that is where I would set up if looking for the boneheads,
If its does or young bucks you want, then get on the field edge or some good vantage point and find the entry. Spend one morning and night watching from a distance ( can't hurt to have your bow in hand ) the next afternoon set up a natural blind or tripod at the point of field entry and hunt that night and the next morning if possible. Stay back and watch, then hunt and if you are in there already then set up a camera and keep learning the change in the pattern (entry and timing) ... adjust / be mobile but methodical.
If you can get a stand or climber out in front of their future trails which will likely shift, you can let it sit there for a few weeks until it is/becomes the spot and then launch the surprise attack but don't keep going in there. It's all about the first few sits and the element of surprise.
I would hang back and hunt a tripod or natural blind in the first part of our season but get a stand into the oaks for when the bucks start bugging the girls and or oaks are getting hit hard.
Happy for you ... happy hunting.
Here's some corn pics. Hung this stand on the edge.
Where's Waldo. Look close, there's one in there.
Crop field edges are great spots for evening stands. As always, playing the wind properly is a must. As for morning stands, I like to get at least 100 yards into the woods in a spot where the traffic isn't just coming from the field. You want to be where there's a chance for deer to come from other directions, as well. One HUGE issue is getting into the woods in the pre-dawn without spooking the deer you hope to see when you're on stand.
I need an aerial shot to give some help. Not all fields are the same. Ive hunted square ones, Circular finger ones, triangle ones. They are all different. Best would to sit a few nights and see where they come from. The area around them will also help dictate where they are coming from. Ive also hunted ones they bedded in pretty hard, and others they didn't.
Didn't have time to study what everyone wrote,.. but my experience shows the hard 90 degree corners of fields tend to see the most action where deer enter/exit from,.. not sure why, but have just seen that first hand over and over.
Just my 1 cents,..
Murphy is that cornfield in MA? If so it looks damn familiar.
Here's the field. Sorry for the ugly notes.
Towards the road, how far off is that? Houses?
That back corner makes sense.
Multiple edges of the field forming a corner, The swamp forming an edge as well. Pinch along the swamp/field between the road direction and big woods. Figuring a lot of N, NW, W winds during the rut, I'd bet if you poke around the hardwoods east of there you will find old rubs and scrapes - a buck could work down the swamp edge scent checking the whole parcel and verifying what's in the field from hundreds of yards out.
Can you access in that little strip of woods along the swamp/field edge?
Early season may change things should there be a lot of S, SW winds (have been the past few years right through most of the season)...
Ask the farmer, if, after cutting the corn, he plants winter rye, that can be great mid-late fall and early winter.
The houses are condemned, rotted out sheds. A strong wind would blow both of them over. They are empty and unoccupied. I can access that strip along the swamp but there's really nothing there. It's too thick to walk through long ways, and becomes muddy and sinks fast. The overhead shot makes it appear that there's more there than there really is.
Good call on the farmer and his winter crop.
The houses are condemned, rotted out sheds. A strong wind would blow both of them over. They are empty and unoccupied. I can access that strip along the swamp but there's really nothing there. It's too thick to walk through long ways, and becomes muddy and sinks fast. The overhead shot makes it appear that there's more there than there really is.
Good call on the farmer and his winter crop.
If you're accessing from the west (grass field and road ) I would walk that hedgerow ( cutting East / West) to cross the field into the east side ( into the hardwoods where it says HW and Forest). You would be getting behind the wind coming off the field from the west and SW And even if it turns NW. ( Presuming you do not have reasonable access from the east which would be even better )
You chance being smelled while getting into the spot but if you cut a good trail and stay clean you'll be in a great spot behind the field edge and undergrowth where there is likely a deer trail paralleling the field. One that bucks can use to smell the field and heavy cover to hang out in. I would bet on that little curve where the hedgerow points to the HW for a staging point for your local monster bucks good for their visual /viewing to the south They would likely be on that edge when it turns bitter cold ( south facing ) at which time you could hunt from the end of the hedge. The bucks are unlikely to be out in the open when it's warm/hot but may poke their heads out but would more likely travel inside the tree line towards the south. (Spray down and slide past the perimeter zone )
Good hunting.
See they are entering at the corner of the field.
Here's the article I mentioned the other day.
I like the northern part. Has that row breaking it up. Stops them from being able to seeing the bigger part of the field. Smaller space Will make them feel safer for sure. That gap up there on the right needs a cam for sure. I also like the bottom right corner. I had a set up just like that (south east corner)and the bucks love it. Think they can stay in peek out and or smell whats there in November. If nothing, they just move on without going into field.
If you can't use a stand and don't have a tripod, use a folding step ladder. Infalt uses one in cattail marshes to good effect.
Right on murphy31. I'm with you especially when the corn is down. I'd be concentrating my efforts there and looking for last years sign. I would expect a buck to show up in that high corner on west, north west or south west wind.
Have seen pictures where they do that down on the cape, or Martha’s Vineyard, hunt off of a stepladder, interesting idea.
Sosso,
Ask the farmer if you can buy three rows of corn, shouldn’t cost you more than $300, will keep the deer all season long and be well worth it.
West winds are gonna be tough to hunt, play the wind religiously and it will keep them around and predictable.
I agree with Moons, When the acorns fall, move back into the hardwoods and hunt those oaks, they will stage there and hit the field late. Access is key to how you get to stands, evening won’t be an issue but mornings, try not to walk threw those fields to hunt the oaks, will push all the deer out with how loud those stalks are to walk around. Deer will be in and on the edges at night into the early morning.
Late season if you still have those cornrows up, you will draw all the deer till the last cob is gone. Will be a killer spot late in the year.
I leave 2 acres of standing corn on my IL place and the deer use it as cover, walk the edges and will develop specific runs through it. The runs will materialize in a few weeks as the corn browns. Most farmers will cut corn in late Sept and early Oct, it all depends on how wet it’s been. Late season, put the blind right in the field in the corn row itself, blend it in using the stalks.
Best of luck, looks like an awesome spot!
That buying the rows idea freaking rocks!! I’m trying that one!!
A little standing corn is treat. Full field in October is tough. Last year I hunted one that was not cut into 2nd week of November, I could hear them, occasionally see them but not come out of bedding in corn until dark. So frustrating. The first two weeks it is cut is Game On!
When I hunt corn....I don't worry too much about wind direction...Corn moves pretty slow. Hard to find the vitals though....I can usually limit out rather quickly....lol
