Corn Fields and White Tails. When do they use corn fields most?

[Cove]

Some corn still standing here in SE Minnesota. Some has been picked.

When are corn fields most attractive to deer?

When still standing corn? Right after it has been picked and some waste corn is about? How long after corn picked do the white tails lose interest?

One place I scouted last week end had one with standing corn and one already picked. When Firearms opens Nov 7 I wonder if the picked field will have gone cold and I should stake out the standing corn?

And what if that field gets picked between now and then?

[walterman]

I think it will be pretty close whether or not all of the corn in southern mn is out by gun opener. If you know that the field wont be harvested, hunt it. Find a good funnel or travel corridor leading to the field.

[mrklean]

i love to hunt them right after they were picked can be tough to hunt them when its still standing

[96trigger]

Right now, the beans are leaving fast, the alfalfa is dying. That leaves the corn. It is a great place to find deer before they decided to go in there and stay. Once they do that, they are a bugger to get out until the corn is picked. Once the corn is picked, deer will browse the left over until it snows. Find the corridors, find the deer.

[sticknstring]

A freshly picked cornfield will be a goldmine. The deer will be all over it immediately after it's picked looking for an easy meal. If it's anything like around here however, the field will be picked, chisel plowed, & plowed up in a matter of days leaving the window to hunt very short if open at all.

[BucksnDucks]

Standing corn offers the 3 most important things in a deers life. Shelter, Security and Food. So once they combine the corn, they took away 2 of the most important things to a deer. Of course they still cant resist the temptation that the easy meal offers them, but seldom will they leave the shelter and security that timber offers during daylight to obtain that food. As was previously stated find the heaviest used trail leading from the corn and you should be good, aslong as you play the wind accordingly. In my experience deer seldom go much further than 100 yds into the field, instead they prefer the edges. As a matter of fact I watched ten different deer last nite, goin into and coming out of corn, all that I seen were less than 6 rows in. Jus walkning along the edges.

[Leaddog]

When the corn is standing the deer will use the field all day long, some hardly ever leave. Hunt the exits.

I've seen deer that look shocked to see a field freshly harvested. That first evening after picking can be good. After harvest the deer will come to feed throughout the winter, especially after the wind blows the snow away.

The majority of my bow hunting is the last hour of light at the corner of a grain field in a natural funnel from a bedding area. Don't always see deer but at any moment a buck might walk past.

Good luck!

[Musky Buck]

Depends a bit on hunting pressure too, once pressured if the corn is standing you can have a lot of deer in it, my creek bottom was void of deer last year, they were in the corn field, depends on size too, this was a 120 acre field and had roughly 30 deer in it 24/7. It did allow some bucks to get a year older and we have seen some good ones recently, this is also irrigated stuff so it's tall. They'll use corn from bow opener until it's plowed under. The reason in my area there were so many in it 24/7 is almost every square inch of cover around is driven out and no one touched the cornfield so they had a sanctuary void of human odor. I watched that field edge many nights and right at dark you'd see heads sticking out on the edges and end rows, but there was nothing I could do, they wouldn't leave it unless pitch black and my T-cam rarely got a deer photo where a big trail crossed the fence, trail went basically cold once rifle season kicked in. In my area there is so much pressure that is what the deer do after the 1st night of rifle, go searching out a quiet, scent free, left alone spot or at least the majority seem to do this year in and year out.

[96trigger]

Yep, firearm is never good down here when the cornfields are still in. If the don't get picked, it will be very tough. It doesn't look good right now. The rain needs to stop.

[LOTWSvirgin]

Do any of you get in the corn to hunt it??

[sticknstring]

I've been wanting to try it but it's been beans the past few years now. Put a 6' stepladder about 10 rows in and straddle the top of it.

[Musky Buck]

The fields aren't mine to hunt however a few years I have, it works best on a windy day crisscrossing into the wind and snow really helps it, I could've shot lots of them but I'm only looking for the "1". Some I got as close as 20 yards away. High pressured deer with zero pressure on a good sized cornfield and that's where they are at.

[LOTWSvirgin]

They are fun to hunt. I like to hunt the good hills that face the sun during the day. Love it when you find them bedded. Today would be a great day if you dont mind being wet and muddy

[John478]

My guess is that 90-95% of the corn will still be standing on opening day, at least where I hunt in the SW metro. Heck thieve barely gotten started on the beans They been tring to the last couple of days but have had to leave big setions because it was just to wet. With all the rain were getting today it will be at least another 4-5 days before they will be able to start picking again

I question whether they are staying in the corn all day with it as wet as it is. They gotta be knee high in mud

[Musky Buck]

Good Point, the rain may alter things somewhat, thinking to rifle season and it isn't often rain is an issue up north anyway. I'm thinking back to how many drives we've done through a cornfield and the standers report nothing came out and we jumped deer in it so they just circled around us and back tracked and we would drive it again.

[LOTWSvirgin]

Seems like when we have pushed corn the guy that sits where we started the drive gets the deer

[bigbucks]

I tend to hunt standing corn more during bowhunting when it's down to less than half the fields standing, otherwise it has to be a secluded field or in a funnel. It's just too hard to guess which field when for me. The harvest fields are great firearms & late season hunting.

[buckx37x]

yep ive hunted corn quit a bit it can be fun. one problem now is most farmers have went to narrow rows that makes it harder. like was said above use the wind it also helps to cover the noise you make going across rows. i always liked it damp with some wind corn is quiet then and the wind still moves the corn some to mask your movements. and one more thing keep the gun barrel going thru the row first you dont want it getting hung up in corn same deal with a bow. keep your fingers crossed that it bedded looking away from you either way if the make you, you cant believe how fast the get moving.

[trolloni]

buckx37x has it right , the big boys live in the corn without a doubt ! also right on the tactics ,pay attention to waterways in the fields also ones with grass waist high they turn on about the 3rd day of season think pheasants!drive em after the field is picked or get there early and wait you will be surprized. i always figure as long as there s corn there are deer in it!

[Cove]

Thanks for all your good comments folks.

Sounds like we should all be wishing and hoping for corn harvest just before Nov 7. Pretty soggy around SE Minnesota at the moment, but that could change fast. I just took a peek at the National WEather SErvice forcast and, in fact, no rain in forcast, for a change, through Wed.

[BlueBillStacker]

corn fields are the best no matter what people say otherwise i have always shot the big bucks in the morning in the standing corn sit in a funnel on the corn and wait for that big buck

[96trigger]

Cove,

What forecast are you looking at? I am seeing rain chances all next week, 100% chance in SEMN tonight. I am hoping you are right, the farmers are way behind. Lets at least hope the beans are picked by Nov. 7th.

Sorry, they changed it again, I see that 2 of the next ten days have little chance of rain and only 80% chance tonight. I can't believe this weather. I hope you are right. No rain won't help the farmers at all, the sun needs to come out and dry things up so they can at least get the combines moving.

[HOT SPOT]

Corn can be fun If is not to big I hunt in Ottertail co I sure hope they get some corn down My whole farm is surounded by thousands acres of corn.

[John478]

I think even if the sun comes out today and stays out there’s still going to be a lot of corn standing come opening day. It’s going to take several days for the fields to even get dry enough for them to get in them and then most farmers are limited on how fast they can pick it by how fast there drier can keep up. All’s you can hope for is that they are doing a lot of combining during the season and moving them around a little.

Careful working them corn fields. About 10 years ago my bother in law and I where working a corn field walking across the rows looking up and down them. My bother in law kicked up a big buck and just as I was about to step across a row I heard some thing and stepped back, 2 seconds later that buck come runs down that row of corn full speed ahead. Missed me by about 6 inches.

[Musky Buck]

No doubt John, I was almost run over 1 year as well and as a driver we never do the shooting. Pending how much moisture is in the corn and if the driers are emptied of grain or beans and if the farmer wants to spend a bunch on propane for the drier. I think a lot more is standing today too because the dairy farms are fewer and chopping isn't needed as much as it used to be. What can really throw you for a loop is when you think they are in the corn and you wait to make a perfect drive on it and you kick out a doe and a fawn. Then you really start scratching your head.