Hunting deer in corn fields

Hey guys our hunting property has corn up this year, and it's quite tall. Over 10 feet in most spots. Our cameras have not shown much action. We have some on the outside corn edge and some inside the bush right next to the cornfields. We're convinced the deer are living in the corn or spending most of their time in there. We spooked a nice 5x4 this afternoon that was in the corn, the same one we have one pic of from a few weeks ago on a cam inside the bush. Just wondering what everyone's early season strategies are for deer in freestanding corn ? Set up tree stands on the corn edge looking in to some pockets ? Or concentrate in the bush ? We found a couple spots today in the corn where clearly the deer had smashed down some areas, but I'm unsure of where to go opening day, or until the corn comes down..
Thanks

Last year I had one property and they corn came down the following spring. I did not hunt they property due the fact that all the good trails that they deer travel are on the neighbours property. They only way is hunting field edges or trails going to the corn fields. They feed and use it for cover and I had no luck on that property. Good luck. Beans are way easier and come down late fall.

well, we have a simular situation and honestly, scout like crazy.. i find, especially to new properties or properties who have changed their plot, scout after a heavy rainfall.. this will leave the edge of the field/bush edge and inside bush area sopping wet and muddy which will not only show the trails and tracks better, but you will also know that whatever tracks/sign you see will be fresh.. true most of the deer will live in the corn, but they have to travel.. likely mostly at night.. find the core areas where they travel along the corn edges and/or from corn into and out of the bush.. we did this in our new bush, turning out very well.. found about 9 enter/exit areas and heavy traffic area's around the corn.. set up cameras and they are showing good sign..

Hmm thanks for tips. So is it safe to assume while the corn is up, concentrate my efforts on corn edges, and when the corn comes down it's a whole new ball game?

Yes I would concentrate on the edge between field and bush.... Deer just love (when undisturbed) walking/feeding along the edge of the corn and bush. That one or two yards (between corn and bush) is an easy walking path for deer and they can easily step into cover quickly.
I have had great luck still hunting the edge. I usually step into the first or second row of corn (helps conceal me) and slowly make my way around the farm paying close attention to the wind. Most evening or early morning walks (still hunts) usually results in some kind of excitement...

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Originally Posted by skuba steve

Hmm thanks for tips. So is it safe to assume while the corn is up, concentrate my efforts on corn edges, and when the corn comes down it's a whole new ball game?

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If I hunt the corn field I like a higher stand, I find the bigger deer will often walk inside the corn within the first 3 rows, they generally don't like to be out in the open where as does and young deer don't seem to be bothered as much by walking between the field and bush.

You have a good problem to have! One of my locations is next to a corn field, the deer filter through a swamp and don't make many beaten down paths. Early October I set up between the swamp and corn and have had success doing that 2pm to dusk. If you can find out when the corn is coming down be sure to be hunting that day.

Good Luck.

i love this post. it reminds me of hunting with a pal in the old days and takeing
all the hints and things from tv shows. my old ffriend and i was walking along a
big corn field and there was an area that was tore up with tracks and even some
cobs with nibbles on them,,i asked pops if we should set up a ladder stand there
and he killed me with his answer,,deer dont eat the corn they just hide out there.
so i said pops ( why do they say the fraze- corn fed deer) and after the harvest
why is all the tracts in the field. he was stuburn on the fact so i let it drop,,lol good one

last year i tried that game with no avail. i did notice a ton of deer first thing in the morning when the sun hasn't come up yet but it's bright enough to see. best luck to you, hide near intersections and fencerows and if you can co-ordinate it with the farmer, when he and the neighbouring farmers cut their corn, get there before sun up and wait for the cut. you might see them freaking out left, right and centre when the corn goes down.

If the corn is all knocked down it is from racoons not deer. Deer will eat right off the cob and only when it is hard.

The areas we saw that were knocked down were about a 20' x 30' area in the middle of the field and it was knocked down about waist height,

that sounds like coons thy climb up the corn stalk and grab the cob and hang from it pulling the top half of the corn plant down Dutch

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Originally Posted by dutchhunter

that sounds like coons thy climb up the corn stalk and grab the cob and hang from it pulling the top half of the corn plant down Dutch

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exactly what they do , plus you will ussally see little worn out trials in the mud coming out of the bush to the field.

I suspected that for the corn knocked down on the outside edge, figured they weren't going into the middle of the cornfield to knock down some stalks if they were picking it off the outside rows,

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Originally Posted by fishing1

Deer will eat right off the cob and only when it is hard.

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I've been wondering about that. This week I've been scouting a woodlot next to a standing cornfield (stalks still entirely green top to bottom). Every other field in the area is hay or pasture, but the deer are not touching the corn. Will they start hitting the corn as the stalks begin to yellow?

In a corn field it is easy to tell if deer are feeding on the corn whether it is standing or knocked down by coon, look for the tracks. I have had good success stalking deer in standing corn with a bow but that was in years when corn crop was not high. Deer bed and travel in corn same as they do in woods. I once saw a buck go into a standing followed his tracks in mud and snow and arrowed him. If deer are eating the corn in the area you stated is knocked down that would be a great spot to sit and wait. With wind in the right direction corn gives good cover but biggest problem you will have is to drag a deer out of a standing corn without damaging the corn. Edge stands are good but trying something different may also work.

Corn knocked down is coons.

corn standing but cobs peeled back and chewed is deer.

agree that its mostly coon , stick with finding the routes through the bush that they are using to get to the corn field

I have heard that deer will bed in the corn... This should create somewhat of a visible bedding area ?

they will but still hard to see and hear them coming or to stalk into corn

Ok,I had my farm since 95 and I shared cropped.The deer will only eat a bit of cow corn in the fall/winter and use it for hiding in mostly because their never bothered. they prefer the cow corn in August when it's soft and sweet,try it. I have. The area around me was always double planted and no way to stalk. during the rut it's easy to call them out with a social call. The trails never had any trees in the area to climb. Their was a short cut on my property that was really productive. My farm was always productive with soya and winter wheat. one year, I talked the farmer into planting corn. no rain so it was stunted and I hardly ever saw a deer. after the harvest, my 51 acres was yellow with small cobs. I thought,I'll have the winter herd ( about 200 ) in the back 50 all winter. hardly ever saw a deer and the crows ate it all.
I have scouted the the corn fields and they tend to walk about 5-6 rows in ( so check from 3-7 rows in) for trails. It may vary a bit. Theirs going to be trails through it though.

A lot of corn fields around here every year. You know which bucks hang out in the corn a lot, their racks are bone white, the ones that live in the Swamp are dark and covered with cedar bark.


We have hunted a field while it was being combined with good results, my uncle has told me of soooo many stories of big bucks hes seen while combining corn at night, he has even witnessed bucks fighting while he has the lights shining their way during night.

Interesting to see the mixed experiences in this thread regarding the value of corn in one's hunting strategy.

Yes I was just thinking I'm glad I asked this question, it's started an interesting discussion

I've had several set-ups that were intended to intercept deer moving from the woods to the corn to feed in the evening. However, its never actually worked out that way for me. I've shot several deer that have walked OUT of the standing corn and into the woods in the PM. I also shot one that I accidently bumped from the corn during my PM walk in, only to have it wander back past my stand 45 minutes later on its way back to the standing corn.

I 've called a few good bucks out of the corn during the rut. I hunted a few times when they were taking the corn down but passed on the does. it's fun to watch,they keep circling the harvester until their's only a few rows left. Then they bailed.

Set up on main trails going in and out of the corn. The perfect senario would be to set up on the main trail leading into the corn while giving yourself a shot to the edge of the corn as well

I wouldn't give the corn feild much thought in october unless they use its to bed or as travel route to another food source. I do love hunting downwind side of a cornfield when does are coming into heat. Down wind corner of corn during the rut is lethal!

if its possible id concentrate on where the corn meets bush there has to be some corner they are using to move between the two

Only option is to hunt the trails from bed to corn. Depends on topology though, because the corn may be the best place to bed for your deer, which will make hunting them tough.
I would look carefully for trails in and out, and put cams up trying to pattern them- then only hunt when the conditions are perfect.
Good Luck.

There's no distinct trail going in and out of the corn. Most of the corn is surrounded by bush. We've seen tracks walking the outside edge. We have had a couple cams on the corn edge looking for passers, got a few pics but not crazy action. We've also got cams set up inside the bush on solid game trails with some good action. So we have stands set up overlooking the corn and in the bush. Were gonna try to hunt in the bush until the corn comes down.

Great Thread ... thanks guys for the tips.
I have always questioned the hunting around standing corn. If your too close to the edge you really don't get much of a chance as the deer wanders past. I like to scout lots and see the access trails to and from the corn field, set up in the bush a little and give yourself as much time as possible.
As for the mowed down corn ... over our way we had a couple bears in the field that were knocking the stalks down in a 50' circle.

for my first buck, i had a large corn field to my left and a bean field to my right, i stood 5 feet outside the corn rattling a bag and using a grunt call. Waited maybe 2 minutes before i could hear him com barreling in from the corn, he ended up walking out 5 yards from me broadside. My second buck i got last year, had him come in from the corn field into the bush right by my stand.

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Originally Posted by Tiernz94

for my first buck, i had a large corn field to my left and a bean field to my right, i stood 5 feet outside the corn rattling a bag and using a grunt call. Waited maybe 2 minutes before i could hear him com barreling in from the corn, he ended up walking out 5 yards from me broadside. My second buck i got last year, had him come in from the corn field into the bush right by my stand.

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What time of year was this ? Early season ? Rut ? Late season ?

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Originally Posted by skuba steve

What time of year was this ? Early season ? Rut ? Late season ?

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This was the first week of shotgun both times. first week of november shot them a year apart on the same day. november 6th. I think the rut was on because the second one was chasing does.

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Originally Posted by Farmin n huntin

if its possible id concentrate on where the corn meets bush there has to be some corner they are using to move between the two

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Deer are smart or lazy and prefer to cut corners and enter anywhere from 100-200 yards from a corner. Most years the deer used the corn North of my property to stage before entering the wheat field and avoiding the property to the west.

There is an article in Fur-Fish-Game - December issue - that covers hunting in standing corn - yes the deer bed down in there - and according to the author after making sure the wind is in his face - he slowly walks across the rows looking for bedded deer - usually the wind rustles the corn leaves enough to hid any noise the hunter makes - after he covers a section of the corn field he starts the same thing on another section of the field that he didn't cover - claims he gets within bow distance that way - I have a lot of corn fields around my place - I see the deer eating the corn at all its stages - most of the corn is cut around this time of year and the deer will come down off the mountain at night to feed on the corn that is on the ground - all the deer that I shoot during the rifle season - which down here starts around the end of Nov or beginning of Dec - have their stomachs filled with corn - it seems that corn is their favorite food when available - so according to the article - yes hunting standing corn can be done with success -

the best advise I ever got and can give is to set up a stand were tractor trails come out of the bush going in to the corn field .these trails never get used by the farmers well the crop is growing so the deer us these trails all summer and fall .the easiest trail for the deer thru the bush out to the field is were thy will travel .set up on the down wind side of the lane ,great spot to catch deer that a roaming .Dutch