Hunting deer in corn fields

[skuba steve]

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,

[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

[fishing1]

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

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

[skuba steve]

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,

[ninepointer]

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

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?

[tracker]

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.

[mox72]

Corn knocked down is coons.

corn standing but cobs peeled back and chewed is deer.

[coop]

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

[skuba steve]

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

[coop]

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