So I've hunted hardwoods for 99.99% of my hunting career but this season I have an opportunity to hunt some farm property about an hour from my house. I scouted it this past weekend in the 95 degree heat... and determined the crops there are mainly beans. I found some good trails leading from bedding cover to the fields but don't know if deer hit beans in the morning more versus the evening? Also don't know how late in the year deer will hit beans? And don't know if deer will prefer beans to acorns becuase there is going to be a bumper crop of acorns this year? Any info appreciated......
My experience is evenings, early season until they start to turn yellow, then they will start hitting the acorns more, then won't touch them till later in the season... especially if there is any left standing that didn't get cut when it gets real cold. If you know who farms it see if you can pay him to leave an acre or 2 stand.
In my experience here, beans or acorns, I'm taking acorns. I don't know exactly why but deer here will even abandon my feeders full of corn and beans when acorns start dropping. Morning or evening depends on the deer as far as I can tell. Standing beans with pods are fantastic late season if they are left in the field.
When the beans are green that's where you want to be, it's very difficult to hunt beans in the mornings as deer will typically already be feeding on them when you get there. As others stated when those beans turn even a hint of yellow it's time to find where the white oaks are dropping!
In the early season I would also look to identify where the deer might be staging inside the timber before they make their way into the bean fields. I would try to get into that area or between it and the fields because a lot of time the older bucks may not come out until dark. So by identifying the staging area you have a better chance of catching them before dark.
Shocker hit it right. When beans are green you can't keep em out. Yellow they don't bother w em much. Brown their back in n often leave other areas to get to em. Now that's my area. Check the beans n once they leave look in the hardwoods for lots of rubs. Once that starts set up there
I like hunting beans. Ideally if you can find an acorn flat near the edge of a soybean field thats a great place to hang a stand. From what I can tell deer prefer acorns over anything else but if you find a good source of both close together hunt it. Good luck.
When acorns drop they become top priority. Not saying they won't browse through greens on their way to acorns. Like was said when leaves start to yellow they won't be back to the beans are dry.
