The next two days' wind forecast has me thinking. When hunting standing corn, I've heard mixed opinions on the strategies involved and even those who avoid it all together. I have a great stand location on an inside corner of a corn field in a finger of timber that separates this corn field from another to it's east. I'm not far from a bedding area to my NW. This stand produced TONS of sightings two years ago once it was picked during the last week of the season. Last year I never hunted but once when the corn was standing, as the corn was still standing after I shot my buck elsewhere. This year, I've hunted the stand only once (really need a W or NW wind), and didn't see anything. Tomorrow and Saturday, we're going to have HIGH winds (45mph gusts), and all out of the NNW. I rarely hunt in stands on these days for fear of getting taken out by a limb the size of Crick's fingers, but I'm considering it these next two days. A lot of "people" tend to like stalking in corn fields on these types of days, but I doubt I'm going to go at it on the ground, but I may sit this stand and hope for deer to be entering/exiting due to the secluded nature of this corner. My only other option with this wind would be at the head of a THICK draw with a small spring fed stream running down the middle. I've sat this spot once, and there is ONE shooting window (Ben/PA can attest to this), but I did see deer...doe, but deer nonetheless. This spot topographically speaking looks good, but it's been hot/cold for me in the past which is why I'm willing to try something new with the standing corn (the stand I usually reserve for once the corn is picked). So, have you guys had good luck over standing corn? If so, what was your setup/situation?
The wind the next few days is going to help me... I have a stand near a corner of a standing field as well. It is at the top of a wooded ridge The ridge covers about 300 yards straight distance yards and about 150 vertical yards between a large standing field at the bottom. An intermittent stream runs at the bottom of the ridge near the bottom field. A large group of does beds in a little meadow area at the "top" of the property. This stand sits directly (almost literally, it is in the only decent tree in range) over top of a path between the bottom and top fields. The does move regularly between the bed and the top field, thus having them walk right under the stand. Because it is so close, I only want to hunt this one in higher winds and a NNW wind is perfect. So far I have only seen one buck, a spike, use that trail... But I do have a couple of doe tags in my pocket, so i'll give it a go. I don't know if this helps, but I hope it will.
I FRIGGIN HATE THIS WIND FORECAST. I'D RATHER HAVE IT 100MPH IN ANOTHER DIRECTION!!!!! I'll make it work......somehow.
I LOVE standing corn fields. Last year I started off hating them, but with a little in season scouting, I found them to be awesome for buck traffic. I would set up along areas that were near, or touching thickets. By doing this, I saw quite a few bucks would leave the corn and walk the edge to work scrapes, scent check for does, or just use it as a travel corridor to get to a bigger block of woods. I killed my buck last year sitting in the inside corner of a very large field. He stepped out one afternoon, and worked the edge, stopping directly in front of me.
I REALLY thought tonight was THE night. First sit in my pinch stand. I was betting a buck was bedded around the corner and would use my funnel to head to my plot a 1/4 mile away. There either wasn't one there or he decided he would stay in bed till dark. I won't hunt it again until late Oct and Nov. I will have to climb on Saturday in one of two spots.
I have a 1/2 mile walk thru standing corn just to get to the woods, and somewhere in this sea of corn is a cow thats gotten thru the fence wish i could get him to walk a straight line to my stand just once.hmmm blame it on the cow.
Here's a map showing the area in question (ignore the other marks, I used this map in the past for other things:D ): The spot I'm referencing is the pink dot labeled number "3." In fact that dot is a hair off as the stand itself is a little more SW than that (close to the outside bottom edge of the corner). Portions of the fields to East and West of that finger are planted in corn right now, with the bedding area between dots number 2 and 3.
I love hunting standing corn, often I use the same tactics mentioned here as far as good corners, brushy thick areas right near the edge, etc. This year I switched it up a little and made several ground blinds within the corn. I did it near corners or open areas in the field around the edges. The farmer this year took a swipe around the main field I was hunting this year which left about 25 yards between the standing corn and the woods. I clear out a nice area, use lots of corn stalks all around me for cover, make several small openings to shoot through, and sit tight. I had multiple encounters on two different hunts this year with does, yearlings, and a couple little bucks. I mean close encounters anywhere from 5 to 15 yards, it was very cool/intense. After the first hunt I switched to my recurve because it is much easier to shoot quickly at close range. Then the farmer finished cutting the field so that tactic went out the window.
