Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Hunting Standing Corn

Does anyone do this? Seems like I've heard a few stories about surprising a buck in close quarters and having to shoot in self-defense. Danger aside, I'm not seeing an advantage. Hunting the perimeter, maybe.

Watch out for combines.

that's what prompted my question. i have hunter safety ed this weekend and want to discuss this...any reason to get in there, don't see it, but i don't have the experience many here have

I never had the op or privilege.

I understand the advantage....being a stalker or still hunter.

MUST, MUST, MUST hunt INTO the wind.

MUST go S L O W !

BE Locked & Loaded !! ON GO !!!!

Anticipation is high. Stealth is invigorating !

I've slipped up on friends who didn't KNOW I was in the county.....the closer I get...the bigger the smile.
NOT while hunting > EDIT

Jerry

Doing so with others scares the bejeesus out of me.
And while I haven't done it in probably 20 years, I've killed a handful of bucks both with bow and gun in the rows of a cornfield – all during really crappy weather w/rain & wind.

It is very dangerous. you could be shot by a sound hunter who thought he was alone in the corn field... I will never give anyone that chance to shoot me ... they are out there....

YES Scott

ONLY by myself w/in 1/4 mi.

Jerry

few of these comments are kinda what i figured. There's other lessons, too, like better communication with the landowner about what the heck is going on

sse

Not being critical. I simply took that for granted. Never trespass. Landowner understanding & agreement.

Jerry

I have experienced similar results as you, Scott, when the wind is rattling the corn or it is very wet. I walk perpendicular to the rows looking left and right. With maybe just a couple exceptions the encounters have been near the end of the corn rows and the deer facing towards the end of the row. This may speak to the theory that Whitetails like "edge" habitat.

What is really exciting is being part of an army driving a corn field. If you are a stander you can hear the deer coming way before you see them.

Yeah, I can 'hear' that ! LOL


Jerry

I used to know folks who hunted swamps like that.

This same army drives back water "wetlands" and islands.

organized and effective, as long as somebody knows how to shoot

Yes sir - in nearly every case.




That's for sure.

Back in the day, my father had seen a decent buck cross the road and into an 80 acre cornfield. There was a pretty good slope to the field so I went around to the back side and shimmied up one of the big maples that lined the fence row and could see down into darn near the whole field. Dad got a couple of his friends around the field and then a few folks went into the corn.

From my vantage point, I could see bits and pieces of deer running all over - it was actually pretty entertaining. Some of the guys pushing were getting about 10 yards from the deer before they'd move. As they worked the field down the hill and toward me, I could see 4 different bucks in the field - darting, dodging, stopping, listening. Soon three of the bucks decided to get out of dodge with the nicer of the four headed directly my way and I ended up shooting him right beneath the tree (though I'll admit to my gun being out of slugs when he was finally down LOL). Two of the other bucks busted out of the corn and after WWIII, those two were on the ground. The other buck was patient enough to figure things out and I watched him sneak back between two of the guys pushing and he headed the way they'd entered the field (we didn't have enough guys to put a few guys at the back door).

As we'd all rendezvoused in the field, talking, laughing, gutting, an even bigger buck came out of the corn, trotting right past the 8 of us – all with unloaded guns and he headed for parts unknown.

I used to love doing that sort of thing but damn, you had better know your hunting companions and trust the heck out of them.

A couple of weeks ago, a 14-year old on a youth deer hunt in norther lower Michigan was killed when he apparently fell asleep while sitting in a field of standing corn and was run over by a corn harvester. Pretty sad situation...

https://www.foxnews.com/us/michigan-hunter-14-dies-run-corn-harvester-reports

Yeah, was just about to post this !

If you do do it, don't stop for a sleep.

Something for your Hunter Ed talk SSE.

I think I’d find where they are coming and going from corn and hunt that. It would be safer.

How many corn fields do you hunt in TX?

The reason one hunts IN the corn is because they're not coming OUT OF the corn.