Corn Field Stalking
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Its fun. Wait till the corn is dried down than wait for a windy day.
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Yeah it's great fub=n to say the least. When I went out opening wekkend we noticed deer feeding in and around corn fiels because they would come up from draws. So we put two of us guys in there on opposite sides with a crosswind. We would be able to easy get within 10 yards of them with a 20-25 mph wind. The corn is very noisy so it gives you room to make lots of noise and get very close to deer. The only problem we had was that when we shot at a nice buck our arrow sideswiped a cornstalk, but it made for a good laught. But sneaking them on corn is fun to do and easy if the wind is strong and in your favor. We had plenty of shots from 5-10yds on does that time. Good Luck and give it a try. :beer:barebackjack said:
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It's a ball, some of the most intense, nerve wracking, close up deer fun you can have with a bow!!!
You need a dried cornfield (with the leaves hanging down) that has grass in the rows (deer bed down on these grass patches, tend to avoid bedding on bare ground), and a windy day with the wind blowing down the length of the field.
Start about 20 yards from the downwind end of the field. Nock an arrow and stick your head into the first row, leading with your bow. Look right & left (or left & right if you prefer). No deer? Step into the row, stick your head into the next row, & repeat. Move across the field like this a step at a time. When you reach the other side, move about 20 yards upwind, and come back across the field the same way. Keep doing this back & forth down the field.
When you stick your head into a row and spot a bedded deer, the fun begins. You need to figure out which end is which and of if you're looking for a buck, if it's one you want to take a crack at. Compact binocs help.
A tip here, a bedded deer can make itself amazingly small and may not be obvious in even a small patch of grass, so examine & glass every patch carefully before moving to the next row.
You might have a shot right there, but most likely not. Ideally, now you back off a few rows and move down even with the deer, being careful not to give it the wind. Now you carefully move in for the shot. Often, you will have to quietly get to your knees and take the shot kneeling to clear cornstalks & leaves....
You need a dried cornfield (with the leaves hanging down) that has grass in the rows (deer bed down on these grass patches, tend to avoid bedding on bare ground), and a windy day with the wind blowing down the length of the field.
Start about 20 yards from the downwind end of the field. Nock an arrow and stick your head into the first row, leading with your bow. Look right & left (or left & right if you prefer). No deer? Step into the row, stick your head into the next row, & repeat. Move across the field like this a step at a time. When you reach the other side, move about 20 yards upwind, and come back across the field the same way. Keep doing this back & forth down the field.
When you stick your head into a row and spot a bedded deer, the fun begins. You need to figure out which end is which and of if you're looking for a buck, if it's one you want to take a crack at. Compact binocs help.
A tip here, a bedded deer can make itself amazingly small and may not be obvious in even a small patch of grass, so examine & glass every patch carefully before moving to the next row.
You might have a shot right there, but most likely not. Ideally, now you back off a few rows and move down even with the deer, being careful not to give it the wind. Now you carefully move in for the shot. Often, you will have to quietly get to your knees and take the shot kneeling to clear cornstalks & leaves....
I am going to have 2 days of bow hunting in ND this year. And I have an option of putting up a stand if I want to. Would you recommend that I put up a stand for those two days, or try stalking deer in the standing corn during the day, and hunkering down at sunset on the ground somewhere? I am leary of putting up a stand, because I think the newness of it, activity of putting it up, and new smell associated with it in the area may scare away any deer in the area. Also, I am looking to only take a decent to large buck. No does. What do you think would give me my best opportunities?
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So i take it u do this type of corn stalking in the noon hours so that they are beaded down in the corn? or Do u do it in the moring and evening hours too?
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I wouldn't worry about setting a stand and hunting out of it right away as long as you don't need to clear a lot of shooting lanes. If you can pick a tree with an area that needs minimal trimming then you won't leave too much scent. I shot a buck this year out of a stand I just set a couple hours earlier. I would sit in a stand morning and evening stalk cornfields during the day.
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