how are your late season food plots doing?

[instinctivebowman]

Im in central il, they are hammering our corn adn beans. Had 3 mature bucks along with countless does walk out a couple of days ago at 3:30 pm and stayed almost till dark feeding on beans. Seem like they are earlier this year than usual on my winter plots. Sometimes its late jan before they hit them really hard.

i would way rather hunt mid december than mid october

jeremy

[jonsimoneau]

What County are you in Jeremy?  I'm up in Kankakee/Iroquois.  Have not been seeing much yet hunting near standing corn.

[bretto]

I wish I could find some standing corn or beans close to Me. It was so dry for so long this fall that every farmer around was able to harvest everything for once. Good for the farmers for once.

We are having some unseasonal warm weather right now also. It was 60 degrees here yesterday.

bretto

[instinctivebowman]

Originally posted by jonsimoneau:
What County are you in Jeremy?  I'm up in Kankakee/Iroquois.  Have not been seeing much yet hunting near standing corn.

hello, i live in edwardsville( madison county) which is just about 20 mile east of st louis.I personaly own about 200 acres.  I am hunting here in edwardsville  and in bond and fayette county which is along highway 70 east of stl about an hour. They are on beans here more than corn  right now, but were seeing them in corn too. I have a farmer that invited me on a few hunts on his place. He has 6 acres of corn standing and 4 acres of beans. its a whitetail paradise right now. Im getting ready to start laying into the does next.I plan on killing a few more.  Where are you in relation to me?
jeremy

[Rick Perry]

in my part of fayette county unless you have lots of acres of soybeans standing the turkeys have already moved in and picked them clean . 3-4 acres and less are pretty much gone. Corn has gotten too expensive for me . oats ,wheat ,rye ,turnips , clover  as well as all the fancy named high priced stuff are all about equal this time of year

[BUFF]

Finally got a little rain some rain here in Texas, everything jumped up an looks pretty

[KSdan]

Hate to be a butt head- but just my opinion (and it may not mean much!!)- I sure hope we don't start these kinds of threads on tradgang. Food plot discussions, Bait Pile Management, etc. really should have their own internet site.  Again- just my preference and worth about 2C I am sure.   :rolleyes:      

[nomad]

Originally posted by KSdan:
Hate to be a butt head- but just my opinion (and it may not mean much!!)- I sure hope we don't start these kinds of threads on tradgang. Food plot discussions, Bait Pile Management, etc. really should have their own internet site.  Again- just my preference and worth about 2C I am sure.    :rolleyes:          

Really?

[Red4arm]

My clover here in tn is getting hammered, went from 8 inches to 2 inches in a few weeks.
KSdan, guess you don't hunt corn in Kansas do ya with all that big wilderness there

[instinctivebowman]

Originally posted by nomad:
 

Originally posted by KSdan:
Hate to be a butt head- but just my opinion (and it may not mean much!!)- I sure hope we don't start these kinds of threads on tradgang. Food plot discussions, Bait Pile Management, etc. really should have their own internet site.  Again- just my preference and worth about 2C I am sure.     :rolleyes:            

Really? [/b]

2 cents cents seemd a little expensive for that opinion.  I probably should have just said anyone hunting any standing corn or beans right now. because i dont really "plant" anything for deer we just leave a little grain

[KSdan]

REALLY!        

Guys- I am NOT against people baiting or planting their own bait.  I have many friends that do it and do it well.  I just see so many young guys thinking this is the only way to hunt; own land, food plots, cameras, tractors, $1000 compounds, scent-lok, enclosed towers etc. etc. I am NOT against any of it. Do I need to say that again-  I AM NOT AGAINST IT!!!!

I just think it really is a loss of hunting tradition and has little to do with what trad archery is about.  I could say much more. . . if guys here want to have these "habitat management" (as if we did not have the habitat before!) discussions, all is fine.  They just really leave a bad taste in my mouth. . .

And for what it is worth- I received a few pics this year of some really nice bucks that young guys I mentored harvested.  They were fascinated to learn how to hunt deer on the deer's turf without doing the modern TV thing with food plots, cameras etc.  They think I am some historic deer guru hero or something- when all I did was teach them to hunt like most of us learned before these new modern methods.  

Just hate to see things change I guess (getting older now- 51!) Hope a new generation realizes they do not have to spend a fortune to just enjoy the outdoors and harvest nice deer.

Off my soap box.  Appreciate you all. . . don't get too uptight over my little pet peeve!      

Love this site!!!!!!!!

Dan in KS

[KSdan]

I am still smiling guys.  Just love tradition and traditional archery.

[jmo]

Hi fellas I am on the centeral east side of Illinois in Clark co.  they are in the picked corn here. we have a turnip patch but they have not bothered it much.. yet.

KSdan,  

[instinctivebowman]

ksdan, no worries you have a good point.  A lot of great trad hunting is to come this season, i have good evidence of that around me

[psychmonky]

Both of our 1-acre patches of oats look like they have been professionally mowed. The deer are hammering them. Of course all the have to eat where I hunt are cedar needles and flint rocks.

Scott

[Rick Perry]

while I do plant food plots every year they are small 1-2 acres .

 It does seem to bother me that the NEW AGE bowhunting tactics for big bucks seems to be to leave entire fields of standing crops ,wait for late season and cold weather and then every deer in the area will be in those fields. Throw in a tent blind and a propane heater and you have a really effective set up .

 It is legal ............. but I'm not sure it fits the description of ethical .

 It does seem a shame that our new generation of hunters coming up have learned that the secret to killing big bucks is spending thousands of dollars on leases (multiple states) , farm equipment , seed , fertilizer , and the most hi tech hunting gear known to mankind and then bragging about taking giant bucks with a bow and arrow ( many actually have the nerve to use the phrase "stick and string")

[KSdan]

Rick- that is kind of my point.  And I do not even go as far as you in saying it may be unethical- I just think the next generation is losing out on something.  

Dan in KS- still hunting pretty simple. . . and enjoying it very much.

[jonsimoneau]

In my area, if you do not have a food plot...after November, you will have NO deer to hunt.  Zero.  I think the reason is that so many others around have food plots.  The deer simply go to where the food is.  I don't have a place where I can plant food plots so I generally do not have any deer to hunt after November.  But this year, for some reason a farmer left about 2 or 3 acres of corn next to a 30 acre woodlot I hunt, so I am looking forward to being able to continue hunting the late season and actually having the possibility to see some deer!  Good luck guys.

[KSdan]

Jon- BINGO!  And therein lays just ONE of the future blights. . . once this thing started under the guise of "habitat management" everyone has to now compete with the neighbor.  Which means competition fueled by who has the most $$.  And believe me- I am not anti-capitalist or anti those who are blessed with riches (it is a gift and I benefit from many who have been so blessed!).  BUT I see the future of this midwest hunting becoming an activity that only those with great means will be able to support. Even if you could buy an 80A farm- it will still be a huge competition with the neighbors.  If I was a younger man who loved the outdoors- and had the freedom- I would be moving west where you can still roam and hunt thousands of square miles for free. Just another 2C!        

Dan in KS