what can you tell me about hunting soy bean fields??

[adkmountainken]

i have a stand set up about 75 yards from a HUGE trail coming out of a soy bean field. i have NO experience hunting soy bean fields. i would assume early morning and evening would be prime. do deer feed on them heavily? use the field for bedding? any info would be great. the trail i am on is going down a small hill at the end of the field. there are around 14 rubs going down this hill which empties in to a swamp and thick brush on both sides.  also have found several coyote dens on the side hill.

[RC]

I don`t hunt field deer much because I end up playing "musical" stands with them. I see deer often but kill a lot of time trying to get in the right tree. Most of the fields I have hunted get hit at night after the first small amount of hunting pressure.A good feed tree in the staging area could pay off before dark. Good luck,RC.

[adkmountainken]

that's good to hear because i would think my stand is in the staging area just off the filed. from my stand i can only see the very end of the field so i will not have to play musical stands.

[Rick Butler]

Our beans here were taken off 2 weeks ago. Prior to that we would find they'd bed in there at times.

[Rob W.]

If the beans are brown I wouldn't mess with it. They are most likley eating something else. I would treat the field as an edge and not a food source in my setup plan.

[adkmountainken]

they are brown but the trail coming out of its is very fresh and lots of activity which i why i was thinking they use it as bedding?

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Originally posted by Rob W.:
If the beans are brown I wouldn't mess with it. They are most likley eating something else. I would treat the field as an edge and not a food source in my setup plan.

Ken I agree with Rob here, onc ethe beans brown out the deer will focus on another food source.  if you are in a good area as RC states, (a stage area 50-150 yards off the field with a food source)  thats where you want to look.

Also consider whats on the other side of teh soy. theres no reason why they dont just pass through the soy to something else is there?  

the problem with field deer is that they usually have a ton of trails coming to the field and as someone else says, you will pull your hair out before you pull the string.

During daylight hours, the deer will want to be in the woods.

I say keep tabs on this new spot but also keep looking for other places as this one could dry up overnight.  If all your eggs are in one basket.. well it could be a big omelet or a big stinkola.

Good luck ken and keep us posted.

BTW I left you a message today.

[Roger Norris]

I have always heard they don't feed on them much when they are brown and dry. I'm betting they are bedding in it.

[adkmountainken]

on the other side, across the road was 2 corn fields which are now cut (last week) so i am hoping it will force them to bed in the beans even more now. i just have to spend some quality time in the stand and see what happens.

[Roger Norris]

Sounds like it's time to do some observing...I'm laughing as I type this. Everytime I have this kind of situaton, when I go sit a stand intent on seeing what they are doing "over there"....a lunker walks under my tree and I screw it up.  

[adkmountainken]

LOL, i'm on 2 weeks vacation right now so i have time to screw it up then get it right, I HOPE....

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Ken take pictures of this place so I can find it on google earth    

Let me know if you need help dragging on the 30th.

Your attitude is right, spend some time you never know.  Good luck brother.

[Hawkeye]

In Illinois, I've had deer feed heavily in picked soybeans picking up the "dregs," but it has often been later in the season as colder weather prevails.  About 5 years ago, all the wooded areas I hunt were surrounded by beans.  Up through the rut, it seemed like the deer had no interest being in the fields at all.

That year, though, from December 10th on, it appeared that the soybean stubble became the favored place to be.  Almost every afternoon, they were there from about 45 minutes before sunset until darkness fell.

I thought there was a chance that their nutritional needs change somewhat as cold weather comes on.  If they need a higher level of protein, the soybeans would be THE place to be!

Make sure you check on the fields later.  When the wind is just right, your trail COULD be a gold mine!

[kshunter55]

Here in kansas they hammer soybeans early when green.  Also use them as bedding.  Once they dry up much less deer activity in them.  They like the greens, winter wheat and alfalfa around us.  Usually better luck evening hunting around food sources.  Good news is if there are does using that trail at all there will be a buck setting up shop this time of year.  Bucks will use staging areas pretty heavy this time of year their mind is still food, but the testosterone is starting to infiltrate their veins!  Persistence is a trad hunters best weapon.

[psychmonky]

Originally posted by Hawkeye:
In Illinois, I've had deer feed heavily in picked soybeans picking up the "dregs," but it has often been later in the season as colder weather prevails.  About 5 years ago, all the wooded areas I hunt were surrounded by beans.  Up through the rut, it seemed like the deer had no interest being in the fields at all.

That year, though, from December 10th on, it appeared that the soybean stubble became the favored place to be.  Almost every afternoon, they were there from about 45 minutes before sunset until darkness fell.

I thought there was a chance that their nutritional needs change somewhat as cold weather comes on.  If they need a higher level of protein, the soybeans would be THE place to be!

Make sure you check on the fields later.  When the wind is just right, your trail COULD be a gold mine!

X2 on this in my experience. In late winter when all the other food sources have been picked over, they seem to remember the beans. Look for fallen treetops or other obstructions in the edges of the field where the farmer had to swing wide with the tractor and left a couple of rows untouched.

[Whip]

X3 on Hawkeye's observations.  That is exactly what they do on my land.  They also do continue to exit the woods into a bean field, but tend to walk on through to corn on the other side until later in the season.  
Sounds like you are set up on a main travel route to and/or from a bedding area.  If the sign is fresh I would sure hunt it just like you are- back away from the edge.  Of course, only with a favorable wind!

[leatherneck]

I agree with Hawkeye as well.. Keep in mind, the deer are not eating the beans/ pods themselves. They are eating the leaves. They love them when they are green. But when they turn yellow then brown they go elsewhere for food. But as mentioned they will return to eat what's left of the picked stems later when all other food is gone. I won't waste too much time near a soy bean field this time of year without another food source nearby. But, one might get lucky and catch a good buck searching as well. Good luck!

[adkmountainken]

did some more scouting today after a windy,rainy sit.  glad you said that Leatherneck as the pods are still green but the stalk and leaves are brown, hat would have made me think (green pods) that it was still an active food source. on a positive note i walked the whole bean field which is surrounded by THICK brush and was lased with all the sign on the edges and the KAZILLION old and new rubs on the tress by the edges. this area has been a gold mine for bucks for a loooong time by the looks of it. so from the info all you have gave me i think i a still set up very well on a travel route to and from bedding. will sit there late in the year when food is scarce too. the problem i have now is there is another trail low in the swamp leading up to the guys house who gave me permission and looks like the buck is using that pretty heavy as well with the majority of the fresh rubs there, can't be 2 places at one!!! i did put my trail ca on the trail though... again i would like to thank all of you for the help! great group of hunters helping another!

[Terry Green]

I killed a big fat doe last night that fed on BROWN leafed beans for 150 yards before she walked into my arrow.

Eat one and see if they are hard....if not they will still eat them.

[adkmountainken]

Terry funny you should say that because i just got back from scouting around 2 more been fields and ate a TON of soy beans while i walked. the pod was brown but the bean was green and juicy. very glad you added that as now as seems i am still hunting the daily double... feed and bedding. no wear near the buck sign in the other 2 fields which are a mile or so away from the one i am hunting. very confident now with all the info.