Deer season 2009???

[maddog]

Been talking to farmers in my area. I think gun season, this year is going to be a real challenge. For the last decade, or so, 85-100% of the crops have been out of the field[here], by opening day of gun season. The way it is going, 50-60% of the corn will still be standing, and in some instances, some farms will not have anything harvested, due to the rain and the moisture levels in the corn. In other words a looonngg slow harvest. The chances are where I hunt, nothing will be out, except soybeans.

This is going to call for some different hunting strategies, than in the past. After the 1st 2 days of gun season, the deer are going to be in the standing corn. Unless the farmers are actually harvesting the place I hunt, I look for sightings to be way down, and am looking for the total harvest for the state to be way down. What is your take on the situation? I ralize that some of you hunt big timbered areas, in the southern part of the state, but what do you guys think that hunt the high ag areas, where you hunt fence rows and small woodlots?

Mad Dog

[johnc911]

Still a month to go i think alot the corn will be shelled by then. Most around here are half way done with beans. We have not shelled any corn yet, I think you will be okay.

[West28]

Oct 15, 2009 6:38:40 GMT -5 johnc911 said:

Still a month to go i think alot the corn will be shelled by then. Most around here are half way done with beans. We have not shelled any corn yet, I think you will be okay.

And if not, bring on Muzzy Season!!!

[cambygsp]

I am pretty sure this has been the slowest start to Archery Season I have personally experianced in 20 years.

We seen 7 deer at Atturbury on Saturday of the youth weekend and have not seen a deer "on stand" since.

We hunted the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday (in washington county) of archery and we hunted last Saturday, Sunday (all day) and Tuesday Afternoon.......and have not seen a deer while on stand.

[maddog]

Well, as of today, only about 25% of the beans have been harvested, and maybe 2-3% of the corn. Talked to a couple farmer buddies, yesterday, and they said pick for 6 hrs./dry for 12 hrs. These are guys that have 3500-4000 acres of corn. Hope you boys are right, but ain't holdin my breath.

Mad Dog

[tickman1961]

Many fields were not planted because of the wet spring in my area...no agricultural crops at all, looks like some farmers are going to plant winter wheat, if weather permits.

[daworz]

Beams go first, and from the looks of things its anout 60% done, Oh yes this wet weather is hurting us hunters, But i have noticed that some are even starting to shell some corn. I talked to a local famer and he said they have about all there beans in, and like John said we have a month to go. It will be down, maybe not all but trust me there ladie are wanting to be in FLA for winter.....

[DEERTRACKS]

Bedding areas & mini-drives............

[schall53]

Maddog hit the nail right on the head. I farm up here in the north and haven't been able to hit the fields yet. Wet spring, got the crops planted late. Cool summer, slowed the maturity way down, and now more cold and rain. If we don't get some warm dry weather I will probably be shelling corn in January, NOT FUN.

[johnc911]

Wow. Ours is all ready except for some double cropped beans. Just a matter of getting things dry

[cleetus]

I hunt on 70 acres and about 40 of it is field (this year its beans) and they are dried up and probably will be harvested in the next week or so according to the farmer. I have seen 6 deer from stand and one of those was a 2 or 3 year old 6pt which was this last sunday I saw him. He was actually making a scrap on the edge of the field.

[10point]

I was out looking at some areas I can hunt waterfowl at to take my son out for youth season this weekend in the south zone and the crops including the beans are still on.

[dbd870]

It has been a slow start here as well. Only activity was those 2 coming through while dark last weekend. Like I said in another thread, plenty of 'yotes around though!

[hammerofthor]

I gurantee the corn will be all down... it always is. couple years ago we had alot of rain and it was still down before the gun opener. It will definatley be down before gun season... thats a month away, and when i went hunting out in parke county about a week ago i seen farmers taking down there crops before that rain came...so if they are ALREADY takin it down, it will be gone by gun opener

[maddog]

Well, I have been a seed salesman for 34 yrs. Grew up on a farm, and DAD was a farmer. The problem we have, is that they can only pick so much, then they have to shut down and DRY it! They local elevators can only handle so much WET corn, then they have to shut down. Unless this weather really straightens up for the next month, I think my prognosis is going to be right. At lest in the northern third of Indiana. Corn for the most part is testing 27-32%, right now, and a good percentage of the crop won't stand a hard freeze. Oh well, I'm already developing a plan...... For those of you in the know, last year we were 400+ heat units ahead of normal.....this year we are over 400 units behind normal! So we shall see what happens....later.

maddog

[vortex100]

After tomorrow it is not going to rain for a week and temps are going to go back up to the upper 60's so the farmers will get a lot done at the end of next week. I've been hunting over beans and I've been seeing a lot of deer. If you don't have beans hunt between the corn and the beading area.

FYI...I've also been seeing a lot of 2.5 year old bucks starting to cruise around taking inventory for the rut.

[wileyonetoo]

Here in Hendricks county they have cut a lot of beans in the last two weeks. Some guys have shelled some corn, that they got out early, but probably only a few hundred acres total.

I hunt one county west (Putnam) and they have really just started heavy into beans and very little corn. Luckliy for me, there have been a couple of large cornfields just west of one of our farms that has been shelled.

If you don't subcribe to Deer & Deer Hunting, you may want to pick up the November 2009 issue. There's an article in there about hunting cornfield phantoms. Good luck!

[hammerofthor]

Well be alright.. i havent been huntin when the corn is up

[colts1888]

The property i hunt is surrounded by corn this year, which is a great thing once the corn is picked. It would be difficult to hunt however if it is standing through the hunting season. I would probably have to find a tree along the fence row separating the two fields and hunt that way. Around here, we still have a lot of beans up and almost all the corn is still up. One farmer about a mile down the road from where i hunt started picking his beans 2 weeks ago and hasn't touched it since. His combine has just sat there. The property owner where i hunt usually only picks on weekends as he works a regular full time job through the week. Normally he gets the corn out by November.

[jkd]

This is the same pattern we had about 3-4 years back, with way wet spring delaying planting, and everything was behind... that year, we were just getting our 3rd cut of hay done in October... but then it was 70+ degrees...

As long as the jet stream stays way south like it is now, we're going to keep doing this cool/wet pattern...

But, the deer will still feed on acorns at some point, even if they have corn available, as kids will go to the candy aisle at wal-mart... at that point, field edges and corners where crops meet hardwoods are going to be the place to be... and pre-rut is starting up, so bucks will be starting to try and isolate/herd the early heat does...