School me on hunting over beans

Mr. Hawk

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Jul 25, 2003
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Putnam co
I've been hunting 20+ years all hardwoods, ridges and thickets. This will be the first year I have access to a 40 acre bean field with nice little strip of mixed hardwoods separating two fields, tree line is proababy 40-50yrds wide. Farmer said they will harvest early October then cover crop. From what I've read afternoons are best so not to spook the deer out on way in. Tips appreciated for what to expect throughout the season.
 

MickThompson

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Aug 9, 2006
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Cookeville, Tennessee
Spend a few evenings glassing from a distance so you know that a deer you want to kill is hitting the field during legal. Then decide how to get in and get out without getting busted.


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fairchaser

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Sep 13, 2011
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TN, USA
One trip around the field will tell you where deer are going in and out. Use this to set up and glass from an elevated position. Then fine tune for your hunt. Bucks may use a different entry exit than does and fawns. Pay attention to the wind as they will use certain entry on certain winds. You might consider using a time lapse camera on the field as well. Good luck!
 

AT Hiker

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Clarksville, Tennessee
Are you planning to hunt it for the Velvet weekend? If so, now is the time to glass those beans from a distance. Be careful tromping those woods as those buck beds will likely be very close, you might not blow them out but you could very well shift them ever so slightly making archery hunting them a bit more difficult.



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Andy S.

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Jul 26, 1999
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Atoka, TN
I've had the best luck hunting later planted "green" beans in the evening, with opportunity and success slowly fading as the beans mature and turn yellow and other foods (persimmons, white oak acorns, muscadines, etc) becoming available. More often than not, these later planted "green" beans will be drilled in winter wheat fields from the previous winter.
 

Mike Belt

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Lakeland, Tn.
Agreed with walking the edges of the field. You'll find the heaviest used entry/exit routes that way. Also by walking the timber surrounding those fields you may find rubs indicating holding positions for those bucks before entering the fields although those locations may prove better hunting later into the season than archery opener. The only problem with doing that is many times the bucks feeding in those fields right now may be bedding within close quarters of them. As a general rule the bucks may not enter the fields the same spots as the does so sometimes hunting the heaviest used trails may not put you within shooting distance of where the bucks do enter.

I prefer to hunt with the wind blowing into the field if I think I may be hunting on the same side of the field they're entering on and just the opposite if I'm hunting on the other side of the field. That's usually decided based on the layout and size of the field as well as the sign. Just make sure your set up is at a point where your shot may happen before they get downstream of your scent trail. Your bucks, and particularly the bigger, older bucks probably won't show up until the last 15 minutes or so of shooting light.
 

TN Whitetail Freak

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Dyersburg,TN
Come 3 weeks from now glass this 40 acre field 5-6 times I'd do it twice in morning and rest in the evenings. Write down wind directions prior to every time out. Never go in before dark in the morning. If you can see it from the rd just ride by and try not to stop in sight of deer. Imo that alone will tell you all you need for the first velvet hunt
 

Mr.Bro

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Hendersonville Tn.
Most deer will leave the beans when the corn is picked and acorns are falling. After the beans are gone the winter wheat will take its place and when November arrives food is a second thought for the bucks. Good luck.
Oh yeah. A lot of big bucks bed in the beans and only move out to get water.
 

double browtine

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Cheatham/Montgomery County
Field corners are generally a great place to start of the ground is flat, or in a river bottom. If a draw leads to the field, that would be another great spot. I would place multiple stands for multiple winds, especially for bow season.
 

Grnwing

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Jun 6, 2014
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West TN
One thing with ag bean fields is to pay attention to when they start to mature/yellow. The leaves will stop growing and as soon as they start that transition the deer will move off of that food source. If the beans were in early, there is a good chance that they will be less desirable to the bucks that you have been watching all summer and will move onto other mast or the nearest corn field. End of August is a common time for this transition to take place.
 

Grnwing

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West TN
The deer will not use the field as much after the harvest. You will have some beans left on the ground and maybe some leftover along the field edges that the deer will hit but once soybeans are harvested the field is a wide open area that doesn't offer much for food or cover. If you have beans that won't be harvested, then you could overseed with wheat/oats once the leaves start falling off the plants and have you green crop going into late fall and throughout the winter as well as seeded out grain in the spring that offers another food source/cover.
 

TN Whitetail Freak

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Mr. Hawk":3q7zsvck said:
What happens when the beans are picked, will the deer use it until the cover crop comes in?


beans will yellow, deer will seek out acorns and continue to feed on standing corn for a short period of time before the corn is picked. most time in my area corn is picked before season starts then its back to acorns and natural browse. maybe a fruit tree of some sort.
 

infoman jr.

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Louisville, KY
Hunt them while they're green. Scout and find out where they're entering the field. Set up close. Success.

This is about 5 minutes before I shot my velvet buck last year. 9 bucks and 4 does in the field.
[youtube]sKZ7STnGjkE[/youtube]
 

TN Whitetail Freak

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infoman jr.":7c40l5h3 said:
Hunt them while they're green. Scout and find out where they're entering the field. Set up close. Success.

This is about 5 minutes before I shot my velvet buck last year. 9 bucks and 4 does in the field.
[youtube]sKZ7STnGjkE[/youtube]

You hanging in a saddle there? ky?
 

infoman jr.

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TN Whitetail Freak":2y8mjzim said:
infoman jr.":2y8mjzim said:
Hunt them while they're green. Scout and find out where they're entering the field. Set up close. Success.

This is about 5 minutes before I shot my velvet buck last year. 9 bucks and 4 does in the field.
[youtube]sKZ7STnGjkE[/youtube]

You hanging in a saddle there? ky?
KY. Ladder stand. Or are you talking about terrain?


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Mr. Hawk

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Putnam co
infoman jr.":3i698ter said:
Hunt them while they're green. Scout and find out where they're entering the field. Set up close. Success.

This is about 5 minutes before I shot my velvet buck last year. 9 bucks and 4 does in the field.
[youtube]sKZ7STnGjkE[/youtube]


Other than the velvet hunt I figured they wouldn't be green long into TN archery season
 

Mr. Hawk

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Jul 25, 2003
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765
Location
Putnam co
infoman jr.":2zgs970q said:
Hunt them while they're green. Scout and find out where they're entering the field. Set up close. Success.

This is about 5 minutes before I shot my velvet buck last year. 9 bucks and 4 does in the field.
[youtube]sKZ7STnGjkE[/youtube]


I figured they would be yellow by late September early October
 
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