Standing Soybeans

[RobDooley]

Farmer was harvesting soybeans yesterday in river bottom farm. Due to all the earlier rainfall in Hickman he will most likely leave A LOT unharvested. They got muddy when the river got up into fields. Beans are not completely ruined just dirty. Not worth the effort to try clean. Do you think the deer will eat them?

 

[BSK]

Deer will eat soybeans left standing. However, I find they do so only when little else is available, usually late in the year into the winter months.

 

[Boone25/06]

Same experience here as BSK. I like to put a few mixed in the planter with corn. It creates a thick jungle the deer love in the summer, but as soon as the leaves yellow they show no interest in beans until very late in winter and often when I mow down before planting in spring beans resprout everywhere. No corn left but bean covering the ground.

 

[Boone25/06]

If you like dove hunting and could get a bush hog in during December it would make a great late season dove shoot.

 

[catman529]

Deer will eat soybeans left standing. However, I find they do so only when little else is available, usually late in the year into the winter months.

People plant them up north for a food source when snow covers the ground. I just don't see deer going for standing dried out beans around here much at all. They will eat the weeds that grow up underneath them though.

 

[Bone Collector]

Deer will eat soybeans left standing. However, I find they do so only when little else is available, usually late in the year into the winter months.

depending on the field size, would it be better if they talk to the farmer and see if he will bush hog them, or let them cut them?

I would assume if you cut them in some form or fashion, that it would be of more use to the deer.

 

[BSK]

I think standing dead soybeans are such a low-quality attractant, I would not advise that strategy. I would recommend something else be planted in those fields for Dec-Mar.

 

[Jcalder]

What about throwing wheat out to grow up with the standing beans

 

[PossumSlayer]

But I think they they would avoid them because they've been sprayed with chemicals to stop greening. @bbqit

 

[BSK]

What about throwing wheat out to grow up with the standing beans

I would highly recommend that!

 

[rem270]

I would think that would be the place to be when it gets real cold. Farmer gets a government handout and you get some standing beans to hunt over.

 

[RUGER]

Late season cut bean fields are gold mines around here !

 

[RobDooley]

What about throwing wheat out to grow up with the standing beans

That is a good idea....however, these fields are huge! He doesn't spray with chemicals to stop greening.

 

[Boll Weevil]

It's amazing how deer in different places seem to have different palates. My deer stay in the beans…even after the combines roll through they'll pick up waste grain. They won't touch radishes but destroy turnips while in other areas it the opposite.

He probably thought he ate a bad soybean.

 

[dgolden]

2 seasons ago our farmer had a "new guy" harvest the beans on our lease. He forgot about a 5 acre field in the middle of the lease. We had standing beans all season. At first it was hit or miss, but late December they were hammering them!

 

[catman529]

What about throwing wheat out to grow up with the standing beans

Around here, deer love fresh young wheat. I plant it thick as if you were seeding a new lawn. Comes up a green carpet and the deer tear it up while it's only a few inches tall.

 

[Jcalder]

Around here, deer love fresh young wheat. I plant it thick as if you were seeding a new lawn. Comes up a green carpet and the deer tear it up while it's only a few inches tall.

This has been my experience the last few years, but this year has been different. I don't have much for acorns and someone does as the deer are MIA

 

[JCDEERMAN]

That is a good idea....however, these fields are huge! He doesn't spray with chemicals to stop greening.

If he does beans again next year and doesn't rotate to corn, you may try spreading some wheat out when the bean leaves start turning yellow.

Everywhere is different as others have mentioned regarding deers' palates. Deer love the beans in my area. Of course, I'm surprised they knew what they were. I don't think there's any soybeans anywhere 8-10 miles from us

 

[Bushape]

Late season cut bean fields are gold mines around here !

Same for here in Southern Wayne Co. A lot of the hardwoods have long been harvested and replaced with plantation pine. Once the acorn crop is gone the deer can be seen loading up on the leftover soybeans. Hits well with the rut too from the second week in December on.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

Last 2-3 weeks of season there is absolutely nothing, and I do mean nothing I'd rather hunt than standing beans. Our deer absolutely hammer them when they are available.

 

[jejeffrries71]

I've commonly seen the deer in my area browsing the pods of the soybeans that were missed by the combine. This is early in the season too and there is other food available. They don't just sit down and clean them out, but they will sneak out of the brush, eat some, and then be on their way, unless ...

 

[redblood]

I would highly recommend that!

Yeah i would oversead wheat or cereal rye

 

[camoman270]

Farmer was harvesting soybeans yesterday in river bottom farm. Due to all the earlier rainfall in Hickman he will most likely leave A LOT unharvested. They got muddy when the river got up into fields. Beans are not completely ruined just dirty. Not worth the effort to try clean. Do you think the deer will eat them?

Absolutely me thinks, but abundance of mast may vary that

 

[dogtown]

I plant a few acres of eagle brand forage beans each year. Last two years I have added a 3 strand electric fence to let the beans grow a bit without browse pressure in the early growth stage. This has allowed the beans to get 3 feet high in both of last two years. I either remove the fence from half or all of the beans after they get some size, typically July.

The deer definitely like the forage aspect of the leaves in the summer. Last year they stopped eating the leaves when the first sign of yellow leaves began on the bottom of the plants afterwhich the plot didn't see much action until late November when the deer came back to hammer the pods. Cold days especially.

This year is different, the deer are continuing to eat soybean leaves and pods even after the leaves turned yellow. There are plenty of acorns in Roane County this year so not sure what is different.

Not this year but in the past I have overseeded the beans with brassicas and winter wheat in mid-September. This worked well when the deer browsed most of the leaves off the soybeans in the late summer and some light got to the ground. Last year when the plants grew over 3 feet tall the overseeding wasn't as effective. I have not overseeded this year.

 

[RobDooley]

I plant a few acres of eagle brand forage beans each year. Last two years I have added a 3 strand electric fence to let the beans grow a bit without browse pressure in the early growth stage. This has allowed the beans to get 3 feet high in both of last two years. I either remove the fence from half or all of the beans after they get some size, typically July.

Yep, it has been several years since I have seen an abundant mast crop in Hickman County. Acorns everywhere and a lot of them.

 

[DeerCamp]

What about throwing wheat out to grow up with the standing beans

Or Winter Rye if it gets much later.

Rye (not grass!) will germinate well down into the 30s.

 

[RobDooley]

Yeah i would oversead wheat or cereal rye

will the seeds germinate if I just broadcast them. unable to do anything else

 

[JCDEERMAN]

will the seeds germinate if I just broadcast them. unable to do anything else

If there's soil exposure they will

 

[RobDooley]

If there's soil exposure they will

I'll give it a go if I can find some seeds. Thank you.

 

[shelbydeer]

Standing beans in late November are a gold mine