Deer activity thread, hunting report.

[Stratosman]

Thought it might be nice to start a deer activity and or hunting report thread to post about deer movements, patterns, deer activity and sightings, ect. It is always interesting to read how others are reacting to current conditions as well as how deer feeding activity changes as the season progresses.

Last night was the first time I had the chance to hunt due to weather and such. The stand I chose is set up in an overgrown pasture along a river, corn on one side and beans on the other. About 20 minutes into the hunt a nice doe walked about 15 yards from me, and about 30 minutes later another doe with a fawn walked within 5 yards, I let all walk. They were heading to the beans, along with 10 other deer I saw in the distance all were still in the beans. No bucks in the field though, may need to sit on the grass meadow next time to check the activity there. I am sure the bucks in my area are still in their groups.

[FarByondDrivn]

The bucks are all nice and cleaned off! Haven't seen any real big ones yet but it seems as though they really started moving with these past few days of cooler weather. I have been glassing a few open areas and have seen deer as early as 5:00 pm out in the open. Probably will change over the next few weeks. Seems like the deer up here have really been drawn to those open areas with green grass. I'm guessing due to a lack of abundant crop fields in this particular area. Also have found good sign where I can find an acorn mast. Now if I could only get off work to actually hunt!

[mattkimk]

Tuesday was my first day out. I am hunting from a ground blind for the first time in my life. From 5:30 am to 10:00 am I saw absoluetly nothing. Came back out at 3:30pm and at 5:00 I saw two nice does and a fawn about hundred yards away. I was hunting within a tree line point about 10-15 yards from a pumpkim patch. These does got about half way up from north of the patch width stopped and looked intently out towards dinner. Trees are sparse so I thought they would follow the tree line up and approach from downwind. At about 7:10 I realized I was right when they suddenly appeared on my left side about 10 yards away. I could have shot both does but I only shot one broadside at about 18 yards. Of course this is a Doe that I hit good but ended up losing her.

After I shot her they all took off to the north. I saw the one I shot go into the trees and the two others decided to hang around. Upon getting out of my blind I could see 8 more does on the North side of the patch. I could not see them from inside my blind because it sits lower.

I didn't see any bucks out there.

All in all, a nice night out

[tjm]

If you can find anything good and green ya might have a chance at the big boy at this time.Most deer at this point will not hit the bean ground to feed but to travel to greener pastures.

I proved my point to Extreme on opener how big bucks will feed in green fields at this time of year.I'm sure he will say we saw 1 nice buck in a bean field but he was headed for greener pastures.The rest of the bucks we saw were indeed in a nice green field

I dont even waste my time to pattern bucks at this time unless you have a good solid green field that deer are feeding in and you have a car/truck to spook the deer off at dark so you dont spoil your hunting stand

Deer in the southern half of the state are totaly different then northern deer patterns.I'll stress this time after time.Once the beans start to turn yellow dont even bother to hunt that field unless those deer have a close green field to travel too and your set up on that path.Most of these deer will move closer to a green field for about 2 weeks.Once the beans have been picked plan on that deer you been hunting to return to his normal pattern.Trust me on this 1 not many people have as many hours in scouting as myself in the southern half of the state.You can plan on that buck feeding the same patern he was all summer for a couple weeks once that bean field has been picked or until Oct 20th-23rd

Just look at the post people have made since opener.Most of these guys have said they were hunting over a bean field and asking where the deer have gone too.Well i just summed it up for ya.They will travel for miles to feed in greener pastures.Like i said before the deer will come back for a couple weeks when that bean field has been picked or the beans are ready to be picked.Deer will not eat beans period once the leaves turn yellow.

I have told my hunting friends this year after year but they still insist that they need to hunt this area because they have seen mr trophy here all summer.That dont mean shiot at this time of year unless you have a low ground that has not turned yellow as of yet or the beans have dried down enough.I'll bet 1 out of 1,000 bucks will be shot on this bean field once the leaves has turned yellow.I'll also bet 500 outa 1,000 bucks will be shot off this same field if the leaves are still green or the field has been picked/the beans have not been picked but are dried down to be picked

I see guys hunting these areas year after year.The beans have turned yet a mile away is a nice green grass field yet they still hunt the same stand.To me this is like eating left overs in the fridge 8 days later or going to a fast food and getting something fresh.Both taste like crap but what 1 will you choose to eat??

[delmuts]

i wasn't scouting, but headed to a fishing spot! saw a bacherlor group of four in a hay field.i didn't have my field glasses, but two looked very nice !

[BuckRuttinFool]

I tend to have to disagree with this since there were 18 deer feeding in my bean field every night this past week, including a couple of nice bucks, and I have a nice green clover and alphapha field right across the road and there has only been a doe and fawn in there. All my beans are yellowed and brown and will be taken down this weekend.....every year it's the same.....everywhere you hunt is different.

[tjm]

You just got done telling everyone why they were in this bean field.I just got done saying the same thing post above.((Beans are dry ready to be picked))Deer will not eat a yellow leaf in a bean field

[BuckRuttinFool]

no, you said the deer will not return until after they are picked.....read your post

[tjm]

still green or the field has been picked/the beans have not been picked but are dried down to be picked

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[tjm]

There is a grey area at this time of year when talking about bean fields.Around 10 days the deer shy away from beans and were getting to the tail end of those 10 days in most fields.Some fields by opener might have dried down enough but 99% were yellow.Some still had plenty of green left as well.

Most of the deer you had seen over the summer will more then likely return over the next few days.By mid week i would probly start looking at setting back up on bean fields for those who were hunting a field on opener that had deer prior and saw none or else you might have set up to cclose they know your stand placement

[bigbucks]

Beans around here are mostly dried down & brown already, they seem to be hitting them with some regularity. One of the places I hunt only has alfalfa & corn anywhere very close by. They're hitting the alfalfa pretty hard there, but so far only in that last half hour of the day as far as evening goes. Where there's beans they seem to be hitting them a little earlier in the evening, before 7pm anyway. Hayfields they've been showing up around 7:30 or a little before.

My Dad saw some deer feeding on straight grass in a drainage ditch crossing a cornfield probably 2 hours before dark this weekend.

[Stratosman]

They were in the beans real early when I was out, I always walk the field to my stand and the woods back, on the way to the stand at about 5:30 there were two yearlings bedded down in the beans, they just stood up and watched me walk by, got around the corner of the woods and there are 3 more out already..of course I spooked them, and I hate that. Might need to set up closer to my entry point as to avoid that in the future.... The beans are dry as can be where I speak of and the deer are on them again. I do agree with tjm in regards to yellow bean leaves, they don't seem to like them as much and will feed on alternative sources.

[jbtwins24]

haha, why all this talk about fields?? let talk about something red like this apples hanging off the trees. ive seen alot of deer moving around the apple trees but none of them are looking good enough to shoot, at least to me. even though i still keep on passing up that huge 11 pointer. then again when i go to my fishing spot too, i do see alot more deer and a huge huge buck in the bean fields next to a field that is green. how ever these deer tend to move into the green when the bean field has been picked. i guess it just depends on where your hunting and what the deer like in the area. does it make any sence that deer might like different foods depending on how the weather would turn out?? i dont know just asking.