Originally Posted by
Beezer
I'm by no means a great hunter, but common sense told me while watching a show one time that it didn't seem right to walk across the very crop fields the guys were planning on hunting. As if they knew I was calling them idiots, one immediately answered my questions about what they were doing. Their reasoning was that the deer come from the treelines, not the middle of the crop field. So, by walking across the field itself they limited their scent trail to just the section they walked through. Since it was the middle of a large field, there was less of a chance of being scented. If they'd walked along the treeline to their stands, they'd have chanced putting a scent trail along the entire treeline, thus increasing the chance of being scented by deer.
Seemed odd at the time, but it also made sense to me. Then again, I'm still a beginning hunter myself.
My exact thoughts exactly. I wouldnt feel bad about walking on eggshells through it, and come out exactly where my stand is. Walking around it just seemes to leave such a large opportunity to leave a scent around the circumference of the very field, more than make a straight beeline to it, in half the time and possibly jump a deer, with same odds as around it. I have patterned them minimally but watching them show up 45 minutes before sunset, and in mid day taking the same minimal risk of transvering a straight stalk to my stand. I have seen more deer bed in the surrounding cedars and straw grass surrounding the crops, than in them.
Again, scent control, wind and the ability to cautiously, very slowly taking the direct line to it concealed by standing corn. It (the corn) gives me the same coverage especially dragging a scent rag or grunting occasionally while making the trip. I have seen this written in hunting magazines, and the content of the story was about successfuly getting to the opposite side of the ag field, rather than taking a 360 degree around the field vs possibility bumping more than a straight line through.
Of course GMATT will contradict, but to each its own. And who knows, the late season corn after the cutting will no doubt leave a very challenging trip to my stands. I have them set up covering a semi-circle on the hunt side of the fields so wind and elements will most definately dictate the way I would do it in different scenarios, or even scrathing that hunt.
no doubt I sound lazy about walking the outer circumference of the field, adding an hour to my being on the ground, but I just think of just the same possibility of bumping the tree line that undoubtedly hold deer watching the fields, undetected until you hear the snort and get the whitail finger.
Jeff, I have bumped more deer on the woods edge around a field than concealment (scent,shadow,como) and stalking through it. Theres obviously ways that will be determined from the particular days winds that would change the approach, but you have your reasons and the article suggesting a low profile and slow paces with the cover of the corn was the preferred path, I believeit was a story in
North American hunter (which I belong), or it was maybe
Field & Stream.
Again, the input from my fellow HNI hunters will vary, but I guess without seeing my set up, you may very well change your mind