I am hunting 30 acres this season next to a large soybean field. The farmer is going to leave 1 acre of soybeans standing next to the woods when it is harvest time. This will hopefully act as a food plot for me through the winter. My question is will the deer eat the soybean pods on the plant if I leave them standing or do I need to bushhog or knock down the plant so the deer will eat them.

They'll eat them either way.

Same as MMagis said, but I would highly recommend trying to get out there the day he combines. Farm I hunt, for the past couple of years, Ive chanced being there when he was combining, and thought "well here goes nothing". I swear the deer look forward to it. I dont know if its the waste, the smell it stirs up or what, but I see deer every year on the day he combines.

I would leave them standing. The beans will rot if they are on the ground. If you leave them standing, then you have not manipulated them. In some states, manipulating without harvest is baiting. The smell of harvest is something that I have not thought of. It does have a distinct smell.

You got that right Large Lad. I sure wouldnt miss the chance to hunt the field the day of the harvest and the next couple of weeks. It is a farming operation and most states have (especially with migratory birds being hunted over it) a certain percentage of residual crop and still be legal. You cant get EVERY bean or EVERY kernal of corn. That aside, and trying notto sound shady, it's just the facts. Also, if the farmer doesnt 'no till', I would be out there if he disked it in the fall to put in winter wheat or what have you. Always saw a lot of deer the first 24hrs after a field had been broken up.

i agree with large lad leave them standing. they will rot much faster on the ground. Two years ago the black river got up over the beans here, so they did not cut them that fall. once the river dropped out they deer and turkey flooded into that field all winter long. sure made for some great hunting.

I do appologize. Ive beat around the original question twice now without giving you the answer. Yes, what Large Lad and gregrn43 said, if he is leaving an acre, leave them standing.

Ditto on this...leave them up.

i would leave them standing as well. they wont rot if there standing nearly as bad as laying on the ground.