I've written this blog a few times but never dared to post if for fear of backlash. But the time has come to share it and I would like some input/feedback. So lets talk about baiting/ corn piles in particular. Keep it civil. Does any one else corn pile?
Just a quick glance on any hunting forum and it’s easy to see that baiting deer is a controversial and heated topic among the deer hunting community. Whether you are for or against baiting, whether it’s legal or illegal in your state, one thing is for certain…..baiting deer with a big corn pile, in cold weather, is a deadly big buck killing tactic.
In Ohio, baiting deer on private ground is 100% legal. I have used corn piles in the past to kill a couple nice late season bucks and with 2013-2014 season winding down, it’s looking like a tactic I may be using in the near future. Before going any farther however, I would like to free myself of accusations and set the record straight. I don’t want my hard work and hunting ability clouded by a blog about baiting.
For me, baiting is a late season tactic only! Used when all the hopes of seeing rut action has expired and cold temperatures and limited hunting opportunities make filling a single, coveted Ohio buck tag a hopeless chore. I do not bait pre-rut or during the rut. I enjoy hunting these periods of the season and feel my properties, ability and chance of shooting a mature buck with out bait are high enough. I feel baiting would take away some of the actual hunt and the feeling of out whiting a big, smart buck. That’s right, I think baiting makes hunting easier, less achieving and that’s simply not something I’m interested durring early season. But there is an exception for every rule and as I said above, mine comes in late season!
I would also like to add that I don’t hold baiting against any one! To each their own. Where baiting is legal, every hunter has the right to choose if, how and when he or she wants to employ baiting. I have several friends that bait early season and have killed some true giants over a corn pile. We are all hunters and we should stand together.
One of the things that may add to the controversy of baiting, is many think: Once bait goes on the ground, killing a deer is a guarantee. I think many hunters who have never baited and non-hunters, have a notion that hunting bait is as simple as pouring corn onto the ground and pulling the trigger. Although it can be that simple, in my opinion, to kill a big buck on a corn pile you still have to do your home work and play your cards right. Here is the down and dirty on late season big buck corn piles the way I see it.
Finding a Shooter
Forget the rules you enforce on yourself in early season, finding a big buck to kill is going to take some intrusion. Many factors dictate where you will find deer in late season. Generally speaking, if you find one deer, you will find many. Things to look for when scouting for late season deer are predominate food sources, high quality bedding with thick cover, thermal barriers, south facing slopes and sun exposer. Finding the food and prefered bedding should get you in the right area.
The first step in killing a big buck on a corn pile is finding one that will visit a corn pile. I have found some bucks that absolutely will not visit a corn pile. So start laying down some corn piles in areas that you think hold big bucks and see what shows up and when. 100 pounds should do the trick. If you find a shooter buck that is willing to eat from the pile, its time to narrow down where he is coming and how to hunt the buck by making him the most vulnerable.
Finding the Right Spot
Remember that late season can make for crunchy walking with snow/ ice and open tree canopy that can make you visible from very long distances. You must find the perfect spot! I have found that fence lines and areas with lots of topography changes make great corn pile locations. Fence lines provide a visual break to approach woodlots and topography changes break the horizon line. However, the spot must be close to the big bucks bedding and regular travel routes.
Laying the Pile
It never fails that whenever I start talking baiting with other hunters someone always says a big deer won’t come to a feeder in daylight. From my experience with feeders, most mature deer will not visit them in daylight and lot of times they wont visit them at all! But when you lay down a big pile of corn on the ground……. the game changes!
Go big or go home! Drop 300# in a pile, throw up and camera and walk away for a week. Let the deer find the pile and use it with confidence. If the target shooter buck is using the corn pile in daylight or close to daylight, it’s time to wait for cold weather and a good wind.
Waiting for the Right Conditions
I set most late season corn pile tree stands up for a North wind. In Ohio, these are the winds that typically bring cold temperatures and snow. Simply wait for the coldest day in the near future to hunt, big cold fronts or immediately after the target buck hits the corn pile in daylight for the first time. Another great day I have found is the first warm day after a big, long cold front! If the corn pile runs out while waiting, drop another #100 but never let the corn pile run dry.
Getting It Done
A few things to remember about corn pile hunting.
1) Forget hunting mornings! Deer are going to visit your corn pile at all hours of the day. So busting deer off the pile will be hard enough mid-day, let alone in the pre-dawn. Don't ruin a day light walking mature buck by bad entries!
2) Many times, deer will be at the bait site when legal shooting light ends and you will have to bust them off the pile. Always try to do this in a manner that does not pin point you in the stand. I typically have someone run the deer off with an approaching 4 wheeler or vehicle.
3) When it’s really cold, it’s typically really calm. Your stand or blind should be rock steady, roomy and silent. Corn piles also mean lots of deer at close range. Always try to put an obstacle between you and the corn pile. I typically use a large brush pile to help break eye to eye contact.
In closing I have to admit that corn piling deer in late season makes for some really exciting hunting. It's a ton of fun to see what bucks show up that you have never seen before and it's a great way to go into shed season. It also gives you a great outlook for the following season!
In the last couple weeks, I have ran multiple corn piles on multiple farms and have found ONE shooter buck and I feel he is very killable. Some of you may remember this buck from summer scouting. I call him Shovels, for his eye gaurds that in velvet reminded me of the shovels on a Caribou. I have hung a tree stand for the cold temp's and North-Eastern cold front that is about to hit Ohio and will be making my move on him this week. Wish me luck!
-Corey
Just a quick glance on any hunting forum and it’s easy to see that baiting deer is a controversial and heated topic among the deer hunting community. Whether you are for or against baiting, whether it’s legal or illegal in your state, one thing is for certain…..baiting deer with a big corn pile, in cold weather, is a deadly big buck killing tactic.
In Ohio, baiting deer on private ground is 100% legal. I have used corn piles in the past to kill a couple nice late season bucks and with 2013-2014 season winding down, it’s looking like a tactic I may be using in the near future. Before going any farther however, I would like to free myself of accusations and set the record straight. I don’t want my hard work and hunting ability clouded by a blog about baiting.
For me, baiting is a late season tactic only! Used when all the hopes of seeing rut action has expired and cold temperatures and limited hunting opportunities make filling a single, coveted Ohio buck tag a hopeless chore. I do not bait pre-rut or during the rut. I enjoy hunting these periods of the season and feel my properties, ability and chance of shooting a mature buck with out bait are high enough. I feel baiting would take away some of the actual hunt and the feeling of out whiting a big, smart buck. That’s right, I think baiting makes hunting easier, less achieving and that’s simply not something I’m interested durring early season. But there is an exception for every rule and as I said above, mine comes in late season!
I would also like to add that I don’t hold baiting against any one! To each their own. Where baiting is legal, every hunter has the right to choose if, how and when he or she wants to employ baiting. I have several friends that bait early season and have killed some true giants over a corn pile. We are all hunters and we should stand together.
One of the things that may add to the controversy of baiting, is many think: Once bait goes on the ground, killing a deer is a guarantee. I think many hunters who have never baited and non-hunters, have a notion that hunting bait is as simple as pouring corn onto the ground and pulling the trigger. Although it can be that simple, in my opinion, to kill a big buck on a corn pile you still have to do your home work and play your cards right. Here is the down and dirty on late season big buck corn piles the way I see it.
Finding a Shooter
Forget the rules you enforce on yourself in early season, finding a big buck to kill is going to take some intrusion. Many factors dictate where you will find deer in late season. Generally speaking, if you find one deer, you will find many. Things to look for when scouting for late season deer are predominate food sources, high quality bedding with thick cover, thermal barriers, south facing slopes and sun exposer. Finding the food and prefered bedding should get you in the right area.
The first step in killing a big buck on a corn pile is finding one that will visit a corn pile. I have found some bucks that absolutely will not visit a corn pile. So start laying down some corn piles in areas that you think hold big bucks and see what shows up and when. 100 pounds should do the trick. If you find a shooter buck that is willing to eat from the pile, its time to narrow down where he is coming and how to hunt the buck by making him the most vulnerable.
Finding the Right Spot
Remember that late season can make for crunchy walking with snow/ ice and open tree canopy that can make you visible from very long distances. You must find the perfect spot! I have found that fence lines and areas with lots of topography changes make great corn pile locations. Fence lines provide a visual break to approach woodlots and topography changes break the horizon line. However, the spot must be close to the big bucks bedding and regular travel routes.
Laying the Pile
It never fails that whenever I start talking baiting with other hunters someone always says a big deer won’t come to a feeder in daylight. From my experience with feeders, most mature deer will not visit them in daylight and lot of times they wont visit them at all! But when you lay down a big pile of corn on the ground……. the game changes!
Go big or go home! Drop 300# in a pile, throw up and camera and walk away for a week. Let the deer find the pile and use it with confidence. If the target shooter buck is using the corn pile in daylight or close to daylight, it’s time to wait for cold weather and a good wind.
Waiting for the Right Conditions
I set most late season corn pile tree stands up for a North wind. In Ohio, these are the winds that typically bring cold temperatures and snow. Simply wait for the coldest day in the near future to hunt, big cold fronts or immediately after the target buck hits the corn pile in daylight for the first time. Another great day I have found is the first warm day after a big, long cold front! If the corn pile runs out while waiting, drop another #100 but never let the corn pile run dry.
Getting It Done
A few things to remember about corn pile hunting.
1) Forget hunting mornings! Deer are going to visit your corn pile at all hours of the day. So busting deer off the pile will be hard enough mid-day, let alone in the pre-dawn. Don't ruin a day light walking mature buck by bad entries!
2) Many times, deer will be at the bait site when legal shooting light ends and you will have to bust them off the pile. Always try to do this in a manner that does not pin point you in the stand. I typically have someone run the deer off with an approaching 4 wheeler or vehicle.
3) When it’s really cold, it’s typically really calm. Your stand or blind should be rock steady, roomy and silent. Corn piles also mean lots of deer at close range. Always try to put an obstacle between you and the corn pile. I typically use a large brush pile to help break eye to eye contact.
In closing I have to admit that corn piling deer in late season makes for some really exciting hunting. It's a ton of fun to see what bucks show up that you have never seen before and it's a great way to go into shed season. It also gives you a great outlook for the following season!
In the last couple weeks, I have ran multiple corn piles on multiple farms and have found ONE shooter buck and I feel he is very killable. Some of you may remember this buck from summer scouting. I call him Shovels, for his eye gaurds that in velvet reminded me of the shovels on a Caribou. I have hung a tree stand for the cold temp's and North-Eastern cold front that is about to hit Ohio and will be making my move on him this week. Wish me luck!
-Corey
