Dried, brown soybeans?

Fritzzer · Sep 25, 2009

I'm curious of to what degree deer are attracted to dried, brown soybeans as a food source. Do they eat there as frequently as cut corn? Is it a good primary food source or is it best during the snow when deer are more desperate?
I just want to get a better feel of how this food plays into an early season or pre rut hunt. Any experience / advice is appreciated.

22jdub · Sep 25, 2009

Generally when the beans first turn brown the deer move on to alfalfa and corn, and then return to beans once the weather turns cold.

OneArmArrowSlinger · Sep 25, 2009

If they are still in after the corn is out, when it gets cold, or during a snow, the deer will hammer them. Good luck this season!:darkbeer:

dhayse32 · Sep 25, 2009

I always heard the same thing, once they turn brown deer tend to move on. This was the case the first year for beans on my land, however last year I had several does and bucks in them and they were completely dead, I think that might have been due to the lack of acorns. Either way they will still eat them, just maybe not as much. Also, when a deer walks through those dead beans you can hear them from a mile away!

M.Magis · Sep 25, 2009

My house is surrounded by beans, corn, and alfalfa. Beans draw more deer at all times of the year, hands down. It's not even close. The only time that numbers drop is when the acors start dropping, which is right about when the beans start to brown. I think this is the reason so many people think deer won't eat brown/yellowing beans. They will, but they like acorns more at that time.

xswanted · Sep 25, 2009

I've always notice once soybeans start to turn the deer seem to shy away from them, same with sunflowers.

Corn seems to not deter deer as much after it has turned.

We "roll" our soybean fields, with what looks like a big packer....makes it easier to combine later.....After harvest, especially on these types of fields.....the deer really seem to come out and feed. I think its the fact the ground is really easy to walk on, they don't have to fight through anything, and there are always beans that are shelled out, threw over from the combine and a few in the pods you just can't get.

If you can hunt after its harvested, it may be the best time. I've shot quite a few deer on harvested soybeans.

bowhuntcrazy8 · Sep 25, 2009

A friend of mine has a bean field next to his house almost every yr and he swears even when they are brown after a rain the deer are there in the beans. It just happened to him the other night with two 1 1/2 yr olds and a big 4 1/2 yr old. To each his own on where to hunt though. I usually still hunt acorns and corn when beans turn. GL

Fritzzer · Sep 25, 2009

Thanks for the feedback. I am heading to PA to hunt in early Nov. A favorite old wooded funnel between two ponds is near a field that is planted with soy this year. Thats why I am so curios. The beans will be harvested or standing brown at that time. This is a great natural funnel but might be less attractive with the dried beans is my concern.

country2 · Sep 25, 2009

Magis is right on this one! Soybeans are the best by a huge margin! Yes the deer leave them once the leaves turn yellow but once they cure out and are brown a week later the deer POUND them again. Most people dont know deer like cured beans because they are harvested not long after they cure out and there isn't much waste grain in a bean field. I plant soybeans in 80% of my foodplots. I have done side by side with corn and evrything else you can think of,soybeans always draw more deer.

Big Eazy · Sep 25, 2009

M.Magis said:
My house is surrounded by beans, corn, and alfalfa. Beans draw more deer at all times of the year, hands down. It's not even close. The only time that numbers drop is when the acors start dropping, which is right about when the beans start to brown. I think this is the reason so many people think deer won't eat brown/yellowing beans. They will, but they like acorns more at that time.

I agree totally. I hunt every year in Western Kentucky and every other year a field that borders us is in soybeans. The years with the soybeans have always been our best hunting years. I've seen the deer bed down in the dried, dead, soybeans and stand up every so often to eat the pods which house the soybean itself.

buckhunter2054 · Sep 25, 2009

Usually once the beans have dried up and lost their leaves the deer move onto a different food source until late in the season. Once the late season rolls around the deer will hit the bean fields hard again especially a standing bean field.

XtremeOutdoors · Sep 25, 2009

The BEST time to hunt "brown" bean fields is during a light misting rain or early morning, the dew or rain makes the beans temporairily soft and deer will still eat them. I have had great success setting up in a brown bean field during a light rain or right after a rain storm.

Bowdon · Sep 25, 2009

I have been seeing deer every night coming out of the corn because they are laying out in it and crossing the ditch going into a bean field at night and they are yellow. Last week end I track a doe a woman hit and she headed to the bean field to lay down and that were she died right out in the middle of it. I have taken lots of bucks on bean field in IA after they dry up and just after they are picked. Soy bean are a hight scores of protein for them and they love them. I have a buddy in IA that will cross three corn field to get a bean field. I can say he wrong because he gets a P&Y buck almost every year. He bowhunted for 40 years and has taken over 30 P&Y class bucks and are on his wall so bean fields dose him good

Bowdon · Sep 26, 2009

I seen about 15 deer on a yellow bean field tonight and had two bucks a nice 8 and a 10 point walk right by me at 10 yard. The 10 point maybe of been lucky if he would make P&Y he would of been close

4X-24 BOB · Sep 26, 2009

I would take a bean plot over any other source of food out there !!:darkbeer:

dtrkyman · Sep 26, 2009

4X-24 BOB said:
I would take a bean plot over any other source of food out there !!:darkbeer:

ditto that,they absolutely crush when its cold.

Green River · Sep 26, 2009

My house is surrounded by soy beans, as soon as the leaves start turning yellow the deer go somewhere else.

jca · Sep 26, 2009

Here in my part of VA, they love them in early season, but once they turn brown, forget it! They go to other sources like acorns..

Bowdon · Sep 27, 2009

I seen a doe and two fawns feeding on yellow beans tonight.

Dried, brown soybeans?

Fritzzer

22jdub

OneArmArrowSlinger

dhayse32

M.Magis

xswanted

bowhuntcrazy8

Fritzzer

country2

Big Eazy

buckhunter2054

XtremeOutdoors

Bowdon

Bowdon

4X-24 BOB

dtrkyman

Green River

jca

Bowdon

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