Hunting standing grain

onpoint

onpoint

Active member
What's your opinion of hunting grain that is standing and planted deliberately to concentrate birds for hunting?

Some might say it's like hunting squirrels from a bird feeder or deer from bait.

One would have to admit it gives a distinct advantage to the hunter. In many cases when you see piles of birds in a picture. They have been shot in just such a manner. It don't take great dog work or great knowledge as a hunter to trap birds in such a area. Then drive them to other hunters.

I'm more of a natural cover hunter. A place that makes your dog do what he was breed to do. Give me a big slew, high grass, maybe a tree grove. That's the stuff I enjoy hunting.

What's your thoughts
 
I see nothing wrong with hunting food plots whether standing grain or other stuff. Most reservoirs where I hunt have food and shelter belts designed to attract birds for the hunter who does not have access to private land. It's all good to me.
 
I agree with "Onpoint's" message - if you have a strong prey drive dog, keeping him close in a corn/sorghum field is a continual hassle. Let the dog go and he'll bust birds out of range.

I keep Max out of the corn and walk on the left side of the field (am disabled and can only shoot from the left side). Hunters without dogs can get into the field and push the birds.

Near the end of a corn field I let Max go - perhaps 40-60 yards from the end. This technique seems to work well - few birds are busted and most of us get shooting.

I do prefer crp/fields to grain situations...
 
I see nothing wrong with the grain field hunts and I am happy to see people leave food up all year for the birds and other game. When we say natural cover that is slightly off being that humans put most cover down whether it be food source, nesting, or loafing cover. So I say keep the winter food available and hunt it if you wish.:)
 
Last time I was out there, around Fort Riley in KS and public lands in the area, they usually share crop the public land with local farmers. The farmer cuts half and leaves the state's half standing in the field. They usually do it in alternating strips and it makes for excellent shooting---for a while anyway. But no ethical issue. I need to get back out there this year.
 
Standing grain in a field, ok....piled or spun food at a bait station, not ok.
Pines as a natural cover in a time of snow can concentrate pheasants just as easily as does a planting of milo....so, ok.
Easiest way to tell ok or not ok is how you honestly feel doing it....as is said, ethics is often most truely defined when no one else is around.

Standing corn is not for me but has nothing to do with hunting ethically.
 
How is hunting standing grain any different than hunting a shelterbelt that was planted or a strip of crp that was planted? Answer: there isn't.
 
Hunting Cover Preference

I love to hunt because I love to see a "good" bird dog do it's thing. As mentioned by multiple people it's very difficult to do this in standing grain. For this reason I prefer to hunt CRP and marsh situations.
The easy road is not always the most fulfilling. I would rather walk all day long to shoot 2 roosters over a pointed dog than push a couple strips of standing grain in an hour or 2 and have my limit.
 
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