Corn or Beans vs. deer

Josh in Pa · Feb 9, 2011

I am looking at renting some crop ground in an area that is loaded with deer. The price is pretty reasonable. Which would be better, corn or beans? Hunting is not an option.
Josh

Mark-Ia · Feb 9, 2011

Doesn't make any difference. The deer like both.

rustyfarmall · Feb 9, 2011

(quoted from post at 08:44:28 02/09/11) I am looking at renting some crop ground in an area that is loaded with deer. The price is pretty reasonable. Which would be better, corn or beans? Hunting is not an option.
Josh

Hunting is always an option.

jackinok · Feb 9, 2011

like mark says I think deer would be in both,but you may do a soil test and see which would be cheaper on input costs,and let that be a factor.renting drives up the costs anyway,but if you could plant beans for less money than corn,it may make your bottom line better in the long run.just my opinion of course.

Heat Houser · Feb 9, 2011

Got any groudhogs? They will keep soybeans clipped down within a couple of inches of the ground for about 8 rows in. They don't get out further than that due to lack of suitable cover.
You will see them clipped in a semi-circle along the edge of the field.

Got any wild turkeys? They take more corn than deer.

Deer like beans and I think they prefer them over corn but they do like both......

Walt Davies · Feb 9, 2011

I planted corn with tomatoes right by them, the deer at all the tomatoes and left the corn alone. They occasionally ate part of a pumpkin but their favorite was the tomatoes, I got one tomatoes from all the plants I put pin.
Walt

hd6gtom · Feb 9, 2011

What size field. Have had Deer clean up 15 to 20 acres out of a 100 acre field, both corn and beans. Wild turkey about the same. If anyone is thinking of putting Buckwheat out and you have wild turkeys forget it they will eat all the seed before the stalks get dryed down to combine it.

Josh in Pa · Feb 9, 2011

The field is about 30 acres, but it is not square, there are many nooks. It is surrounded by several hundred acres of woods.
Josh

671DKS · Feb 9, 2011

This last year they ate my beans down to where it looked like someone had come along and cut it like you would get if you ran a hedge trimmer down the row, about 1 ft high and flat topped. Those darn deer ate up a bunch of my corn too. Over fed for sure but at least I got one in my freezer now.

Lou from Wi. · Feb 9, 2011

After plowing with the N8 ford,We found out the hard way "OUR DEER" LOVE corn beans and Especially "PEAS" had a garden full of peas one night,next morning FLAT LEVEL BARE ground. Not a pea plant left.Neighbors laughed like he**, so they got their garden mowed the next night.Their garden (like ours) was a huge plot.Looked like a golf course.Only peas we got that year was from the grocers shelves (CANNED)!!!
Regards Victor.

flying belgian · Feb 9, 2011

I had a guy come last week to by some alfalfa to feed the deer. When it came to paying he wanted me to give him a break as it was going toward feeding wild life. I said listen, they ate a good acre and a half of my corn around a ravine running up in my farm. At 6.50 corn that's about $2000.00 I've already paid toward wildlife. I've done my part now you do yours. It's $4.00 a bale how many do you want. Period.

teddy52food · Feb 9, 2011

Perfect! (For the wildlife)

Weldon K · Feb 9, 2011

From your description of the land, first thing I would want to know is why previous user is giving it up. Perhaps was a losing proposition because wildlife damaged it badly ? It would be too risky for me to consider.

JDseller · Feb 9, 2011

I have a field like that and you could loose about 50% of the crop real easy. I have finally just put it into orchard grass and the deer don"t seem to hurt it as bad. Planted it to soybeans last time. Averaged 45 bushel where there where any beans whole field averaged 26 bushel.

I know a fellow that rented crop ground in a state park. Two years ago in a big 90 acre bottom he planted it to soybeans and never harvested a single bushel. The wild life eat them all.

cj in wisconsin · Feb 10, 2011

I had 12 acres of beans in a high deer area last year, lost about 80 percent to the deer, cornfield 1/4 mile away lost about 25 percent. These are just estimates but in my neck of the woods beans are just a waste of time. I live right next to a 7000 acre wildlife area! But when the bear get into the corn they do a tremendous amount of damage so it's pretty much lose lose! But they were here first so what can ya do?

Corn or Beans vs. deer

Josh in Pa

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Mark-Ia

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rustyfarmall

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jackinok

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Heat Houser

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Walt Davies

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hd6gtom

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Josh in Pa

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671DKS

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Lou from Wi.

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flying belgian

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teddy52food

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Weldon K

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JDseller

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cj in wisconsin

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