Soybean Decision - When To Remove The Electric Fence

I’d love to hear some thoughts on what others would do in my situation.


I currently have two separate soybean plots (see diagram) that are one acre each and the leaves are just starting to turn yellow here and there. They have both been double layer hot-fenced since day one and have a decent yield of pods on them.


The Egyptian Wheat did great, 10 feet or so in most areas. The FF is basically LC’s Plot mix with some sunflowers added in also.


These areas will need to be hunted during firearm season to avoid putting pressure on the herd. Deer are actively bedding in the CRP and sides of hills. All the other CRP Landowners bush hogged this year which leads me to believe my quail habitat crp grasses above and below soybeans may be holding additional deer this year.


My access will be to troll across the lake and hunt the blind on top of the levy or to walk through the EW to a blind closer to the soybeans if observations say its time to get aggressive.


Everything around me is corn and that won’t be here long as harvest should happen around mid-October or so.


My thought was to release the western soybean field now (blue arrow in diagram), so that deer can begin to locate and use the hillsides and surrounding cover as bedding to prepare for rut.


I’ve been given the suggestion to leave both plots fenced and wait for firearms season, or just prior (early November) so my food supply will not get wiped out before the second forearms season, muzzleloader-only.


I’m concerned that things are a bit too cramped right now for deer to feel totally comfortable moving in long-term, due to all the fencing. The fall food plot between the two bean fields is kind of blocked-off in a way that prevents them from really accessing it properly. But I do think deer around here will immediately begin eating the pods once I take the fence off, no doubt. They love them around here.


Thoughts and recommendations are appreciated!

MM

I think you'd be ok taking them down, in my experience. When the leaves of the beans are yellowing, most deer leave them. Also, when the acorns are falling, most deer eat acorns and not beans. I think you'd be ok, but it's always an experiment. My deer don't normally key on the pods until colder weather.

I have no idea. Something I would consider.....make about 1/2 of one of the plots available now and see what happens....if doing that isn't a huge PITA.

I would open one completely and leave the other one until immediately before the last 2 weeks that you plan to hunt. Nothing better than standing beans during late season.


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I plan on leaving my beans fenced until late in the winter. Honestly... I want to see deer in the plot during Christmas vacation (it's by the house), and I would like to find sheds in it. I would think though, that deer will find it almost immediately and use it heavily for at least a couple of weeks. Work that idea around your hunting dates and go for it.

I planted an acre this summer and did not fence and got good pod production even though the deer hammered the leaves. That being said, the deer have already eaten every pod and the leaves are just starting to turn. The pods were still green when they ate them but had mature beans in them.

All that being said, I would leave the fence up if your wanting to hunt over it in November. The deer will have them wiped out before season gets here.

Thanks everyone. I’ve decided to wait a bit longer out of caution. It won’t take me very long to wind up the wire so waiting a tad later shouldn’t pressure the place too much. I will pull the outer poly steps but will probably just leave t-posts where they are.

deer patch said:

I planted an acre this summer and did not fence and got good pod production even though the deer hammered the leaves. That being said, the deer have already eaten every pod and the leaves are just starting to turn. The pods were still green when they ate them but had mature beans in them.

All that being said, I would leave the fence up if your wanting to hunt over it in November. The deer will have them wiped out before season gets here.

Click to expand...

I hear ya. Deer around here absolutely floor the pods just about any time. They might stop for a couple of weeks during the yellowing phase. But then it’s back to pillage and plunder. I assume that would happen to these beans in particular since they are the only beans in town for a couple miles or so.