# Geese in the beans?



## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

Lately while hunting my local cornfields i've noticed the geese being drawn to what appears to be baren fields. I'm sitting in cut corn thats loaded with food. A little investigating and I noticed the fields have beans laying on the ground. Do geese truely prefer beans over corn? These things are cupping their wings at 1000 yds. and landing within site of cut corn and sorry to say, "my spread".
digging out the cut bean pattern


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

I wouldn't say they prefer it, maybe they just prefer it sometimes?  

Had the same thing happen last week on ducks. Corn all around and they chose to power feed some bean stubble, so that's where we set up. It's been awhile since I hunted bean stubble and I hope it will be awhile before I have to hunt it again....short cover, tough to brush the blinds, and big shadows since it was sunny out; we looked like crap. Luckily they wanted in the field bad enough that it didn't matter that day.

Sometimes the only ones who know where the birds are going to go and why they're going there are the birds themselves...and we just have to follow them for the ride.:-?


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## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

Yeah ducks & geese have been in the beans big time this year with the late/nonexistent harvest. Can't remember seeing them in beans much before this year, usually it's just wheat/barley and then corn later in the year.


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

Well this morning I sat up right on the edge of the bean field in perfect low cover, put out only 1 dz. full bodies and the show began. These birds were commiting from a mile away. I was hunting alone as usual and had two big birds by 7:00 then "IT" happened. A huge flock coming in, as soon as they deployed their landing gear, there it was, my first band, I seen it coming pulled up big 10 and the rest was history! What a GREAT DAY


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

congrats on the band. good job on being mobile too. you'll never know what the birds are thinking, or sometimes if they are even thinking at all. all you can do is try your best to be where they want to be and hope that they show.


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## kody (Jun 27, 2003)

It must have something to do with the late corn harvest this year. I have experience the same results that birds are just using the bean stubble a lot more this year. It is almost impossible to hide in. Experience about 300 to 400 dark geese using a corn field in the evening. Set up there the next morning and they all came back and split up and went to different bean fields. Not a very common pattern that I have seen in hunting dark geese. 
OH well. That is why we hunt. It is fun to try and figure out these great creatures.


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## Wood Duck (Mar 22, 2002)

Congats on spotting the band! That is hard to do. My goal this fall was to get into a good mallard shoot and then when I'm one bird from my limit hold off and land birds, trying to spot a band. Well it kind of worked, I wasnt limited but was passing on hens as usuall and was watching the ol' landing gear real close and I spotted a band on a hen pintail. That was my one exception to my no hen rule. It was banded and had a radio transmitter on its back!


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## 870 XPRS (Mar 12, 2003)

we've hunted more bean fields this year than we have in the past 5 years combined.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I hate hunting in beans, I feel like I can't hide no matter how hard I try. Luckily, I haven't had to mess around with one this year.


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## Rick Risvold (May 25, 2003)

What I have noticed over the years hunting Rochester, MN is that the birds prefer green grass or soybeans when the weather is warm. It's been mild this season and that may be the answer.


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

Funny you say that. The past two trips to that area it was real warm. The weather is suppose to turn sharply colder, I will be in the field this weekend so I'll note the temp. Interesting to see if that changes their pattern.


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## Bruce (Dec 12, 2003)

Got to be a biological reason for going to the beans. I seen big flocks today going into a plowed hay field today. Birds sill came to the corn though. Shot a banded mallard that was at least 5 years old. Lots of birds here in the NE corner of SoDak.


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

Sat up today in the beans, and wouldn't you know it, they went for the corn. It was below freezing and they didn't even fly over to check my spread out dropped straight for the corn. I think your onto something rick, both food sources where there only difference was the temp. I'm going to take mental notes and watch where they prefer to go at different temps. I can see both areas from whichever I hunt But won't be back in there till next friday (give the fields to the deer hunters on the weekend) Got to keep everyone happy


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## Blake Hermel (Sep 10, 2002)

I dont think you guys are hunting beans at all, what your hunting in is probably a pea field... Looks just like beans.


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## Booster (Sep 8, 2003)

Beans and peas look a like when harvested, however I am sure people know the difference between bean and pea fields. I have seen geese in beans all year around my town and around other areas. The geese really do a number on them when they aren't even harvested yet why wouldn't they eat them when they are harvested. A friend of mine lost 10 acers of beans this year to geese. They ate a complete circle around the slough they were staying in.


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## goose (Jul 19, 2003)

No peas here in South Dakota as far as I know.


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

There's an old saying that goes: If it looks like a bean, smells like a bean and tastes like a bean it sure as hell isn't a pea. These things are off white and shaped like a kidney bean only half the size. I may be wrong but iI live in upstate n y. So maybe they grow beans here I'll talk to the farmer for the hell of it cause now you got me wondering.


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## cbass (Sep 9, 2003)

Beans and peas look nothing alike when harvested. If you are not sure the easiest way is to find some spillover from the combine to determine what you are dealing with.


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## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

We don't have peas around here. Its all beans and corn and stubble


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