# Hunting in Sunflower field?



## outdoorsman_07 (Dec 10, 2013)

Has anyone hunted for ducks or geese in a harvested sunflower field? Some of the farms that I have permission to hunt have sunflower fields and I was curious if they are worth hunting this fall once they are harvested?


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## cajunsnowchaser (May 6, 2014)

We use to have 100 acres of sunflowers and slaughtered the specks in those feilds for 20 plus years till rice prices got so high that farmers rufused to plant sunflowers anymore so I would say if the birds are useing the feilds chase them down and pack them up. Good hunting and god bless hope thisinfo helps.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

I hardly hunt waterfowl any more, but sunflower fields sure have a lot of upland birds everywhere in adjacent cover. Flowers are usually harvested pretty late, and thinking about it, I've not been impressed waterfowl feed in it much.
Back when I raised geese there was a train wreck not far away, and several of us scavenged a feed wagon full of sunflower seeds. The upland birds we raised at the time ate it like crazy, but if I recall, the waterfowl wouldn't eat it and preferred screenings and barley which was really cheap at the time.
At least hunt any areas of cover around the sunflower fields you have permission and you may risk melting your gun barrel or wearing out your dog!  lots of upland


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## snogeezmen (May 28, 2012)

yep occasionally you see it late season of the river (dec/jan) but have never seen it else where. have seen it spring snow goosing but it was a roost/sheet water rather than the feed.


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## snogeezmen (May 28, 2012)

be carfeull how you drive into them......with the grain of the combine not against. if you go against it i will dam near personally guarentee a flat tire regardless of ply. flower stocks are THICK


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## makin it rain (Apr 2, 2009)

^^^ YUP YUP YUP. Like hunting them but a pain in the azz on equipment. Be dang careful with a dog too, have heard of coyotes and dogs impaling themselves on them.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

snogeezmen said:


> be carfeull how you drive into them......with the grain of the combine not against. if you go against it i will dam near personally guarentee a flat tire regardless of ply. flower stocks are THICK


And a punctured radiator. When the northern flights come in late fall they sometimes go to the harvested flowers and you can't chase 'em out.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

Dick Monson said:


> snogeezmen said:
> 
> 
> > be carfeull how you drive into them......with the grain of the combine not against. if you go against it i will dam near personally guarentee a flat tire regardless of ply. flower stocks are THICK
> ...


There is a reason we have weights on the header where the combine tires go.


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## snogeezmen (May 28, 2012)

blhunter3 said:


> Dick Monson said:
> 
> 
> > snogeezmen said:
> ...


no ****? i did not know that explain that a little bit? again BL not harassing you just didn't know that or have never seen it :beer:


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

You can also buy stalk crusher skid plates for the header. They mash the stalks down for the combine tires to have a safe path.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

We just have 30 pound weights that look like roll pins and welded a chain on each side and bolt the chain on to the header, right in front of the tires on the combine. That was before we had duals on our combine. Now the duals straddle the rows. I tried uploading some pics but they are too big. Look up Wes Stalk Stompers. Same principal.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Reading this, I now remember driving a flower stalk right through a brand new tire on me old 84 suburban. I also learned the hard way that a relatively thin but expensive airplane tire will lose an argument with a corn stalk, even at taxi speed!


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

It seems weird but a big culprit of flat tires is soybean stalks. They are very hard and the cause very slow leaks. It never fails when I am putting on fertilizer in beans to have one flat tire on the chisel plow or hoe drill every other day.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Didn't know that about soybeans. Wonder if a bucket of that slime stuff would help? I put a large sized jug of that in every UTV tire about once a year. Chasing cattle over stick n stones and cactus and Russian Olive And plum thorns raises Cain with slow leaks. Slime seems to work pretty well. My rancher friends swear by it.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

All the slime in the world won't even slow down shed deer antlers, though! Might just lube Em a bit when they go through! Haha..


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I never thought of trying that. Since its not hard to change tires and we have piles of spares with rims so I doubt I will try it.


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