# Hunting in beans...



## Bull_Can (Apr 30, 2004)

It has been many years since the fields I hunt have been entirely in beans (he usually works half beans and half corn, alfalfa, or grains and I hunt the alfalfa early and grains/corn stubble later). 
What are your tips, tactics and thoughts on soybeans?


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## 870 XPRS (Mar 12, 2003)

Lots of mud on the blinds.


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## Tony Vandemore (Dec 17, 2003)

Avery Field Khaki blind and mud...a pinch of Killerweed will help in blend in great. Use the fullbodies and terrain to break up the outline of the blinds.


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## Bull_Can (Apr 30, 2004)

Have you had success getting geese to commit to unpicked beans (pending there isn't a nice barley field next door)?


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## fox412 (Mar 18, 2005)

We usually hunt the beans after they have been harvested. I don't see many in unpicked fields but I wouldn't want to tick off a farmer by running around in his bean field that hasn't been combined.


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

I have no idea about MN, but you can't hunt unharvested fields in ND without the owners permission. I can't imagine permission would ever be granted. Regarding the original post; beans are a fairly recent addition around my area. Last year, the birds stayed in the bean (pea) fields, to the exclusion of everything else. Even when they were chased off in the mornings, they were back the same afternoon. Now, if some of MY landowner friends would start planting peas, I'd really have something. Burl


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Burl

I think this link gives the answers. Hunting unharvested fields is legal, Kinda 

Read/study and be careful

http://www.le.fws.gov/waterfowl_baiting.htm

Later
Bob


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## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

This sums it up--

Agricultural lands offer prime waterfowl hunting opportunities. You can hunt waterfowl in fields of unharvested standing crops. You can also hunt over standing crops that have been flooded. You can flood fields after crops are harvested and use these areas for waterfowl hunting.

The presence of seed or grain in an agricultural area rules out waterfowl hunting unless the seed or grain is scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural planting, normal agricultural harvesting, normal agricultural post-harvest manipulation, or normal soil stabilization practice.

These activities must be conducted in accordance with recommendations of the State Extension Specialists of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Cooperative Extension Service).

I guess hunting in swaths is a big no-no!! :-?


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## joespiek (Nov 25, 2003)

4CurlRedleg said:


> This sums it up--
> 
> I guess hunting in swaths is a big no-no!! :-?


I don't think there is anything wrong with hunting a swathed field. Swathing is a normal agricultural harvesting method. So its fair game with the landowners permission because it isn't completely harvested yet.

"The presence of seed or grain in an agricultural area rules out waterfowl hunting unless the seed or grain is scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural planting, normal agricultural harvesting, normal agricultural post-harvest manipulation, or normal soil stabilization practice."


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## Burly1 (Sep 20, 2003)

I stand corrected, and am somewhat surprised. I still can't imagine getting permission to hunt in an unharvested field. Maybe sitting inside the edge of a cornfield, but that's about it. Burl


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

I agree Burl
Getting permission in an unharvested field would be rare indeed. The only instance I could think of would be depradation. last fall, early season the northern tier had waterfowl on every swathed (manipulated) field because of the wet conditions making it impossible to harvest, they did a lot of damage up there.

Later
Bob


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## Bull_Can (Apr 30, 2004)

Permission is already granted and there is a small wetland and two rock/brush piles around that will offer me a place to sit. I was curious about the ability to get geese to commit INTO the beans (meaning I would like put out a spread to get their attention), but has anyone ever got geese to land in beans. I am not a big fan of pass shooting and love to decoy, even though the bean fileds are my favorite location to hunt, I would move elsewhere in order to decoy and call birds in. I am in it for the hunt more than the success rate.

As for a swathed field, I had my best early goose the year the farmer had just cut his alfalfa and we were able to lay right in the rows...beautiful! That was the year those goose magnets came out and with our being invisible in the rows, well...it was nice.


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## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

In the beans you could dig your self a little pit about 6inches deep so you don't stick out.


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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

The only hunt I've ever had in unharvested beans was during the early season in an area of WI that is mostly forested and has very little agriculture. I was shocked to see all the goose heads sticking up out of beans that were a couple feet high but I guess there was really nothing else for them to feed on as this was the ONLY agricultural field of any type for miles. We shot a six man limit with all our shots on geese with their feet down and fully committed. It was some easy shooting. 8)

I've never seen geese feeding in unharvested beans before or after this and if they have any other options I doubt they will do it. I honestly think you'd be better off hunting the wetland than the beans.


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