Hunting Cotton Fields

[FootTrails]

Has anyone had positive/negative experiences hunting over cotton fields? Can you describe deer behavior?

The farmer leasing the fields on our hunting lease has planted all the fields with cotton. The past few years, they have all been peanuts. I'm just curious if it's worth investing time on the fields this season or if I should stick to the hardwoods. Thanks!

 

[erkinator]

I would cover edge of field at woodline. Maybe catch one crossing and watch woods at same time. Not sure of layout, check line for trails or signs of activity

 

[hikingthehills]

Never hunted them but heard the deer love cotton leaves.

 

[erkinator]

Interesting to know. thx

 

[FootTrails]

Thanks all. On my one opportunity to scout the opening weekend of bow season I did observe a lot of tracks in the break at the woodline. I was just curious if anyone had observed deer bedding down in there during the day and if so, at what times during the season. I found a few other threads where others said they saw them eating the purple flowers but once the plants mature and are ready for harvest, deer don't have much interest in them (for consumption anyway).

 

[drewga11]

Cotton fields can be excellent for deer hunting as long as there are woods or some other thick cover on at least one side. In my experience, deer will usually come to the cotton from the woods. Figure out where the trails are coming out of the woods and set up in an appropriate spot to ambush them coming or going. I like to make a natural ground blind just in the edge of the treeline and catch them in the break between the trees and the cotton. I've never witnessed any deer bedding down in cotton fields, but I can't say for certain that they won't. As far as their consumption, I've never seen them eating the flowers, but I have observed them eating the green leaves off the plants.

Here's a small 8 point I killed last year as he was leaving the cotton field.

Here's what the edge of the field between the cotton and the woods looked like last year.

 

[drewga11]

Here's a pic of a small doe I saw opening weekend. She was too small to shoot in my opinion, so I just sat there and watched her eat cotton leaves for 15 minutes before she headed back into the woods. The pic isn't very good because I forgot to use the zoom function on my phone's camera. It doesn't look like it, but the deer was only about 25 yards away.

 

[FootTrails]

Thanks for the input and pics DrewGA11 - The shot of the doe looks very similar to the fields I'll be hunting and all of the fields on the property are surrounded by thick cover.

 

[hikingthehills]

Thanks for the input and pics DrewGA11 - The shot of the doe looks very similar to the fields I'll be hunting and all of the fields on the property are surrounded by thick cover.

Sounds like you got a honey hole!

 

[mfoster]

When I hog hunt with night vision the cotton fields are full of deer they eating something.