Corn Piling Question

possumpatrol

Button Buck
I guess corn piling is the correct terminology for putting out a pile of corn???:confused:

Either way,

My nephew (who is 17) and I were having a lively discussion about how to best put out a pile of corn. So I figured the folks up here that put out corn could help settle the debate.

What is the best distance to setup from a corn pile??

I think about 20- 30 yards and he says at least 100 yards. Obviously, he is a much better shot than I am!!

Thanks for the input!
 

apexhunter

Ten Pointer
Most people I know will put corn 100+/- yards from a blind to keep their scent profile down with varying wind and allow for some movement inside the blind. Instead of piling it up they scatter it around a 40' or so area to make the deer browse for it versus eating from a big pile. Using cobb can be better than shelled as they have to work a bit for it.
 

BoonDock

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Totally depends on the situation. I like corn a little closer than 100 yards, if I'm hunting over it, just because I can see longer the closer it is to me. I have more success hunting around a corn pile for a mature deer, than I do hunting the corn anyway. I would definitely suggest scattering the corn in a large area to make the deer browse.
 

genbud78

Ten Pointer
My corn is between 30 and 50 yards from my stands so I can potentiality kill with a bow, pistol or rifle. Also pretty thick where I hunt so you can't clearly see much further than that except on the roadbeds. The deer tend to cross the roads to quickly so we rarely hunt them

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jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
We have always kept corn piles a 125 to 300 yards away. Never kept corn in the woods. Corn piles usually in the field corners. My neighbor behind me that owns 180 acres up at the Rock use to keep out a corn pile that would fill up a tandem dump truck in the middle of his 3 acre hay field. He did not even deer hunt. He stopped putting out the corn there when he found out I was hunting on the backside of mine close to his hay field. Seen as many as 16 deer go in and come out of his hayfield one morning at different times.
 
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If Hunting a field I'd scatter it as much as possible at least 75yrds away or better to at least give you a chance to get in or out undetected if possible...in the woods or narrow lanes I'd put it in I straight line away from the stand again as far away as you possibly can feel comfortable shooting for the same reason ..reason I say a straight line is because most deer will approach that line from the side and give a better broadside shot in my experiences
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
I actually moved my corn piles into my hardwoods this year because the deer are wearing them out there and not really touching it in my fields. It was the opposite last year. I also have one pile within 10 yards of the stand right next to my house. It's seeing the most action by far and if I'd put it out I think they would eat 100lbs every two days, but I'm not putting that much out. I have another pile about 75 yards from the same stand.
 

aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Like anything else dealing with deer hunting, the answer is; "it depends on the situation".

The determining factors are going to be terrain, the weapon you plan on using, and what's currently going on with the land surrounding yours.

I currently have two spots setup, one a brush blind sitting on a knoll in the woods with the corn pile about 50 - 60 yards away, the second a pop-up blind overlooking a clearcut with the corn pile being 100 yards away.

If the surrounding terrain allows it, I prefer to keep the distance between 50 - 70 yards when I'm using a rifle, within 30 yards if I'm using a bow. You'll find that set ups in the woods get darker quicker in the evening than set ups in the fields, so you may want to consider keeping the distance shorter in the woods due to the visibility factor.

And if everybody on the land surrounding you is corn baiting, you may not want to bait your land at all. In that situation, sometimes what can work is finding a funnel along a travel route that deer are using to get to your neighbor's corn piles, and set up there.
 

ArmyMutt

Eight Pointer
I'm thinking about dumping a pile about 100 yards from the back deck and just sitting out there. Need to cut a couple of trees down first. They seem to have stopped visiting the clover this past week.
 

darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
IMO, if your putting your corn in a “pile”, your doing it wrong. Never had much luck putting corn in fields or along field edges. I If it’s cutover roadbeds, I’ll cut a small hole in the bag and start walking. 50-75yds minimum from tree then corn may go for 100-150yds down path. In the woods, put a small hole in the bag and commence to slinging as far as I can. I’ve put 50lbs over 1/4-1/2 acre.
Last thing I want is a deer to walk in and stick his head down and never move once it’s there.
 

JONOV

Twelve Pointer
IMO, if your putting your corn in a “pile”, your doing it wrong. Never had much luck putting corn in fields or along field edges. I If it’s cutover roadbeds, I’ll cut a small hole in the bag and start walking. 50-75yds minimum from tree then corn may go for 100-150yds down path. In the woods, put a small hole in the bag and commence to slinging as far as I can. I’ve put 50lbs over 1/4-1/2 acre.
Last thing I want is a deer to walk in and stick his head down and never move once it’s there.

That's what I've learned as well. I like slinging it around with a Solo cup.
 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
The more you sling it, the longer they'll hang around, and the more deer will be able to eat it without fighting over it too much.
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Depends on the situation....

030.jpg this is from 16' up, 130 yards to the corn. The corn is spread wide here. Yes I've trimmed those branches LOL

045.jpg this is in a blind, 35 yards to the corn. It is in about a three foot pile here.
 
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treestock

Four Pointer
I like to have the corn as far away as possible still hunting with a rifle just to cover up my errors. Really no right answer do what works for you.

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bshobbs

Old Mossy Horns
I have mine in the woods, simply because my land and the land next to me is woods. Lot of oak trees right where I put my corn. I spread it out all over the ground mixed up and around the tree roots. Makes them work for it a little more. My piles are about 50 yards from the stand. Cannot see any farther cause of the thick woods from the creek head behind the corn.
 
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