planting corn?

[stevejr01]

Im curious if anyone on here has ever planted corn for ducks? I know a lot of folks do it but im curious about how much of the corn actually falls off the stalk? It seem to me that unlike milo or millet in which wind and birds can desturb the heads corn is much larger and is unlikely to ever reach the water. As many people that plant it just for ducks im sure im wrong but would like some insight from other hunters! Also what do yall have the best luke with as far as planting grain for waterfowl(millet,rice,milo,or wheat)? Rice seems to be to thick unless its manipulated! Thanks!

[Faithful Retrievers]

Black birds will destroy a corn crop, they also will get in the rice. If its a place you can flood to the ear its better, but the ducks will get it one way or the other.

[stevejr01]

flooding it that deep will the ducks get much out of the ears that are farther out of reech or when it falls will it be to deep? Thanks for the reply i appreciate it!!!

[Faithful Retrievers]

I have never had a problem just flooding knee deep or so. Like I mentioned they will get it one way or another. They will take the cob off, if one falls it will float. I would be more worried about other things getting it first. With the cost of corn I would look at other types of millet plus you can flood normal. If you provide a source and it is in a good area they will use it. The thing with corn they usually are after it before or during a freeze for the carbohydrates where in mild temps wouldnt be the food of choice such as rice, beans, or millet.

[timberjack]

Corn is a pain in the a**, at least for me. You need to plant it early, it takes lots of chems and fertilizer and unless you can irrigate it- you only make a crop half the time. But it is worth every penny and ounce of trouble. Ducks will get to it no matter how tall the stalk is, dont worry about that, and you can shoot it every day and they'll still come back. Here's a vid I took at my place back in '08, we had a good crop that year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oJ5ZCDMVlE

[stevejr01]

Thnaks for the advice! The main reason im looking into corn is i can get seed corn for only$8 a bag!!! Thats about 1/5 of the cost and i know they love it more than anyting else but have always just been real confused about how much would ever get to the ducks! Is it better for the plant to plant it in rows or broad cast it? Also would you recommend mixing strips with maybe jap millet?

[SB]

stevejr01,

Corn can be a good attractant I would be cautious of $8.00/bag seed corn. Most seed corn cost $200-$300 per bag with a few varieties being a little under $200. An old farmer told me once to never cut corners on seed, because seed is the cheapest cost of the whole planting process. I have found that to be very true. If you think about it for a second you can see the reason in it. Some of the conservation organizations sell seed corn at a dirt cheap pricing and I would cautious of it not knowing the variety. People have had good luck with it and some others have not. If they could tell you the variety numbers, I would feel more comfortable with it.

Growing corn in a duck hole most often is a challenge. Corn likes well drain sites and most ducks are not well drained. If they were well drained, they would not be a good duck hole. Since the sites are not well drained, the corn is most often planted later than the optimal dates. This can lead to yield problems due the plant needing water during grain fill. Late planted corn is more susceptible to insect problems. Paying for Bt technology is good insurance and worth the cost.

Grassy corn is the practice of allowing ones corn to be a little dirty(weedy) by allowing natural grasses to come up in it. This can be done by skipping a chemical application. Some have flown millet into corn to get this effect.

Millet is a good choice. There has been an increasing interest in Chiwapa millet. It is a 120 millet that can be planted early in the growimg season when rainfall is more dependent. It holds it seed longer than browntop and Jap millet.

I love planting duck holes. Experiment by trying a little bit of it all.

Good luck,

[IslandHopper]

I have seen big ducks-especially mallards fly into the stalks to knock it down. Don't worry about them getting to it.