# Concealment in the Corn Strips



## TheDish (Dec 11, 2013)

Just wanted to pick your brains - This was the first year I got out into the managed areas. Most times I hunted solo, so I was pretty limited during the draws (although the one time I went with a buddy we drew 5th at Harsens, which was cool). I really enjoyed myself and did pretty well - but I felt really exposed in the corn. How far in do you go into the corn? Walking back and watching other parties setup I noticed everything from groups being directly in the middle, and groups sitting right on the edge. I stayed about 4 rows back, but just didn't feel covered enough. What are your thoughts? thanks!


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## Cobb1973 (Oct 21, 2011)

Depends how thick the corn is. I think it is more important to get as low as possible and don't move. Then it is how many rows back you are.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Cobb1973 said:


> Depends how thick the corn is. I think it is more important to get as low as possible and don't move. Then it is how many rows back you are.


Don't assume just because the corn is thin that you're standing out. Remember, the birds are looking at you from above, not from ground level. Yes, the thickness of the corn is one part of the equation, as is not moving. But there's been times that I've kneeled in flooded corn because it was pretty low or thin and shot birds. Your camo pattern is really important in matching both the cover AND the water color...again, the view from above. I've seen guys out in flooded corn in darker camo patterns made primarily for woods bowhunting or turkey hunting. A damn brown carhartt is better than that in a typical flooded corn strip. If your camo is a pretty good match, and you don't move at the wrong time, you'll shoot birds whether the corn is thick or thin.


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## Puddler-Hunter (Aug 25, 2010)

I don't go in too far usually 3-5 rows depending on how the first couple of rows look. Your'e looking to break up your outline/silhouette besides not moving and it really doesn't take much corn to break up your outline. As mentioned a lighter camo color is always better and those solid tan carhartts would work as good as any camo pattern imo. I had some come in low from the distance this year and I was only 3 rows back with my dog next to me and they never knew we were there, dropped em right in the decoys. If they make an overhead pass keep your face down and stay still it's a 50/50 chance they'll bust ya.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

If you want to see what not to wear just go to FP and stand at the tower and look back at the teens. Them boys wearing really dark camo stand out like a boner on the beach.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

I'm gonna get a momarsh Invisiman


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

craigrh13 said:


> If you want to see what not to wear just go to FP and stand at the tower and look back at the teens. Them boys wearing really dark camo stand out like a boner on the beach.


HA HA... I've done the same thing at FP, and just shook my head! If those dudes only knew how much they stand out. Hell even driving up Ringle Road and looking at the 20's on the west side, you can see the guys in the dark camo. Go light guys.... And like someone else said, don't look up at the passing birds. One trick I learned 30 years ago is on a calm day look at the water and watch the birds reflections as they fly by. You can see what they are doing that way. OR...wear a facemask or put camo paint on your cheeks and other spots. It really does help. One last thing...keep that fancy-ass, shiny $1000 dollar shotgun home, and get a matte finish or camo one for waterfowl. Just watch someone sometime with a shiny gun a half mile away, and you'll see how much the reflection stands out. It's like holding a damn mirror up sometimes.


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## Sampsons_owner (Dec 30, 2005)

Army surplus desert camo shirts worn over top are much lighter in color and very cheap at any army surplus store. Steve


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## Cobb1973 (Oct 21, 2011)

just ducky said:


> Don't assume just because the corn is thin that you're standing out. Remember, the birds are looking at you from above, not from ground level. Yes, the thickness of the corn is one part of the equation, as is not moving. But there's been times that I've kneeled in flooded corn because it was pretty low or thin and shot birds. Your camo pattern is really important in matching both the cover AND the water color...again, the view from above. I've seen guys out in flooded corn in darker camo patterns made primarily for woods bowhunting or turkey hunting. A damn brown carhartt is better than that in a typical flooded corn strip. If your camo is a pretty good match, and you don't move at the wrong time, you'll shoot birds whether the corn is thick or thin.


Agree that's why I said I think it is more important to get as low as possible then it is how thick the corn is.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

They don't flare from muskrat huts or piles of knocked down corn...


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## Riley (Feb 18, 2009)

We normally set up in about the fifth row depending on the height and thickness of the corn earlier in the morning may move up to the first or second row to get some shots at the low-flying teal. I know it is expensive but Sitka has the best pattern that I have found for the corn,the optifade marsh. Shadow grass blades is pretty decent also, if you can fool the late season mallards that have seen every trick in the book you're doing something right.One year zone 30 had some really skimpy corn and no one was really taking it, I took a small portable blind and an arm full of corn to put around it and shot a limit of mallards in an hour. My yellow lab blends in very well


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Riley said:


> View attachment 243105
> We normally set up in about the fifth row depending on the height and thickness of the corn earlier in the morning may move up to the first or second row to get some shots at the low-flying teal. I know it is expensive but Sitka has the best pattern that I have found for the corn,the optifade marsh. Shadow grass blades is pretty decent also, if you can fool the late season mallards that have seen every trick in the book you're doing something right.One year zone 30 had some really skimpy corn and no one was really taking it, I took a small portable blind and an arm full of corn to put around it and shot a limit of mallards in an hour. My yellow lab blends in very well


That is a very good camo pattern. So now look at this picture, and think of the view from above. The water is dark, and a bird above you is going to have a mixed view of light and dark shades. Now imagine if he were wearing a darker pattern camo, more of a woodland pattern, which a whole bunch of people wear. It would appear like a darker blob...kinda like a pile of mud or logs, and would stand out. And actually the yellow lab kinda stands out as a solid tan color if you wanna know the truth. But that's neither here nor there.

Now we all know there are days with new, dumb birds where you could practically wear blaze orange deer hunting clothes and still shoot ducks. But GENERALLY these ideas hold true for flooded corn.

Now take this a step further...think about a boat with typical camo, which is darker, or even a jon boat that is green. Unless you throw some burlap or other kind of camo over it to break up the pattern, it will look like a large dark patch in a sea of corn. Even out on Saginaw Bay...if you really look at the water color in the shallower areas, it's often tan...almost muddy coffee colored. So a boat camo that is more tan colored is more effective than camo that is darker.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Last mallard I shot at Shiawassee, last week of season, feet down at 20 yards.

While I was walking through my decoys, all seven of them, 30 yards from the corn rows.

The only time I've gotten blatantly busted, was taking the gun off my shoulder when some geese started working. They caught the motion and bailed. I've had birds slide off, we all have, but I watched the birds in 64 that day routinely cup at 150 yards only to ride the elevator out of there at 60. Not sure what was up in that zone but there was a wall around that spread.

The sorghum in the 60's was a nice touch - we were able to hunt from the canoe and keep my daughter up and out of the water, as that can be taxing for smaller framed people to stand in 34 degree water all day.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

I'd kill for corn like the picture above. Here's zone 1 the day before Thanksgiving. What corn was left had no leaves and was 3' tall, and we had to hide the best we could as we were using the only open water in the zone for our spread and it didn't have much around it.

Told my daughter to hold still and think invisible thoughts. Killed 5 that day should have had twice that many.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Anybody else put their seat in a gap in an individual row in the corn and sit in line with the rows? I've seen birds at Fennville hook the wind and stall over the corn, and swing their heads from side to side looking up and down the rows. We were in layout blinds that day and shot a near 3 man limit of ducks, a lot of which picked off the guys next to us and slid over to us. We could look down the rows and see them 200 yards away, even though they were in pretty decent corn.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

That Gore camo by Sitka is probably the best camo out there. That stuff just melts into almost anything. Unfortunately, only a few companies out there make products with it.


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## jwinks (Mar 20, 2014)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Anybody else put their seat in a gap in an individual row in the corn and sit in line with the rows? I've seen birds at Fennville hook the wind and stall over the corn, and swing their heads from side to side looking up and down the rows. We were in layout blinds that day and shot a near 3 man limit of ducks, a lot of which picked off the guys next to us and slid over to us. We could look down the rows and see them 200 yards away, even though they were in pretty decent corn.


Yeah that. I have kneeled in the first row of corn in the 20's at fish point and missed birds at 10 yards. The birds that are smart enough to not come straight in are gonna fly over and look straight down at you. When I look for cripples in the corn I look 100 yds each direction down the rows, I'm sure the ducks who live there have picked this up too. I also like a piece of burlap to cover the back side, so birds coming in low won't flare over the corn where you won't be able to shoot them. Also you can lean under it when birds fly straight over. Don't look up lol.


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## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

craigrh13 said:


> That Gore camo by Sitka is probably the best camo out there. That stuff just melts into almost anything. Unfortunately, only a few companies out there make products with it.


That is a very good camo pattern. That is the pattern I got when I bought my Beretta A400 Extreme.


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## sovaa4307 (Dec 11, 2012)

We dug a snowfort at the todd this past weekend. Corn sucked and we had a 3 foot snow drift to dig into. Hid great from front sides and behind not sure how great from above


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## michiganoutdoorsman (Dec 29, 2010)

DecoySlayer said:


> That is a very good camo pattern. That is the pattern I got when I bought my Beretta A400 Extreme.


I could be wrong, but I thought only Benelli shotguns could have optifade?


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## stets656 (Oct 5, 2016)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> You can hunt for ducks only, walk in, all day before goose season opens, and any afternoon there's an AM draw. You cannot hunt on Tuesday or Thursday mornings before the afternoon draw.
> 
> You're not going to kill many ducks there early in the year without a spinner, or two, or 12.
> 
> ...


Great thanks. Where would you recommend for the Barry and Allegan Counties? Ottawa marsh? Thanks.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Get a map and crack the nut. No one's going to give you a hand out. When you find a spot, keep your mouth shut and be careful who you share it with, don't break down brush and build a stupid blind, and pick up all your empties. Nothing makes scouting easier than a pile of empties and I've got no problem poaching a spot out from someone that can't clean up after themselves. Of course a pile of empties, a can of chew, spit all over, and two natty daddy cans tells me I don't want to mess with this guy.


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## stets656 (Oct 5, 2016)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Get a map and crack the nut. No one's going to give you a hand out. When you find a spot, keep your mouth shut and be careful who you share it with, don't break down brush and build a stupid blind, and pick up all your empties. Nothing makes scouting easier than a pile of empties and I've got no problem poaching a spot out from someone that can't clean up after themselves. Of course a pile of empties, a can of chew, spit all over, and two natty daddy cans tells me I don't want to mess with this guy.


Fair enough. Thanks. Does everybody always get a spot at the Fennville draw?


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Yes, but not always the one you want. 100 parties is a huge turn out these days.

Muskegon is an hour further but a much better hunt. Bigger fields, fewer people, better class of people by far. The birds have to leave the refuge to feed and you can scout a pattern and exploit it.


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