everywhere i hunt the deer have 4 and 5 year old pine plantations to bed in, that are more than head high with briars and vines, and these places cover hundreds of acres. impossible to hunt. there are no crop fields to hunt over. there is a decent hardwood bottom along a creek, but in 5 years of hunting the creek the biggest buck i have seen was a 3 point. i know there are massive bucks around as my neighbor has killed some real wallhangers, but i am at a loss. what would you guys do?
To be honest....... I'd look for a new spot. Maybe near where your neighbor is enjoying some success.
maybe you could check the trails coming out of the pines for large tracks or rubs and set up on those trails.
cut some trees down and make a food plot, you obviously have plenty of cover for them so now u just need food by the sound of it, especially with there being no ag fields near, if you plant it they will come lol
I know of your dilemna based off a farm I hunt in AL (and the reason I have yet to deer hunt it). The new pines are basically unhuntable. The only option I see of actually hunting IN the pines is a ground blind where the deer trails (which are usually VERY pronounced) intersect the logging trails. Also, remember those deer aren't eating pine trees and thorns :D, figure where they are heading to eat and set up in between. I turkey hunt an area exactly as you have described in far south AL, and I can't bring myself to want to go that far to deer hunt it knowing the difficulty. Look like this (with bucks like that residing within as well?)
thats exactly it, only i think thicker lol. i wish i could cut trees but it is on a timber company lease. im definately lost. i have no idea how to deer hunt this piece of property, i mean i can kill does, spikes, and yearlings all day, but no decent buck sightings.
the main thing is gonna be where they feed like tembry said cut em off somehow, deer like to take the easy way to thing and if you could trim trail a little would help. is there any area where no trees would have to be cut and plat a little. one problem you might face is that the ground would be very acidic with all those pines which isnt the best for growing things....
i have tried planting plots, and have had little success. if you guys seen this stuff you woudnt want to try cutting a trail lol, but i guess that is about my only hope
A chainsaw and a weedeater will go a LONG way in helping clear out a path. Weedeater for the small stuff and the chainsaw for the bigger stuff that the weedeater won't hack through. You only have to do the "clearing" once if the furry creatures take to it they will maintain it for you.
