HANKFAN

I am hunting several thousand acres of land here in West Virginia which is almost 100% big timber. There are no fields within several miles. This year there are no acorns. My question is will the deer leave the big timber in search of food or will they just eat other browse that they can find in the big timber? What' s the best way to hunt in the timber when there is no acorns?

OlMossyHorns

Try and find any food source you can(apple, crabapple, pesimmon, etc.) and then work your plan accordingly.

Two Beards

If possible, I' d recommend hunting the edges. Even
big timber has to start and end somewhere. There
has to be another food source they are using,
regardless of the mast crop. Deer will not use
browse as a main food source unless they absolutely
have to, such as with deep snow - as it has little
to no nutritional value.

If you have trouble locating a popular food source,
find a well used funnel they are using; creek crossing,
fence crossing, or the top or bottom of a deep erosion
ditch. I, personally, prefer these type of stand sites
over food sources. I' ve taken a couple real nice bucks
at the top of deep ditches that funnel deer by my
stand.

I think one of the reasons a lot of hunters like hunting
food sources (at least open grain fields, like we have
here in the midwest) is because they usually see
a lot of deer. That doesn' t necessarily mean they tag
a lot of deer. Some of my better stands don' t produce
many deer sightings, but when they do, they most
often offer a shot opportunity[:-].

TB

hokiehunter

TB is all over this one, great response. Also you can try to find water sources but what two beard said is on the money.

Brian

whitetails & muskies

Two beards, you make VERY valid points, although Hankfan is faced with a tough situation that doesn' t really exist in your area...I would presume? The area I hunt, pretty much exclusively, is big and deep and very rarely is there any mast around. It' s not a seasonal thing, it' s the topography that just doesn' t have much for oaks. It sucks, but I love the area and there are some bruisers around, but the deer are like nomads....the travel long and far distances, and rarely follow a predictable pattern. What I have seen mostly, is that they love the young maple sapling leaves. If you can find a fresh clear cut, you have hit paydirt. Cuts that are anywhere from one to three years old can hold several passing deer. This is the most predictable area to hold deer in big country....finding their entrance and exit paths are another story. Just watch and watch and maybe you can pettern them.

One point that 2 beards mentions though is right on....edges!! Cedar swamps are my favorites!! Find a hardwoods that snakes along the edge of a thick cedar swamp and you may have it taken care of.

No hard and concrete solutions for this type of hunting...but I wouldn' t trade it for anything. Not a high deer population where I hunt, but the possiblity for a true hog is very real.

jpman2112

Thats the same situation i have here in Minnesota.Clear cuts are where I see the most deer by far.I like to set up about 40-60 yards from the clear cut.Most bucks hang in the thick until dark.I try to get them on the way in or out.