Does anyone have some tips for hunting thick forest areas? I have read many articals on stand placement being on the edge of food plots, ect. The trouble I have is the area I hunt is surrounded by 1000s of acres of mixed woods, the only open areas being logging roads. I will find an area that seems to have good sign, set up only to have deer move to a differant area. So It seems to me that food is everywere and picking a good stand is just good luck. I know there must be a different method to hunting areas like this but not sure what it is or what to look for. Thanks for the tips.

szap,

The best way to find prime hunting areas is to do alot of scouting. Especially in the off season when the deer are not pressured very much. Yes, there may be many feeding areas, but some will produce more than others. Also, determine where bedding areas are. I like to set up in between these feeding and bedding areas. Always keep the wind in your favor. If a particular stand location has the wrong wind direction, don't hunt it. Have several locations available so you can always keep the wind in your favor. That's the biggest thing, IMO. Back when I had alot of time on my hands (before wife and kids) I would spend as many hours scouting as I would hunting. Good Luck!

I hunt in an area in northern MN that has miles of mature forests, swamps, select cuts, etc. When I first started bow hunting up there five years ago I felt the same way you do. The first thing I would do if I was you would be to buy topo maps for your area and go to work. I just got back from up north and spent most of the day checking for potential spots for this year. The snow is still deep up where I hunt so I couldn't check as many spots as I would have liked to, but I still found another spot where I may hang a stand this year. The map should point you in the right direction to find funnels, ridges, saddles, etc. then get out and start walking. It will take some time and effort but you can consistantly see deer once you know what to look for.

I have hunted Big woods most of the 45 years I have Bowhunted. I agree 100 % with Stonyrvr advise.
I spent a lot of time hunting 2 and 3 year old clear cuts. They can be treated much like the field edges you read about and they can be glassed and stalk or still hunted. Areas where there is or has been a recent logging operation are just as good as a grassy field.

Scouting is the key along withknowing what to look for on those trips. As soon as the woods cn be walked and you can see the signs from last fall get out there and find the Funnels, old srapes and rub lines. Look for major trail intersections, ridge line or valley junctions etc.

It is much more challenging but also more rewarding hunting the Big woods than shooting a Deer as it comes or goes from a food plot or farm field.
Good luck and happy hunting

A few areas i hunt is also big woods with no fields and i was having a hard time trying to find stand locations.One day i was scouting in the bush and came along a big stand of pines and cedars,with a swamp at the back end.A little farther it opened up into a hardwood ridge with visible deer trails .It turns out to be my #1 spot to sit and watch as i always see deer there in the morning or late afternoon or evening hunts.The deer would be bedding down in the cedars and pines as its real thick cover for them and would come into the open hardwoods to feed on the low lying foilage.If you have any areas with that sort of description,check it out,you wont be discouraged

One other thing you can do , if you have a GPS, get the coordinates for the area you are hunting, and through www.realtree.com there is a link for topo maps. I have a map, and an arial photo of my hunting area. Really cool. This may at least give you a good starting point.

Put stealth cams everywhere, then go from there[8D]

Just put in a lot of time scouting. Areas like that are tough, but I would tend to look for the "thick stuff" and choose the best spot around it, unless you you find a buch of sign somewhere then pbviously go with it.

Probably nothin you don't already know.

See if you can get some aerial photos as mobowhuntr said. They will cut your scouting time in half. Natural funnels are a lot easier to recognize from these photos. Combine the photos with topo maps of ridge tops and funnels and you should have a good starting point for scouting.

All of the advice above is great information. Let me add that I hunt primarily around regenerating clearcuts. I hunt big woods almost exclusively and have found over the years that these cuts give the deer two things they need to survive.....food and cover. They're loaded with browse and half of the cuts out there you can't hardly even walk through. Deer seem to gravitate to these areas even more when hunting pressure increases. Also, start scouting early....I hiked 6 miles of hills and valleys on Saturday and came away with a boatload of good information to use this fall. I'll be in that area with a trail cam next weekend to get a better idea of what's really there. This particular area isn't very close to a cut, but it's very thick generally and the terrain is rugged, rocky and steep....fortunately, the drag will be downhill! Every time I get lax in my scouting I have a less than stellar season.....when I put in immense amounts of time scouting success seems to find me early and often. Good Luck!

from my experience in hunting the bankhead national forest and black warrior management area i find that hunting on the edge of the thick stuff and hardwoods seems to be the best place. an old man told me that and so far he seems to be correct. i also try to get as far from the roads as possible in the deepest hollows. a topo map will help u find this info. also u can contact ur local biologist they usually know some general areas that can help narrow ur search. hope this lil bit of info helped some.