Rocky151

My lease is a pine tree farm that includes 400 acres of pines and 200 acres of corn/soy bean crops. The 400 acres of pines are broken into plots up to 60 acres that are seperated by large drainage ditches. The pines have been timbered throughout the past 8 years. My hunting area includes 60 acres that was cut 3 years ago. The new pines range from 1-4 feet tall right now. The 8 year old pines in a different adjacent plot are 10+ feet tall.

Now the person who hunts in the 8 year old pines complained this year how they did not see any deer. They had a 15 foot tripod and cut 4 10' wide shooting lanes. Their deer sitings were limited to 30 seconds or so then the deer was gone.

I enjoy bowhunting and am trying to determine the best way to hunt my area in the coming years. This year deer have been moving sporadically throughout the cutoff, not really using any certain trail making it difficult to pattern them. Also there are not any large trees throughout the 60 acres, so I will be constructing ground blinds and am trying to come up with a way to get the deer within bow range.

I wanted to hear from other hunters who have hunted cut offs as they mature. If I cut trails will the deer use them or will they continue just walking all about? I don't have the option to plant food plots, I am really not even suppose to touch the pines so I can not clear a large area. The plot I will be hunting borders woods (not our property), an older cutoff seperated by a ditch, and the corn field.

timbercruiser

Sounds like you and some more hunters have leased about 600 acres and your part of the lease is almost non-huntable..... How many total hunters are on the 600 acres? Is there any chance of getting part of the crop land? If the people that are in the 8 year old plantation cut shooting lanes, then why can't you? If it is as you have described I would be looking for another place to hunt.

halfbakedi420

i have been hunting our 40 acres in a pine tree farm as well...it was big at one time , but since we clear cut it 6 years ago it has been a different ball game..

if you cut lanes the deer will definitely use them, the next day as a matter of fact, i wasnt there but i would say the same night at that!!!

can you use corn feeders?

ground blind at the top of the hill, if you have one, will be your best bet..if you cant bait then you better be ready to shoot at all times, weather you want the deer is up to you of course. just be ready!!!!

if you cant bait, then use the "scents" approach. prolly your only chance..

bow hunting....need to make a "black hole" ...this is a spot where when you look at it , morning or night, not both, it looks like a black area you cant see in..this will give you some what of an advantage. you will need one fer mornin and one fer evenin..maybe cut your lane from east to west, that way you can put both blinds on the same lane..i did mine from north to south cause its all i had!!!!

if you can bait, put up a feeder or 2 on your lane, and feed all year round..also, now is the time to be cuttin stuff out of the lane, dont wait any longer, do it while its small..cut the limbs even pointin at your lane off now, so they wont be growin in there next year keeping your lane as wide as possible!!!.i would plot your lane with something to keep it from growing back in with garbage plants and bushes that will be in your way every year if not maintained, rather plot grow crazy than what i seen in my area that i havnt plotted yet!!its alot of work to clear a lane that was just cleared a year ago!!!!

Rocky151

In reply to timbercruiser....I think I have a very very nice chunk of land to hunt. 60 acres to myself, and I border woods, a ditch, and the crop field. I can hunt the edge of the field but once the corn is cut the deer do not move into our fields until last light, at least the mature bucks. The club has been practicing QDM and the results are amazing. I saw some very nice deer this year, so my hopes are to control their movement a bit so I can set up on them. And the land owner we lease the land from has told us " Trees have feelings too so please don't cut any of them." Also, the pine trees are a crop, so any damage we do results in the owner losing money in the long run. So if I go into the 60 acres and cut some lanes, the owner will not see them, I just can't go clear an acre.

halfbaked...I like the thinking of the "black holes". If I made them about 50 yards in diamter I could set up on one end and have the 2 holes connected with a thin trail. Maybe put one hole just off of the crop field, sort of a staging area for evening hunts, then one near a bedding area if I can find one, for morning hunts to catch them heading to bed. I'm on flat ground with no hills, and I can use feeders, was trying to stay away from them just because its another additional cost (both the feeder and feed).

I'm thinking I could cut a lane into each of my blinds about 5'-10' to allow me acces, then have a thin trail like 2'-3' wide trail that connects the holes that the deer would feel safe traveling along. I guess I still need a reason for the deer to use my holes. Maybe throw down some sort of food plot seed and just hope it grows. I won't be able to plow or maintain it, so I don't know how well that would work.