Other times, you can pattern them and determine where they most often emerge when leaving that area. So, I rented an auger, moved it out into the clear-cut long before deer season arrived, drilled a hole in the ground big enough to hold a telephone pole, bought a telephone pole and put it in the hole. All of these factors make an area with evergreen cover preferred winter bedding for deer, and thus a great place to scoop sheds. * Hunt open lanes to take big bucks. Beetle-damaged regions and loading areas often make ideal places to plant green fields. Deer will seek the easiest path of travel if they feel secure. Locate the preferred food sources for … Once the trees reach a height of eight feet or … For the most success in hunting planted pines for numbers of years, take a hand-held GPS (global positioning system) receiver, walk these trails, which will consist probably only of bare dirt this first year after the clear-cutting, record where the trails start and go, and store these deer trails as routes in your GPS. Hunting thick pines can be tough! Day 4: Hunting Deer During the Rut in a Young Pine Plantation with Larry Norton I’m Bored, so Maybe I’ll “still hunt” a While. Then, hang or place a ground … Day 3: Still Good Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 16 - 30 Editor’s Note: Many hunters consider pine plantations biological deserts where nothing exists except pine trees and pine straw - or that's what outdoorsmen have told other sportsmen for years. Let's look at some secrets for hunting a pine plantation. Nothing will screw up a prime area for standers than recklessly “still hunting” when you’re bored, tired, or cold. Pine plantations generally home some of the most-productive places I know to take big deer for three reasons. Day 2: Prime Time Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 6 through 15 For more deer-hunting tips, get John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBooks “How to Hunt Deer Like a Pro,” Granted most of my … Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips. If you have 40 acres to hunt in the middle of farm country or in the middle of town, you can increase the amount of time deer spend on your property if you are willing to do a little work. Then as the deer travel along these trails, they'll stop and feed on these green strips, giving you an opportunity to look the deer over and decide if they've grown large enough to harvest. Beetle damage is a misery that timber companies have to endure. Honestly, I truly hope you believe that, because the majority of hunters who accept that idea will stay out of some of the best big-buck territory in the nation, leaving the prime hunting spots for those who know how to hunt the pines. These areas are … How to Hunt the Pines and the Lulls for Deer Day 5: How to Hunt the Lulls for Deer. November 16, 2016 By Rob Newcomb. Personally I only take bucks and don't shoot the does inside a pine plantation to make sure I cause as little noise and disturbance as possible. According to Drummond, "There weren't any trees big enough to hold a climbing tree stand on the edge of this clear-cut. Learn how these critters behave when the pressure is on, and you can hunt deer anywhere in North America. Many seed companies have developed wildlife plantings especially for these third-row thinned areas. 3500 Acres in the hills; 4500 Acres on the Prairie; Deer and Antelope. In bad rainy and/or windy weather, deer will go into the pine plantations and stand around in them to dodge the weather. To Hunt in the Pines, You Need This Specific Approach. For instance, I've never had another hunter walk through my hunting site when I've hunted inside a pine plantation. How to Hunt the Pines and the Lulls for Deer Day 2: Prime Time Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 6 through 15. After that thinning, with the permission of the landowner, you can use your 4-wheeler and a small cultivator to plant green strips between the pines in that now non-existent third row. John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. It’s almost impossible to see a deer, much less squeeze off a shot. Day 2: Prime Time Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 6 through 15 When pine beetles begin to destroy trees in a pine plantation, usually the timber company will go in and cut down the beetle-damaged trees. * Walk deer up. Focus on cutover timber, spots where pines meet hardwoods or other coniferous trees, where cedars meet hardwoods, and any other location where the successional stage of habitat changes. For instance, I've never had another hunter walk through my hunting site when I've hunted inside a pine plantation. If you move slowly without making noise and still spook a buck in that clear-cut, the buck probably won't know exactly your position and only will run 40 to 60 yards, stop and look back to try to spot you. Day 1: From Dirt to Thickets: Hunting a Pine Plantation for Deer from Years 1 through 5 5. I’m not describing cutting down large trees, but clearing the brush and vines between and below some of the trees. Too, pushing into those thick pines means hard work. I never go in the middle of thick pines and trim lanes. They move into these regions to feed and bed. Day 5: How to Hunt the Lulls for Deer, How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows, PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property, Tomorrow: Prime Time Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 6 through 15, Day 1: From Dirt to Thickets: Hunting a Pine Plantation for Deer from Years 1 through 5, Day 2: Prime Time Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 6 through 15, Day 3: Still Good Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 16 - 30, Day 4: Hunting Deer During the Rut in a Young Pine Plantation with Larry Norton. Or, you can build a ground blind beside one of the trails where there's an open lane or two and see the bucks coming through the pines. Then as the deer travel along these trails, they'll stop and feed on these green strips, giving you an opportunity to look the deer over and decide if they've grown large enough to harvest. Pine thickets are very hard to hunt. We are attempting to recruit other family members and friends to come and experience the hospitality. Then, you can set up on the fringe and hope they mess up. Plant two or three green strips inside the pines near to or intersecting the deer trails you've logged in your GPS and have hunted for the last 15 years. Western North Carolina has one of the lowest deer densities in the whitetail's range, so to say it had … Trust me on this one, as I’ve spent more than 30 years learning the hard way. Day 4: Hunting Deer During the Rut in a Young Pine Plantation with Larry Norton Over 40 tips in this video to help hunters improve hunting opportunities in the pines! I’ve cut paths through thick cover with some openings or shooting lanes, especially for bowhunting. Sometimes, you can stalk deer in these fields. The idea was to provide habitat attractive to deer and grow a cash crop at the same time. Editor’s Note: Many hunters consider pine plantations biological deserts where nothing exists except pine trees and pine straw - or that's what outdoorsmen have told other sportsmen for years. Oftentimes, public land is more easily accessible to hunters. This stand of pines is in its first thinning and is 15 years old. “How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows,” and “PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property,” or to prepare venison, get “Deer & Fixings.” Click on each, or go to www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the name of the book, and download it to your Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer. * Hunt traditional deer trails. If you want to become a better public land deer hunter, learn how to simply find deer on public land. I always hunt the edges, with my climber positioned about 20 to 30 yards in the most visible pines where I can see the most 'edge.' Let's look at some secrets for hunting a pine plantation. We also will use a hand-fertilizing machine to fertilize beetle-damaged areas, loading places and trash piles inside the clear-cuts to increase the amount and the nutritional level of the browse for the deer.". That said, it isn’t impossible. Menü Megszakítás. This can be on private or public land. Day 5: How to Hunt the Lulls for Deer, How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows, PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property, Tomorrow: Hunting Deer During the Rut in a Young Pine Plantation with Larry Norton, Day 1: From Dirt to Thickets: Hunting a Pine Plantation for Deer from Years 1 through 5, Day 2: Prime Time Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 6 through 15, Day 3: Still Good Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 16 - 30, Day 4: Hunting Deer During the Rut in a Young Pine Plantation with Larry Norton. * Fertilize loading regions and those sections of land damaged by beetles. Find the Food Sources Relevant to Your Location. As the weather becomes colder, the deer will start moving up the hill or the mountain, so they can get in the early-morning sun. ", * Look for deer in loading areas, where the timber companies load the pine trees they've thinned and in sections of the land where beetles have destroyed pine trees. I took several nice bucks from that telephone-pole stand out in the clear-cut during the first 2 to 5 years the property was planted in pines.". Deer hold in pine plantations from the first year after the planting of the pines until the last year when foresters cut the mature trees, generally a timeline of about 30 years. The 2015 deer season had been long. Since deer use pine plantations as bedding grounds, Tietje said his favorite scenario for hunting pine trees is to set up at a corner where he can watch two edges of the pines … You can hunt from a tree stand in small clearings within the spines and after taking proper ambush, shoot deer at a distance of 10 to 20 yards. Then place this area off-limits to travel except to retrieve a hit deer or to do woods-work. That's when you can get a shot at the deer, if the clear-cut hasn't grown-up too much and become very thick. Day 1: From Dirt to Thickets: Hunting a Pine Plantation for Deer from Years 1 through 5 You either wait in a tree stand or a ground blind. When the trees reach about 15 years old, pine plantations are typically thinned by removing every other tree in the rows. You stand, or sit, and wait. Another very good spot would be any fire breaks, fence lines and creeks. Hunt Where the Deer are. Whether it’s food plots or native vegetation, plants that provide adequate nutrients can be readily available for deer. However there are some techniques that can help. “An elevated shooting house overlooking a clear-cut is a good way to hunt,” mentions Edwin Taylor of Talladega, Ala. “Sometimes you just have to sit and watch for deer movement.” After about seven years of growth in young pines, the trees are too tall and thick for effective hunting. If you're hunting mature bucks you need to know about his home range and where it is, and then plan accordingly. My friend Larry Norton of Butler, Alabama, a longtime avid deer hunter who spends about 90-100 days during deer season hunting, explains that, "I've found that rainy days are the best times to hunt the thinnings. On small tracts of land, it won’t take much human pressure to make a buck change his routine,” Winand noted. * Use a climbing tree stand to climb high enough into a tree on the outer perimeter of a clear-cut to look down into the clear-cut. Choose some ground blind sites, and mark them on your GPS as waypoints. You'll usually find open lanes along the edges or through a clear-cut, including the Stream Management Zones (SMZs) on creek and stream banks, green fields, power lines and firebreaks. At the end of the second year of growth of the planted pines, use your GPS, pull up the routes of the traditional deer trails, and walk the trails after deer season ends. The routes you've stored in your GPS will enable you to hunt the edges of the clear-cut as well as places where the trails exit the clear-cut and open spaces inside the clear-cut. In 1995 Tes and her Dad, Ned, planted 20 acres of pasture land to pines. If there are logging roads in there, and if it is legal to hunt them, find an area where the deer are crossing and set up there. Stand-hunting is exactly what it sounds like. However, deer establish trails through a clear-cut right after its first planting. Don’t Miss: 5 Overlooked Public Land Deer Hunting Hotspots. Deer hunting advice for better deer hunting from GrowingDeer.tv! In warm weather, deer generally will hold in the bottom of a hollow on a pine plantation. The removal of these trees means that this ground, often in the middle of a pine plantation, will be opened-up to sunlight and provide a feeding station for deer." This is deceptively simple but trips up a lot of newer hunters who aren’t used to getting out there. Honestly, I truly hope you believe that, because the majority of hunters who accept that idea will stay out of some of the best big-buck territory in the nation, leaving the prime hunting spots for those who know how to hunt the pines. Although the trails will appear to vanish in the new foliage, deer still will use the trails. http://deerhuntingschool.com/How to find deer using aerial photos to find thickets in large pine trees. Day 3: Still Good Hunting for Deer in the Pines: Years 16 - 30 If you have access to two farms, one has a 75-acre wood lot loaded with sign and all the neighbors are inundated with deer or a 15,000-public tract that receives little pressure, but also little sign, pick the 75-acre farm! You can ease through a pine plantation on a windy or a rainy day, look down the lanes where the trees have been thinned and spot the bucks.