Hunting big woods deer

[John Krause]

The last couple of years I have been hunting big woods deer. This is in south central MO. Before that I hunted north MO. and with fewer big woods and more ag patterning deer was much easier. Many more deer sightings up north.

The spot I hunt in S MO is all woods. It is the southern 160 acres of a probably 3 mile long and 2 mile wide patch of woods. The 160 is all woods. I have stands up in as many natural funnels as I can figure. Still sightings are slow.

Share with me your BIG woods strategy.

[Biggie Hoffman]

My big woods strategy has always been akerns....

[John Krause]

Biggie,

Every other tree on the property is an oak    

[Steel]

As a hunter you dream about gaining acess to large unbroken timber land, but when you get lucky enough to get such a spot you find out just how hard these spots are to hunt. Deer can lay down and bed anywhere so it's hard to hunt one bedding spot. Also there are many,many trails and deer seem to not use the same ones every day. The forest here are also 90% oak trees so acorns are wide spread. To me Ag land is much easier to hunt deer have more defined trails, bedding areas,and feeding patterns.Still big woods have big deer and lots of game animals so it pays to hunt there. I like small grassy open spots you normally find hidden in the large timber stands as deer and other game animals seem to walk out of their way to get to these spots like a Oasis in the middle of the forest. You will find scrapes, trails all leading to these spots I think because it is just something different in the middle of a timber forest. Next with 90% oak trees you will find that certain types of oaks produce acorns deer like better. Also creek bottoms will produce more and bigger acorns do to better water supply for the trees. Deer will hit these spots more often. Last the forest edges where these huge tracks of woods meet farm land or more open country deer seem to like to stage up before moving out to feed at night.

[luv2bowhunt]

Even when there are alot of Oaks some trees will have better mast than others in the same year. If you can find the prefered oaks that are really dropping acorns hard you can be in for a hayday... but it can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

What I look for in big woods is some type of natural funnel between a preferred bedding and feeding area. These can be difficult to find and can be as subtle as a 3 foot dip in the terrain or as obvious as a pinch between a steep ridge and a river, I usually have better luck with the less obvious funnels as the deer typically do not feel quite as vulnerable there. I typically do most big woods hunting during the rut when the bucks are on the move, then hunting those funnels can really pay off. It can be really difficult to hunt the early season when it seems like food and bedding cover is everywhere... and sometimes it really is, but if you scout hard enough you will usually find a spot that is harboring more deer movement than others.

I will definitely agree with you that Agricultural deer a MUCH easier to pattern than big woods deer. It takes more leg work and observation to get the big woods deer but the return on investment is worth it!

I think that to be consistently successful when hunting the big woods you have to put in alot of effort in your scouting, and continue your scouting throughout the season and make changes as necessary.

Kevin.

[Orion]

No doubt about it, big woods deer are much more difficult to hunt/pattern.  They have a lot more room to roam and are just more unpredictable.  Not many oaks where I hunt so when a few do come in, it is a good place to set up.  I, too, look for travel funnels.  Not many well defined trails where I hunt because there aren't enough deer.  However, I do look for concentrations of does.  When I find the does, which just takes some time in the woods, the bucks will be around come early/mid-November.  Good luck.

[John Scifres]

Around here, there is almost always some ag land around the big woods.  It is often on the other side of the hill though  

During the rut, bucks will cruise benches between the middle and top of ridges.

Roads will often create funnels, especially if there are fences bounding them.

Waterways are the most predictable funnels.

Not all acorn trees are created the same.

Old homesteads often have fruit trees.

Greenbrier in the dead of winter.

Move a lot, find the hotspot.

Other hunters push deer fairly predictably.

It is the nature of the beast that you will see far fewer deer.

[BMN]

John, I feel your pain. I do most of my hunting on a 320 acre wooded track in the MO Ozarks. The terrain is steep, rocky, and the woods are mostly oak and hickory. There is no ag in the area but some of the surrounding property is open pasture ground with cattle. All the information above is great stuff. Some things that have worked for me:

- Food plots. Small plots (1/2 to 1 acre or less) tucked away among acres of timber can be golden. This alone has increased our deer sightings 2 to 3 times.

- Use the tough terrain to your advantage. Travel on our place is difficult and deer will often choose the path of least resistance.

- Never stop scouting and try to get permission to at least scout surrounding properties. They may not let you hunt but give you permission to have a look around. This will give you a better look at the big picture.

- I've never had much luck hunting the low areas. The winds swirl too much and are generally unpredictable. I try to be at least 3/4 up the side of the ridge.

Hunting these big woods deer is difficult, but if we didn't like a challenge we wouldn't be hunting with a stick and string. Good luck!

Bill

[ron w]

I hunt in the Adirondack mts. of northern New York, be ready to hike and scout every chance you get. Up here there is no agrilcultral, just oak ,beech, berrys, and what ever else they find to eat. Makes it real hard to pattern any movement. Look for droppings, runways, water, and spend all the time you can. When I leave my camp the next road is 40 miles north, 8 miles west and 12 miles east, its big country, most of which is classed as wilderness. I hope you do well,most of all enjoy it!!!!!!

[edmund]

I have a question that  Bill might have answered. Do you guy keep scout during the season? Mr. Womack scouts everyday, is what it takes to find and set up on deer that can roam where ever they want?

[ron w]

Every time I go I look for new clues to find out whats happening, as the rut nears srapes, rubs, groups of does and so on. Scouting should never end. It even over laps seasons,bow, blackpowder,rifle,late bow and in to small game in the winter.

[Bonebuster]

Big woods deer sightings ARE slow.

Sometimes it takes years to figure out an area, and no matter how well you think you know an area, there are always lessons to be learned.

Like Steel already said, openings in the timber,  or changes in elevation, however slight can all be important. Anything that creates an edge where two types of cover meet.

Michigan has some big tracts of land, with ZERO agriculture. At certain times when food is abundant, deer move very little as far as distance is concerned. Hunting them becomes very difficult because the feeding and bedding area is one and the same.

I have found that heavily used runways are often a way for deer to travel easily in the dark. Often these runways are a trail leading to a distant water source. Sometimes hunting these runways is a waste of time because most of their use is after dark. Sometimes a runway is not a distinct trail, but rather a pathway that may be thirty or forty yards wide. A slight increase in the concentration of tracks may be your only indication, and it is easy not to recognize these areas as travel routes.

For me, it all comes down to poop. Where ever I find the most, and freshest concentrations of droppings is the place to be. Try to figure out why the deer are spending time there, and try to figure out how to get in there without spooking them.

[Bear]

Big woods are hard, but man they're my favorite! My favorite strategy is to find where that never ending hardwoods meets the never ending planted pines. Walk the edge and figure out where they're coming in and out of bed.

The other thing, the one I did last week, is to put on your hiking boots and cardio workout clothes, leave the bow, hike hard and fast over hill and dale looking for nothing but that one white oak thats dropping. Last weeks outing turned up no acorns of any kind but did eliminate about three miles worth of property that I can now scratch off. It's a great way to spend the last hour or so of daylight and get some exercise.

[John Krause]

I have been leaning towards the scat sign more and more. Even tracks are alot tougher because of the rocky, hard ground. There is a big spring creek not far off the property and 3 or 4 springs that run year round so water is tough too. There are little pools all along these small spring trickles. I'll figure it out but it is tougher.

[adkmountainken]

i look for shelfs and well used trails at the base of ridges. as stated above i also look for the heaviest of mast producing trees.

[Missouri CK]

John,

Natural funnels, shelves on the sides of ridges, and natural openings in the woods have worked for us down in SW MO.  

Just to address one of these issues, what about oak trees?

I've always heard white oaks over red oaks because of the tannic acid in the red oaks makes them bitter.

Of the different types of oaks which are the best?

I've heard deer like Chinkapin oaks the best.  Of the rest..... post, pin oaks, bur oaks, blackjack oaks which ones do deer like the best?

Good discussion.  Thanks for the good information.

Chris

[BD]

Good stuff above-I'm always looking for funnels and found a subtle beauty last year during the rut after seeing a monster buck cross the blacktop road at noon one day. I walked the place and found decent runways and a nice rub line (some which were huge) and subtle scrape line that weaved through a thick sliver of low dry ground around a huge swamp. I found it near the end of the season and so was only able to sit it 3 times, but ended up seeing 9 bucks and about 7 does from it (1-2.5 year old and 1-3.5 year old buck). I didn't get a shot at the bigger bucks but passed 2 shot opportunities on smaller bucks and shot just over a doe on my last sitting. I had been driving by this subtle funnel that was barely noticeable on the topo for years. I'm only about 125 yards off the blacktop but the cover is very thick and it seems no one hunts in the immediate area (other than an old bear bait site).

In general in the big woods, I do much better during the rut when the bucks leave more fresh sign to show you where they are traveling. Early season however, can be extremely difficult. If you have any soft dirt roads through the tract, they can be shortcuts to determining where the deer are traveling with fresh tracks crossing the road repeatedly. I have found some of my best spots by finding pounded runways that cross the softer dirt roads.

[Bakes168]

This is a great thread. It's the same for us on our 80 acres up north. It was logged last year so some of it is pretty thick with poplar saplings, and there are white oaks everywhere. The deer are very hard to pattern because they have so much room there are no definite runways or even funnels. You just have to find the most poop/rubs/tracks and hunt in that area. It's pretty much a guessing game, but we do see deer.

I love being up there though, whether I see deer or not I just love being in those woods.

Bakes