are deer naturally attracted to old logging/wagon road/trails

[Justin Falon]

Are deer naturally attracted  to old wagon trails or logging roads?  I've got  a new place where a crp field butts up to a corn field and the woods.  There are no suitable trees for my stand near the best deer crossing, however, downwind there is a wagon trail that looks like a dandy buck travel path and it parallels the cornfield.  I put my stand up in the snowstorm last night and will try it in a week.  Don't know much about old wagon trails, but it looks like a great big buck travel area and scrape area.

justin

[George D. Stout]

I guess you will find out 8^).   Around here, the deer will use old tram roads but mostly at night.  They tend to have trails that actually parallel those road in places but far enough away to see and  not be so easily seen.  The bucks around here prefer a more brushy trail.

[Justin Falon]

George,

I was sort of thinking that.  I may have to try to build a ground blind just off the cornfield and use my tree seat.  Had a dandy buck walking quartering downwind last night in the snowstorm.  If I had been in a ground blind, I could have shot him at 12 yards, instead, I was up the wrong tree staring at him.

[Glenn Hickey Jr.]

I agree with Mr. Stout, I have found deer will often have their trail running parallel with logging road, and usually on the uphill side of the road, although the trails often cross the roads.

[Justin Falon]

upwind of the logging road will be in the corn, which is what I suspected to be the case.  There is a 20 foot gap between the corn and the woods.  That parallels the logging road.  I am going to opt for a ground blind at the intersection where the corn meets the crp, meets the woods.  That is where a 160" buck stood last night (as I was in the wrong tree)!

justin

[Curtiss Cardinal]

It depends upon the amount of hunting pressure, but deer (like most life) use the "path of least resistance."
I have a friend up in Michigan that didn't want to walk on any deer trails out to his stand, but the only other way in with the predominate wind was really thick. He brush hogged hisself a trail to his stand through the overgrowth and within a week it was the most used deer trail on his property.

[ron w]

I think does like to take the easy way, but the bucks tend to stay just downwind of the easy way, more in the thick stuff. But during the rut where the girls go.........

[Altiman94]

I agree wtih Ron.  I tend to see that the does stay more on the trail, while the bucks will go through the nasty cover.  I've had best luck for bucks in thick, small areas.

[joevan125]

The deer down in here Bama love to walk old logging roads and especially paths that we bush hog. During the rut they ALWAY lay down a scrape line but i will say that the places i hunt are bad thick.

[Earl Jeff]

they like to take the easiest route just like us.

[mountain trapper]

I used to log for a living and can tell you that if we pushed a new road (mountain logging, always building roads) this afternoon then it would be LOADED with fresh tracks the next morning.

[Justin Falon]

The farmer used a brush hog to swath a 20' path the entire lane that runs over a hundred yards.  The woods are shallow, but allow enough cover for the deer to remain hidden if traveling through. I think I will sit the stand the first chance I get with a NW wind and see what happens.  I anticipate that in 3-4 weeks the deer will be cruising everywhere!!!!

[vtmtnman]

Around here the best place on a skid road to set up is where the skidder busts through a stone wall.Deer will walk through these openings,usually rerouting a trail to them.As for the actual road itself it can be hit or miss.If the skidder went through a super thick patch of forrest normally they will use it for quite a while.

[Tioga]

I get lots of trailcam pictures of deer using logging roads at night and very selsom during the day with the exception of late August and early september. Don't know why. I believe the main attraction is growth on the sides of the logging roads where the sun breaks through. Seems like there's alway new Rubus and pokeweed for them to dine on where there's sun.

[ksbowman]

I feel just like Curtiss that all critters will take the path of least resistance. I had a place years ago in crp and before season my brother and I would drive the truck thru the field and past our treestands and by season opener the deer would be using it heavy.  Ben

[Wary Buck]

I've always gotten a ton of good trail cam pics from lanes between ag fields.  Much of it was nocturnal but it was a great way to get pics of what's in the area, especially in July/Aug if you have cornfields bordering a lane and the deer are using the lane at night to avoid banging through the cornfield (soft antlers?) to get to a more preferred summer food (beans, alfalfa).  I think the deer are also more showy this time of year, and always get a preponderance of buck pics instead of does.

This does not help much during hunting season however.

[ChuckC]

They are edges.  Deer like edges.
ChuckC

[Justin Falon]

thanks for the input Bryce.  I hung a screaming eagle stand on the downwind side of the wagon trail, looking directly over it.  From my vantage point, I can see east and west and to the prime spot located 25 yards upwind.  I am going to sit there Saturday night and watch for activity.  If there is good movement in the pinchpoint upwind of the stand, I will construct a simple ground blind and wait for the mature bucks to start moving....