Hunting deer in pines?

[RedShaft]

This season I hunted an area that is rolling hills n open hardwoods with small clear cuts and few clusters of pines. The pines are like a little pine Forest within the woods.  Not real large I would say maybe 4-5 acres or so. Then other areas that are pines are just sporadic 1-2 acre clusters of them.

When blood trailing I went through and found some decent sign, scrape, rubs. I have never considered hunting in there. We kicked a few deer out while walking through n one was a buck. I know during bad weather they use these for shelter. Like heavy snow n winds n such. But what I'm wondering is do the deer use these area for security cover?

during the gun season will they use the areas to get away? I know they use the clear cuts n such. I just don't have any Experience hunting in them. Some if it it's solid pines other spots it's open areas within the pines. Like 40-50 yard circles. With some hard wood trees scattered within. I was thinking of doing some scoutin and maybe hunting this area during the rifle season hoping deer will go there to escape rifle hunters. I can hunt from a stand and have shots with a bow. But guys who hunt rifle would not be able to stand hunt it or hunt from the ground do to the  cover n low pine branches.

Why I had though if tucking in there on a convergence of trails n let other Scare the deer to those pines. Hoping I would have it to myself as it's almost impossible to hunt it for a rifle hunter.

[RedShaft]

Also I would be pulling all day sits. ESP the first 2 days and the first sat. Dark to dark.

[D.J. Carr]

I hunt evergreen patches all the time, just as you are describing, little patches inside of a large section of hardwoods.  I find success in the area I hunt being in these patches of pines and hemlocks.  I think the deer prefer these area due to the shadows and additional cover, they feel safe or atleast safer passing through these area then through open woods.  In larger sections of evergreens you may see more movement through out the day vs just early and late.

[Ray Lyon]

I've hunted some sections of more mature pines from time to time. If there's any sort of breeze, the wind can be very fickle/swirly.

[VictoryHunter]

Hunt the edges of it and find where the deer are funneling in and out of it. If they are using it there should be a good transition area to a from it.

[edge2009]

FL has enough pine plantations to make its own little state.

Deer absolutely use them, be careful about the wind. The planted pine rows act as a chimney or natural funnel for wind and will blow down them spreading your scent.

[bigb3303]

The use them for bedding areas on the property I hunt , as they are very protected there. Never hunted in them but hut on edges

[solobowhunter]

In my experience deer seem to like the pines after a rain when the mushrooms pop up.

[Bobaru]

Pines are different based on age.  In the 1990's I had access to a fir tree grove.  It ran north/south with prevailing west wind.  Plus it was nearly mature.

Not only was I able to get out of the wind, but I had great back cover for my stands.  I got one or two deer every year.  

If the pines are too young, and the branches go to the ground, then it may be a better bedding area and not a transit area.  In that case, hunting the           edges would be better.  Or you could have a friend push it.  If pushed correctly, one can bow hunt the exiting deer.

Good luck.

[far rider]

There was an area I used to have access to when I was younger. It had been timbered years before and had grown up in white pines. Not quite mature, but large enough to crawl under the trees an work your way through.

It was my go to area when there was a light rain falling, or misty days. It was before we had either sex tags in the area, so bucks or nothing. I jumped, or walked up on more deer in those patches in the middle of the day than I could count. You could walk so quietly, and the deer would just hunker down under the pines where they could see things coming, and be out of the rain. It was always the mother load, but I just didn't have loc on, or ladder stands, so I had to spot and stalk. I just couldn't get close enough to those wily bucks.

If however you can get in there early, and set up on the trails entering the area, you should be set IF the winds favor you. The gun hunters will surely help you, especially when they head out around 10:00a

Good luck!

[guspup]

My number one choice, drier in the rain, quieter in the wind, awesome in the snow…. all of my stands are in 'pine islands' in deciduous forests. They offer you fantastic cover for tree stands, and are home to many other animals that keep you entertained all day in your stand. Find a pine stand near water and you are all set.

[Nattybumppo]

Planted pines...

It's like a devil's paradox...

Yes they use them and yes they are hard to hunt. Wind, vision, bedding areas, etc. I've killed a number of deer in them. In a number of different scenarios. Just hunt and pay attention in them.

[LB_hntr]

one of my best stands i had was in a single big pin in the middle of 4 foot pines packed tightly together. it was a similar situation like yours. i had hardwoods on both sides and the pine thicket was shapped like a "T" the long leg was about 100 yards wide chocked with little pines. the top leg was about 400 yards wide and about 300 yards tall. the deer sign was sparatic early season but when the leaves came down the deer used it alot from then all the way thru the winter. I alos like you, never thought to hunt it until a blood trail brought me into it and i saw the sign. I set up in there a week later and first night on stand i missed a 6 point, had a 10 point walk right under me never offering a shot. Hunted 2 days later and killed a doe. Next year killed a doe and a 9 point out of there. next year they clear cut eveything around it and killed it for a while.
  on the way to one of my huting areas i drive by a huge track of thos little pines and as soon as the snow falls and you can see tracks the trails that run in and out of that pine thicket are crazy. problem with that one is there is nothing to funnel them in there and the trails run everywhere. so i never hunted it. but so far my limited experience in thos little pine tihckets has been wonderful.

[elk nailer]

I hunt the manistee national forest. Lots of pine, but I hunt the edge. where the hardwoods join the pines.

[Doc Nock]

Interesting discussion.  We have hemlock stands planted in tight rows. Old growth.  The understory is all dead, but live on top.  A total tangle of dead limbs underneat and these are several hundred yard long and wide stands with oaks growing amidst them.

Yes, deer use them. They lie on benches and they can SEE under the dead limbs and they ghost out when legs show anywhere... around the perimeter.

It's so tight in there, with scads of dead branches on the bottom 6 feet to the ground, I've not tried to hunt in there, but they sure seem to lie up in them...

[Bill Carlsen]

On our property and surrounding areas mature pines indicate drier ground around swamps and river bottoms. They cannot survive if they have wet feet and they can clearly be seen this time of year when the leaves are off. As the season progresses deer trails become more prominent. A stretch of tall mature pines often are good places to intercept deer. Small patches of thick young pines can only mean one thing....bedding area.

[RedShaft]

Thanks for all the help guys. These pine are natural growing so they differ in age and placement.  Some spots in there it's tight n you can't really see at all. Other it's open chunks. Really neat. I'm going to get out there his weekend and do some looking. Also going to look at it from a topo on acme mapper and hopefully can see them. Maybe I will see something specific from an Arial view you can't from being on the ground. It is def hard to decider things in there on the ground being pines.

On a side not I was hunting late season one year on a drive during flintlock. We was up northern pa where we have elk. Well they exploded in there and I though I was going to be killed lol.  These pine was so thick with the low hanging branches and fresh snow I got completely lost and turned around. It was completely dumbfounded as to my direction because of the way it was in there. It was black. Well long story short I made my way out after calling the others on the radio. They kept yelling on the drive so I could tell what way to go. Even then the sound was diffused from the thick trees n I got out but I was way lost in there.

[killinstuff]

Lot's of Michigan guys giving replying, we do have a lot of planted pines. Do yourself a favor this winter and cut some trails through the pines taking the wind into account, make some Y's and block off spots deer might walk down wind of you. Trust me, the deer will use the trails.  Don't cut the trails all the way to the edge of the pines though or other guys will figure out what you have going on.  I shot a doe off one of my trails last year that was bedded down. She heard me at about 20 yards and tried to hide by stretching her head out flat on the ground but to late.  Also try to figure out where you want to place stands and trim the trees now so the tree has time to heal. Otherwise you have pine sap on things, in things and every place in between.

[RedShaft]

Great advice for me. Thanks you guys!

[Mike Gerardi]

I love late season whitetail hunting on the ground in the pines with a ton of snow. Good luck.