food source question

[catman529]

I assume with the rut winding down that bucks are looking more for food now

the buck I saw yesterday came out of a thicket in a large field maybe around 40 acres in size. It varies from broom sedge to grown-up clearcut type thickets. Some areas are dense young trees, some are brambles that would be impassible without the deer trails through them, sometimes just tall dead grass, goldenrod etc, and in all the areas where it's grassy there are tons of small bradford or similar variety of pear trees, a few red cedars, occasional privet bush or black cherry sapling, etc. If you didn't see the video in my other post, here it is, it is only a small sample of what grows in this field



basically it's thick nasty stuff and absolutely loaded with deer. Since i have lately seen only does and fawns in the woods, I think all the bucks are living in the thickest parts of this field, and the one that walked up to me confirmed my theory..

But what are they eating? is there reliable food source in that type of habitat or are they going to venture into the woods or tree line by the creek to eat greens and acorns?

I'm not sure how to hunt these bucks other than set up in a likely area, like one big intersection of deer trails I found that has a rubbed up sapling in the middle (same area I saw that buck). I also found one grassy clearing in the middle of the much thicker growth, I might set up in there and see if a deer crosses through which would give me an open shot with the bow.

Treestand out of question, I dont have access to a tripod stand, and I can only bow hunt this property. So it's ground hunting only anywhere in this thicket field. If I should concentrate on food sources, where should I look and I'm assuming I should set up on travel routes between the food and the bedding thickets.

Thanks for any advice.

Edit - one thing I know, down on the creek side of the field, there are some bur oak trees that dropped a lot of big acorns, but most of them are eaten up.

 

[muddyboots]

I would scrimp, save, borrow, whatever i had to do but i would get me a tripod and put it right in the middle of that field. that is big buck heaven right there.

 

[in the dog house]

IMO i would be trying to figure how i was going to hunt it next year. So spot and stalk hunt it and learn all you can about the travel routes and pinch point and make note. JMO Good luck!!

 

[lpo1981]

My personal opinion hunting this late in the season post rut and looking for mature bucks is that you need to hunt the thickest areas, I prefer to hunt the edges of them or in your case you can probably hunt the interior portions of that overgrown field.. That's what I do late season If I'm hunting a buck. If I'm looking for does I hunt the big woods...

 

[Mike Belt]

There's an unbelievable amount of browse in the thicket you describe. Pressured bucks and does alike will seek safety and refuge there as well. A mature buck will cut a doe out and pin her down in these types of thickets. Some of ours are hundreds of acres in size to go along with 100's of acres of cutovers and replanted pine thickets. We really have toooooo much cover. I'd look for points that might connect the thicket with timber. They sometimes travel the outside edges of these points giving you a shot opportunity. I might forget the bow and find me a tree somewhere on the outside where you can get as high as possible and be able to cover as much as you can just to see if you can pinpoint any travel areas. I'll be in another new spot just as you describe in the morning and could potentially get a 500 yard shot.

 

[catman529]

thanks for the advice. I have only started to learn a little bit about this thicket by tracking the doe. I know of one or two places to sit that are open enough to shoot an arrow but also tight to the thick cover. Friday afternoon will be spent out there, guess I will just pick a good looking spot with favorable wind and sit.

 

[bowriter]

Old Alberta trick.

Dig a pit blind in the spring.

Don't go buying an old wornout tripod and figure it is safe. Whatever you do, do it at least four months before you intend to hunt it.

Places like that are among the easiest to hunt if you do it right and do it early enough. The trails are such a blind man can find them. Best and easiest place in the world for a natural ground blind. Do it early and it brushes itself. Month or two, deer ignore anything you do as long as you don't do it on the trail. Do it and stay the help out of there...no cameras. Make one soiree before you hunt ot make sure it is still okay. Then, don go near it until you are ready to hunt.

Ever see where I park my truck?

You can actually snare deer in this kind of stuff.

 

[Crosshairy]

I'd be tempted to go in there in January - march with a weed eater, Roundup, machete, and chainsaw to cut myself a few shooting lanes for next year. The QDMA folks could probably give good advice on what would work.


As we've discussed in another thread, this area is the deer's security cover for that property. You could hunt it, but I would save it exclusively for late season "last chance" hunts, or you might really drive your deer out of there.

 

[bowriter]

I'd be tempted to go in there in January - march with a weed eater, Roundup, machete, and chainsaw to cut myself a few shooting lanes for next year. The QDMA folks could probably give good advice on what would work.


As we've discussed in another thread, this area is the deer's security cover for that property. You could hunt it, but I would save it exclusively for late season "last chance" hunts, or you might really drive your deer out of there.

Forget shooting lanes, cut trails for them. You cut a trail and deer will start using it within two days. As long as the trail goes in the direction they want, they will jump on it. I had to cut trails in to two of my stands and the deer took them over immediately. At one stand, every deer I killed this year was on my trail.

 

[StalkingWolf]

I like the pit blind idea bowriter. If I am bowhunting from the ground, I also like to sit down in a small drainage or ditch of some sort with weeds grown up around it. You have to concede a lot of your shooting area and just go with what you can see, but it is effective if you can pick the right shooting lanes. The deer I have killed this way never had a clue. Catman, the field you are hunting provides food and cover. If that buck stays in there for days, he will not go hungry.