Hunting open woods

[Skinl19]

I found an area that is being hit hard by deer foraging for acorns. There is also a small rub line in the area. The problem is that this is in older timber with a high canopy and trees are spaced far enough apart that there isn't really any place for cover. I have a saddle so may be able to use that to hide behind a tree or a climber to get even higher. I will need to put a camera out because they are probably hitting it a night. How do others hunt open woods? I may just wait until rifle season to sit farther away.

 

[Yard Candy]

I found an area that is being hit hard by deer foraging for acorns. There is also a small rub line in the area. The problem is that this is in older timber with a high canopy and trees are spaced far enough apart that there isn't really any place for cover. I have a saddle so may be able to use that to hide behind a tree or a climber to get even higher. I will need to put a camera out because they are probably hitting it a night. How do others hunt open woods? I may just wait until rifle season to sit farther away.

Sit in a tree and stay still.

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[540-Virginian]

Visit the rub line right after a hard rain and setup down wind of it 20 yards. Sit from dark to dusk. Probably your only chance to get an opportunity. Use a tree to block you view. I recommend a leafy jacket.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Can grab a piece of burlap to use as a makeshift blind. Bring two if there’s nothing behind you to break up your outline.

Won’t fool their noses but should work well enough on their eyes. Have had plenty of success with waterfowl, coyotes, bobcat, black bears, etc.

 

[Skinl19]

Visit the rub line right after a hard rain and setup down wind of it 20 yards. Sit from dark to dusk. Probably your only chance to get an opportunity. Use a tree to block you view. I recommend a leafy jacket.

Thanks, I use the ASAT leafy suit a lot.

 

[GunsAreFun]

Is it flat terrain or are their ridges, saddles, benches, etc that might funnel their movement?

 

[Brian Fahs]

Follow the rub line to heavy cover. Set up there.
If you are after big bucks open woods is a poor spot to kill them.

 

[np307]

Use the rub line to find more high percentage indicators of travel like scrapes or feed trees. Look for terrain features the deer will use, like saddles. I kill deer from the ground in open woods every year with no blind. You have to keep walking til you find a spot you are confident they will walk by, not just hopeful. I started implementing the "3 good reasons" maxim. Keep walking unless there are 3 good reasons to sit in a spot. The buck I killed last year was killed cruising his scrapes in a saddle along a pine-hardwood transition.

 

[540-Virginian]

Ive never seen bucks use their rub line, after it was rubbed, during shooting light except to freshen them after a hard rain. Getting too close to their cover and youll get busted. Unless you know exactly where they are and how they are traveling. But it sounded like you hadn't scouted post season. Depends on terrain but they can usually see or smell you hundreds of yards away. I hunt big woods all the time and the leafy jacket helps. But you cannot move the sam as thick stuff. No sudden hand movements walk slow and stop frequently and scan the area a lot. Even then you may not spot a bedded deer but you may catch one feeding. This is all just my experience hunting for years. Others have good strategies to. Its never a one fits all depends on your terrain, hunting pressure and more. Good luck.

 

[Little Joe]

I will need to put a camera out because they are probably hitting it a night.

My advice is just hunt it, since you feel it may be a productive area. You will figure it out, or you won’t. Either way, it is a learning experience. You will gain new knowledge that will be useful. Trying to substitute technology for basic knowledge/skill will only get you so far. Develop your skills through experience learned. At the end of the day you will become a much better hunter.

This time of year the rut is on in many parts of the country. Typical patterns leading up to the rut have changed. Deer you have been seeing on your cameras may have disappeared, while new animals, not seen previously, are suddenly present. The rhythm has changed. Forget about the cameras and whether deer are moving night or day.

The answer to your inquiry is, make your best estimation on where and how to hunt, and go hunt. Worst case scenario, you gain additional knowledge hunting a new and different situation, and learn the area being better prepared for next season.

 

[WCB]

get up a little higher than maybe normal and sit still....I've hunted A LOT in wide open woods late season where there is absolutely zero cover. One property I hunt it is the only option as getting close to the bedding area in crunchy snow is impossible...the deer cross about 300 yards of wide open woods to the next patch of cover which I can't hunt. I have had nights where 30-40 deer walk within 15 yards of my stand and mill around for over an hour no issues.

Also, this time of year set a decoy out and do some rattling etc.

 

[long hunter]

The area I hunt in my home state is rather open mature forrest, find a downed log that while sitting you can see over, Preferable 40-50 yards from the rub line,go in at least a hour and a half befofe daylight, scratch out a area too bare ground the size of a kitchen table, the bare earth will help cover scent, sit against the log and stay still, did I say say stay still, the only thing that should move is your head and then very slow scanning movement. Watch as far away from your position as possible,catch the deer moving before they catch you. watch the wind directions and stay until last shooting light, Shot some really nice whitetails that way in there.

 

[Little Joe]

Skinl19,

A few more thoughts on your opening post.

I would approach hunting an open wooded area based on how the deer are using it.

If it is an area they are just passing through, feeding a little along the way, it is going to be tougher to hunt with a bow. Deer in wide open areas tend to wander over a wider area, as opposed to staying on or near a specific trail. With deer wandering over a wide area, things become much more random. Your odds of a shot go down considerably. You are going to need to find a spot that more predictable brings the deer within bow range. This might mean hunting another location.

What I would do is get in there early in the morning, hunt it, but from a vantage point where you could see as much as possible. Stay on post watching the area, all day. Deer may not stay tight on a specific trail in open areas, but they are creatures of habit. They will most likely move along the same general direction/path. If you can determine this route(s), it significantly improves your odds if you can set up along it. Mark where they are coming from and going to. You may be able to locate a more specific spot deer are consistently passing by, or discover a trail the deer are honoring more closely. It will be easier to do by observation than looking for sign on the ground. Sign on the ground is likely going to be more spread out. Why stir the place up walking around if you can get all the data you need from observation.

Try to determine if there is a central area, as an example, several large trees concentrating the acorns/feed to a more specific location. If it is where the deer want to be. It is where you should be. Or along the route the deer will take to get there.

 

[Little Joe]

An alternative, see if there is a nice edge somewhere in the middle of the open area. Deer instinctively stay along edges. If the edge is long enough, deer will tend to instinctively shadow/gravitate along it as they feed. Not always, but often enough. This edge will give you a good place to set up with an increased probability of a shot, as opposed to sitting in the middle of a large open area, hoping something randomly wanders by.

If the area is open enough, deer may treat it like a field. You should be able to determine this by watching the area. If you ever watch deer entering a field to feed. They tend to come out of the woods cautiously, feeding along the edge. They tend to stay along the edge. Deer will gradually tend to move further out into the field, as they feel more secure for more feed. If the area you are describing is open enough, with the feed relatively well distributed, it might pay off to hunt it like a field.

Find where the deer are entering the area. Hunt the edge. If you can predict their direction, you don’t need to find the exact spot they are entering. The deer will frequently continue to move along the edge. Eventually feeding past you. This gives you a higher margin of error while still maintaining a higher probability of a shot.

 

[Little Joe]

Remember, you may have different deer using the area differently, and at different times. This is a good reason for observing the area. By observing the area as a whole, you will get the big picture which will provide a lot of useful information, different information from specific spots with trail cams.

These are some of my general thoughts on how I would begin to approach it. I cannot see what you are looking at so it is hard to be more specific. Anyway, good luck to you. Hope you figure it out.

 

[OutdoorPhys]

I found an area that is being hit hard by deer foraging for acorns. There is also a small rub line in the area. The problem is that this is in older timber with a high canopy and trees are spaced far enough apart that there isn't really any place for cover. I have a saddle so may be able to use that to hide behind a tree or a climber to get even higher. I will need to put a camera out because they are probably hitting it a night. How do others hunt open woods? I may just wait until rifle season to sit farther away.

Try seeing if the rub line leads to some edge or cover change. There may be better set up options closer to bedding