Big woods vs small woods
Contributors to this thread:Massachusetts
From: Lunker
23-Jan-23
It's all Massachusetts. The other thread got me thinking about cutting lanes and what not. Here in the small woods the deer density is higher with smaller woods to corral them. I believe the vegetation is also denser. There is no area I can think of (where dog walkers don't go) that I can walk straight up and down and not get cut up by whatever brush or Prickers. The deer aren't land locked but big time movement is unnecessary and limited. A good trail around here is gonna have a deer on it at some time continually within some time. The thick brush can b manipulated to make your trail a main trail quickly the big woods have many many miles with smallerdeer density. Bigger trees blocking out sun for a lighter understory so I can see why shooting lanes and trails could b a waste of time. Higher elevation brings to mind less water. Here in August I can throw a rock in any direction and hit water. The swamps (for the most part) don't dry up completely. Ever. That also encourages growth. Just thinking about some guys on here that don't cut lanes. I wouldn't b able to shoot ! May as well start bird watching. It's all Massachusetts
From: BC
24-Jan-23
No big woods where I hunt. This is at a ballpark, mid day last week in Z10. Suburban deer.
From: Big Dog
24-Jan-23
With big woods it's all about locating deer concentrations. In suburbia it's all about Anti's not locating you.
From: Ungie01201
24-Jan-23
I hunt small private parcels (7-15 acres normally) but all of them abut massive big woods... I do some lane cutting, but normally I hunt more open areas in these spots, but cutting lanes has never been an issue with spooking deer... and deer densities are very low in most of these spots
From: Huntskifishcook
24-Jan-23
I used to hunt mostly the small suburban stuff typical of Eastern, MA. I noticed the same thick habitat you mention, Lunker, lots of thick nastiness, much of which is invasives brought in for landscaping, but it seems to work for the deer. In recent years I have hunted a much larger section of woods almost exclusively, that I would call Eastern, MA big woods. This place is also crazy thick, but in a different sort of way than the suburbs I used to hunt. I'm not sure how this habitat was created, but it's loaded with tons of super dense hemlock thickets, pot hole swamps and small sections of very mature old growth hardwoods. The deer have tunneled paths through the thickets over the years and also travel the edges of them, but with so much room to roam it's hard to pin down where they will travel when they get up from bed. In many cases you could be 20 yards from a deer and not have a clear shot. I've recently started cutting small lanes and plan on prepping a handful of other spots during the off season. I had too many close calls that I couldn't capitalize on this past season.
From: Will
24-Jan-23
BD summed it pretty well. That said, something I've found funny about suburban areas, is that the deer love houses and the edges around them. Something I've found funny about big woods deer is that if you can find edges around houses, deer love them. Not a typo. They love edges. In the big woods, it's swamps, vegetation shifts, water, stone walls, powerlines and where they edge up, houses.
From: Big Dog
24-Jan-23
Deer are feeding heavily on plants and shrubs in my neighbor's yard. They literally destroyed a nice evergreen in my back yard a few winters ago. When food supplies get really low they resort to eating the ivy around my porch. They're doing whatever it takes for higher caloric foods, sometimes any food at all.
From: Jebediah
24-Jan-23
This year I learned that NH deer like yards/houses, even with big woods very near by. Also learned that these same deer are knowledgeable about what human activities (and noises) do or don’t represent a threat. Just like in eastern MA. Maybe these particular deer, though, aren’t actually big woods deer, because they live next to houses. Maybe they should be called “yard deer.” But they’re here, and I love ‘em.
From: Lunker
24-Jan-23
Resiliency is an understatement
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
24-Jan-23
Surprised they’re in New Bedford at all honestly…. Kidding kidding sorry to those who live there lol
From: Big Dog
24-Jan-23
Jeb, deer learn quickly which side of the house where it's safe to feed on shrubs unobserved.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
24-Jan-23
Or where they only have their pictures being taken Big Dog lol. Some people get all the good shots. But not the one we are looking for lol.