Mountain Laurel and deer
Contributors to this thread:Massachusetts
From: Constar
21-Dec-23
Evening gang, Took the bow for a loooooong walk in Z9 this afternoon, and I found a huge patch of mountain laurel. I don't think I'd exaggerate at all if said it was a half square mile at least. I've seen deer beds in smaller laurel patches, especially in swamps, but have no idea how or even if they would utilize a patch so large. There was some pretty light in the areas I poked in to, but nothing that got me excited. Curious if any of you have any experience or insight hunting ground like that.
From: peterk1234
21-Dec-23
Yup. When I was visiting Mass two weeks ago, I pushed through the laurels for my aging hunting buddy. Next time get on all fours and take a good look in there. It is literally a deer highway. The amount of runs in there can be staggering.
From: Brian M.
21-Dec-23
Yup, especially if that's the thickest growth around.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
21-Dec-23
See “the end of an era” thread I believe I titled it… if you ain’t in Laurel you ain’t in deer. Just ask Will, he can attest for me
From: Wilgabeast
22-Dec-23
Not much Laurel where I am … it’s all Russian olive and briar/vine patches but the idea is still the same … if it’s the thickest densest cover in your patch it will be holding deer in daylight . These areas can be hard to access but if you can get in clean be careful your heart doesn’t explode from the exciting hunt you’ll surely hve
From: Big Dog
22-Dec-23
I've hunted cover like that years ago in W. Mass along the NY border. It holds good deer .
From: DanaC
22-Dec-23
It's a deer sanctuary for sure.
From: Big Dog
22-Dec-23
I remember on a ML hunt bumping a big one out of laurel down to my buddy who missed him. That was back in the days of the required .56 cal smooth bore TC Renegade. We shot round ball with patch. Might have been before Penicillin was invented by Dr. Fleming, LOL
From: Mtman
22-Dec-23
In lean years they’ll also eat it quite a bit
From: Will
22-Dec-23
Constar - not only do deer love those... They can exist in them quite easily. I know of several 150" + deer, two that I believe were +180, shot in MA, on PUBLIC land, which is rich in laurel. Those areas get pounded by hunters yearly, but even if a crew decides to push brutal laurels like you described, it's really hard to get the deer out, they can just hop 10yds left or right and you cant see them and just walk right on by. Laurels are deer safety nets.
But if you get out there, and suck it up, and walk through them (off season is ideal) and find the little openings in them... Sometimes leaf off aerial photo's will let you find those too... Now you have an absolutely epic honey hole, especially if there are oaks dropping acorns in the patch you are hunting.
They are brutal to get through and deal with for us... But worth it.
From: hickstick
22-Dec-23
I agree with everyone else. no laurel in my primary spot, but one of my Alt spots its full of huge patches I'm talking 8+ feet tall and several hundred yards wide. favored technique is to hunt the runs going in and out early bow before the pressure ramps up. I've had to bust through them to follow up on a buddy's wounded deer and to retrieve and it ain't fun, but can be productive
From: Mhg825
22-Dec-23
Big dog I have that gun, is a great shooter
From: DanaC
22-Dec-23
Had one, upgraded the barrel, and then traded up to a Savage ML-II.
From: Constar
22-Dec-23
Sweet deal! I think I'll leave it alone for this season, it's going to take days of scouting. I'm still blown away by the size of the patch, and how jungle thick it is.
It might actually not be the thickest cover, there's some extremely thick briar patches around too, but I'd be willing to bet those are more pressured.
At some point, I have to stop scouting and actually sit somewhere, too. That's been the hardest part for me since I started hunting.
From: Constar
22-Dec-23
MaPa thanks for the bump btw
From: Big Dog
22-Dec-23
My old TC Renegade now graces the wall in our seldom used living room.
From: Cougar
22-Dec-23
Hunted up a drainage into the center of a big laurel patch once... tried to cut over 100 yards the "short way" thru the thick to the two track... never again. I'll walk the 3/4 mile back around thank u. Could not imagine attempting it in the dark.
From: bowandspear
22-Dec-23
Big Dog I have a TC Renegade .56 smooth bore and also a .54 rifle barrel. I will be out with it tomorrow with the .54 rifled with ball and patch as always. It's the only muzzleloader I use for years now. I'm actually in the process of crafting two matching curly maple stocks so I can have 2 matching custom renegades with both barrels with longer draw length and almost full stocks. Great shooters! I've taken at least 7 deer with them with open sites. If anyone has a bad stock they want to sell I could use the lock, trigger guard, hardware etc...
From: Big Dog
23-Dec-23
Laurel puts me to mind of briers so thick in my swamp that deer actually have tunnels through them. When I scout I often find thin runs around these brier masses that antlered bucks prefer to use . Wear brush pants and eye protection. Usually these sanctuaries are discovered while blood trailing and when I forgot to wear brush pants.
From: ARLOW
26-Dec-23
We used to push a lot of Laurel back in the day. Held a lot of deer and some really good ones
From: Big Dog
26-Dec-23
Arlow, I like the way you arranged the loose antlers. Nice mount.
