Hunting Pine Plantation...Strategy and Pointers?

[Keithw247]

Our property is primarily planted pines with stands ranging from 15 - 25 years old I would guess. I have been hunting logging decks that were cleared (some failed food plots) with feeders in them. I rarely have mature bucks coming to the feeders on camera or while hunting. After last season I moved my cameras from the feeders to game trails/ logging roads in the pine plantation and immediately started getting pictures of better bucks.

The undergrowth is very thick in the pines so hunting would be primarily on roads or fire lanes. The neighbor property clear cut timber last year and the regrowth is now about 6 foot high (junk, not pines). There is a lot of deer traffic going back and forth from that property to mine based on recent trail cam pics from along the property line.

I've got one lock on stand and a couple of ladder stands to put in there. I don't get out to the property to put corn out regularly (hence the feeders) but I don't think a feeder makes sense in tight spaces, at least that's what I've been told. I would like to hear from some of you who have had success in this type of terrain.

 

[cutman]

You already have the right idea: hunt roads or firebreaks. Most people around here tend to set up stands at intersections so they can look 200 yards to the left, front, and right. They might put a corn pile in each shooting lane.

I think those hunts are pretty boring, but I understand why people do it. You aren't going to be able to hunt thick lowcountry woods any other way.

 

[gut_pile]

Great deer hunting in well managed pines. Won't do you a ton of good this year, but can you burn the pines? How tall is the brush?

 

[Keithw247]

Great deer hunting in well managed pines. Won't do you a ton of good this year, but can you burn the pines? How tall is the brush?

Our forester has told us he wants to burn parts of the property but I don't know the time frame. We just had some fire lanes cut about 2 months ago in anticipation of burning. The picture below is the fire lane and you can see the underbrush on the sides.

 

[Beechnut]

My father in law hunts locations like this. His secret is corn, corn, corn, and give yourself a long, wide shooting lane.

The only other factor with him is he's the only hunter on 200 acres.

Good luck!

 

[Shack]

Some of our best hunting was after our pines were 5th row thinned. Cut some shooting lanes as long as you feel comfortable shooting and hang a stand. If you can put out corn, I would . Use good binoculars and watch the woods. Have a good way in and out , so as to not to spook deer.

 

[Triple C]

Our forester has told us he wants to burn parts of the property but I don't know the time frame. We just had some fire lanes cut about 2 months ago in anticipation of burning. The picture below is the fire lane and you can see the underbrush on the sides.

Follow your forester's recommendation to burn! Burning on a 2 to 3 year rotation will kill much of the competing hardwood stems and promote growth of native forbs and grasses. The pic below is a stand of 27 yr old pine that gets burned every 2 to 3 years. Lots of forbs and grasses.

 

[Gator]

I've had good luck bushhogging lanes through my underbrush in my pines. The deer will happily walk my new paths. Just think about the location of the paths before you start cutting...

 

[Drycreek]

Good answers above ! My priority is accessing the stands without letting every deer in the area know you are there. Doesn't make much difference where or what your set up is, if you can't hunt it without alerting your targets !

I would try to turn those fire lanes into food plots also, and when the timber is thinned, the down rows make good plots.