How thick is too thick??

[briar]

During my offseason of archery hunting I run dogs coonhunting a good bit. A lot of times a coon and therefor a dog will lead me to areas that I would unlikely voluntary go into to scout for deer......but when I get in there I find good areas that I mark and do more thorough job of looking at later on.

A few weeks ago a dog got into what was just a nightmare of a swampy area with a light tan cane like catail colored cover. It was so hard for me to get through I was near physical exhaustion by the time I gathered up that dog and got out of there. The local warden (this was a public chunk) said it was an invasive species but I can't remember the name.

Anyway is this kind of cover too thick to hold deer? Would it be best to concentrate on the edge of this kind of cover or will deer utilize it?

[nater]

Did you see any deer trails? I've seen paths through the thickets patches of cattails/reed canary/phragmites/willows etc.. Heck, sometimes you can see those paths from aerial images.

I honestly don't think there is anything too thick. Even where it's hard to walk through, the deer will mash it down if it provides safe travel/cover.

[PK_]

It has to be real thick. I have seen deer and tracked deer that have gone down trails I would not otherwise believe we're accessible to an animal that size. Even bucks with decent headgear.

But having said that, We do have areas down here that are too thick to hold deer naturally. If it is a large area and you are able to blaze a trail through it and connect two good pieces of habitat you will have yourself a good runway. Or clear a trail back in a short distance then make a small clearing for bedding if there is any dry ground.

Otherwise I have seen them bed up against these super thick areas.

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[Stanley]

Thick to a human is not the same "thick" to a deer.

[dan]

I believe the plant your talking about is Phragmites. We have that here, and I have seen some bedding in it when it 1st starts, but once it gets really thick and gets a foothold I don't see bedding in it, but do around the edges of it. That plant is so hard I think its hard for deer to get it to lay down into a bed. There are trails thru it here though.

[Trailcamaddict]

You might want to check in with PLB sometime. I think I remember him talking about hunting Phragmites.

[darenative]

I believe the plant your talking about is Phragmites. We have that here, and I have seen some bedding in it when it 1st starts, but once it gets really thick and gets a foothold I don't see bedding in it, but do around the edges of it. That plant is so hard I think its hard for deer to get it to lay down into a bed. There are trails thru it here though.

That's what it sounds like to me. Even when the stalks are broken off at ground level it's like trying to lay down on a bed of nails.

[Longbow]

We've even had dogs puncture their feet badly in them when they're broken off short while waterfowl hunting . It's horrible stuff.

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[hunter_mike]

I've often wondered this about multiflora rose. It is the thickest type of vegetation I have ever experienced. you get in it and it just grabs every part of you. When you try to walk through it, you end up not even being on the ground ur basically just swimming through it. Then you get home and you have mini puncture wounds all over your body.

[briar]

That term sounds familiar!! Thanks guys. When I was in there in early December there seemed to be a pretty distinctive deer travel route following the edge of that nasty field. This particular patch of public as more nasty areas than is typical around here. Must be why I never see anybody parked there

[BigHills BuckHunter]

I don't believe in being too thick for deer. It could be a great bedding spot for a mature buck simply because it's too thick for humans therefore very little human scent.

[dan]

I've often wondered this about multiflora rose. It is the thickest type of vegetation I have ever experienced. you get in it and it just grabs every part of you. When you try to walk through it, you end up not even being on the ground ur basically just swimming through it. Then you get home and you have mini puncture wounds all over your body.

I have seen plenty of buck bedding in multi-rose... mostly at the edges or at interior transitions.

[Wlog]

There is tons of phragmites in the marshes around here. When I find beds in it they are always at the base of a tree, an island of saplings or some other kind of vegetation. I don't see them just plop down any old place. It's much like what is described in the marsh video.

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[oldrank]

I have found beds in this stuff. I just took some pics . There was one main trail going into the phrag grass. Then one kinda shooting off to the side. Both had beds at the end of em.




Here is a bed I found in it last week.



The view out another bed that was just a little deeper in.



hairs in the bed




A pic of my planned tree to hunt just on the inside edge of the phrag grass.

[dan]

Old rank, thats what I was refering to when I said phrag gets beds in it if its not "too" thick, or has not totally taken over yet. The stuff I don't see bedding in is way thicker than that. You can barley push thru it.