Landmarks

[Apex]

Would like you hear your thoughts on deer use of landmarks in navigation. Where I hunt, there's some 1,000+ year old cypress that are 7-8'' in diameter. The deer seem to suck to them like magnets, moving from one tree to the next. On flat ground, what's a bigger determinant of deer navigation: subtle elevation changes or landmarks?

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[stash59]

I think I was seeing this in more open terrain while in Montana. Lone trees and bushes. Even electric poles. The deer seemed to always end up near some of these. I didn't make out any definite trails either. Alot of times it didn't seem to matter what direction they were traveling either. Very low pressured deer though.

[PK_]

I have noticed the same thing with big old lone pine trees in palmetto flats. I used to bow hunt out of one and all sorts of animals would end up in bow range of that tree, it was the only large old tree in the entire area.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Bigburner]

Often times when looking for beds I like to find big open areas in contiguous forest covered in green briar about waist deep. A total mother to get through and there will be a few scattered trees and if one of those trees happen to be a dead snag I'm checking it out regardless how painful its going to be. there is no defined trail going into the nasty cover but there have been so many times that I've found a single bed at the base of one of those snags. they disregard the live trees and shoot for the thing that is not like the other. Just like we do, they gravitate to a certain distinguishable feature. like a big root ball or lone tree in thick cover. Also if you're stuck hunting the same cover type like me with flat coastal plain you'll pick up on those familiar land marks when scouting and start putting the pieces together to pick apart that habitat type when looking for beds. With lack of topography this becomes more of a thing for me to focus on. Another example would be me walking right along a briar choked headgerow with one tree or group of trees separating two fields. I almost always find a little buck cave there with a clear line of site to a field edge tree stand, or parking area or a nearby house. A definite landmark. So yeah definitely landmark oriented. sometimes they work so good for the deer and so obvious for you as well that you can't get anywhere near those spot to hunt them because they have everything in there favor.