Adapting to the deer...

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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Dewey
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby Dewey » Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:46 pm

tgreeno wrote:Is there any way of telling if an island has white oaks from a distance, if you're going in blind? Do most marsh islands has oaks on them?

My tree identification skills are not great.

I usually find them while scouting in the winter otherwise blind you can glass them from a distance and hopefully see the round lobes on the leaves. I don't see any red oaks on any islands I hunt around here. They are mostly white oaks and hickory. I find just about any island that has some decent elevation and never gets flooded has oaks on them. The hardwood islands are very easy to see from a distance. Also oaks keep their leaves well after other trees drop them. That's when they are especially easy to spot but by then most acorns are already gone.


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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby dan » Fri Sep 22, 2017 9:56 pm

docwaters wrote:I don't have access to any marsh/swamp areas. Would river bottom land be a good alternative?

Yes, any low land that has limited patches of oaks.
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby dan » Fri Sep 22, 2017 9:58 pm

bkraus wrote:I've got a questions hopefully someone can answer. I'm having a hard time trying to find producing oak trees. Does this happen a lot? I've been keeping a eye on them for the past couple years and nothing. am i missing something? also with acorns dropping right now will deer skip over other main food sources such as corn, and feed on the acorns?

Sometimes we can go several years without a good acorn crop around here, that's why this year is special. Yes they will skip over or not eat as much other stuff when acorns are available. With that said, they still hit the other food sources, just white oak acorns seem to have preference.
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby justin84 » Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:19 am

Good stuff! Dan I sent you an email the other day about an area we scouted this spring where we found an island with a bunch of oaks. I think it's safe to say I should be out there ASAP. That was my opening day plan since March, but I've been avoiding the word "hunting" around my wife for awhile since I just went out west for 2 weeks. :lol:
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby dglee4 » Sat Sep 23, 2017 2:42 am

What is the case if we don't have swamps where i hunt, no river bottoms just mostly flat mature pines and oaks? Really having a tough time nailing down bedding in this environment, no hills or swamps for them to bed not sure where they would be next.
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby dan » Sat Sep 23, 2017 4:19 am

justin84 wrote:Good stuff! Dan I sent you an email the other day about an area we scouted this spring where we found an island with a bunch of oaks. I think it's safe to say I should be out there ASAP. That was my opening day plan since March, but I've been avoiding the word "hunting" around my wife for awhile since I just went out west for 2 weeks. :lol:

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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby dan » Sat Sep 23, 2017 4:20 am

dglee4 wrote:What is the case if we don't have swamps where i hunt, no river bottoms just mostly flat mature pines and oaks? Really having a tough time nailing down bedding in this environment, no hills or swamps for them to bed not sure where they would be next.

They should be bedding the down wind edge of thick cover. Clear cuts, pine thickets, etc.
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby justin84 » Sat Sep 23, 2017 5:24 am

dan wrote:
justin84 wrote:Good stuff! Dan I sent you an email the other day about an area we scouted this spring where we found an island with a bunch of oaks. I think it's safe to say I should be out there ASAP. That was my opening day plan since March, but I've been avoiding the word "hunting" around my wife for awhile since I just went out west for 2 weeks. :lol:

Tell her your going shopping to buy her a gift... ;)
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby Hatchetman » Sat Sep 23, 2017 5:41 am

Where I live we have very few of that kind of swamp islands like Dan is talking about. I know what he means and have seen areas like some 30 miles SW of me that have them, they just aren't around here much.
What is here though in our swamps are burr oaks. Burr oaks are a white oak and deer love em. These are the acorns with the fuzzy caps.
The good thing about these oaks is that they can grow in some fairly wet areas in a flat swamp,( when I say swamp, I mean tree'd lowland not cattail swamp) They tend to be closer to the swamp edges but not always. A lot of the time they are pretty big trees also, so they will stand out. Lotsa crookety limbs too.
Locate a few of these and they can be fantastic early season as well!
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby Whitetailaddict » Sat Sep 23, 2017 6:00 am

Great post. I'm heading to some areas i had successful encounters before during hot weather. I can only hunt so much so i have to take advantage of all the time i get. I like JoeREs thought of tracking temps with a thermometer.
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby bkraus » Sat Sep 23, 2017 9:41 am

dan wrote:
bkraus wrote:I've got a questions hopefully someone can answer. I'm having a hard time trying to find producing oak trees. Does this happen a lot? I've been keeping a eye on them for the past couple years and nothing. am i missing something? also with acorns dropping right now will deer skip over other main food sources such as corn, and feed on the acorns?

Sometimes we can go several years without a good acorn crop around here, that's why this year is special. Yes they will skip over or not eat as much other stuff when acorns are available. With that said, they still hit the other food sources, just white oak acorns seem to have preference.



ok makes sense, thanks for the feed back, greatly appreicated!
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby Blakebry123 » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:09 am

I'm currently hunting an army base that is almost completely covered in pines. It does have a couple white oaks scattered throughout spots. But the daytime temps are about 90 still here. This Friday the high will be 76. Gonna go out and try hunting around some white oaks. Any advice on what to look for under those oaks to see if that tree could be a productive one for deer? Im assuming just a bunch of worked up-ish dirt from the deer walking around those trees and maybe some rubs on trees leading towards those oaks?
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby bowfreak8 » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:56 am

I like the idea of hunting the swamps early and not burning out my rut spots.
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby Grasshopper » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:14 am

Would you consider a 300 acre marshy area with a lot of cat tails and a few points and islands smack dab in the middle of low land in hill country a good option. It's kinda an oddity there's not much other marsh in miles.
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Re: Adapting to the deer...

Unread postby mheichelbech » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:09 am

Do you notice any changes in the first week of October (opening day being 10/1 for many) if there are oaks still available?

I think sometimes deer get tired of eating the same thing just like we do and may change off some....

Also, once the whites are gone do you find they go to the reds or to other browse leaving reds for later when other better tasting food is not available?
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