Hunting tree /fence lines

[tcop7]

I live and hunt in flat farm land country. One area I would like to learn more about / focus on more is hunting tree lines. There are a lot in my area but I am almost always hunting in a block of timber. Does anyone have any suggestions on hunting tree lines or tactics? Anybody have success with hunting tree lines?

[Mschmeiske]

I can’t remember who’s post it was.. maybe magic? I believe it’s in the all time best threads, but they talk about eliminating 90percent of an area and how deer are creatures of the edge. Great read! Obviously there’s no rules to this game, but I’ve certainly noticed trends at times where different trees, terrains, etc meet and deer follow the seams.

[cspot]

I think a good question is how wide are these tree/fence lines that you are considering hunting. In my area most of the tree lines or fence lines don't have that wide of cover (maybe 20-30' wide) so there is no deer trail going down the middle. Deer will move along the edge of the field and tree/fence line, but that movement usually isn't during the day unless they are pressured to move between areas of cover. The deer feel to exposed moving along them. I do gun hunt them sometimes as they are good for pressured movement.

Now if the cover is wide enough where there is a trail going thru it and the deer feel secure then it is more likely to see daylight movement. Unfortunately in my area there isn't too much of this.

[trob_205]

As a kid growing up the farmland was broken up with a lot of fences rows with smaller fields and the hunting was spectacular. Farmers all all but eliminated all but a few. Every once in awhile you can catch a cruiser but it just doesn’t hold them like it used too. I haven’t hunted there in years. Most of the corners and crossings were opened right up so a combine and head could go through and there’s just not enough thick anymore. It was sad. I cherish the only buck I shot off that property and it was a 90-100”er

[tcop7]

I think a good question is how wide are these tree/fence lines that you are considering hunting. In my area most of the tree lines or fence lines don't have that wide of cover (maybe 20-30' wide) so there is no deer trail going down the middle. Deer will move along the edge of the field and tree/fence line, but that movement usually isn't during the day unless they are pressured to move between areas of cover. The deer feel to exposed moving along them. I do gun hunt them sometimes as they are good for pressured movement.

Now if the cover is wide enough where there is a trail going thru it and the deer feel secure then it is more likely to see daylight movement. Unfortunately in my area there isn't too much of this.

A lot of the tree lines I would consider hunting are along old drainage ditches for the farmers. There are spots that are wide enough for them to walk the middle and other spots that are pretty narrow. Would they not feel safe in these tree lines because they can see almost 360 degrees because all the land is flat around here?

[mheichelbech]

My experience with areas like this, and there are a couple that I hunt, is that the deer gravitate away from the edges and more towards the open field, staying 30 yards or more from the woods edge. The deer seem to travel in a scattered fashion and not in a line. As they move from one woods to another woods I’ve observed them spend a lot of time observing the next woodlot for danger intently and scent checking a lot. They will mill about for 20-30 minutes before making their way into the next woods. It can be a crapshoot as you where they enter. Bucks seem to follow them but later as if he had been watching and waiting for the does to detect danger. Sometimes he moves with them but I usually see the buck wasting no time getting across the field and staying away from the edge.
This doesn’t mean they don’t bed on the edges or just inside it. I have surmised they stay away from the edge because of coyotes but can’t be sure about this. If bowhunting, is plan for a longer than normal shot. By the way, these 2 farms in particular have the drainage ditches you talk about that vary from 30 feet across to 60 yards across. They don’t seem to use the ditches much except sometimes to enter near the corner.

Could be different where you are. My guess is a lot depends on the kind of pressure they get. When I see deer using edges it seems to have more to with the edge of interior transitions.