I hunt a large tract of East Texas forest. Feeders and food plots are not allowed. There are NO openings of any kind in these woods. There are dirt roads, but setting up near a road is strictly prohibited. I use a climbing tree stand. This season I hunted about 10 days and did not see a single deer. They are there, but densities are low.

You can't just set up somewhere and expect to see deer, you have to know WHERE to set up. That's what I'm having a problem with.

The forest consists of 4 types of areas:

1) Mature forest on close tree centers with dense underbrush about 10-15 feet high

2) Mature forest on wide tree centers -- sometimes even as far apart as 100 feet, with underbrush 10-15 feet high but denser than in 1) due to more sunlight getting down to it.

3) Newer pine plantations, relatively open underneath, easy to access and can see farther. Seem to be avoided by the deer in daylight hours during the season.

4) Creek bottomland. There is much less underbrush alongside the creeks so that you can sometimes see 50 yards, but often only 20 yards. There are more mature oaks here, too. Hogs like these areas, and that may make the deer avoid them.

Anyone who has been there and done that have any advice where the deer are likely to be moving during shootable hours?

Just to expand on what I first posted:

1) I don't know how to determine where the deer would bed. Except for the open areas alongside the creeks, any of the other 3 areas would be acceptable for bedding.

2) I don't know why the deer would have to move for food, as the underbrush is pretty much the same everywhere.

3) As for water, do deer need water every day? Anyway, in addition to the creeks, there are little ravines holding water, plus some low lying areas scattered around that hold water, so you can't focus on one single area in that regard.

4) There are heavier densities of oaks along the creeks that would provide more acorns at the beginning of the season, but I wonder if the presence of the hogs would over rule that attraction, plus this is a really damp, unhealthy (at least it seems so to THIS hunter) area.

run them with dogs and use a shotgun with #4 buckshot!

start in the creeks and work your way upland. you'll get a good idea about densities that way

I think deer get most of their water from the vegetation they eat which would cause them not to go to a watering hole.

No dogs allowed, txtrophy85.

hunt from a camaro like Orn!

I hunt in SE Texas near Palestine. I feel your pain. East Texas can be challenging. It took me a couple of years to figure it out.

I hunt almost exclusively creek bottoms. They are a natural highway for deer and the tend to have less underbrush. I can absolutely guarantee that if you do some good scouting, your next season will be a success.

I limit my stand placement to one of four areas:

1. Find a creek crossing. Find a low water area that the deer are crossing. Look for tracks in the mud on the bank, obviously the more the better. Set up as far as you can from the crossing while still giving yourself a good shot.

2. Find a rub/scrape line near a creek bottom. If you can find a good one, there's really no reason to hunt anywhere else, especially during the pre-rut and early rut. A dominant buck will often use a creek as a boundary to his area when it is thick. It is easier for him to walk up and down the creek or creek bottom to check his scrapes and rubs because it is not as thick and he will be able to see better to find does and intruding bucks. Set up somewhere that is downwind. Use a doe bleat during pre-rut, try rattling/grunting during the rut. I got this one earlier this year with this technique:


PS-If you find a rub/scrape line that is really being worked hard, try a young buck decoy and some rattling/grunting to bring him out into the open.

3. Find bedding areas and the corresponding routes they are taking to water/feed. Set up down wind and wait.

4. Follow the does. Even if your not hunting does, your buck is. If you find an area that consistently holds does, even if it's only a couple, bucks will follow.

My last bit of advice is simple, when you are hunting thick cover, be logical. Deer are primarily going to take the path of least resistance. If it appears too thick for deer to move through, it probably is. However don't underestimate their agility or their size. Take your time and bend down a little bit so your eyes are at the same level of a deer. Sometimes you can actually spot areas that almost look like tunnels going through thick underbrush where deer a passing through.

Ultimately don't over think things. Deer are only motivated by four things; food, water, shelter, and breeding. That's it. Don't make it more complicated than it is. I think we deer hunters outsmart ourselves too often trying to figure out a "pattern". If you find a good a good source of any of the above, you've got a chance. If you can find an area that has 2-3 of things above, you've got a great chance.

This was my first year hunting East Texas and it was a learning experience for me too. I've always hunted in Junction and I guess I got spoiled. I actually talked to the locals and guys at the other deer camps to gain knowledge. Just stay with it.

find the trails set up on them and in east texas your gonna have to hunt for more than 10 days to get a good one

One more thing:

Try scouting in the late winter/early spring. When the leaf litter is subsiding and before the new foliage starts popping up, it is easier to identify travel routes.

It's all about patience in E.Texas. You aren't going to have as many opportunities to see deer because of how thick it can be, but you have to stay focused because when you do get an opportunity, it is usually comes and goes very quick.

gnuts -- that's very useful advice! And thanks for the encouragement UNT_Jim.

So the creekbed is the place to focus on, huh? I've yet to see a creek crossing. Either they're jumping across (it's about 10 feet wide), or the deer density is just too low. There are bits of trails alongside the creek sometimes, but they disappear after a few yards and then reappear later on, sometimes. The bottoms are really hard to get into. I'll probably have a heart-attack getting a deer out of there if I get one!

The scrapes and rubs I've found were mainly in the pine plantations. This might be just because it is easier for me to search and see in them. Most of the rubs were tiny, suggesting younger, inexperienced deer.

Where have you found the deer to be bedding? In the dense brush open from above (not good rain protection, but sunny and shady areas for regulating temperature). Or, in the brush under the forest canopy?

Great info. I have the exact same problem(s). Thanks for sharing everyone!

Heres some rubs I found this past weekend at my place.

The area I hunt is also a pine plantation. They recently clear cut about 40% of it so this year was a little different than the past but the predominant patterns held true.

In my experience the heavily pined areas are used more for travel and bedding than anything else. There are some food sources but not much.

I have always had my best luck in the creek bottoms, especially in the flatter areas where the creeks make wide bends. The acorns are plentiful, obviously there is water, and it's a natural travel corridor. It took me a couple of years to really embrace this type of hunting because I have always hunted more open areas with fields, pastures, etc. but I really enjoy it now. Because it is more difficult, it feels much more rewarding when you harvest a deer. One advantage to hunting thick areas is that the deer seem to be easier to pattern as far as their travel routes. When it's open a deer can go a thousand different routes to get to the same place. When it's thick they don't have that option. Not only that, I've noticed that travel routes tend to get used year after year without much change.

If it is too difficult to get into the bottoms right now, find another way, blaze a trail, parachute in, whatever it takes. I promise you it will pay off.

Don't get discouraged. I've been in your shoes and I know exactly how frustrated you are but your success will be directly proportionate to your efforts. Keep at it.

Talking about blazing a trail we had to cut our way in by hand to get our blinds and feeders set up. Its hard work but rewarding with a since of pride cause you actually made progress to your property.

gnuts - So you think deer bed in these open plantations? I've heard others say that (not talking about The South, tho). If so, perhaps I could try still hunting there. That's about the ONLY place you could still-hunt. I always assumed they would bed in the thicker areas around the plantations. Maybe I've got it backward! Perhaps the thick areas are the feeding areas. They certainly seem to contain lots of browse.

I haven't given up on the creek bottoms. I am in the processing of using tape and bright-eyes to mark a trail that I can use to find my way in and out in the dark.

Its possible. they also like staying out of the wind so depressions would be one location.

Good choice for marking your trails. The other guy I hunt with got lost for 6 hours (dont ask me?) cause he said everything looked the same.

UNT_Jim -- your photos look nothing like where I'm hunting, although I've seen those all-hardwoods areas near creeks about 15 miles from there. They look very "deery" to me.

The creek bottoms I hunt are very closed-in overhead, and very humid and gloomy, by comparison.

I've hunted East Texas for 25 years....Wood County. It can be tough. Just when you think you have them figured out bam, they can change their pattern. I've taken some really good bucks from there and I've had seasons where I've seen deer everytime I went out. Yet there's been seasons where I didn't see a freaking deer. I love it though. Hang in there!

Getting lost in the big woods at night is super-easy (at least for me). Things look completely different by flashlight. I've thought that I was going to have to spend the night out there, more than once.

I would agree with the creek bottom, but the best part of the creek will be where several of the other types of cover meet it. Also, I would not worry about the hogs running the deer off. Imo they will push them away from a food supply or other area, but only for a few minutes. The deer are quite determined.

I once hunted an old logging trail in East Texas and I would go up and down this logging trial about 3-4 times a week just cutting up apples....we were able to take a very nice deer off this spot.

Why are feeders not allowed? Is this COE land or something. If feeders aren't allowed can you just dump corn on the ground or use a tube style feeder? I hunt in Cass Co on a lease similair to what you described and we have had good luck in all areas of the lease. My favorite stand is in a pine plantation. The timber company does not have a problem with us cutting some limbs off the pines so we just cut a shooting lane east & west & another north and south. we dump corn along the leanth of both rows & have the on PVC tube feeders on each row as well. We have seen & shot more deer on this stand than any other. The other advice given above is good too.

wgonfan -- this is national forest land.

In your opinion, are the deer bedding in the pine plantations or just moving thru there on to their actual bedding areas?