Hunting the Big Woods for Whitetail Deer

• Intro to Hunting the Big Woods for Whitetails
• The Role Whitetail Deer Diet Plays in Hunting the Big Woods
• Water Sources and Big Woods Whitetail Deer Hunting
• Topographical Anchors for Big Woods Whitetails
• Preliminary Whitetail Scouting in Big Woods Hunting
• The Ground Game: Scouting the Big Woods Whitetail Country from the Ground
• The Logistics of Hunting the Big Woods

Introduction to Hunting the Big Woods for Whitetail Deer

Many public land hunting opportunities are covered primarily with forested land. The areas that do have fields or even food plots receive so much hunter attention in these areas that deer are driven from them within a short time after the season begins. So, having a plan for how to hunt the woods, and especially the big woods, is a real necessity. Getting this information can be challenging. Read either of the main outdoor magazines, and you'd be pretty certain that if anyone does hunt whitetail deer on public land, there are always row crops, fencelines, and a few other features that will help concentrtate the deer in a few areas. They'd have you believe that just putting up a few stands in the right places is the key to bagging an enormous buck. Try this in the big woods and you will spend all your time scouting for areas that do not exist and you will be watching the squirrels play from your stand. Hunting the big woods is not for the feint of heart. Hard work and attention to detail are critical.

The Role Whitetail Deer Diet Plays in Hunting the Big Woods

Hunting the big woods begins with a knowledge of the diet of the whitetail deer. Whitetail deer are not highly selective. We have seen them eating the traditional foods like white oak acorns and we have see them feeding like a moose off the bottom of a river. In most big woods hunting scenarios, the primary Fall forage for whitetail deer are acorns. In the area we hunt, they seem to much prefer white oak acorns over the other varieties. Here is where an understanding of the whitetail's reliance on acorns is vital.

Acorn production varies wildly from year to year. Some years the acorn production is so wide-spread that all you can really do is make certain you focus efforts on an area where the type(s) of acorns the deer like are in existence. For example, one of our primary hunting areas is a mix of white oak, red oak, pine and fields. All we could do in one of the years where mast production is high is make certain we hunt areas with white oak acorns still present.

Being able to identify plant species is vital for knowing where to focus your efforts hunting whitetail deer in the big woods. This is a white oak leaf. The acorns from white oaks are a dietary favorite of whitetail deer in the Fall.

Other years, acorn production is far less and this actually can be helpful. If you are able to locate an area where acorns have been produced in one of these down years, you will have located an area where deer would be concentrated. Of course there are no certainties. The big woods whitetail deer hunter places the odds in his favor in every way he can.

There are many other potential food sources for whitetail deer in the big woods. However, these sources tend to be more or less evenly distributed and so focusing on one area might not be a good investment of your resources. Let me mention one caveat. There will be years where acorn crops are essentially non-existent. In these lean years where whitetails cannot find their preferred food source, they will find their food elsewhere. In these years, during the Fall hunting season, there are two major area types we would suggest.

First, consider old fields or clear cut areas. These land areas are suitable for producing many of the secondary food sources that whitetails like. It should be noted here that we are looking only at big woods hunting where the deer do not have the option of visiting the neighboring soybean or corn field.

Another area that is worthy of your attention is river and creek bottoms. These areas have the benefit of offering water sources and also are very suitable for some of the secondary diet offerings whitetail deer resort to. This provides a nice transition to a discussion of what role looking for water sources should play.

Water Sources and Big Woods Whitetail Deer Hunting

You do not need to decide whther to hunt a nice stand of white oaks or a water source. There are many areas in the big woods where both features are present. Again, the goal is to place as many factors in your favor as possible.

Now here is where it gets tricky. These water sources are not only an attractant for deer, but also fellow hunters. We will discuss later more tactics to deal with other hunters. For now, let's just say that if you find a nice stand of white oaks and a beautiful water source adjacent to the parking lot, it is unlikely that any deer will be present once bumbling unprepared hunters come stumbling through right at legal shooting hours on opening day.

The importance of water sources in big woods whitetail deer hunting cannot really be overemphasized. This article is not solely focused upon the firearms season that in most states coincides with rut, but it is vital for the hunter to realize that all deer need some form of water source. This need becomes all the more important during rut when activity levels rise precipitously.

So with these water and food source ideas as starting points, let's now see if we can start honing in on topographical features that might be helpful. Again, keep in mind that we are after every factor we can place in our favor. We are trying to reduce a vast tract of big woods whitetail habitat to a more hunting manageable size.

Topographical Anchors for Big Woods Whitetails

The big woods are filled with ridges, hollows, meadows, streams, lowlands, and various other features. What does the whitetail big woods hunter need to concentrate upon? There is no one single right answer, but there are a few ideas that can get you as close to right as possible.

First of all, there is no doubt that the areas along streams are one good option. We have discussed these features previously, but they belong here as well. Previously, we were discussing the water sources available to deer. Here, what you might keep in mind, is that streams offer the adavantage that they also often serve as the focal point for travel corridors and bedding areas. Water holes like ponds are often a destination.

The watering hole as a destination can serve the whitetail hunter as well, but only of he realizes he must scout the travel corridors surrounding that water hole. We will mention this again, but here is a good time to emphasize the tread lightly concept. You are attempting to ascertain deer presence, movement, and habits as an observer. The risk is that you will become a participant in their movements by bumping them from their area. I personally believe that too much concern is placed on this, but being somewhat cautious seems a prudent course of action.

An alternative type of area that can be very successful is a ridged area rising from a lowland, preferably a swamp or bogged area. This type of structure seems to funnel deer activity, likely as they travel between areas. Also, key on the edges of these wetland areas themselves.

Let's state again, another feature you need to consider, is that kind of area where other hunters will not travel. This probably means putting significant distance bewteen the nearest roads and trails and your potential spot. In fact, we start by crossing off all terrain inside 1/4 mile from a road or trail. It is just too frustrating to feel you have a great area scouted, then have someone walk through at just the wrong time.

Preliminary Whitetail Scouting in Big Woods Hunting

We use several tools early on. By early on, I mean when we are first trying to pick a forest on which to hunt, and then when we are analyzing the area from home. Most of these involve technology applications, but assuming you are reading this on a computer, there should be little additional cost.

We use Google Earth extensively. Google Earth gives us a heads up on areas we wish to focus our attention as well as areas to avoid. It really allows us to minimize greatly the cost of topo maps. Yes, we do purchase the topo map for the area we will scout from the ground and then eventually hunt, but we do not need to look at topos for all the other areas we have eliminated by using Google Earth.

There are add-ons available for Google Earth as resources for hunters. For example, there are files for outlining Missouri Department of Conservation Areas. Try a google search for "Google Earth Hunting Maps" for the area you wish to hunt. If you are looking at Missouri, visit Google Earth Scouting Missouri.

We begin by looking over our selected area with Google Earth. We eleiminate the road and trail corridors out to 1/4 mile. We then look for the topgraphical regions we have been discussing in this article. If we can find any sources on tree cover, we utilize that as well. We are usually looking for areas with plenty of white oak trees.

Once we have narrowed our search down using the criteria we have discussed, we begin planning out our on the ground scouting activities.

The Ground Game: Scouting the Big Woods Whitetail Country from Terra Firma

Scouting the big woods is not a one-shot proposition. Unlike the hunter in an agricultural area, where factors remain more stable, the reality on the ground in the whitetail big woods is ever-changing. This presents to us the reality that we are going to need to scout more and on a more frequent basis.

The key to this is to have enough options identified in the early stages of scouting from home, to be able to adapt on the ground. We do much scouting during the archery season. For one thing, if an area has received too much bowhunter activity, we want to avoid that.

We are putting our eyes on the features we were able to identify on Google Earth. We are putting this together with the tree types and deer sign. We want acorn producing white oaks and we want deer sign. During rut, that sign had better be fresh. Do not waste time on old rubs and scrapes. Those breeder bucks are long past that and have their attentions turned to amorous endeavors.

When it comes to potential stand locations, we use the following principles. The majority of the time in the big woods, whitetail does travel with the wind at their back. The theory behind this is that they are trying to prevent a predator from gaining the advantage on them. They can see what is in front and smell what is behind.

Whitetail bucks in the big woods will use this to their advantage. They will quarter the wind trying to pick up the estrous scent of does ready to breed. These factors together are what help us nail down potential stand sights.

The Logistics of Hunting the Big Woods

We suggest hunting areas far enough away from roads and trails that it may be difficult to get to your hunting area in the morning you begin to hunt. Why not consider packing in the night before? Let's say as an example you will hunt 2 miles off the road. You could pack into within 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile of your stand sight. You could use a game hauler to pack in your gear and leave it at your campsite while you hunt. Putting this kind of distance between you and roads and trails really gives you an excellent chance not to be bumped by other hunters and to be hunting deer not expecting trouble of the human variety.

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