[squirrelsniper]

What do yall think is better for deer huntin?I hunt green fields,but thinkin bout next season huntin in the woods.Ive killed 5 on the green field(this season),am i missing something cause i aint huntin in the woods?

 

[mattsbox99]

You are missing the big bucks, but you really gotta push them out to hunt them. I mainly hunt open prairie, but we have a lot more of that - not so much of the "green" stuff whatever that is... we have lots of nice wooded river bottoms that I like to hunt for whitetails.

 

[cvc944]

I like to hunt where there are deer. Seriously, if a local can tell me what has been seen and where it's been seen, that's where you will see me. I don't care what the terrain is. Open hardwoods, cornfields, swamps, I don't care - I'll be there. But usually this happens as much as someone giving you the exact coordinates of his favorite fishing hole, so I go out and look for deer sign. Droppings, scrapes, game trails, rubs. If you can see this near the fields, stake out the fields, If you see this in the woods, there you are. Finding out where they bed and where they eat and getting in the middle is always good advice too.

 

[au2183]

You aren't serious are you? 5 deer and you're asking if you're hunting in the right place? I guess you live in a different world than I do! Of course, I'm not a trophy hunter, I'm after meat! And I can only shoot one deer a year, and the statewide success rate runs around 20-25%. I wish I had such problems! Good for you!

 

[slim 60]

yep sq sniper..i like to set the edge of a field.. but give me the woods as a preference.. then if i see a deer good.. also good if i don t.. just being there is pay off enough..slim

 

[broom_jm]

"Green fields", as you refer to them, are usually going to see a lot more deer activity than a natural clearing in the forest, due to a more consistent availability of preferred forage. Depending on the amount of hunting pressure your area experiences, you will probably see more quality bucks in the heavy cover. Specifically, I look for locations just downwind of major deer bedding areas, and then try to find the travel corridor from that location to the green fields most deer seem to be using, at that time. Scrapes and rub lines will tell you if you've found the right starting point.

So, to answer your question, if you want to shoot lots of deer, stick with the green fields. If you'd like to see fewer deer, but a chance at a really good buck, you gotta hunt the thick stuff and not be too frustrated if you hunt all day and don't see anything at all.

It's kinda like, do you wanna catch 50 bluegill, or a big ol' bass? Can't use the same techniques for both, so you have to pick what your goal is and adjust accordingly.

 

[Ralph McLaney]

The problem with Deep South Green Fields.

Most private land green fields in South Alabama have a permanent stand set up on the edge of the field. This does not allow the hunter to enter and leave without disturbing any deer he does not want to shoot. That is pressure on the field and deer tend to go nocturnal.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to hunt in a small club which had small greenfields in the middle of CRP land. The stands were all 18ft towers some 100 yards from the fields. Each year the tops of the brush in front of the stand was trimmed. You had to walk a half mile from the hard road to get to any stand location and the crp fields could not be seen until you settled into a tower stand. I took my season limit of 5 deer (2 bucks) with a .270 from those stands. No vehicles of any kind were allowed on the property during the season except to retrieve a deer.