Shooting Lanes

[madbomber10]

Went to the woods and opened/re-opened some shooting lanes this weekend. I noticed that every shooting lane we have opened through the woods over the years has a nice deer trail going down it. Have others seen this type of behavior on lanes they have opened? Is this a strategy to use to get deer to go where you want them?

[picksbigwagon]

I have read about cutting travel coridors for the deer to use in the really thick stuff. If I remember correctly, they said to get out there in the middle of july and start weed whacking....I would guess if you used a gas powered cutter it would be easier then the hand held "Humbler", never had the opportunity to try it though...

[vister]

not necessarily a way to get them to go where u want them to, but more or less a way to get a clear shot at them when they are walking through the nasty. eventually, they have to expose themselves in a clear lane. even mowing lanes in tall grass gives you a much better chance at seeing deer as they pass by.

[Big Buck Buster]

Went to the woods and opened/re-opened some shooting lanes this weekend. I noticed that every shooting lane we have opened through the woods over the years has a nice deer trail going down it. Have others seen this type of behavior on lanes they have opened? Is this a strategy to use to get deer to go where you want them?

State land, or private?

[lichen fox]

Bomber...deer are just lazy and when an easier path is presented they will most often take it...that is, until they've been pressured...but as vister said it's more of a visual aid for the hunter....when I bowhunt I always snip off small brush and such between my stand and the trail that may deflect my arrow...

[madbomber10]

I know what a shooting lane is...what Im wondering is can deer travel routes be altered to the hunters advantage by making your own routes for deer to travel on. The observation that I am making on the lanes that we have cleared over the years on our piece of private land is that the deer have adapted to using these clear paths. Can a person "change" deer behavior to put them in a particular location by creating artificial deer trails?

[B. Amish]

seen on a hunting show once where a guy made paths through standing corn between stand sites. it was very effective at funneling deer right to his bowstand.

lichen fox has it right, deer will take the easy path when possible and when safe.

[96trigger]

Of course, deer often take the road well traveled. Build a trail through the woods, deer will use it. However, my experience has been that the big boys will not frequent them nearly as much, if at all, like the does will. Most of the time where I hunt, the woods just isn't that thick.

[snapcrackpop]

On the other end of the strategy...if I owned property I would consider putting up some snow fence to funnel the deer.

[midwesthunter]

Where I hunt up north it is quite thick, lots of alder and poplar. We have been maintaining our shooting lanes for about 10 years now. There is a pretty good deer trail down every one of the shooting lanes. During hunting season we do see some deer walking down the shooting lanes but it seems like they are primarily using other deer trails and walking on the shooting lanes for only a short distance.

[Big Buck Buster]

Same thing is happening where we hunt. They travel on the loggers skid roads for a while till they get to the other trail, and head off of it. Now, in December, when I head up for the last minute bow hunt, they seem to use them a lot more when the snow is getting real deep. It's so funny that when I go up this late, the deer act a whole lot different when they see a vehicle coming through the woods. They just stand and look at you drive by. The place I hunt seems to be the wintering grounds. It is not uncommon to see 16-20 deer in one day out of the same stand. Fun, Fun, Fun. Took lots of pictures before I finally decided to take my deer and go home. I love the north woods in the Winter.

[benbosh]

seen on a hunting show once where a guy made paths through standing corn between stand sites. it was very effective at funneling deer right to his bowstand.

lichen fox has it right, deer will take the easy path when possible and when safe.

i seen that too. they said they got permission to do it from a farmer and paid him back. i forget what it cost but they did like 3 foot wide paths

[UdeLakeTom]

It took a couple of years for us, but the deer now use a path that we put in through the woods to get to the lake. They also use the path to get down to the water. We have yet to see one during the season, but the trails are there during the summer months.

[CodyDawg]

I have some trails down my lanes, but I also have experienced deer that come to a lane stop, look, and not cross it. They do not like exposing themselves on big lanes for sure, so keep them small.

My uncle, who owns the woods, decided to use a bulldozer to make 8' wide lanes for his stand. Sounded like a great idea....but the deer always avoided the lanes and went around the ends.

[madbomber10]

I have thought of planting clover or something in the shooting lanes. Our shooting lanes are not overly wide. The idea was/is to plant lengths of clover at different intervals, not as a main food source, but just something to draw them near. Im not certain we will be hunting at the same spot next year, but I have been curious as to what impact, if any, it would have.

I do definitely agree that most mature bucks avoid the most used trails. I tend to see does/fawns using the trails on the shooting lanes, but during the rut if you find the does you will generally find the bucks pretty close by.

[Musky Buck]

The deer in my area avoid shooting lanes like the black plague and skirt the thickest parts to them, then again I'm not sitting there now or in October and once the rifles start crackin I'd take the thickest route as well, I now hunt from a ladder stand with no lanes near my box stand with lanes and I see way more deer because I'd get glimpses from my box stand, now being in my ladder they are walking a dangerous route if they are a mature buck. Maybe it depends on what part of the state or what kind of cover options are available.

[vister]

i hear ya there! i have a ladder stand i hunt in all 3 seasons. there is a thin tree line between a natural clearing and a corn field. on the opposite of the clearing is a very thick stand of brush, about 20 yards wide, then a 30 yard finger of tall grass and water, then extremely thick cover leading to higher ground with a mix of hardwoods, primarily maple and oaks. my stand over looks the natural clearing, which is where i have a nice thick stand of clover and chicory. a perfect staging area before they head into the corn or beans, whichever is there depending on the year. and once the leave fall, you can see deer walking through that very thick stuff. i don't dare plow a shooting lane through it, because mature deer will avoid it once the pressure is on!! i'd rather get glimpses of them skirting by, hoping they take a trail out to me, than have them move deeper into cover and never see them. I have watched many fine specimens skirt by me, and fortunately, a few have screwed up and ventured out to me!

maybe instead of shooting lanes, you could find a few thinner spots, and de-limb some of the trees. this would give you a better chance to shoot anyways, and wont open it up too much to spook deer. once the pressure is on, mature deer, especially bucks, don't want to be in the open, unless they dont care while chasing a mistress. lanes have an advantage, but at certain times of the year they can make or break your odds!