The dog days of summer are sweating us out, so it’s tough not to be dreaming of the cool autumn treestand vigils in our not-so-distant future. And, of course, where the best hunting spots will be. Any public-land areas that suffered windstorm damage in your region (as we discussed in a previous Going Public blog post) should have a place on your list of deer hunting spots. The abundant new ground cover and rapid growth of desirable young browse and forage that follow a major tree-felling storm event will promote plenty of deer activity, especially in big-woods settings with little agriculture nearby.
First, you need to find the storm-damaged areas on your particular piece of public hunting land. This is where your sleuthing skills can make a major difference, since recent storm damage and sections of blown-down trees can be difficult or impossible to find on aerial imagery, and the locations won’t be on any maps. If you know there have been some major windstorms around your hunting area, lace up those boots and just start scouting for them. Obviously, this will take the most time, but you can save an extra trip and scout out stand locations as soon as you do discover any blowdown areas, just combining it with your normal scouting tactics.
Another option is to pick up the phone and contact any foresters that cover the public properties you’re investigating. Whether it’s a county, state, federal or corporate-owned forest, there will be a forester or two responsible for the public land’s timber management, and they will have a fairly good handle on any recent storm damage. Many foresters are also hunters, with a vast knowledge of healthy forests and the browsing habits of whitetails, so they can be outstanding resources for your scouting efforts.
The third choice is understandably not for everyone, it’s a bit adventurous and outside of the box. If you don’t mind flying in small airplanes and you have a friend or acquaintance that’s a pilot, or if a local airport offers sightseeing rides, hit them up for a couple hours some weekend. Take a buddy and split the cost. You can get an amazing perspective on any hunting area by flying over it in a small single-engine airplane, and you’ll save yourself the days and miles you would have spent searching for storm-damaged timber openings on foot. Again, it’s not feasible for everyone, but it’s an option that’s not as expensive as some might think.
The search for quality hunting spots on public land never ends. Consistent success depends on adapting to the current conditions, just like the highly adaptable whitetails we pursue. Targeting the food sources and bedding cover created by windstorm-damaged timber is just one more tactic to add to any public-land deer hunter’s toolkit of tactics.