Just going on what I've seen here over the years with spruce and pines planted in rows and some planted in random clusters, I think deer prefer having some small openings between the evergreens. Whether it's rows of forbs, goldenrod, briars, etc., or random spaces as if the trees grew there naturally, I've seen more deer use WITH some openings grown wild into weeds, goldenrod, etc. There's a camp near mine that has solid spruce planted tight to each other. They've been there for about 30 yrs. and the ground is bare under them - only needles - and deer only seem to use that area when there's a heck of a snow for the overhead shelter. The spruce are so tight they self-prune their lower limbs and the deer only pass thru them, it's too open for good windbreak. On our cabin ground and a few other camps near ours, they spaced the spruce or pines out more to allow for weeds and briars to grow in between and the deer are in them like rabbits. I think it has to do with sight and having some sort of opening to blow out of there if they feel the need. I've seen deer tuck themselves in under spruce limbs looking out into weedy, brushy stuff in small openings on our camp's ground. Another member and I were pushing slowly thru one of those areas and we both got to 6 ft. away before deer busted out from under spruce limbs and zig-zagged their way thru the openings to safety. It was like hunting rabbits - you almost had to step on them. ( that area has some birches that volunteered as well as witch hazel in among the spruces besides the weedy stuff. ) FWIW !!
