Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Being from central Pa. too, I can tell you the soil in those pines is acidic, as Mo just said. ^^^ If you cut any of those pines and want something else to grow there, I'd also do soil testing. But I can tell you - you'll need lime. If nothing else. Shed pine needles make the soil acidic. All the states of the N.E. part of the country get acid rain ( I know - I've tested it with an electronic meter designed for that purpose. Some of this rain is as acidic as lemon juice - no joke ). So that only adds to the problem. You'll need lime !!
As others have said, sunlight on the ground will make a lot of difference getting new growth. Native Hunter explained how pines block sunlight and you get nothing growing under them. 100% true - we have a patch of pines just like that at my camp 1 hour and 45 minutes north of your location. Useless for deer food or bedding. If you want deer to hang around, thicken your cover. Cut some pines ( wherever you decide ) and get sunlight in there. THEN SPREAD SOME LIME !! Blackberries, goldenrod, weeds, tree seedlings, etc. will spring up. Personally - I'd plant a few Norway spruce to make some bedding spots / thermal cover, and let nature fill in around them. ( spruce - unlike pines - will keep limbs all the way to the ground, making great thermal cover / windbreak ). Spruce, goldenrod, blackberries = good cover. I'd also plant some apple and crabapple trees around the edges for eating & additional attraction. Fruit trees need lots of sunlight.
As others have said, sunlight on the ground will make a lot of difference getting new growth. Native Hunter explained how pines block sunlight and you get nothing growing under them. 100% true - we have a patch of pines just like that at my camp 1 hour and 45 minutes north of your location. Useless for deer food or bedding. If you want deer to hang around, thicken your cover. Cut some pines ( wherever you decide ) and get sunlight in there. THEN SPREAD SOME LIME !! Blackberries, goldenrod, weeds, tree seedlings, etc. will spring up. Personally - I'd plant a few Norway spruce to make some bedding spots / thermal cover, and let nature fill in around them. ( spruce - unlike pines - will keep limbs all the way to the ground, making great thermal cover / windbreak ). Spruce, goldenrod, blackberries = good cover. I'd also plant some apple and crabapple trees around the edges for eating & additional attraction. Fruit trees need lots of sunlight.