Turkeyhunter,
I agree an understory is a good thing but you need sunlight to get that understory.Everytime I see a clearcut or opening in the canopy there's new growth.In these places a person can look 25 yards to his right and there will be a thick canopy with no understory and or ferns.
Through many years of being in the woods I've seen this result.You can take an area of old growth and kill every last deer and there's still not going to be an understory.Forest management has to take place for good new growth to take place.Killing all the deer won't get it done.