I have been a member of this forum for quite some time now and there is always great information coming from all of you. I have run into a situation this year that is going to greatly change my hunting in one particuar area I hunt. My family is getting 70 acres of our land cut and a lot of cover is going to be gone. We have a beautiful cedar swamp with great cabin logs on it that is going to be decimated by this fall and to top it off, my cousin and I jumped what looked to be a shooter 8 or 10pt today out of the edge of the swamp. I was told to take my stands out of the trees in the areas getting cut so they can be cut if needed and one of the stands is in a spot that I have had great success harvesting and seeing bucks throughout the years, very close to where we jumped the buck.

My question is, what approach would you take in hunting this land? By the sounds of it there won't be a tree big enough to put a stand in and unless we get an early snowfall, they won't be in there feeding on the tops early to mid bow season. I am thinking ground blind of course but with the change of scenery the patterns the deer take will be dramatically changed. I had spots all ready to go and now have to start over. Let me know what you do on freshly cut property, what approach do you take?? I am very interested in your opinions!!!

Thanks,
Chris

Pull a Hollywood protest and camp out in the tree. Call the news stations and complain how ruthless your family is and how you can't believe they would desimate perfect hunting ground for money. Also it might help to name the tree your live in a down to earth tree hugger name. Luna was already taken.

I would go ground if you can't get a climber to work. Hunting would probably be ok since they loggers leave the branches anyway.

Good luck

It's called a pop up blind. Don't need a single tree for them. This year the clear cut will be a bummer, but buddy, next year, that'll be one helluva hot spot!

Well sounds like your gonna be hunting from the gorund this fall if they do cut all the trees.
I would get a really good ground blind like a Double Bull or something close to it and set it up on the edge of the clear cut.
You might have some thick brush or thickets they didn't get rid of or maybe close to that swamp.
If you do get a ground blind don't forget to cover it a little to blend in and put some branches on the roof to break the outline.
If they don't cut some of the trees, try to set up along the edge using some of stuff they don't clear
Good luck to ya and I hope you have a good season this fall.

hunting is going to SUCK there this year but watch out next year should be awesome

The thing that sucks is they are taking too much with this cut. There are limits for a good forest management system but they are chopping the hell out of the best hunting spot on the property.I guess I will just have to wait and see what it ends up like. Thankfully there is still another 60 acres that has been cut but 2 years agoso it is starting to get good in there. The stuff that is getting cut is where I found all of my sign last year and where the big guys have been seen. The other key piece of property was sold to the neighbor a couple of years ago. That piece has some of the stream going through, a great tag alder swamp and the rest is hemlock and cedar swamp with major trails crossing through it. Unfortunately the neighbor lets someone else hunt it so I cannot and he shot a decent 8 off it last year.

I am definately not complaining just interested in what others do in this situation. Yes most of it needs to be cut for proper management, it is an old forest and a lot is falling down, but not all needs to go. I hope what they are telling me and what the loggers do are a little different. What I see done so far has been pretty much chopped up. We will see. I know the hunting will get better in the next couple of years, it is just hard to wait!!!

Thanks for the replies so far, I am anxious to use a ground blind for the first time and it seems as though that time has come.