timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

The land I hunt is going to be timbered in June, July or August of this year . I have acces to 150 acres approx. about 90 acres woods and 60 feild, give or take a few. Two of us hunt the farm and the surrounding farms have more preassure, year round if you know what i mean. Where i hunt we obey laws and there are two of us that stay in stands and dont still hunt until LATE season. The woods will not be clear cut, but trees in the 15+ in. range will be taken. The timber company estimated taking 600-800 trees, mostly cherry, a few oak and maple. In some spots all of the trees meet these requirements and will be taken. So there will be mini clear cuts. The company will be leaving the tree tops on the ground for habitat and brows. What I want to know is how this will affect deer movement in the SHORT term, mainly the following season. Any help will be appreciated.

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

It really shouldn't effect you much. In fact, it may even help you out. As soon as the equipment is gone the deer will return. My suggestion would be to get some annual rye grass planted late August/early September and plant it in the open spots. Anywhere you see bare ground. This will give the deer more browse. Cutovers are definately a good thing.

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

Hopefully they will finish before the season starts. It can definitely hurt your hunting if they are timbering during the season. However, this year will be the worst it will ever be. From here on out, it will just get better and better for the deer. The tops are great short term cover and browse, and the areas that the canopy opens up will brush out fairly quick. The deer tend to have the same basic patterns, but may alter them somewhat based on the "new" landscape. BT had some good advice too :)

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

it will definitely help in the long run
it may change some movement patterns the first year (and it may not)
but once the understory starts growing the deer will be thick as thieves and they love the tops for cover

keep an eye out and do some scouting and you will find where they are traveling

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

i had that happen,, they were 2 years late cuting then it was slow for 1 year after that it was like hunting a thick corn feld so much new trees i put a power pole in it for a stand that worked good or you could put some cattle in it they would do a bit of a last min. thin job on it

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

If they are not cutting right on top of you, then it should'nt hurt the hunting at all! We've had them cutting during hunting season and we still had a successful season!

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

Definatly try to get something in the ground after the cutting is done. Any type of clover, wheat or rye grass would be good. It's not needed to bring in the deer but it will help with any loss of natural browse that will be removed or destroyed by the equipment.

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

Relax, it will probalby help the hunting in your area. Opening up the forest will encourage growth of young browse meaning more food for the deer herd. A older stand of timber doesn't have a lot of food, other than the acorn crop, for the deer herds. The leaving of the -15" class of oak should have a good acorn crop anyway.

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

I agree with what's already been said.........It will probably help your hunting for the next 5 or 6 years especially. I'd like to add this for thought though. The deer will change there patterns somewhat. After the land has been cut over, they will use the layout of the land to there advantage and for cover. Keep in mind when planting fields or food plots, that deer like the edges of cover. They will move on the edges of the HW's and planted pines for cover. Plant in areas near the HW's and the deer won't have that far to move out of cover to get to your food source. This will help you until the pines get tall then they will bed more in the pines. The HW's for the next few years will serve as travel corridors and offer cover and staging areas to go to the food plots. Keep this in mind if your not seeing deer in the food plots during daylight hours. After the pines get taller, the deer will bed in them, but they will continue to move on the edges of the HW's and pines.

Just went back and reread your post. I don't know that any of this will help you in this particular scenerio (applies more to clear cuts), but I'll leave it just the same. Hope you can use some of the info. Are they going to replant the mini clear cuts in pines? If so, talk to the land owner before making any food plots. Anyway, the cutting of the timber should help. Good luck and happy hunting.-GB

RE: timber cutting and hunting season next year
 

if they are cutting in our hunt club ; that is where I hunt. the cutting can only help the deer and the deer hunting.
I have saw 5the deer feeding on one side of a cut while they are cutting on the other side.

it can only help.[:-]