jhalfhill

My neighbor just had all his land timbered, select cut. I don't have any woods, so all of the deer bed mainly on his property. These woods were so thick with thorns and rosebushes that you could hardly walk through them. Now there are logging roads all through it and you can walk almost anywhere. There are some treetops laying now though. Do you think this is good for the deer herd or worse? Think it will thicken back up in a few years? I certainly hope so, if it doesnt get thick again there isnt much here for the deer to bed in. I do think the treetops layin are good for the deer though. The buds should give them all plenty to eat until spring. Any thoughts on what kind of effect all of this will have on deer hunting from now on?

timbercruiser

Facts are that mature timber tracts do not have a good year round food value. You say he had a select cut, but don't say what kind of timber was left. If there is a good stand of oaks, then you have a good food source till the acorns are gone. Opening up the woods will entice the briars and other needed foods to grow. Locate a few briar patches and honeysuckle patches and throw some fertilizer out. If a deer had only acorns to count on for food they would starve because of the short available time of them.

Dan O.

Nature had forest fires to do it's renewal for it. Nutrients were reincorporated into the soil and the increased light and open mineral soil produced lush growth to supply food for wildlife. We for the most part don't have that option so logging is an alternative. People are generally against clear cutting but it openes up the soil to the greatest light. Selective cutting mainly benefits the remaining trees. For wildlife you'd get more growth if complete areas were removed in sequence around a property.

Dan O.

chuckclear2000

We had our land select cut about 10 years ago. Honestly, we saw twice as many deer as we did in previous years. Those deer find refuge in those tree tops and will lay in them and feel safe all day. The next year the brush starts. The briars and saplings who never got any sun before, they grow everywhere and make one thick area. If you can get in a stand overlooking this stuff you will be in deer heaven. Our area REALLY benefitted from the select cut as far as deer hunting. If there's plenty of other woods or other areas for food the deer will flourish, ours did. We cut about 20 acres and our neighbors have about 300 acres. We finally started to shoot some really nice bucks 2 years after the select cut. Your area sounds like it will do the same as ours. Good Luck!!

jhalfhill

thanks guys a feel better about it now. there weren't any oaks in the area to begin with, its mainly cherry. the young cherries were left standing. i think i'll throw some fertilizer on the about an acre of his ground that borders my property. . when they go in to hunt they'll just bump the deer out of that thicker stuff and over to me.

kevin1

Now that light can reach the ground the forbs and other new growth will begin to grow , this will attract deer from a long way . In a year or so you'll be blessing your neighbor for cutting that timber . If he'll allow it , plant some sawtooth oaks , persimmon , beech , hazelnut , chestnut , and pecan . In about 5-10 years or so you won't believe how many deer and turkeys you'll see .

jhalfhill

lol i forgot to mention that we don't get along at all. he doesn't hunt, but his relatives do. they are awful hunters so i'm looking forward to them chasing the deer my way like they always do. now that his land is cut and i can see deer coming, i'll be in a tree on the property line come rifle season just waiting for a big one to cross . i don't mind the deer bedding on his property because they dont know how to hunt them anyhow. between 12 of them they killed ONE DOE this year.

PS - i'll be planting sawtooths, crabapples, and white oaks on my side of the fence to entice a few of his deer in archery season

BuckAlley

Your situation sounds alot like ours a few yrs back. Bordering property was logged off, though it was heavily logged. The woods next to ours looked like a mess. Difference is we can hunt that woods next to ours, and used to alot. That 1st season we stayed out of it, but soon realized if we opened up the logging trails that stopped at our property line. The deer would use them right into our land. We soon planted apple tree's, and oaks. Put in a food plot, and now those log trails are some of our main setups. The new growth that has come to those logged woods attracts deer big time, and they come into ours for the different foods. You should find in next couple yrs your on a goldmine!!!