I have a small problem. We have a 100 acre square, with approx. 65 acres of mostly decidious trees, having thinned out quite a few Pines 2 years ago. But there are clear cuts surrounding my property. One 80 acres, cut 20 years ago and planted to Pines (west side). Another120 acres, cut 10 yrs ago, also a pine planting (south side) . Another 20 acres, cut 3 yrs ago, nothing replanted (west side). I have 5 plots on the property, ranging in size from 1/8 to 3/4 acre. They are usually hit hard, mostly at night, the deer moving back to the cutovers. The deer don't seem to use any main trails, just ramble all over which makes it hard to pattern them. Anyone else with a wierd setup like this?

Russ

I do not have the same setup of land but I have the criss crossing of trails. We need to consider ourselves lucky with all the trails. Do you have snow? With snow you can see the major trails and you have to consider why they are major trails.

I am wa nting to get a grove of pines, spruce and cedar started so the deer have a warm place to go.Aé

Snow? About once a year. Last year we got a 6 inch snow. It lasted less than 2 days. We are more likely to get freezing rain. Today it is an all day rain, not hard, temp about 40°. If you try to check for trails, you better get out within 24-36 hours or the snow is gone.
When I had the large Pines cut last year it put a lot of brush piles all over the timber making it hard to look thru the timber. This also blocked some of the original trails and until they start new ones they seem to wander all over the place.

Russ

Russ; it may sound funny but I've heard it advised that you cut good open trails for the deer. Even drop some trees on trails that you don't want them to use. Deer are as lazy as you or I, why would they want to fight their way through the bush when they have a clear path to walk on.

Dan O.

Dan,
The problem is, there are no trails. Along one of the fence lines bordering the South clear cut a wall of brush extended over 100 yards. I made three openings, hoping that they would use them. There is no sign there. Most of the previous trails have tops, limbs and unusable pine logs blocking them. And no sign where they may be detouring the debris. My guess is that it may take a year or two to start seeing new trails. Leaf fall has been heavy and it will take some time for new trails to show. It's not a question of blocking old trails. What may be needed is to clear out some areas so they will have easy paths to start new trails. My ATV trails show more usage than any where else. But I'm sure that this is night traffic, not daytime passing. It may take most summer to open some of the thick stuff.

Russ

Russ, I'd buy stock in Stihl!
Seriously, my brother and I have cut 10,000-20,000 little balsam trees in the past 2 years. Some for a clear area to shoot around our blinds, and some to stack to block travel lanes that were not visable from our stands. The deer do move into the cleared areas. No kidding, the balsams grow so thick that you cannot walk through them let alone see through or around them. Then, two years later, they are back as thick as if you never cut them out.
We have also cut a road through the swamp that freezes up after we drive on it in the winter. The deer will come from quite a ways to use the road rather than go through the swamp.
I'd get out there and use that saw.
Brian

I have cut trails for the deer for years.if you cut them they will use them.you can get a weed eater with a blade that works great.
It doesn't have to be wide , just enough for them to walk.make a few , thats all it takes just maybe three across the property,then they will use the ones you want them to.

It almost looks like a poaching problem...

Lunchbucket,
Guess I'm a little dense. What does "a poaching problem" have with no visible trails? I live on the land, am in the woods very regularily, either hunting or wood cutting. Our only poaching problem is when someone shoots in out hayfield at night. Road hunters at night are our biggest problem. Only one shot this year. The game warden has taken out 3 poachers in the last 5 years. (He likes to use our field for their decoy. Has perfect cover to watch them.)

Russ

Russ; I found this article that offers a solution to your problem.

Innovative Wildlife Opening Makes Young Pine Stand a Hunting Haven
Written by Mark Thomas and Bobby Watkins


Young pine stands often are full of whiteÂ*tailed deer and other game because they produce abundant food and cover. The problem, from a deer hunting standpoint, is that deer are hard to spot, particularly on recently harvested tracts. The good news is that we have devised an innovative yet simple solution to this problemÂ*a hubÂ*andÂ*spoke design that brings wildlife into clear view. This concept was developed and refined at the American Cyanamid research center in Cooksville, Mississippi. Landowners, hunters, and even many biologists tell us they have seen nothing like it‹but want to see more on other sites.

Here is how it was done. A 120Â*acre site adjacent to a hardwood forest was clearcut in 1992. Following harvest, we treated the site with Arsenal® herbicide at 24 ounces per acre, without a burn. The site was then planted with loblolly pine seedlings at 720 trees per acre. We then used a tractor and disc to create wavy wildlife feeding and viewing lanes. These lanes, or spokes as we call them, are about 35 feet wide and 100Â* - 400 yards long. They twist and turn, narrowing in places so that, to wildlife, the spokes appear to be natural openings.

At the intersection of the spokes (the hub) we erected a 16Â*footÂ*tall platform with an 8x8Â*foot landing and small blind. The platform is accessible by a trail opposite the spokes. It provides an excellent view of the entire length of each spoke.

In the spring, we applied lime and fertilizer and planted a perennial mix of ladino clover and ryegrass on the spokes. That fall, using a noÂ*till grain drill, we planted winter wheat and BioLogic Fall Attractant® into the clover/ryegrass cover. The wheat and BioLogic Fall Attractant® are annual crops and provide abundant forage when the clover and ryegrass die back.

During the growing season, we mowed an 8Â*foot swath on one side of each spoke and disced an equal path on the other side of the spoke. Smaller wildlife species, like birds and small mammals, frequent the mowed areas. Many birds, including quail and wild turkey, use the exposed soil for bugging and dusting.

The wavy disced and mowed swaths at the edges of our spokes enhance the edge effect. Between the spokes and the loblolly pine forest, broomsedge and blackberry flourish. This is called an ecotone‹a transition area between two adjacent habitats and very important to wildlife.

The area requires very little maintenance. All that is required is to replant the annual fall food crops, occasionally mow and disc the edges and eventually prune some branches as the trees along the spokes get larger. We expect this will remain a permanent and productive wildlife viewing and hunting resource through the entire timber rotation, including the two planned thinnings.

This also has improved the interspersion, or mixing of habitat components. The interspersion index (measure of habitat diversity) is measured by drawing an "X" on an aerial photo of your property and counting the number of different habitats each line crosses. For example, a typical pine forest has an interspersion index of one. By installing our hub and spokes and maintaining proper edges and ecotones, the interspersion index on our site now exceeds 20.

Where did this idea come from? Well, we had seen wildlife trails mowed in hardwood forests, but they were straight and narrow and deer just jumped across them. The same thing occurs along fire lanes and logging trails. Therefore, we developed a plan where the lanes are wider but snake back and forth, encouraging animals to linger in the openings. We believe it is much easier to create the openings after planting, even though some seedlings will be sacrificed. The openings take away very little timber production and we think more than compensate a landowner in terms of the site's hunting or wildlife viewing value.

Mark Thomas is a wildlife biologist and registered forester with American Cyanamid. Mark is a frequent contributor to Quality Whitetails. Bobby Watkins is an Agricultural Specialist with American Cyanamid. This is Bobby's first contribution to Quality Whitetails.

Article previously published in Quality Whitetails publication of the
The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA)