Deer Hunting in Logged Woods?

K

Kobra

New member
I hunted this season quite a bit in the woods on our farm and the neighbors surrounding woods. This summer my neighbor auctioned her timber and they came in and cut the hell out of it. Took every tree much bigger than 14" in diameter. She has 80+ acres. They were gone by bow season - Oct 1. They left tons and tons of treetops - plenty of places to hide in my book. Normally the hunting pressure in these woods is pretty light except during modern gun season.

Anyway, I failed to see one deer all season there. Normally just stumbling around I see 3 to 4 every year in varying places. I found some tracks on occasion but just based on past memory there was less this year. So are the deer gone or was this just a funny year? It appears they left the vicinity totally. I would have guessed they would have moved into the surrounding woods (ours and the other neighbors) but apparently they have moved quite a distance

With the other neighbors and us, there are several hundred other acres of bottomland timber beside hers. I figure they just relocated due to all the destruction and machinery and people.

Anyone have some experience with this kind of hunting situation? Or advice that years of experience has shown.
 
I don't know personally, but my southern Ohio friends have told me that clear cut areas are great after a couple of years. Whitetails love the new growth. Probably not what you wanted to hear this year, but the future may be bright.
 
Gentlemen,

In my day (real) job, I am a logging engineer, so I spend a lot of time in woods that have been or are being logged, and I can safely say that deer like logged off ground. It isn't uncommon to see them around, and elk too for that matter, when the equipment is still in the area. I don't know the particulars on the situation you are referring to, but logging generally doesn't deter deer or elk from using an area.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
The Safari Specialists
www.slatesafaris.com
 
They just got spooked from all this summer's activity. Saws, machinery, guys hollaarin over the noise, and human urine have a tendency to do that.

But, like these other guys said, just give it a year, maybe a year and a half. The deer will come back twicefold. New growth that's easy to reach and plenty of cover to sleep are what the deer love. It'll end up that you'll have better luck there in a year or two than anywhere else.

Use this opportunity to scope out some nice spots for stands and sittin spots. This is a rare opprtunity to see the acrage like it will be next fall - no leaves, low brush. While the deer are away, you can build you some nice cover in there exactly where you want it, and the deer won't smell your activity.
 
Another thing to consider - did the loggin equipment tear up the ground much? The usual forage in that immedate area may have suffered some and be a little less tempting to them because of what it's been through this summer. But it will definately be back and so will the deer...
 
Something to consider... I hunt in Southeastern Ohio where the clearcut idea happens all the time. This year an area was cut not to far from our usual hunting area, it looked really bare so we didn't go there until the last day. We hadn't seen any deer all week, and because of that somehow my brother and I just both ended up there the last afternoon. We quickly discovered that was were all the deer were!!! Problem is you had to step on them to get them to move and when they just laid in the left over brush and tree tops they were invisible.

We ended up hunting them like rabbits, we didn't get any but my brother say a couple of really nice bucks in all that mess!


Moral of the story...Hunt them like rabbits when in the clear cuts!!!
 
I love hunting cut areas. Contrary to what the environmentalists dorks say, clear cutting can be very beneficial to wildlife. Over the next few years that should be a good spot to hunt.

BTW, I have seen deer feeding around timber equipment that was still popping as it cooled down.

Jack
 
It's funny about clearcuts. Highly beneficial to many animals; detrimental to songbirds.

A study done in the Ozark timber country revealed that clear-cutting of small acreages (20 to 40 acres) improves deer habit dramatically. Unfortunately, the added miles of "edges" alongside the cutover areas allows raccoons and cuckoos access to get to songbird nests.

Every silver lining has a cloud.

Art
 
Well my general theory on this was basically what you all said. I was just curious about anyone hunting these areas. Nice to know some of the people here do.

The ground is destoyed due to the dozers and such. Piles of brush and dirt where there once wasn't cover, new roads, tree tops every where...it will be interesting next year, especially now that my neighbor passed away and some one else will own it by March. With my luck someone who is not friendly to hunting or other neighbors.
 
Where is southern ohio are you guys hunting?Know of any good leases or private property?I am looking for a lease or private property to hunt since our lease in hocking(sp) county went south!I found the public area's much to crowded during the week of gun season!I love to stalk hunt as much as the next guy.But stand hunting is usually more productive and it bothers me when I am on stand to have 3 or 4 hunters pass through In a single dayA:):):)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top