Clear cut maintenance

[Nolimit2game]

Our long term lease was partially clear cut last November .
Last weekend I sprayed for couple new food plots on edge of the clear cut. Planned on bringing skid steer in two week and prepping them. I was wondering what every one thought of making a trail around the perimeter of the clear cut where it butts thickets or hard woods/creek. The forest guys left a mess and my thought is to make some quiet access and to make it easier on my side by side if we run a feeder.
Any other ideas to make the clear cut better or things not to do. We are big on bow hunting but also gun hunt:

 

[Gadestroyer74]

I wouldn’t do no more than you had too.. you clear the trails deer gonna walk them which could help and hurt. How big of a plot are you intending to make ? How big is the clear cut area ? Are there any other areas really thick ? Is there any plans to replant the clear cut ? A lot of questions need to be ask before you decide where to put a plot. What are your desired goals for the plot ? Kill plot or sanctuary area ? Annual or perennial plot ?

 

[Nolimit2game]

Plan is to eventually plant for pines
I sprayed for 3 new 1/2 acre kill plots on edge of clear cut.
1 trac of land is rectangular 100 acres with probably 80 clear cut. This trac has 150 yards wide creek/ hard woods along one side then neighbors 130 acre peanut field. This seems where bachelor groups bed.
Other 3 sides is road, hardwoods and rail road tracks.
The other trac across street is 200 acres 70 acres cleared.
80 acres of peanut field and rest north side thicket east neighbor crp/hard wood
East and west road and fields.
Fields do good until peanuts are harvested.
The clear cut kills my sxs.

 

[Gadestroyer74]

Just from what you’re saying I would leave as much of that clear cut un touched for bedding cover. With you having hardwoods and peanuts on that one side this would make a major bedding area and I would hunt the edges going to and from fields and hard woods. I’m sure they will spray it and kill everything prior to planting pines. Once the pines come up and start growing they may pray again to kill out the weeds. They did this on a tract we was on last year.. it’s gonna take a lot of soil amending to get the soil ph right to even get a good food plot. Then there is the chance they could plant trees through your plots.. that clear cut will provide way more forage protein per acre than your food plots will by far.. post some aerial pics if you have them. Pics do alot more good

 

[antharper]

Is it your property , timber company or private leased land .

 

[Nolimit2game]

Private land lease.
What do you think about trail around the edge? That way could walk it quietly since now it’s all sticks/debris and could set and tend a feeder at the back corners if needed.
Think with getting all sticks out of the way it would grow in better and give some better bow opportunities

 

[Full Draw McGraw]

I hunt public land and basically every clearcut on a WMA has a firebreak around the perimeter. Some of these firebreaks are maintained over the years and others are not. It makes the access easier and i don't think the deer mind it one bit.

 

[Long Cut]

I’m always an advocate for multiple access options.

As GaDestroyer mentioned, the deer will use them as well. I’ve seen some big bucks bed right off fire breaks on multiple properties. Public & private.

I’d cut and plan now before they plant.

 

[Nolimit2game]

The owner and forester have been pleasant to work with even though they started cutting on thanksgivings week vacation trip lol. They left every tree I wanted or had a stand in.
My thought is to make access trail around edge of clear cut with a few plots, that way when it either gets planted or gets crazy thick still plenty area to hunt and access.
The thicket that is there now was clear cut in 94 and has a access trail through the middle with couple of stands with out that trail that whole area is pretty much unhuntable.

 

[Gadestroyer74]

I deff would keep that fire break clean as you mentioned.. I agree with @Long Cut. I like to have different access points to walk based on wind where you can. If you can’t always hunt and hang your stands on the wind. You will mess way more up by educating the deer that you are there. Sounds like you have an excellent property.. we can do all this planning scouting stand hanging plots feeders etc.. it only takes one time to let a big buck know your there and unless the rut brings him by he has changed his pattern or went nocturnal.. if a feeder hasn’t been there I wouldn’t start one now. I would either put a pvc pipe on a tree or just tote corn and dump it out. Peanuts and acorns will be good till they are all gone. Put up your feeder after deer season and let them get use to it. The get alittle spooky around new stuff..

 

[buckpasser]

I’m not a fan of cutting roads around a cutover for deer hunting. For best success only cut dead end roads to wherever you need to get. Also try cutting shooting lanes that don’t connect to the edge or continue all the way to the stand. Through roads or perimeter breaks provide a nonstop highway for predators and deer learn to avoid them as much as possible.

 

[Crakajak]

I would want to know if the landowner is going to plant pine trees or let it grow back natural before making such decisions.

 

[bany]

Animals love a path or road. Easy on your machine is a bonus. Hiking up a tree on the edge of a clear cut and a path? Double bonus?

 

[kmckinnie]

Well deer travel from point a to point b. Weather a cut or woods. We watched a cut and seen the paths they used. We set up stands to what we watched. We also made a path around the edges. 100 acres cut looks small. 100 acres with 10’ pines feels big. We had some plots on the edge and some at loading ramps. Once the pines was planted we put up good box stand to look down the rows where we seen them travel especially where we noticed several trails intersected to a main trail then branch back out. If u look at a cow pasture u will see trails they use to travel. In that pasture there’s always a ruff spot and they have a place to cross it. Putting good stand up in the middle to watch edges works til the trees grow. That why u may move to see down rows later. When they plant they tend to follow contours to help with erosion as the pine grow. On tops that are flat they plant straighter lines. I’m a arrowhead hunter so hills next to creeks I’d be spending my time. Lols.
Good luck.

 

[buckpasser]

There will be tons of deer tracks going right down the path, but the big buck tracks will mostly just be crossing it.

 

[kmckinnie]

There will be tons of deer tracks going right down the path, but the big buck tracks will mostly just be crossing it.

Why is the that.

 

[buckpasser]

Why is the that.

I reckon they are smarter and don’t want to get deflated.

 

[kmckinnie]

I reckon they are smarter and don’t want to get deflated.

So your saying deer know it’s a gun. And go across paths instead of walking down it.

 

[buckpasser]

So your saying deer know it’s a gun. And go across paths instead of walking down it.

Maybe it’s the constant contact with coyotes? I don’t really know. I do know a big buck (in my area) typically won’t use a fresh, clean dozer trail or firebreak to traverse a clear cut. Does and fawns will, but he will parallel and cross typically speaking.

 

[kmckinnie]

Maybe it’s the constant contact with coyotes? I don’t really know. I do know a big buck (in my area) typically won’t use a fresh, clean dozer trail or firebreak to traverse a clear cut. Does and fawns will, but he will parallel and cross typically speaking.

To me. A doe with a yearling would avoid coyotes. Why would she travel a ambush trail. Guess she ain’t as smart as that big Ol buck ?