old clear cut on a new property

[codraible]

I am purchasing a property about 80 acres, about 40 of it was select cut about 7 years ago, the owner said he did not hunt or lease the property. So I know the best years for the clear cut are probably over but I would like to restore or enhance the clear cut to maintain good natural browse and bedding. It is very thick mostly briar and small trees. I've read a few post that suggested cutting lanes and then fertilizing is a good plan. but that would only effect the areas that are cut the rest would continue to mature. I've searched the web but cant seam to find any long term plan for keeping clear cuts optimal any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

Rent a brush cutter bobcat for one day each year.

 

[codraible]

Ya I think that is what I may end up doing but I do not want to run off existing deer in the process, would it make sense to alternate cut areas to keep from disturbing all the bedding areas

 

[WayneB]

In my 30+ years in building big buildings, clearing usually attracts deer for the easy forage on the ground during after mulching.
Last week we had around 20 deer come out of the woods to check us out, D6, a D8 , two excavators with grapples and a grinder all running at different spots on the tract, and they walked up and started foraging off the windrowed trees.
We even had a flock of turkey cross Saturday as the wife and I were culling some firewood and alaska milling some planks.
It may startle them for a bit, but they are nosey and will be back.

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

Ya I think that is what I may end up doing but I do not want to run off existing deer in the process, would it make sense to alternate cut areas to keep from disturbing all the bedding areas

Personally I wouldn’t do anything until I knew a booner wasn’t livin in it.
I don’t think a deer loves it when you cut down his hideout but the herd will come back before you shut the machine off.

 

[F.A.R.R.]

Cutting firebreaks and then burning every few years is something you may consider.

 

[bilgerat]

Id leave it alone and hunt the edge's

 

[JustUs4All]

Read post #4 again. The last time we cut the very best place to kill a deer would have been from the seat of some of the logging equipment that was parked for the night. Deer are drawn to fresh earth and to cuttings because it means browse can be easily found.

If you want to keep it you could run a heavy brush cutter over 1/3 of it alternating between which 1/3 while allowing the rest to thicken up. The thirds could be strips or larger blocks. Use your imagination.

 

[Lilly001]

I had a similar issue with a 20 acre grown over clear cut on my property.
I cut two food plots out of it. One about an acre and the other about 3 acres.
I just disc the plots each year and plant oats.
After 3 years they have turned into great food plots.
I cut trails in the rest to access the plots.
I have deer all over my plots and running the creeks to and from them.

 

[Henry Road]

Google - Early Successional Habitat (ESH) - Craig Harper has a great book on the subject. To halt or delay the natural progression of plant growth you have to set it back. And you are right, there is a point at about 10 years where that succession starts to get less useful and interesting to deer.

And if you are serious about managing the property for deer I highly recommend learning how to safely use fire to maintain the ESH - because they love it. Georgia Forestry offers certification classes and training for landowners. It's by far your best tool and easy to learn how to do it safely. It obviously can be dangerous but I personally think it is worth the effort to get familiar with using it properly. The training and information is great but hands on experience it key. If you have never done it - volunteer to help someone who does and see what you think. Or you can hire a burn crew or the GFC to do it for you.

Next to using fire your best bet it to use some type of mechanical disturbance - disking, roller chopping, or heavy crimper. Something as simple as dragging logs tied to a piece of chain link fence will do the trick. Anything to 'beat back' what is there and allow other seeds in the seedbank to respond. The time of year you do the disturbance (this goes for fire too) will determine the response. Also, if you have a good bit of undesirable saplings (such as sweetgum) that might be too big for a disk - go to hack n' squirt or cut them off with a chainsaw and paint the stumps with herbicide. Bigger trees you can girdle with a chainsaw and leave standing to die and the smaller ones you can do a basal spray application to kill them. Right now is a great time of year to do that kind of work in the woods.

As suggested above - first order it to get some firebreaks cut. 80 acres - I would try and divide it into 4 twenty acre parcels. And then within those parcels - look for ways to make even smaller parcels that you can manage by yourself or with little help.

 

[codraible]

Thank all of you for your input, Your knowledge is appreciated. The controlled fire scares me because I have never done this but you have given me the information needed to make that a consideration. I have only walked the property lines so far but looking forward to getting in there to see whats going on. Hopefully there is a big booner as you suggested Mr. BL. The owner told me a forestry professional is buying the other parcel next door so I hope to work with him to make it the best it can be.

 

[sportsman94]

I would definitely look into old field management in conjunction with the ESH. Try to turn it into a forb and NWSG prairie and it should make for some awesome cover/hunting opportunities.

 

[Triple C]

Google - Early Successional Habitat (ESH) - Craig Harper has a great book on the subject. To halt or delay the natural progression of plant growth you have to set it back. And you are right, there is a point at about 10 years where that succession starts to get less useful and interesting to deer.

And if you are serious about managing the property for deer I highly recommend learning how to safely use fire to maintain the ESH - because they love it. Georgia Forestry offers certification classes and training for landowners. It's by far your best tool and easy to learn how to do it safely. It obviously can be dangerous but I personally think it is worth the effort to get familiar with using it properly. The training and information is great but hands on experience it key. If you have never done it - volunteer to help someone who does and see what you think. Or you can hire a burn crew or the GFC to do it for you.

Next to using fire your best bet it to use some type of mechanical disturbance - disking, roller chopping, or heavy crimper. Something as simple as dragging logs tied to a piece of chain link fence will do the trick. Anything to 'beat back' what is there and allow other seeds in the seedbank to respond. The time of year you do the disturbance (this goes for fire too) will determine the response. Also, if you have a good bit of undesirable saplings (such as sweetgum) that might be too big for a disk - go to hack n' squirt or cut them off with a chainsaw and paint the stumps with herbicide. Bigger trees you can girdle with a chainsaw and leave standing to die and the smaller ones you can do a basal spray application to kill them. Right now is a great time of year to do that kind of work in the woods.

As suggested above - first order it to get some firebreaks cut. 80 acres - I would try and divide it into 4 twenty acre parcels. And then within those parcels - look for ways to make even smaller parcels that you can manage by yourself or with little help.

Good advice given here. Break it up into 3 different zones and run fire thru each zone on a 3 yr rotation.

 

[codraible]

ESH is exactly what I have been looking for, just did not know what it was called. I will be reading up on this

 

[jakebuddy]

I think,
Determine realistic goals
Figure out your budget
Enjoy the process
Manipulating a thicket for deer is kinda hard to mess up. Fire breaks would be my first thing perimeter and cross breaks. You don’t have to burn but you can use them for access until you determine your next step.

 

[Darkwater]

Chop and burn

 

[codraible]

The more I read about this the more it seems vital to a good hunting property. The overall benefits to other wildlife is an obvious plus. Many of the articles that i read were not from a hunter perspective, there is way more to ESH than just deer habitat. Thanks to all who sent me in the right direction. GON is the best forum I have found
lots of people sharing good knowledge

 

[bluemarlin]

I bet the deer are bedding in it right now.