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uturn

Senior Member
Man I would look forward to it. Our family farm had some timber clear cut last winter, but they had to come back to thin some this year and of course they started the 1st week in November facepalm:. I was really disappointed to say the least, thought I would get in one more hunt before they started but I passed the loggers heading out on my way in. Since I was already there I decided to hunt anyway...ended up killing the biggest buck that has been killed off the farm. This was my view from the stand that day.
Had a similar experience the 1st they cut the big track I had…think I drove up on 8 truckloads the morning of November 4th round 10 yrs ago…killed a heck of buck that afternoon!
 

buckpasser

Senior Member
Just started experimenting with fire on younger loblolly stands on our own property (less than 12 years old). I have also noticed the first three or four years after a plant hold a ton of deer but when they canopy out there's just nothing in there for the deer unless its bedding and then it needs to be close to water and food for them to really use it for bedding. I took a nine year old loblolly stand and ran a fire through it this past weekend. Temps were low and I waited to light the fire close to dark (5pm) with a humidity about 38 percent and rising....wind in the 7 mph range. I now wish I would have lit it earlier to get the fire a little hotter. It cleaned it out but I don't think I really opened up the canopy enough to obtain my goal of having a nice balance of young pines as well as a good area for wildlife to use. Time will tell I suppose. I did a smaller 12 acre tract to start that has a drain (natural fire break) separating it from a larger 24 acre tract. I didn't want to scorch 36 acres of pines of course. Once I saw how the fire wasn't going to go crazy I lit the larger tract. I asked two different foresters their thoughts on doing it. One was scared to death and noted that I may kill all the trees...the other was more in line with what actually happened. He told me he would be surprised if I got any mortality at all with the low temps and lighting it late in the day.

I would be surprised if you didn’t kill many of the trees to accomplish your objective. In fact, that’s the only way you’ll accomplish it. I never burn slash or lob stands until thinning, but that policy is for cash, not wildlife.
 

rstallings1979

Senior Member
I would be surprised if you didn’t kill many of the trees to accomplish your objective. In fact, that’s the only way you’ll accomplish it. I never burn slash or lob stands until thinning, but that policy is for cash, not wildlife
I would take 50 percent mortality. Just looks like I will be lucky to get 15. The temps were cold and it was a late day fire. Not as much ladder fuel in there as I thought as well. Maybe I will get lucky. In your opinion how soon will I see the trees turn brown that are not going to make it.
 

deers2ward

Senior Member
I would take 50 percent mortality. Just looks like I will be lucky to get 15. The temps were cold and it was a late day fire. Not as much ladder fuel in there as I thought as well. Maybe I will get lucky. In your opinion how soon will I see the trees turn brown that are not going to make it.
How did you make out with this?

I’m about to burn a 8 yr old loblolly stand. Local GFC crew is going to do it, but I will light the first match of course. How much mortality did you end up having?
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
We have at least 2 SC farms that will get some logging activity.

One I know for sure will have no activity once the 24 season gets here and one they are cruising right now.

We welcome it and doubly so if they are done by August. Easy to work around either way, tho.
 

furtaker

Senior Member
Timber cutting can be good and bad for deer hunting. I've sat on fresh clear-cuts and seen tons of deer before. And I've had great stands in the woods that were ruined because of cutting very close by that made the deer completely change their travel routes.

Logging can help the hunting sometimes but it's not always some awesome thing like some of you make it out to be. Having been around so much of it on various leases, I certainly don't welcome it when I see it. That big clear-cut will be un-huntable property in a few years after it's replanted and grown up.
 

ssramage

Senior Member
Our place in McIntosh County has been logged pretty aggressively over the last 2-3 years. 1500+ acres of 3000 I would guess. We still kill plenty of deer and I'd expect it to get better over the next several years as those pine stands are replanted and thicken up. You just have to move around and find the new patterns.

One negative that we have noticed is the increase in hogs. With a lot of their habitat (and food) being cut down, they're much more present/active in food plots, feeders, etc.
 

rstallings1979

Senior Member
How did you make out with this?

I’m about to burn a 8 yr old loblolly stand. Local GFC crew is going to do it, but I will light the first match of course. How much mortality did you end up having?
Not much at all...maybe 10 percent. Going to try again with a growing season burn this year. There is still a lot of fuel to burn in there. I tried on a cold day and started late (around 3:30). This next one will be a middle of the day start time...that is a fact.
 

elfiii

Admin
Staff member
wait until you see it after the helicopter sprays it with herbicide. Will turn your stomach.

Yep. It turns pine plantation into a pine straw wasteland. Holland Ware's outfit is due to spray their tract that surrounds me just any day now. :rolleyes:
 

Long Cut

Senior Member
We cut the family farm as well.
Timber prices are rough, but dying trees forced our hand. Some BIG wood came off this tract. Hate to see them go, but it freed up sunlight for select oaks and new forage.

Just apart of it unfortunately. In my opinion, a mature pine Savannah is arguably one of the best views on a crisp November morning.

IMG_0325.jpegIMG_0316.jpegIMG_0313.jpeg
 

deers2ward

Senior Member
We cut the family farm as well.
Timber prices are rough, but dying trees forced our hand. Some BIG wood came off this tract. Hate to see them go, but it freed up sunlight for select oaks and new forage.

Just apart of it unfortunately. In my opinion, a mature pine Savannah is arguably one of the best views on a crisp November morning.

View attachment 1286327View attachment 1286328View attachment 1286329
Somebody got some nice checks too. Fun to reset the board and create a new setup
 

ddd-shooter

Senior Member
We cut the family farm as well.
Timber prices are rough, but dying trees forced our hand. Some BIG wood came off this tract. Hate to see them go, but it freed up sunlight for select oaks and new forage.

Just apart of it unfortunately. In my opinion, a mature pine Savannah is arguably one of the best views on a crisp November morning.

View attachment 1286327View attachment 1286328View attachment 1286329
Long leaf Savannah would sure enough go a long way to improving wildlife!
I wish there was a better way to incentivize land owners to seem that path
 

Doc_Holliday23

Senior Member
I wish I could get somebody to get out and thin my place. I keep getting told that quotas are so high they’re only doing clear cuts and the larger the tract the better.
 

Kev

Senior Member
Just started experimenting with fire on younger loblolly stands on our own property (less than 12 years old). I have also noticed the first three or four years after a plant hold a ton of deer but when they canopy out there's just nothing in there for the deer unless its bedding and then it needs to be close to water and food for them to really use it for bedding. I took a nine year old loblolly stand and ran a fire through it this past weekend. Temps were low and I waited to light the fire close to dark (5pm) with a humidity about 38 percent and rising....wind in the 7 mph range. I now wish I would have lit it earlier to get the fire a little hotter. It cleaned it out but I don't think I really opened up the canopy enough to obtain my goal of having a nice balance of young pines as well as a good area for wildlife to use. Time will tell I suppose. I did a smaller 12 acre tract to start that has a drain (natural fire break) separating it from a larger 24 acre tract. I didn't want to scorch 36 acres of pines of course. Once I saw how the fire wasn't going to go crazy I lit the larger tract. I asked two different foresters their thoughts on doing it. One was scared to death and noted that I may kill all the trees...the other was more in line with what actually happened. He told me he would be surprised if I got any mortality at all with the low temps and lighting it late in the day.
I’ve burned under smaller trees like this. If air temps are low and your ground moisture is up it’s usually fine. Those trees do catch a lot of heat in the canopy but if fire intensity is relatively low, it will be fine.
 

Kev

Senior Member
Lincoln County. Tons of timber companies around and I've heard the same thing from two. Haven't been aggressively shopping it once I heard that but I'm starting to become impatient. :)
The pulpwood market in that part of the state is rough. There is now only one pulp mill in Augusta and they have most loggers on an extremely low quota. Take into account there was an extremely bad southern pine beetle outbreak this summer which flooded the mill.

I would say wait until the pine beetle wood cycles through and things might improve slightly. Also, do you have good dry land and how many acres needs to be thinned? I might can point you in a direction.
 

Doc_Holliday23

Senior Member
The pulpwood market in that part of the state is rough. There is now only one pulp mill in Augusta and they have most loggers on an extremely low quota. Take into account there was an extremely bad southern pine beetle outbreak this summer which flooded the mill.

I would say wait until the pine beetle wood cycles through and things might improve slightly. Also, do you have good dry land and how many acres needs to be thinned? I might can point you in a direction.
Thanks for the info. I’ll send you a PM.
 
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