Just found out that the farm me and my family have hunted for 20+ years is being logged.. The owner of the property passed away this year right after deer season and Im guessing his kids are the ones logging it. Haven't been up there yet to see what exactly is being logged... could be an end to the only private hunting ground I have. Not sure what im going to do yet but hopefully it wont be as bad as I am expecting.. Boy does this suck not sure where im going to hunt if I lose this property....
That sucks. Hope it isn't all that bad. Keep us posted as you hear more. Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2
As long as they don't clear cut the entire thing you should be fine. Anything they do clear cut will become a thick bedding area for the next several years. At least that's always been what happened on our land after a section is cut.
If its not clear cut and only select cut, you're going to be in business. My family has been in the logging business for 70+ years and I've seen first hand the benefits of a select cut. Be prepared to hunt some nasty, thick stuff a few years after its cut after the regeneration kicks in. We routinely select cut pieces of our ground every 10 years or so. The crazy thing is, the deer know the sound of a chainsaw and will equate it to the dinner bell pretty quickly. We've seen many deer in and around the job while the guys worked. They aren't bothered by the noise and commotion one bit.
This is a blessing in disguise. Deer prefer thick new growth woods to old growth forests. Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2
I was thinking the same thing. It very well might be making your hunting land much better. Deer will take this: Over this:
Also, keep in mind that if it is clear cut it will grow quick. It will amaze you the way forest regenerates. Sure it might be difficult to get a treestand up in some places but you can overcome that with ground blinds or building elevated box blinds.
This could definitely be a good thing. Up at school this year I saw some major logging going on next to my apartment complex. I thought it would have destroyed the deer's travel lanes, cover, food, etc. Over the next few weeks I noticed the deer never left the area, but were attracted to the logging site. They were there during all hours of the day eating the tops off of downed trees. I also never knew the herd was as big as it was until the area was logged.
Unless they are bringing in the bulldozer to push it out, you will be good. You said the landowner died? Thats your bigger issue.
Thanks to all the replies. I never thought of it as being a blessing in disguise but it does make sense. The peice we hunt is long but narrow and roughly 150 acres. My worries is that if they clearcut it and bulldoz everything to the side and burn it, which is how they done it many, many years ago, how is that going to affect the deer. Our property is kinda like a sanctuary to the deer since there is a lot of government property around us that is pressured really bad, they sorta gather on our property since there isnt as much pressure. We kill a good bit over our deer as the come from the government onto our property. I guess what im worried about is how that is going to affect the deer if they do clearcut the timber, will they still come to our property or go somewheres else?
If its clear cut and burned, you will see major changes in deer activity, but only temporarily (maybe only 1-3 seasons) unless they plan on building on the property. The loss of large timber stands will only clear the skies for the re-growth of the forest floor and you will see some re-growth within the year that its cleared. Deer LOVE to graze on the re-growth of plants. The sugar maple sapling in my yard could have told you that. I personally hunt a large portion of a clear cut parcel that had been bulldozed, and that place is teaming with wildlife and food. The biggest factor that you'll have to adapt to is a change in their movement patterns. What was once a heavily traveled highway, may change to another part of the property. Judging by the amount of hunting pressure the surrounding area gets, my guess is that your honey hole will still be the best place to hunt in the area. All in all, you'll be fine
Hope they dont log the whole thing on ya. In far norther IL and southern WI I see em rip trees down like nothing. Keep my fingers crossed for ya.
Depends as some loggers only take the trees that drop acorns, then when the acorns fall somewhere else you will wonder what happened to the deer and to the turkeys.
I had a property I hunt logged last year and they came in for the pine trees. I was really bummed at first until I went and did some scouting after they were done. It ended up opening some trees I never had access to that allowed me to get some great stand setups. I also got access to some good deer trails. I hope it all works out for you!
