Need some help!!!

[Hoosier Huntress]

Firediver,
Wipe the tears, I think you might find that this may end up being a blessing in disguise. That is unless the loggers cut all of the oak or fruit trees down. Often when tops are left, this acts as a deer magnet. We saw it first hand on the property we have permission to hunt. Two years ago, loggers came through and it looks like a bomb went off. Made us sick. But we have seen that by clearing some of the big trees, and opening up the canopy it helped "kick-start" some of the young tender growth (stuff deer like) to florish. Also another benefit we found was the "junk treetops that we thought was a problem ended up being a huge blessing as these areas provided perfect habit for deer to retreat too, have their fawns in, in addition to other animals like quail have not flourished in this area. We used the logging paths as a perfect place to set up a stand and ambush. I think as long as there are still nut/fruit producing types of trees you will be ok.
I think you will be happy in the end.

[Hoosier Huntress]

One other thought...if hunting on this piece of 400 acres that has now been timbered still makes you sick, I am sure that we can find someone on the forum here (ME ME ME) that could take the burden off of you

[firediver]

Once I clean it up some it won't look so bad. I just hate seeing trees cut down....and the mess the loggers left Plus, they cut a tree down with one of my stands in it and broke the climbing stix.

There is one area in particular that was the worlds best funnel. 90% of the trees are now gone.....and the tops of them are laying everywhere.

I am in no way complaining about the fact that the owner had it logged out...it is his property and his business. I just hate the mess....and the new roads they plowed through the remaining timber....and the damage to trees that were left.

It will be funny if I'm back in the fall posting a picture of a giant buck I killed in the woods that got logged out. That would suck

FYI......they only took walnuts. The good news is....I won't have to wear a helmet this fall in a few of those stands.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by nhbowhunter21

Don't fret. I was in a treestand this last year and unbeknowst to my the abutting owner had decided to lumber, with numerous men, trucks and skidders. I sat for two hours in the tree less than 1/8 of a mile from me and was getting ready to stand up when I saw a doe sneaking from the sound of the saws. She definately had them within earshot and probably could see their movement but she wasn't making any mad dash to get out of the area.

I checked the next day and there were tracks all over the logging area. They love it.

I've actually heard from loggers I know, that in the winter, when they've been working an area for a while and the deer know they are not a threat, they can drop a tree and the deer will move in and start feeding on the tops while they're cutting the trunk free to haul out with a skidder.

[firediver]

Hey Adam!!!!

Bad news.........the skyscraper stand is still standing!!!!

[Arrowmike]

I feel your pain. This last season I went through the same thing. What a mess it was! Deer are still there, but it did change the way they move. Good luck.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by firediver

Hey Adam!!!!

Bad news.........the skyscraper stand is still standing!!!!

Guess I better find a used parachute on Ebay before I come out this year...

[ladybowhntr]

Originally Posted by Adam

I don't know if food plots would work. FireDivers property's are like 10 acre woodlots surrounded by a million acres of corn and soybeans, mostly corn.

Ok, so I'm exaggerating a little, it's probably more like 8 acre woodlots surrounded by a million acres of corn!

I say put in the plots. If the bucks can see the ag fields inside where the tops and brush are thick, they will stay in there til dark. Make your funnels so you can get to a good tree where it is thick (for the bucks), but, where he can see the does moving out to the fields and he'll feed near you (in the treestand/groundblind) and you'll have a great ambush site. Try to do this in several places and you may very well be in buck heaven this fall!!!!

[nhbowhunter21]

I just hope that the logging here in this area didn't take away the best winter cover for the deer herd. I heard that in one of the local towns they found 18 deer in one deeryard that died of starvation this winter.

[Snip]

We did not clear-cut our ranch but did a selective harvest on some trees and it made a great improvement to the habitat. The first couple months it looked like a war zone but the grass came up so much sticker, taller, and greener it was quite impressive. The people that did our place came back and cleaned it up nice and made slash piles of all of the leftovers and we burned them a couple years later. If it was logged anything like our ranch I would just leave it be and use the new natural funnels the loggers made. One thing you might keep a close eye on is the new weeds that will be coming up.