Freshly Timbered property

[SplitG2]

In all of my years of hunting and hunting many different pieces of property around my area, I have never once had to experience the task of hunting a freshly logged piece of timber. With that said, this year my #1 farm is being logged(as we speak) and I’m curious as to what will be the outcome and how one should approach.

I’m in hill country. The farm is 176 acres, 99% is all woods. Approximately 75 acres had everything 4” and bigger cut, approximately 50 is having everything 16” and bigger cut and the other approximately 50 acres is not being logged. I really don’t want to get into how bad of a job these loggers are doing but it’s terrible. Leaving the woods looking like an atomic bomb went off. Never seen a logging job this bad.

Anyways the area that will be free of logging will obviously still be able to be hunted nearly the same way but I have some great spots in the logged areas that I wonder what will become of them. I know in a few years they’ll likely be better again but does anyone have any experience with hunting freshly logged property that could provide any tips? Is the first year simply a crapshoot and I should just forget it until new growth really starts to return? Has anyone ever experienced an “ol reliable” spot still being good immediately after a fresh logging, almost as if the spot never skipped a beat.

[dannyboy]

We had the same thing happen where I hunt. I think they will skirt the edge until dark in the evening & be back in the edge first light. They should still use the same trails & their should be some growth through the end of summer.

[MOtgrinMI]

Following!

I am having a similar experience. The loggers were supposed to select cut but their select cut wasn't very selective (see image below). Most of the standing timber they left in there has no value for deer food and will likely die from the damage of the large equipment. They left some strips of timber around the edges and a pocket of timber where the elevation change was too steep for them risk. Will probably be amazing bedding cover in a couple years but this season in this section will be different for sure.

PANO_20200623_150141.vr - Copy.jpg

[ODH]

I hunted a freshly logged piece last year on opening day of gun season and a few times after, akin to your 16” and up section. Loggers paused cutting in mid Oct due to wet ground. So no clean up was done and the place was a mess. There was an abundance of fresh sign and including v big tracks in many places. On the opener there were deer in it all day long despite guns going off all around. The bedding had shifted to just off the property but deer were still using the logged piece for natural browse and eating the fresh leaves off the tops. I saw 16 deer that day which is way more than usual.

Every piece is going to be different but my two cents is plan to hunt that section like you normally do but scout your way in the first few times.

[Swedishbowhunter]

Sounds like your gonna have a lot of new "edges" to hunt!!

[Ghost Hunter]

Walk edge all way around and make notes of anything that is a good option. In two or three years it will be grown up and they will be chasing in it.

[Elite]

In about 2 years it will be so thick with poplars. Clear and select cuts are everywhere up here. The loggers destroy the forests and it indeed looks like an A bomb went off. However, deer love to bed in it!!

[justdirtyfun]

It's going to thicken up for sure.

Dan has mentioned spots will be consistent even when vegetation changes. But I don't think he meant that as a hard rule for everything. The contours and some thermal activity will still influence behavior.

So logging does look like a bomb went off, I have another level on a 40ac patch by me.
TSI Timber Stand Improvement
3 out of 5 trees are cut and then JUST LEFT LAYING. So this place is like a maze. NO way the same trails are being used.
I was able to walk it with GPS to mark clear runways where deer will have to travel. Dragged a few branches out of certain spots that could ALMOST be a trail.

Guys who didn't do early spring scouting have no idea this happened. I am rolling with the changes but pretty unknown territory this coming season.

[tim]

Go in scout it. If regular deer trails are blocked either unblock or note how deer have changed pattern to go around. Other than that the deer will love all the tops and new growth while it lasts for the next few years with regenerated growth. I just let the Amish take down a bunch of my dead and dieing ash and my neighbors also logged heavily. Not sure what will all change this year but deer are showing on my cams. I had my land logged a few years back and deer didn’t seem to mind much then either