Logging recovery

[Luckybuck]

OK so last year we had our property select cut. Went from 250 stems per acre to 100 stems per acre. Needless to say it has really opened the property up. Had fantastic stump growth and thousand of new seedling popping up. My concern is I can't find the deer, at all. 2nd yr in a row without seeing a deer on opening weekend of gun season. I have no scrape or rub activity on the property that I can find. And have only a handful of deer on trail cameras.
My question for those who have had logging done, what is the turn around time when deer start using a property again? TIA

 

[TenPoint]

Haven’t logged ever but I’ve read year 3-5 and beyond.

 

[cavey]

They should be in there from the start, eating the buds off the tops; then eating all the new growth - then using it more and more for cover as everything grows up. They definitely should be coming in for all the browse, downed tops should give them some cover for bedding. How many acres are we talking and in general what area up here are you located in- do you have ag land around you? Or forest? Is the property an island to itself set apart from other areas of woods/cover. It is hard to believe that your not seeing any deer - something has to be coming into play more than just the logging. Select cutting - even if done a bit aggressive should not push all the deer out all the time.

 

[bwoods11]

OK so last year we had our property select cut. Went from 250 stems per acre to 100 stems per acre. Needless to say it has really opened the property up. Had fantastic stump growth and thousand of new seedling popping up. My concern is I can't find the deer, at all. 2nd yr in a row without seeing a deer on opening weekend of gun season. I have no scrape or rub activity on the property that I can find. And have only a handful of deer on trail cameras.
My question for those who have had logging done, what is the turn around time when deer start using a property again? TIA

What state are you in?

No deer on camera either?

 

[Apple Junkie]

This is a bit scary becasue my timber is marked and slated for harvest in the next 6 to 9 months.

According to the State and professonal foresters, there should be more deer using the ground because of improved cover (tops) and food (sun promoting low growth). The state forester told me to shoot every deer I see (legally of course) the first couple years after harvest to allow the forest to regenerate itself. So to respond to your question... The logging should not negitively impact your deer herd. That said, theory and reality don't always go hand in hand. I'm looking forward to hearing others experience, and yours going forward.

 

[Dukslayr]

This is a bit scary becasue my timber is marked and slated for harvest in the next 6 to 9 months.

According to the State and professonal foresters, there should be more deer using the ground because of improved cover (tops) and food (sun promoting low growth). The state forester told me to shoot every deer I see (legally of course) the first couple years after harvest to allow the forest to regenerate itself. So to respond to your question... The logging should not negitively impact your deer herd. That said, theory and reality don't always go hand in hand. I'm looking forward to hearing others experience, and yours going forward.

So my father is a retired forester and I grew up hunting the 140 Tree Farm my family still owns in central Missouri (northern part of the Ozark range). In the years that we have owned the farm (28) I can remember us doing 3 timber sales; all of them select harvest to remove declining/dying trees and improve the overall structure and health of the forest. We never removed anything close to 50% of the stems (I think that’s what the original poster mentioned), but after each harvest the deer were back in our cut over areas as thick as ever, if not thicker. The same goes for areas that we have performed TSI (usually the year following TSI). My questions would be what the following:
1. What was attracting the deer to the property previously?
2. What was harvested and what was left?
3. What was the goal of the harvest?

 

[ruskbucks]

I had mine done 3 years ago.(53 acres of 80). The year after the cutting the deer were in there thick all year. Hunting season came around and they were few and far between. The second year the aspen regrowth was awesome and they changed their patterns but where there all year. Hunting season was good and we shot a good mature buck. This year marks the third season since logging and the woods hardly looks like it was ever logged. Deer numbers were good. My 10 year old harvested his first deer ( 8 pt and a doe. Wife missed a big one. The deer really really like the small 1-2 acre clear cuts we did inside the select cut. I wouldn't get discouraged. I would say it just needs to get some of that undergrowth going. The nastier the better.

 

[weekender21]

That seems odd. I purchased my property as it was being logged and the deer didn't seem to mind. There was tons of sign prior to, during and immediately following the logging operations. A major change to the habitat will certainly change movement to some degree but a serious thinning typically does more good for deer than bad.

I have noticed that summer cover and food was almost immediate while late season cover seems to take a few years to fill in. The areas that were logged two and three years ago are now very thick and provide good cover in November and December when you need it the most.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

We've done 3 loggings at my camp in the last 25 years and the deer moved into the tops the same night we started cutting. We found fresh beds in the tops the morning after we started cutting. Deer moved out during the day - right back in at night. It was a feast for them with all the tops on the ground. The last logging we did was 3 years ago and the sun getting to the ground has spurred growth of seedlings, stump shoots, and all kids of forbs. I don't think the logging scared any deer away at our place - if anything, they increased their activity in the logged area. Before logging, that area was a wide open, mature piece of woods. No browse at deer level, and no cover at all. When snow was on the ground, no tracks went through there.

We also supplemented natural re-growth by planting Norway and white spruce in the cut areas. Now deer use those logged areas all the time & in all seasons. That's our experience with logging.

 

[Aaron]

I have seen this happen by me. I hunt a valley funnel, the valley runs north and south. The 40 south of me was logged. The next door neighbor had a guy come in and select cut aspen in 2004. I shot a nice buck that fall. But I didn’t see much for deer until 2009. It wasn’t as thick as before, now it is thick and deer are moving through again. I had some very select cutting of some big trees on my land this last winter, but I didn’t let them go in to the valley and I have deer. My logger only took the big trunk saw log part of the trees and left the rest in the woods. So I have lots of tops plus I did have hinge cuttings in my sanctuary. It might take a few years. I would go hinge cut some bedding areas in some places where the deer bedded before the logging was done. Just cut some junk trees. That will give you some quick bedding cover until the woods has a chance to grow up.

 

[j-bird]

I have had my place cut twice...I will say that I don't think I cut mine as hard as you did. I also only removed "junk" trees or trees that where damaged. As such I retained many of my oaks. The additional sunlight caused an explosion of new growth the following summers. I saw deer use even thru the logging process.... BUT. I also had a large amount of cover next to me on a neighboring property. So the deer didn't go far at all. Depending on what you removed, what things look like now and how your land sits it may take some time for the deer to return. If they took a lot of oak, but left a lot of maple, that's not good. If your property is essentially an island of cover and the deer have limited places to come from now...that's not good. Once the understory thickens up to the point where you struggle to walk thru it....I am confident that the deer will be back...as long as they have the other habitat requirements they need. These points are where a logger or forester can look at a property far differently than a habitat manager.

 

[MRBB]

HOW was the logging done, tops left all over or piled up, chipped or??
deer don't like wide open spaces, so untill cover is back odds are deer won';t be back, unless a LOT of prime food is going to draw them there?
HOW long does that take, depends on too many factors to say for you
but in MY area its about 3-5yrs
high deer numbers can actually SLOW This down even longer as they will devour new growth unless better foods are there for them , or both, better food drawing them in,they will snack on new growth till they reach food plots
this is why many folks timber is steps, so always have cover to hold deer while new cover grows

 

[Bowsnbucks]

MRBB - You're absolutely right about high deer numbers and eating the new growth. That's why we planted more food plots and apple / crab trees, so they'd browse lightly on their way to better chow in the food plots. Having a year-round source of nutritious food is a good way to lighten the load on new growth - probably anywhere.

FWIW for Luckybuck - We left our tops - at the advice of our foresters - as "free fencing" around stumps so the stump sprouts could get established before deer could nip them to the ground. We also made some piles - nothing crazy big - to make bedding cover and wind breaks for deer, & nesting cover for grouse and turkeys. The tops also protected our spruce plantings from nipping deer, as well as giving other seedlings a chance to get established as they grew up through the tops.

But as for drop-off or turn-around time …………. we didn't see any drop off in deer use of our logged areas. It increased, if anything. Logging accelerated deer use in previously un-used areas of wide open timber.

Guys in ag areas may see a totally different reaction to logging.

 

[MRBB]

having food plots can work both ways., it can pull deer from farther away for better eat's
and while staging up many will eat new growth
so its not a sure fire way to help things grow faster after timbering LOL

 

[Bowsnbucks]

^^^^^ That's true enough !!! It wasn't a 100% solution at our place either. They just seemed to be in a bigger hurry to get into the plots, so if it saved some seedlings ……...….

 

[Lee Haakenson]

I had an area logged this summer in west central Wi. General area is rolling hills with 40% ag / 60% timber. Deer usage increased. Then after freezing temps killed back vegitation in November, deer usage was lower than normal. I had some areas clear cut and some shelterwood harvest. I have photos from early season and current for comparison.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Luckybuck]

What state are you in?

No deer on camera either?

I'm in West Central WI. I have deer on camera but even that number is low.

 

[Luckybuck]

So my father is a retired forester and I grew up hunting the 140 Tree Farm my family still owns in central Missouri (northern part of the Ozark range). In the years that we have owned the farm (28) I can remember us doing 3 timber sales; all of them select harvest to remove declining/dying trees and improve the overall structure and health of the forest. We never removed anything close to 50% of the stems (I think that’s what the original poster mentioned), but after each harvest the deer were back in our cut over areas as thick as ever, if not thicker. The same goes for areas that we have performed TSI (usually the year following TSI). My questions would be what the following:
1. What was attracting the deer to the property previously?
2. What was harvested and what was left?
3. What was the goal of the harvest?

1. Previously we had small food plots and the acorns
2. Harvest was to remove as much oak wilt infected trees to stop the spread. Removed junk trees and some pines to allow more light in.
3. I wanted more new growth for the deer and to make it thicker overall. Some places it was so open underneath it kind of looked like a park.

 

[Luckybuck]

HOW was the logging done, tops left all over or piled up, chipped or??
deer don't like wide open spaces, so untill cover is back odds are deer won';t be back, unless a LOT of prime food is going to draw them there?
HOW long does that take, depends on too many factors to say for you
but in MY area its about 3-5yrs
high deer numbers can actually SLOW This down even longer as they will devour new growth unless better foods are there for them , or both, better food drawing them in,they will snack on new growth till they reach food plots
this is why many folks timber is steps, so always have cover to hold deer while new cover grows

The tops were piled up but nothing extreme. Some areas are wide open as the tops are only a couple feet tall. Neighbor watched some deer last tuesday walk the edge of his property and once it got past the cut they continued out into the woods on his but not on ours. Trying to make prime food but that is in steps.

 

[Luckybuck]

The plan was to make a trail around our property instead of going through the center of the property. This was roughly 50% accomplished as the longer had to put in some water breaks on the hills and agreed to put in my "road" if it wasn't to far out of his way. Have been clearing tops and marking stumps on where I want my "road" to go for removal, and use some tops for firewood. For the most part I am trying to stay on the edges and let the center grow up. Did see a deer yesterday morning and one in the afternoon. Thanks for the feedback.