TSI aftermath

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I have been doing a lot of work in some of my timber stands which mainly involved felling undesirable trees and some girdling. But with that I feel like I’ve created a lot of deadfall mess and some impenetrable tangles of cedars and treetops. Can this really be an improvement of what was currently there? I fear I’ve made a low value stand a zero value stand for deer and turkey. Anyone deal with this or have some words of advice?
In this pic all the pines you see were standing till I came through and went scorched earth on them. Not sure if it’s now better or worse

 

[yoderjac]

From a wildlife perspective, much better. A general rule of thumb: If your wife looks at it and says you made a mess, it is beneficial to wildlife. We have been using a lot of fire lately and it is a great tool. We get more wildlife benefit on a larger scale at a lower cost than most anything else we do.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

If its impenetrable now, give it a growing season or two........

bill

 

[roymunson]

We've got acres of that stuff. Miserable to track a deer thru, but they use it. They'll use it more in the next 3-5 years too.

Excellent cover and browse. You'll be fine.

 

[Bill]

high hinge cuts makes it easier for the critters to travel under and around the downed trees. Low cuts often do make blockades.

I’d say if you think it’s to hard to travel through go back and cut trails through it. But don’t make trails that feel like Cattle shoots. The deer need to feel like they can exit the trail if need be. When I cut sidewalks I like the tree to fall perpendicular to the trail rather than parallel. Doesn’t always work out that way but it’s my preference.

 

[willy]

Like the advice experience and advice given above, that is what I experienced. I too thought what the hell have I done but was confident it would help with deer utilization. They did but trails had to be cut through the downed timber and then it became much more used. Now, 5 to 6 years later it is a grown up/blown up mess that is bedding and otherwise used a lot by the deer.

Turkeys however shun the area now so you are correct to worry about turkey usage but deer will use it well, especially once you cut some trails throughout it.

 

[Weezy]

This was too thick for deer. I left a pile of trees in the middle and cleared out the north and south sides with escape routes south the sides front and back. Basically consolidating logs and branches in a mess of briars, multiflora and autumn olive. Not fun but should hold a doe family now.

 

[j-bird]

Gets down on your hands and knees and see how far you can see. The additional sunlight will bring more plants and food to the wildlife and if you feel it's too thick.....simply take a chainsaw and cut some narrow paths thru it. For deer in particular anything over 6 feet or so off the ground is useless unless it later falls to the ground. Mark you a few spots and take some pics now and repeat from the same location every month or 2 thru spring and summer.....you will notice a big difference. Especially once you get some saplings and shrubs growing.... Now would also be a good time to plant any additional trees or shrubs with the available sunlight as well if you have the desire. I remember when I logged my place....I almost was sick. I thought I had destroyed my woods! Turns out it was the best thing for it.

 

[g squared 23]

Turkeys however shun the area now so you are correct to worry about turkey usage but deer will use it well, especially once you cut some trails throughout it.

I agree that deer and turkeys do not like the same type of cover. Hens will use the thick stuff for nesting, and that is the only time of year I’ll see any turkey utilization on my farm.

When you’re trying to create cover for deer, especially mature bucks, you should be looking for areas that would be great for bunnies, not squirrels. Big bucks don’t feel safe in an open hardwoods where you can see a hundred yards or more. I look at open oak ridges about the same way as I see crop fields. Rarely is a mature buck going to utilize either during daylight hours, the only time you can (legally) kill him.




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[yoderjac]

To my way of thinking most wildlife management comes down to having a variety of stages of succession in relative proximity. Different species use different stages at different points in the annual cycle. Some folks think of variety as having a mix of 6 different crops in a food plot. I think of it as having pines, hardwoods, and openings at different stages with on-going disturbance be it fire, discing, mowing, planting, thinning, clear-cutting, or whatever. While mature hardwoods do provide an important food source for an important period of the year and mature pines can provide thermal cover and turkey food, sunlight to the ground in thinnings and openings creates a lot of food.

It never ceases to surprise me how wild game relates to cover. I always thought turkey wanted open areas where they can rely on their keen eyesight for protection to feed in the fall, be it fields or open hardwoods. One day, I was archery hunting on base in an area that had been select cut a few years back. They left scattered mature oaks to provide seed for natural regeneration. Now that plenty of sunlight hit the ground, you could not see more than 15' in any direction from ground level. I could not believe how much turkey used that thick cover that season. While I could see deer from the treestand, I could hear turkey coming from a long way off but they had to almost be under my stand before I could see them. That thick cover did not bother them one bit. Those mature oaks were dropping acorns all through that thick ground cover and turkey were gobbling them up. I don't think I hunted that location a single day that fall without seeing turkey.

Thanks,

Jack