My property 2 years after being logged

[blackbeard]

I see posts on here from time to time about the impact logging has on hunting property. I had 120 logs cut on my property in June 2011 and now two years later it is a deer paradise. It looked like hell for a year but now the undergrowth is 4-6 foot high and the amount of quality browse is great. Everything from blackberries to raspberries to honeysuckle. Beyond having a lot of food to eat it is really good for birthing and raising fawns. I've noticed the does like to birth and hide their fawns within 150 yards of my yard in the thick growth because the coyotes probably don't mess around close to the house where the dog and noisy boys are at! I'm looking forward to this upcoming bow season.

[mrbb]

well Logging is a super tool to improve land habitat for all wildlife more or less, and glad to hear your place is taking to it so well
My hunting spot is getting pretty well thinned this fall, crap, starting in Aug., and will be there till late Oct>
Terrible timing for me, but what the owner set up
My biggest concern is deer numbers and the new open to the public views, as for yrs this place wasn't able to be seen from the road due to its 100+ yr old timbers protecting it!
and with such HIGH deer numbers, I do worry about how fast it will come back
3 miles down the road they clear cut about 50 acres, back in 2000, and its still very open, almost 13 yrs later
so for me, my fingers are crossed on having a faster recovery
going to be there while they timber, and working with them to try to stack tops in more like a fence in some area's to help get some cover in spots I want at least!
but having too many deer is a problem, not so many folks have to worry about or truely understand
but?? that's what it is here!
again, good to hear a good result, gives me hope!

[blackbeard]

Thinning timber results in better deer habitat (more browse) in approximately 2 years, allows you to continue bowhunting from trees, and doesn't change deer patterns that much. Clear cutting results in more browse in about the same timeframe but leaves the property in a 'not compatible for bowhunting state' (at least from tree stands) for 12-15 years and changes deer patterns dramatically. I much prefer thinning.

[mrbb]

there not clear cutting my hunting area, but are takinga ton of tree's out, due to it wasn't timbered in over a 100 yrs, and that old timber alone, is a big reason I have so little browse as it shaded the ground too much to allow any smaller trees to be there
thus when they timber now, even just taking trees of 18'' plus out, it will leave very little cover
and like I said, with an out of control deer population in my area
even slective timbering, browse doesn't come back in 2 yrs,
as I said before, I have a 50+ acre section down the road from me, they selective cut/cut like here
and its been almost 10 yrs and cover/browse is just stsrting to get think, due to so many deer eating in there as it grew back
its crazy how much a deer herd can mow down when there is too many deer in an area!
average adult will eat like 10-12 lbs a day, get 50-75 deer in an area, and that's a ton of browse to munch on every day!
I am hoping like I said I can get the timber guys to stack tops in rows and squares to help protect spots and help them thicken up faster
my next big problem is going to be the fact I get so heavy border hunting here, and its illegal to hunt my borders, as its posted NO HUNTING< but the owner lives 3 hrs away, and doesn't enforce it!
so once I loose a lot of my cover/tree's I feel most deer will be staying off the place in shooting light more, or closer to evenings, giving the cheaters here better odds!
but what can you do?
in a few yrs I hope the plce is too thich for trespassers to come onto it on me, and well, deer start to stay on property, as most don't live on it due to so little cover as is
timbering will be a good thing, but will take time to get good!