Clearcuts..... anybody on here got experience hunting fresh clearcuts?

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Now that the deer season is over I figured I would pick some of yalls brain. I tried hunting my fresh 20+ acre clearcut this season. My brother and I seen a total of 5 deer all season.... Did not get the nighttime pics either this year like we had gotten before the timber was cut. I knew losing all the oak trees was going to hurt. I thought the deer would look at the 20 plus acre clear cut like a new field.... WRONG! The deer seemed to have a hard time getting use to it. This coming season will be more of the same I am afraid, cause the NC forestry service is going to burn it down this October. Wont be much in the way of vegetation or cover when they are done.
I do have 2 small 1 acre fields in the middle of the clearcut that will have soybeans but they are a good 150 yards from the nearest mature woodline.
Any thoughts on what I can expect this year?
 
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darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
Burn it down because??
If they're burning it to plant pines, just be patient.
Even if they burn it in October, the fire is not gonna flatten everything. You'll get a lot of growth before October. I personally love hunting new cutovers but the habitat beside the cutovers can dictate how successful you'll be in seeing/killing deer.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I am having the clearcut sprayed in August and then they are burning it down in October, to plant longleaf pine trees. We are planting back the longleaf pines when they use to dominate the property during the early 1900's before my wifes great great grandfather had all of them turpentine to extension.
 

aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Rule of thumb is a new clear cut is not going to be too good for deer hunting the first season, but will improve after that.

Of course, there are a lot of variables that can alter this; things like size of the clear cut, location and what's surrounding the cut, etc.

You're right in thinking the deer were confused about the new landscape, but deer are very adaptable and will adjust quickly, and it's your job as the hunter to learn their new patterns.

I'm going to be going through the same thing soon myself; about half of the 100 acres I hunt is going to be cut this winter.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Depends on what it's sprayed with. It may be a deer desert for years to come if sprayed with certain chemicals.
Or it could be a deer magnet in a few years, even though longleaf pines don't have the best profile to provide cover.
 

curdog

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Depends on what it's sprayed with. It may be a deer desert for years to come if sprayed with certain chemicals.
Or it could be a deer magnet in a few years, even though longleaf pines don't have the best profile to provide cover.

That's true, I usually spray cutovers with just arsenal so it will still allow the blackberry and broomsedge to keep growing. I walked a cutover the other day that I sprayed with arsenal in the summer of 2015 and there were quite a few deer trails and really good cover for deer and small game. I'm not sure, but if it's a traditional longleaf site, it may take a little while longer to get a good grassy cover. But the fire should help jump start the herbaceous plants.
 

TravisLH

Old Mossy Horns
Thats tough.... As soon as they burned in Oct id plant something.... Especially if the neighboring area has trees


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HorNhnTr

Twelve Pointer
If this is the land you have in rockingham county? I wouldn't bother hunting it...I'll pay you to let me watch over it though.... With a muzzleloader and rifle :) deer will still use it...my place is going thru the same right now. The deer use low areas to travel in daylight to get from point a to b .
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Hey curdog.
They are using.... Accord XRT, Chopper, and Milestone
unless an unusual plant species shows up.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
If this is the land you have in rockingham county? I wouldn't bother hunting it...I'll pay you to let me watch over it though.... With a muzzleloader and rifle :) deer will still use it...my place is going thru the same right now. The deer use low areas to travel in daylight to get from point a to b .
No . No way I am going to grow longleaf pines in the land of a million ROCKS. This is here in Harnett county where I live.
 
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MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
Stay tuned.... give it a couple of years and you will be smiling....
Yep......

1st year can be bad if it was cut late or burned like you were saying but as soon as it starts growing up it should be sweet.
If you want shooting lanes get them lined up now.
 

para4514

Eight Pointer
Contributor
Hey curdog.
They are using.... Accord XRT, Chopper, and Milestone
unless an unusual plant species shows up.

That mixture will not be a hospitable to blackberry, grasses and legumes as just Imazapyr ( Chopper/Arsenal). Soil type and fertility will impact how quickly the ground cover recovers. If herbicide gets on food plots it could impact what will grow there as well. If you are really interested in habitat you could ask for amended herbicide application or leave a few strips untreated to provide travel corridors until the rest of the stand recovers. A few different situations from 2009 before Milestone was used very much. Can see a impacts some herbicide mixtures can have in longleaf site preparation.
 
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curdog

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Yeah milestone is pretty rough on blackberry. The accord is a glyphosphate based product, but the grasses will recover from it eventually. Chopper and arsenal won't affect the blackberry. Which is good for wildlife, bad if you want to walk through it in the future:D
 

QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
I understand that spraying is necessary, but man I hate that stuff...take a perfectly good clear cut and NUKE it...
 

Weekender

Twelve Pointer
Aya and others that recommended patience is spot on. It will be money by year three and for a long time afterwards. A real murderhole I predict.
 

cheapdate

Eight Pointer
Now that the deer season is over I figured I would pick some of yalls brain. I tried hunting my fresh 20+ acre clearcut this season. My brother and I seen a total of 5 deer all season.... Did not get the nighttime pics either this year like we had gotten before the timber was cut. I knew losing all the oak trees was going to hurt. I thought the deer would look at the 20 plus acre clear cut like a new field.... WRONG! The deer seemed to have a hard time getting use to it. This coming season will be more of the same I am afraid, cause the NC forestry service is going to burn it down this October. Wont be much in the way of vegetation or cover when they are done.
I do have 2 small 1 acre fields in the middle of the clearcut that will have soybeans but they are a good 150 yards from the nearest mature woodline.
Any thoughts on what I can expect this year?

Dude, don't spray it. In another year, you will have the best home cooking for deer that mother nature can provide - black berries, honey suckle, etc. etc. Take that money you would have put into chemicals and start maintaining shooting lanes because you're going to need them. Maybe a new tower stand might be in order while you have good access to the property.
 

Jlewis74

Old Mossy Horns
One of our farms that had planted pines ended up getting clear gun since the pines were not growing right. They cut it in October, planted pines back in the spring, sprayed it in early october the next year to knock down everything but the pines. This year, 3rd season since cutting the deer are back in force. It takes a few years, if they just clear gun why are they not planting it this spring?
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
I'd say its just that they had so many acorns to eat not so much they were afraid of it after some browse gets up you'll have some good hunting especially with them fields and years where acorns aren't so abundant
 

DRS

Old Mossy Horns
I love hunting clear cuts. Cover is a must though, even if it just chest high weeds. I have seen deer bed in fresh/barren clear cuts when plenty of lap piles were left. Burning in October, will most likely be a sit back for another hunting season. I had my best hunting this year hunting an area the was cut in late winter of 2016.
 

shadycove

Twelve Pointer
Frost seed it all over right now with any amount of wildlife seed that you can afford. Give the deer a feast right up until the burn [chemical or fire], they will not forget where the food is.
Put in some shooting lanes and clear around your food plots to keep fire out, NOW.
Alot of work but you will have plenty of deer there come November IMO.
 
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Helium

Old Mossy Horns
Next 3-4 years it will be a deer magnet! Tons more food than same acreage if hardwoods woukd produce

Thereafter it will be a great bedding area
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
New cuts can be great but I think it takes a few seasons, right about the time they get real hard to see into the deer start using them again, used to see most of the chasing that would go on at our lease in the 3-5 year old cuts. Hate that it's getting replanted in pines, I think the whole SE is going to be one big pine plantation by the time its all said and done but realized the ROI isn't there in hardwoods. Just make sure you keep some lanes/plots open and pine free. Our biggest struggle now is we have way too much cutover with no plots or lanes in them, landowners won't let us touch the pines. If your the landowner you won't have that problem.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
New cuts can be great but I think it takes a few seasons, right about the time they get real hard to see into the deer start using them again, used to see most of the chasing that would go on at our lease in the 3-5 year old cuts. Hate that it's getting replanted in pines, I think the whole SE is going to be one big pine plantation by the time its all said and done but realized the ROI isn't there in hardwoods. Just make sure you keep some lanes/plots open and pine free. Our biggest struggle now is we have way too much cutover with no plots or lanes in them, landowners won't let us touch the pines. If your the landowner you won't have that problem.

That's a good point.
If you are planting longleaf pines You can strategically plant them where you have a system of spokes extending from a hub where you can place a tripod stand for years of good hunting from that location.
I have tried to work with the guys planting pines to leave strategic openings and have never had a group that would even not plant the roads...mostly south American guys who don't speak English with one guy who is ramrodding the whole planting expedition.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
New cuts can be great but I think it takes a few seasons, right about the time they get real hard to see into the deer start using them again, used to see most of the chasing that would go on at our lease in the 3-5 year old cuts. Hate that it's getting replanted in pines, I think the whole SE is going to be one big pine plantation by the time its all said and done but realized the ROI isn't there in hardwoods. Just make sure you keep some lanes/plots open and pine free. Our biggest struggle now is we have way too much cutover with no plots or lanes in them, landowners won't let us touch the pines. If your the landowner you won't have that problem.
I agree ......
You can bet I will have foodplot strips in between my longleaf pines. I cant do anything to manipulate my plan that I paid the forestry service for, right now. After the trees get planted then I will be implementing some of yalls ideas.
Thanks
 

para4514

Eight Pointer
Contributor
I agree ......
You can bet I will have foodplot strips in between my longleaf pines. I cant do anything to manipulate my plan that I paid the forestry service for, right now. After the trees get planted then I will be implementing some of yalls ideas.
Thanks

Is the forest service paying for the planting, other cost share program or out of your pocket? If NCFS is not paying for the planting you likely have some opportunity to modify implementation on the ground.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Is the forest service paying for the planting, other cost share program or out of your pocket? If NCFS is not paying for the planting you likely have some opportunity to modify implementation on the ground.
Supposedly cost share, we will see.
 

BoonDock

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Hands down, the best hunting I have is hunting the standing timber on the edge of a cutover. I bait the center of the cutover and dont hunt it, I have stands on all 4 sides so wind is always in my face. I've killed several nice bucks winding does in the cutdown and he's skirting the edges.
 

Southern

Ten Pointer
Typical Long Leaf soils dint grow the same forage as what most people see in a loblolly clearcut. My LL woods offer good travel habitat but terrible food. You will wind up mostly with turkey oaks.
 
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