Pines being clear-cut

[volboy]

Land we lease is 500 acres and about 400 acres is pines, hollows are some hardwood. Looks like owner will be cutting pines this year as it has been about 25 years since last clear-cut and planting. Our tract is part of about 6000 acres tract that the timber company owns. There are 5 of us but normally only 2 or 3 are ever there at same time.

What are some experiences hunting properties where the pine harvesting is going on? Is it worth it to lease again? How would hunting be?

Thanks

 

[Bucks & Beards]

Land we lease is 500 acres and about 400 acres is pines, hollows are some hardwood. Looks like owner will be cutting pines this year as it has been about 25 years since last clear-cut and planting. Our tract is part of about 6000 acres tract that the timber company owns. There are 5 of us but normally only 2 or 3 are ever there at same time.

What are some experiences hunting properties where the pine harvesting is going on? Is it worth it to lease again? How would hunting be?

Thanks

At my club in west Tennessee, they don't usually clear-cut the pines. I can't remember exactly how they do it. I think they cut two rows and leave two rows. Any way, with the increased amount of sunlight hitting the understory, native grasses and forbs thrive and it creates an ideal combination of food and cover for deer. This type of pine cutting definitely improves the hunting.

 

[redblood]

Probably be better

 

[Hduke86]

Depends on timing of the clear cutting and how long it takes or how aggressive they go at it. It would definitely concentrate deer to the hollows/hardwoods but if they get on it early and are done quickly it could be great with the new fresh vegetation but really it is going to be a gamble this year. My best opinion is if it's cheap enough to lease to have a down year and keep for the future then that's what I would do. Leases that are with a small group you trust don't come up often and once gone chances are you probably won't ever get a chance to lease it again.

 

[volboy]

We don't know yet. They are getready to fix the road through the property. I will ask the guy over our lease. Maybe they will do the row cutting.

 

[Harold Money jr]

At worst it might be rough for a season if they clear cut it and it's clean to the dirt. But, when the growth comes back it'll be better than mature pines by a long shot. In my opinion. You might need to think about a tripod stand or hopefully there's a few trees that they'll leave that will hold a stand.

 

[Snake]

Probably be better

First few years anyway until you can't see them .

 

[muddyboots]

It will not be good this year but on the next several years it will be really good. Depending on the schedule of spraying they use.

 

[knightrider]

If you let it go its gone

 

[gasman]

You will really like it until year 6 or seven after the cut.

 

[BSK]

Not a big fan of hunting fresh clear-cuts, but years 2-5 after cutting can be really good.

 

[Spurhunter]

At my club in west Tennessee, they don't usually clear-cut the pines. I can't remember exactly how they do it. I think they cut two rows and leave two rows. Any way, with the increased amount of sunlight hitting the understory, native grasses and forbs thrive and it creates an ideal combination of food and cover for deer. This type of pine cutting definitely improves the hunting.

This is how they do it at my lease. I think they cut every other row. But you forgot sticker bushes. When they did ours the sticker bushes came up everywhere! The deer didn't mind, but I hate them.

 

[megalomaniac]

Not a big fan of hunting fresh clear-cuts, but years 2-5 after cutting can be really good.

As long as they don't nuke the ground with arsenal prior to replanting new pines

 

[tellico4x4]

Got 3500 acres that have had long enough to see most of it clearcut twice & replanted. They will let it lay for a year after cutting to allow new growth to sprout, spray with Arsenal in September which will kill everything, then plant in Jan/ Feb.

First fall after cutting can be awesome as the deer will be somewhat on normal travel patterns & bed in the logging debris. Some of our biggest bucks have been killed during this time. It's like they don't realize that they are visible . Have seen many good chases across the wide open areas. Have seen deer at 1/4+ mile before and get out of stand to slip up on using terrain features. Very similar to "spot & stalk" out west.

After the Arsenal whacks everything & they've planted in Feb, it's like a desert for a year or so. Good time to hunt the edges and whatever standing timber is available & expect the hollows to be full of scrapes.

When new pines get 18-24" tall & weeds have returned, it's game on for next 5-6 years until it gets too thick to see a deer in. Tripod stands are great for this. Once it gets too thick it becomes a sanctuary & deer factory imo. It'll stay that way for 10-12 years and the timber company will thin & fifth row.

Once thinned it's time to move back inside & start hunting them again. We've killed lots big bucks the first two years after thinning as they stay on travel patterns that have been safe for past 10 years. 5-6 years after thinning it'll be clearcut & process starts all over again.

When I first got my land it was split between 4 clubs & I had 600 acres. For the next three years they clearcut on each of other clubs & each time they did so that club let lease go. I took over each one as they became available & rest is history. Even had a few idgits from the previous clubs contact me & ask if I'd be willing to let them have land back because it was such good hunting

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Does this happen to be Champion owned land?

 

[hbg1]

Got 3500 acres that have had long enough to see most of it clearcut twice & replanted. They will let it lay for a year after cutting to allow new growth to sprout, spray with Arsenal in September which will kill everything, then plant in Jan/ Feb.

First fall after cutting can be awesome as the deer will be somewhat on normal travel patterns & bed in the logging debris. Some of our biggest bucks have been killed during this time. It's like they don't realize that they are visible . Have seen many good chases across the wide open areas. Have seen deer at 1/4+ mile before and get out of stand to slip up on using terrain features. Very similar to "spot & stalk" out west.

After the Arsenal whacks everything & they've planted in Feb, it's like a desert for a year or so. Good time to hunt the edges and whatever standing timber is available & expect the hollows to be full of scrapes.

When new pines get 18-24" tall & weeds have returned, it's game on for next 5-6 years until it gets too thick to see a deer in. Tripod stands are great for this. Once it gets too thick it becomes a sanctuary & deer factory imo. It'll stay that way for 10-12 years and the timber company will thin & fifth row.

Once thinned it's time to move back inside & start hunting them again. We've killed lots big bucks the first two years after thinning as they stay on travel patterns that have been safe for past 10 years. 5-6 years after thinning it'll be clearcut & process starts all over again.

When I first got my land it was split between 4 clubs & I had 600 acres. For the next three years they clearcut on each of other clubs & each time they did so that club let lease go. I took over each one as they became available & rest is history. Even had a few idgits from the previous clubs contact me & ask if I'd be willing to let them have land back because it was such good hunting

One thing worth mentioning here is that the "timber company" that owns your lease, and likely the op, isn't a timber company anymore. It's likely the clear cuts will not be planted back again. It will be rented to farmers, sold, or just sit until someone does buy it.

 

[tellico4x4]

Our most recent were replanted the past two February's.

 

[BSK]

This is how they do it at my lease. I think they cut every other row. But you forgot sticker bushes. When they did ours the sticker bushes came up everywhere! The deer didn't mind, but I hate them.

It's called 3rd-row thinning. They cut every 3rd row, leaving two rows standing side by side. Very common in the Deep South and a real boon to wildlife, as the strips of regrowth in the cut rows is great cover and food.

Disk are even made to turn the ground in 3rd-row thinnings. They have a wide, tall gap between the left and right disk gangs that will slip over the cut stumps. Worked on a place in Georgia that turned every cut third row into long, narrow food plots.

 

[BSK]

Got 3500 acres that have had long enough to see most of it clearcut twice & replanted. They will let it lay for a year after cutting to allow new growth to sprout, spray with Arsenal in September which will kill everything, then plant in Jan/ Feb.

First fall after cutting can be awesome as the deer will be somewhat on normal travel patterns & bed in the logging debris. Some of our biggest bucks have been killed during this time. It's like they don't realize that they are visible . Have seen many good chases across the wide open areas. Have seen deer at 1/4+ mile before and get out of stand to slip up on using terrain features. Very similar to "spot & stalk" out west.

After the Arsenal whacks everything & they've planted in Feb, it's like a desert for a year or so. Good time to hunt the edges and whatever standing timber is available & expect the hollows to be full of scrapes.

When new pines get 18-24" tall & weeds have returned, it's game on for next 5-6 years until it gets too thick to see a deer in. Tripod stands are great for this. Once it gets too thick it becomes a sanctuary & deer factory imo. It'll stay that way for 10-12 years and the timber company will thin & fifth row.

Once thinned it's time to move back inside & start hunting them again. We've killed lots big bucks the first two years after thinning as they stay on travel patterns that have been safe for past 10 years. 5-6 years after thinning it'll be clearcut & process starts all over again.

When I first got my land it was split between 4 clubs & I had 600 acres. For the next three years they clearcut on each of other clubs & each time they did so that club let lease go. I took over each one as they became available & rest is history. Even had a few idgits from the previous clubs contact me & ask if I'd be willing to let them have land back because it was such good hunting

I've had terrible luck hunting fresh clear-cuts. I wonder if it matters how much of the property has been cut? When clear-cuts are a small percentage of the property, and the rest is standing timber, deer seem to avoid those fresh cuts like the plague. Until they have some regrowth in them, then they're the greatest thing since sliced bread.

And I agree, most pine plantations allow the ground to go fallow for a year before Arsenal-nuking the whole area before replanting.

 

[volboy]

Does this happen to be Champion owned land?

I don't think so. The company that our guy deals with is in Waynesboro I think. Think it is owned buy a company and another company manages the properties. The owner owns several thousand acres in Hickman county, lewis, Wayne, Hardin and Giles counties that I know of.