Let them lay where they fall

 

Thanks! Why? I’ve heard that can attract predator like coyotes. What has been your experience? Thanks.


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i would cut for firewood and burn the rest, or leave the rest. Rabbits and squirrels will really enjoy and brush piles you can leave. If you have enough scrap limbs left you could really build natural walls and funnel deer a bit.

 

That makes sense. Thanks!


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let them lay if not in the way. if they are budding, all the better for browse. The more impenetrable the tops make it, the better the bucks will take to it for cover.

 

Have kicked up deer laying in tree tops more than i can remember . They love bedding in them so would leave them myself . Maybe cut up 1/2 of them is best advice .

 

I'm in the let them lay camp, but with a purpose. You're going to have a mess of tops laying around to deal with no matter what. Might as well turn lemons into lemonade. There's going to be several years of new growth coming up from the floor so you will have new deer moving in. That's a given. Instead of letting the chips fall where they may, use the tops to engineer the type of herd and hunting situation you want. Drag them to strategic spots to layer bedding, redirect trails past ideal stand locations, create funnels, shield your own movement, etc. Ideal would be if you had enough to have scattered "neighborhoods" of bedding with a good plot within access to them. Even better yet if you could wall off the "residential" area from the outside so the deer, especially older bucks, aren't disturbed every time you go in and out of the woods. 100 mature trees over 30 acres gives you an incredible opportunity to create a deer haven. You are blessed.

 

Good feedback everyone. Very helpful. Really appreciate it.


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I would do whatever is gonna allow you to replant the most amount of trees, whatever the folks that are replanting suggest.
Your gonna have a great cut over for holding deer after a clear cut regardless for 12 to 15 years.

 

Personally, I would do a prescribed burn of the area first. This will expose the seed bank for sunlight and provide fertilizer to jump start things further.

Then I would allow the logger (or you) to come through and harvest the trees.

I would then leave the tree tops lie or strategically place them if you want them bedding in a certain area or portion of it.

The floor will explode with life, growing up through the tree tops even. This also will provide great brooding cover for turkeys as well.

Good luck!

 

Let em lay a few years until dry then burn em!

 

Clear pathways now while the equipment is in there and I don’t mean just the logging roads they’re using to haul the timber...you’ll be surprised how many loggers are willing to do it for free or come back after hours for a few bucks and clear pathways through the tops...even prime strategic openings for plots...remember you’re opening the canopy to sunlight and EVERYTHING will grow and the JUNK starts fast. By clearing strategic pathways and creating locations for protected plots now you will be creating YEARS of prime habitat. The tips will provide cover, browse and protection for undergrowth. The pathways through will allow you to access key locations and a plot or two can never hurt.

You can plant some Japanese honeysuckle under some of the tops and honeysuckle will grow through the top, using it like a trelllice and trust me...you will have a deer hotspot on your hands with that...

Hope I gave you something to think about

 

You can plant some Japanese honeysuckle under some of the tops and honeysuckle will grow through the top, using it like a trelllice and trust me...you will have a deer hotspot on your hands with that...

Hope I gave you something to think about

No offense but Japanese honeysuckle is an invasive species with many drawbacks. To the OP - I would be careful and do your research about introducing anything new or non-native.

 

If you are only taking out 100 trees spread out over 30 acres it won't much matter whether or not you leave them or cut them for firewood. If you were cutting the area harder you would greatly benefit by leaving them, but with so you few trees it won't much matter either way you choose. IMHO, clearing paths or replanting much of anything won't much matter. You won't have enough on the ground to cause any major shift on deer patterns because they'll simply walk around the top into an area without.

 

100 trees on 30 acres doesnt seem like many?
Id clean it up and replant some spruce or others..

 

I would make some clear cut areas and let them get overgrown. I would arrange the tops as to create lanes (like from the skidder) from the overgrown areas to the food source (acorns?) the deer love to bed in overgrown clear cut areas. Your stand goes on the lanes. Just like you, deer will take the easy routes.

 

Some good advice on here. I would leave the tops lay.

 

I'm using them to make a ground blind so kinda saying do both

 

Let them lay, or strategically lay. As others said 100 trees in 30 acres might not be that much. You want that stuff there for bedding and food. Others had good ideas if you were clearing out more trees or a specific area but for this I think let them lay if deer habitat is your goal.

 

Let them lay, we did this last winter, took 101 walnuts and the tops created amazing cover in the timber. Deer loved them and worked there way around and they them

 

Good Stuff!

Not to jump on the OP’s thread but, I just bought 10 acres heavily wooded backing up to a 28,000 AC NF to build my next home on and have been pondering my tree work for the site...thinking of an acre or so kinda in the center!

I know it’s not even close to the same thing but, following the conversation just the same!

Thanks

 

let em lay. Heck every year in february and march we go in and do this intentionally. It's incredible bedding. Anything that's not of timber value, we hinge or cut down. We do it in specific areas where we want deer to bed, but this will produce more browse and food than all your food plots. Plus it's cover and will hold deer. It'll also release any good timber value trees to the canopy and they'll put on a lot more board feet in the next couple years. We've got areas where we've looked at each other and said, "I don't wanna track a deer thru there"

I'd let em lay.

 

Do not burn in a stand of hardwood. The heat will damage the mature trees at the base and they will die later.

Deer will bed in the tops.

Plant more trees in the area that you cut. Use trees that produce mass that the deer like. If your area will support chestnut trees and some of the early bearing oak trees make sure to plant some. Late bearing fruit trees such as crabapples would also be good.

If there is a wild life biologist in your area talk and get all the suggestions possible. You may want to plant for other animals such as quail. Just because you only hunt one species does not limit you to only planting for it. The best all around habitat for all wild life is something to consider.

 

Outstanding advice. All of it. Thumbs up!

 

I have enough cuts by me that I have seen it go really wrong and others that are awesome. Those tops if just let lay everywhere will have a place so much of a thick mess in 5 years you wont walk in it and neither will the deer. Theyll skirt the edge when theyre trying to plow through stuff thats 3" apart.

You can go too far and let too much. Theres entire areas on this mountain that would take you all day to walk 500 yards.