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Gnarly Timbers

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tmule888

New Member
I am sure like many of you over the years I have noticed that the farms with the thickest, nastiest, gnarly timbers seem to always hold those big mature bucks. Some of which have had livestock in them and pulled out years ago. Others are areas that have been heavily logged/clear cut. Some have been farmed in the past and have now grown into a jungle. I understand the concept of TSI but will this alone achieve these results? I feel like I need something more drastic to convert a park like timber into and area like I described above. Thoughts?
 
I know of a derecho twisted timber that is almost impenetrable and thus probably holds some monsters. Having them there is different than killing them though, I would guess.
 
I've had a 120 acre piece for ten years. Has a good variety of terrain and decent cover. I've take several 150-180' deer over the first nine years. I wanted to start making it even better so I hired Midwest habitat to come down and do TSI for two days. That made some reasonable bedding areas into nasty thick ones and some open areas into nice bedding. Between the food and cover it increased I had double the deer and 2 to 3X the nice bucks (4 years old or more or 150" or more) this year. I don't know if that will hold true for many more years, but my one year sample size tells me my only mistake was not dropping trees sooner.

I'm on to some other improvements this year, but TSI will be a periodic project as long as I own deer property from now on. I've heard a lot of people explain its benefits but never fully grasped the potential until I saw it with my own eyes. Just a chainsaw creates cover/security and new growth/food all in one job.
 
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We had straight lines roll thru last June in our area and made several areas of our farm a complete gnarly nightmare. I have been working on clearing some areas to funnel the deer thru and also areas that I can get thru.

I will admit that area held 2-3x the deer than the rest of the farm this year and probably that change compared to the same area in previous years.

now just to capitalize on it and make it huntable and accessible
 
This is where I would live to have someone go through the cutting I just did and tell me if it's enough. Hopefully get the same results as 2-bucks.
 
TSI can do this!!!!! 100%. How aggressively u cut & make trails after is simply how much much work u wanna put into it. Or even double girdling things, whatever. Massive canopy openings will be crazy thick in time. I have some areas that are not crazy thick but I did that on purpose. Yes - it works.
 
So do some of you then create paths for the deer to travel or funnel them a certain way past a stand? Like clear out some of the brush on the ground to create say an open path with the hopes the deer will follow it and lead them by you?
 
sep0667 said:
So do some of you then create paths for the deer to travel or funnel them a certain way past a stand? Like clear out some of the brush on the ground to create say an open path with the hopes the deer will follow it and lead them by you?
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Interested in this as well
 
sep0667 said:
So do some of you then create paths for the deer to travel or funnel them a certain way past a stand? Like clear out some of the brush on the ground to create say an open path with the hopes the deer will follow it and lead them by you?
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I did not make paths that lead them by a stand but I did cut some opening on trees that happened to fall over an already active trail and they definitely continued to use them. They will 100% follow a trail that you cut in.
 
sep0667 said:
So do some of you then create paths for the deer to travel or funnel them a certain way past a stand? Like clear out some of the brush on the ground to create say an open path with the hopes the deer will follow it and lead them by you?
Click to expand...
The ones dropped on my place were not so thick that a deer couldn't still get through. I can still get through, but its work. One area with little bedding was set up with a core areas (maybe a 20-30 yard circle) mess of trees then it has half a dozen spokes coming off it that are 50 - 100 yards long. Gives them multiple areas to bed back up against but able to see some still.

I don't have any paths cut in the bedding areas but have on the edges and hunt stands down wind of this "wagon wheel".
 
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2-bucks said:
I don't have any paths cut in the bedding areas but have on the edges and hunt stands down wind of this "wagon wheel".
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Yep, been doing that for years. Every path I made the deer used it immediately. I usually trim them back in August that gives me access to play any wind to hunt transition areas from bedding to food sources.
 
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