Hunting Clearcuts?

[fishnfur]

Cowboy,
   I'd put your blind inside the edge of timber and brush it in a bit (quietly).  It will be less noticeable to the residents of the cut.  That's my take on the situation. 
   

[PolarBear]

 

Putting it in the cut will make you stand out like a sore thumb to the critters and other hunters.  Well inside the timber is preferred.

[RadSav]

Rad - last one tonight.
  Do you believe the bucks in the situation you described above prefer young thick alder over more mature and more open alder flats for the doing the deed?  Alternatively, do you think they learn a core rutting zone as a young buck (from the older boys in the bachelor group) and then use that same spot to breed the does as they become more dominant, (as long as the rutting zone still provides sufficient cover) and that the age of the surrounding alder is of little importance? 

Sorry for the late reply.  Bad day in the woods today.  No dead deer and Old Faithful ain't old faithful anymore.  She came out of the woods on a trailer.  Thank goodness for some very nice folks in the woods and a brother with a car trailer!

I have seen deer breed in Christmas trees, old growth timber, 15 year old fir that have been limbed, viney maples and old swampy alder flats.  I've even seen a buck mount a doe on level skid road through a near vertical cut.  So I don't think it matters too much.  But what they all seem to have in common is visibility, level ground and a clean floor.  I have never seen a buck breed a doe in thick cover with a lot of downfall or slash.  Probably seen the most breeding in older alder flats.  Probably because they are so lack of vegetation below the deck.  It could, however, be that I simply spent more time there in my glory days than any other place.

Post rut I catch more deer in young fir that have been limbed.  Dang near impossible to get an arrow into those bucks.  But low and slow with a rifle would be some real fun hunting.  Too bad rifle season is usually over by then.  Most of my post rut kills have been on Christmas Tree edges with 5 year old cuts.  That's an ambush perfect for the bowhunter!  My second largest buck was in a five year old cut that bordered a swampy alder flat.  My partner and I did a squeeze play and I was insanely lucky he chose to run out of cover instead of toward cover where Channon was.

Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?

Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where

I agree with fishnfur and Polarbear    You are rifle hunting, right?  Go as far back as you can and still shoot comfortably into the cut.

Be sure your blind has some sort of silent window closures.  If a buck comes in from behind close the windows toward the front first and then crack open the rear.  Need that back drop black as night!

Looks like you have yourself a terrific spot

[Humptulips]

Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?

Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where

I cannot imagine sitting in a blind. Not my style of hunting. I will sit for a while and watch a clearcut especially if I can see a long way but the place like you have pictured I wouldn't give it too long let alone set a blind up.
IMO black tails don't get hard into the rut until elk season so you can't expect bucks to come running blindly out into the middle of a cut in the middle of the day. It happens but poor odds I would say.
I would rather think that buck was out there that night and never got out. I give it a good hunt and then move on to another spot.
On the deer breeding, I don't care where they do the act, all I know is bucks will follow does around no matter the terrain. If I see a doe I give the area extra scrutiny.
Just so you bow hunters don't jump on me I hunt modern rifle and speak from that perspective.

I do like to find those spots no one else has hunted so I'm not afraid to pedal a long ways to hunt. Works for me anyway.

[predatorG]

Looked around a bit today and did some rattling just inside the timber from a "clearcut". I've never actually explored it because the edge of it is super thick and I assumed it would probably just clear up a little further in. Nope. Climbed a tree today to find out what it's like and saw this. Head high brush all over and a ton of little alders.

[billythekidrock]

Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?

Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where

As mentioned, a blind in a cut like that will stick out too much. I also noticed that those pics are from July. I would not expect to see either one of them in the cut in October or November.

You might get lucky sitting on the cut right at daylight or evening but they will most likely be nocturnal or in the timber most of the time.

I would still hunt the timber. The rain is your friend.

[cowboycraig]

Is hunkering down in a cut, rattling, and watching the wooded edge a sound strategy?

Thinking of parking my blind right about were these two were hanging out a few weeks ago. This is in Kapowsin, but not saying exactly where

As mentioned, a blind in a cut like that will stick out too much. I also noticed that those pics are from July. I would not expect to see either one of them in the cut in October or November.

You might get lucky sitting on the cut right at daylight or evening but they will most likely be nocturnal or in the timber most of the time.

I would still hunt the timber. The rain is your friend.

Ya I gave up the cuts and started trailblazing about 50 to 100 yards inside the treeline. Talk about a crossfit workout! After that I walk the road through the cut to see if anything was flushed out.
In one area I am working just found a bunch of new scrapes. Could not be more that a few days old. Scrapes seem to be under treeline close to clear cut edge. Usually a game trail nearby. Trail cams on a few of the scrapes and game trails now. Will get'em late season.
Thanks for all the help, I am making progress.

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[billythekidrock]

I am not calling bs but blacktails very seldom make scrapes so I would be interested to see what you get on camera.

[bobcat]

He's probably talking about rubs.   

[PolarBear]

 

[billythekidrock]

Ah, yes. I got caught up in terminology.

[cowboycraig]

I am not calling bs but blacktails very seldom make scrapes so I would be interested to see what you get on camera.

Craps, sorry I meant rub. Pic should be attached.

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[predatorG]

Is there anything else that strip bark from tress like that? Because I've found several things that look like rubs but are in weird places or positions.

[RadSav]

I am not calling bs but blacktails very seldom make scrapes so I would be interested to see what you get on camera.

Seen them very seldom up here.  Corvalis, OR south I would see quite a few.  Had a favorite hunting spot not far from the Sea Lion Caves, less than a mile from the ocean, and the place was littered with scrapes.  Strange how a species can be so different with 100 miles of separation.

[fishnfur]

Cowboy:  Looks like an elk rub,  They tend to rub trees higher than the deer and often the rub goes from the ground level to 5 or more feet high.  The younger bulls often continue to rub through December, often destroying small trees.  If you inspect the rub closely, you can often pull hairs off the tree and determine the perp.  Long hair - elk, short - deer.

RadSav - I have trouble leaving the alder areas completely when I hunt because there is so much sign in it.  Rubs, dung, browsed vegetation, etc.  My take is that they are nocturnal use only for the bucks though.  Someday, I'd love to hear about your hunting methods around alder.  In the mean time - is there a chance that those scrapes in OR were made by Columbian Whitetails that have re-established themselves pretty well in that area - (Douglas County anyway)?  Perhaps a BT-WT hybrid subspecies that has established itself well enough to display that trait (making scrapes) in West Central OR?  I'm going to research the issue 'cause your tale has me really curious.

Predator G - bark stripping on Doug Fir is common for black bears in the spring.  Porcupines and some other small forest critters do it as well, but the photo shows an elk rub.

Back to clear cuts - several good kills in the last few days in cuts posted on the forum.  I went into the big timber for the storm on Halloween hoping to catch a big boy standing up in the wind and rain.  About 45 minutes into the worst of the storm, the guys in the clear cuts started popping off shots.  I just got wet.  Really, really wet.  Next storm, I'm going to a cut.