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Clear cut where’s the deer?
The words clear cut strike
uneasiness among hunters who
lease land, or potential owners
who are looking to buy land for
its hunting potential
A few years ago some friends
and I were in a hunting club and
we got word from the owner that
the property would be clear cut
during the summer Our question
was what impact would the clear
cut have on our hunting next tall
Would the deer leave the area ’
We feared the worst and knew
that the hardwood ridges and bot
toms we loved to hunt would soon
be gone and replanted in pines
Was it time to let the lease lapse
and look for new property or
should we hold on to the property ’
These questions are “what its"
but more and more lease holders
and potential property owners lace
these questions on a frequent basis
The first tact we must confront
is that forests are dynamic, every
changing pieces of property It's
been said the “only constant in life
is change " This applies to forests
very appropriately since they are
probably this country 's most valu
able renewable resource
Trees grow, then are harvested
and replanted It's s situation that as
hunters we don't always like but
we cope with it the best we can
There are not many landowners
who can let land be idle without
producing income in (he form of a
lease, timber production, or both
As hunters, however, we must
decide w hat impact clear cutting or
in some cases, select cutting, has
on game populations, especially
Jeer and turkey I spoke with
Robert L. "Larry'' Marchinlon.
Professor of Wildlife Biology at
the University of Georgia and well
known supporter of quality deer
management My lirst question
was “When an area is clear cut.
what happens to the deer
"Naturally the deer move off
due to the human activity and lack
of cover, but I don't think they
move off as far as you might
think." said Marchinton
"Deer move off to adjacent
properties, but in many cases,
grasses and browse emerge again
within a few months, and the deer
start moving back in to some
extent. Excellent browse in the
form of honeysuckle, green briar,
blackberry, and other palatable
vegetation draw in the deer It
should be remembered that
although most producing trees
like water oaks and red oaks pro
duce all their deer food in the
early fall when the acorns hit the
ground, but within a few months
most of the acorns are gone. So
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while the acoin's impact is very
positive and an important food
source in the tall to help build the
deer reserves for the winter,
diversity in food sources and
habitats are important too.
“Clear cuts help to provide that
needed diversity and provide
good nutritional browse in the
spring and summer So while it's
true that clear cutting has a tem
porary negative impact on the
deer, that land soon recovers and
the deer soon return.' he said
Are there any other benefits of
clear cutting to deer ?
"Yes, besides the browse food,
clear cut provides thick cover that
helps protect the age structure of
bucks and ensures that some will
survive to quality buck dimen
sions Sometimes it's not pleasant
to hunt in a thick area but the deer
will readily move into the thick
bushes to hide, and it also pro
vides a good bedding area.
Marchinton said
"Especially in the Piedmont
area where the mature forests are.
it s important to have clear cuts
that emerge again because they
provide that browse and thick
refuge the bucks need, and these
characteristics are hard to provide
with any other type of habitat
Marchinton continued. "Nest
to my property in Athens, we
have a former clear cut that is
now growing with 6-7 year old
pines and thick brush Besides the
benefits to the deer. I'm seeing
bobcats and other wildlife that 1
did not see before the thick brush
was available
How is the hunting season on
clear cuts
Marchinton said that the lirst
year or two after cutting, the hunt
ing results on open land may he
disappointing, but hunting around
the fringes and along creeks and
bottom lands which act as travel
corridors lor the deer can he very
productive Food plots inter
spersed around the property can
also draw in deer from surround
mg properties until the clear cut
browse becomes reestablished
Tall ladder stands and tower stands
can be highly successful on clear
cut because of the long ranges that
can be covered. Mao hmion
advises hunters to carefully scruti
nize the terrain of a clear cut
because deer can get sneaky
He once saw a buck crawling
on its knees through clear cut and
feels that this behavior, while
unusual, is not all uncommon
Once the brush and browse on a
clear cut gets up more than 3-4
feet, the tall deer stands in place
mav diminish in effectiveness.
John
Trussell
Outdoors
Column
naturally But hunters can try to
locate ground blinds near well
worn trails or establish "firing
lanes" through the brush to get a
clear shot at any deer that might
pass through
As far as hunting is concerned,
is n better to select cut certain
sizes of timber as opposed to clear
cutting ? Marchinton says it is dif
ficult to answer this question
because there are as many types of
select cutting as there are to prop
erty owners However, in general
terms, select cutting means select
ing certain varieties of trees in
specific sizes to be- harvested For
example, one owner might choose
to cut all hard woods and pines
over 6 inches in diameter
While select cutting avoids the
short lasting barren look of clear
cuts, it still leaves harvest debris
and most owners who choose
select harvest lets the pines regen
erate naturally from seeds
Marchinton said while the cost is
not as much to reestablish pines
this way, too often pines are as
thick as the hairs on a dog s hack
or there's not enough pine
seedlings Consistency is hard to
obtain
Forester Billy Humphries of
Jefferson has noticed clear cuts
which are replanted with pines
allowing adequate spacing often
grow much faster than naturally
regenerated pines
Select cutting most often
impacts property the same as
clear cutting discussed above but
leaves some mast producing trees
which will drop acorns This
seems to lessen the apprehensions
of limber harvesting among some
property owners, especially
among those concerned about
wildlife Select cutting also leaves
a few trees to lean a ladder stand
on and is generally thought to be
more appealing to the eye
However, by cutting (he largest,
fastest growing trees you may be
leaving smaller, slower growing
and interior trees to reseed the
pines This is not a simple topic
so in regards fti timber harvest
aspects. landoWners should dis
cuss their options with a knowl
edgeable forester before making
an informed decision
(See RUSSELL. Page BAi
Start the new year off with wellness
p
IL_
Is it the new year already ” This past year sure
slipped away last’
There arc lots of projects and goals to attempt
to adhere to in this new year I say "attempt
because it you haven’t tried to change any aspect
of youi idiosyncrasies by this time, how's one
more day going to make any difference? Try.
Thai s all that s needed is one simple try
Set a small goal For example, your goal is to
have your receipts categorized tor taxes by Feb 5
Now. try to budget time to get this task done
Make yourself do this Because it'll be March 15
before you can bat an eyelash' Then April 15 will
be here fust as fast as last Christmas was and
you'll be asking tor an extension So. get with the
program and quit putting things off until the last
minute Start anew with a new agenda
How about making healthy choices lor the
foods you eat ’ Do you eal a lot of canned foods
such as soups, vegetables and fruits ’ Listen to
your excuses It takes time to cook fresh foods "
“They spoil easier than processed foods I don't
have time to shop every few days
These excuses may be true tor your current
lifestyle and priorities hut this too shall change in
the new year Do you have time to get your auto
mobile luhcd and tuned ' Whv not vour bodv. too
Strive to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables Add
fiber Be nutritionally creative
You re a modern woman or man A diet of
canned and packaged food will eventually take its
toll on your body Arthritis Osteoporosis Cancer
Heart disease Your current lifestyle is not helping
your overall health
, lou mav be healthv todav but diseases don't
Lady Panthers come back to down Americus, 63-61
Bv Plllt Cl XKK
TIMKs-Joi KSVI Sl'OKls
Showing the signs of a 17-day layoff, the Perry
Lady Panthers struggled for three quarters against
Americus Dev 3() at the Panther Pit but rallied for a
24-point fourth quarter to pick up the team's fifth
win of the year and fourth in a row since losing to
W arner Robins on Dec 6
Perry s first lead came with 0 12 left in the game
in the 6(-61 win Perry trailed Americus by six
points at the end of a quarter, and by 10 at the half
At the end of three periods. Americus still led by
nine 4X-T9
Perry trailed by as many as 13 [mints late in the
second quarter but a Teresa Scott basket, one by
Crystal Brown then a three-pointer by Scott cut the
lead to VC 17 before Americus rallied lor a 39-19
halftime lead
It was the fourth quarter that got the lans to their
feet, though A Scott three-pointer with 0 So left cut the
Americus lead to 50-46 After a Perry steal with 2 56
left. Felicia Scott's tree throw cut the lead to Sk %
Nine seconds later, after another steal. Crystal
Brown hit a free throw to make it SK-57
With Americus still leading by one 60-59.
I acrista Bvrd connected on onc-of-lwo from the line
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Pattons
Ponderings
By Kellogg Patton
Columnist
happen overnight They lurk around in your body
waiting for the opportunity to strike Usually
when your natural defenses arc at a critically low
point they'll start their attack Will you take
notice ’ I hope so Fresh fruits and vegetables help
fight diseases
Stress is a silent killer. What is your stress
level ’ Anyone who says they're not stressed is liv
ing in a fantasy world Eustrcss is good but dis
tress is the stress you place upon yourself by not
budgeting time to eat. exercise, relax, and have
personal quality time with those things most pre
cious to you be it gardening, grandkids family
or crossword pu//les
This year try to keep your body healthy in some
small way Whether it s eating more fresh fruits
ami vegetables; saying no to sugar caffeine or
tobacco; stimulating brain cells by turning i ff the
television to read something beside the back of the
cereal box be nice to your gift from God It s
all you got’
Set small goals. Stop by the produce section at
the grocery store Crunch into a real apple not a
fruit roll-up Take care of your body the way you
take care of your car and you |ust might get more
mileage out of both of them
and the visiting Panthers were again up by two
(mints After Perry vailed a time out with 0 39 left
Teresa Scott was fouled but couldn't convert
However. Brown got the rebound lor Perry but
missed a shot before Brandi Thomas scored off a
rebound to tie the score at 61-61. as the junior center
hit two from the line
A Perry foul with 0 12 left sent Catrial Cooker to
the line for Americus. but she missed both shots and
as Thomas gathered in the rebound, she was again
fouled After missing the first. Thomas was good on
the second tree throw and the Lady Panthers wen
ahead 62-61
Brown sealed the win with a steal with 0:04 left,
and Shancquia Howard was immediately fouled,
making one of two lot the 63-61 win. improving the
Lady Panthers' record to 5- <
Perry (63) Howard 5 Teresa Scott 13, Felicia Scott 6,
Brown I 8
Thomas 17 Jessica Nolen 2. luCrista King 2
Americus (61) Skyla Barthell 19, Nina Barker 6
April Green 2,
Lacristo Byrd 5 Catrial Cooker 10 Thesia Edmunds
7 Jessica Wright 6
Tamika Walton 2 Catrese George 4
Three point goals Perry (Teresa Scott 2) Americus
(Thesia Edmunds 1)
Halftime score Americus 39. Perry 29
Page 2A