I am hunting the same farm that I have hunted for over a decade. Not a big place, but about 20 acres of hardwoods in between corn fields.
The area does not really hold deer, but deer travel through it and occasionally bed there. In the past I have killed a lot of deer there including a couple of monsters.
This year, the owner has been busy clearing a lot of the brush and scrub trees from much of the ground. Parts of it are even mowed. There is an area that is still very thick and I plan to spend most of my time there. I am still seeing a lot of deer sign all over the property.
My question is, have any of you dealt with sudden changes of your hunting areas? Any thoughts?
Sometimes TSI and brush removal can be awesome and if around an area with lots of oak trees, may help them yield more acorns with less competition growing around them/competing for nutrients which could result in more deer there for the food...however cover makes deer feel secure. I have killed 12 deer off an 18 acre patch of THICK woods that at its widest point is only about 80 yards. It connects two bigger tracts of timber. It is tough to hunt because you cant really see the deer til they are right on top of you. But during late october and november it can be a buck parade in there. If the land owner leaves some cover and you are in a decent funnel or hunting an edge im sure youll see something!
My main hunting tract is 100 acres with about 50 being wooded. A late summer tornado came through a couple of years ago and wiped out a beautiful hardwood bottom. The land was void of deer that fall but has rebounded nicely. The deer adapted their travel routes and I now see as many if not more deer passing through. Land changes often do not negatively effect deer movement in the long term. Hope this helps.