TOO late to cut brush

[dwag70]

DO you guys think it is too late to cut some clearings by my rifle season stand. Was going to go up this weekend and do some cutting???

[bigbucks]

Go for it, it's absolutely not too late, you can't shoot what you can't see. I maybe wouldn't make the cutting any more drastic than you have too, but it'll be fine. I've cut brush pretty late before & had good luck. I'm actually hoping to do some tractor mowing of brush & saplings by my gun stand this weekend myself. I've many times trimmed branches immediately before climbing into my stands & still seen deer.

[Double D]

You'd probably regret it if you don't.

DD

[Mark Christianson]

We are doing some trimming this weekend as well.

Funny how the deer will find those shooting lanes, and use them for walking trails in no time.

[dwag70]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease guys hat eto do something to mess up the hunt before it begins

[paceman]

Yeah Man go ahaed and trim away. It is not to late. I once built an entire deer stand the afternoon of the opener. Pounded nails and cut shooting lanes( chainsaw )I'm sure the neighbors thought I was nuts. I gave it one day to rest and on Monday Morning I had deer come right where I thought they would. We actually shot three deer of that stand before it was even 5 days old.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I know you already said you were going to do it.. You will be just fine.. I trimmed some lanes by one of my bow stands on saturday.. I plan on using it thursday... Just try and be carefull of leaving a lot of scent.. but then again there wont be any left by the time rifle season comes around...

[BuckslayerBob]

I'm also heading up there this weekend to check things out, scout, and clear trails and stuff.

[walleye_jigger]

I agree go for it. There have been many times when we've gone in and cleared a trail and come back the next day to finish up and the trail is covered in deer tracks.

[bigbucks]

Last year I built a small deer stand one afternoon, had the truck right at the tree. I drove away only maybe 1 1/2 before the end of shooting time & then snuck back to the stand with the bow. I barely got in the stand & two deer came out, they never got close enough, but they had no idea I was there or that anything had changed.

Another time I built a stand on Sunday afternoon before gun season & bow hunted it the first time the following Thursday morning. I shot a 6 pointer at 5 yards, which was the 10th deer I'd seen that morning. In farming areas especially, human ground scent, noise, & modification to openings, etc. don't really change deer movments much, other than that day or maybe the following. Granted if you cut down a significant bunch of cover it can, but not just some shooting lanes.

[jbjr]

Do it NOW. or be SORRY later.

[John_Ted_Carrier]

One idea to try with this though, cut the trees up higher (about nose high). You can see over them from your stand, yet they look semi-normal from the level of the deer. Also, clear the brush you make way out of the area, or at least stuff it into an already thick area.

Hope this helps, GOOD LUCK TO ALL,

"ted"