Blacktails in timber

[hibernation]

I see quite a few mature bucks get killed in logging country in brand new cuts, and often adjacent to landings. My theory is that buck likely spent the last 4 to 6 years on that ridge under the safety of the timber, and slips up when he cruises thru his old neighborhood.

That's a great point, I like the theory. It always seems weird to watch a buck cruise through a wide open clearcut where there's barely any growth yet.

 

[welkin]

I have seen bucks rutting in fresh cuts before. This one particular spot is a ways back behind a gate and up a pretty steep road, not a lot of human presence. Big fresh clear cut next to a 5-10 year old cut that's getting a little bushy, and some mature forest next to that. Always see animals there, last year I killed my deer there, should have killed an elk but I was soaked and freezing and decided I wasn't going to see a bull that day, and this past spring I saw and passed on a small bear.