Find these areas to increase your shot at a big buck
Landowners will clear-cut just about any size tract of land, however, there are certain land features contained within a parcel that will be left either uncut or selectively harvested, and these areas double as excellent travel corridors for wildlife.
Hunter R.J. Seiler of Rockingham County routinely looks for these corridors along stream courses after logging activity has ended.
“Usually, no clear-cutting is allowed along creeks, (and) that creates excellent travel corridors up and down these wooded fingers left behind by the loggers,” he said.
Typically, areas left unharvested are either a voluntary visual buffer determined by the landowner or they are protected by a state and/or federal mandate instituted for water-quality protection.
Many states, including North Carolina, have stream management zones that protect water quality from thermal, chemical, biological, physical and sediment contamination. These management zones are essentially riparian buffers with limited or no tree-cutting allowed. Streams and rivers of any size are protected with forested corridors that will range from 50 to 100 feet wide.
Immediately after a forest is clear-cut, deer and other wildlife will gravitate to the forested stream margins for safe passage and to stay hidden from exposure to potential dangers. Deer will not only travel these wooded areas, they will often embrace the edges close to cover.
These forested corridors are perfect opportunities for hunters to set up their stands where they can not only see out into the wide open, but to see along the forest edge and into the remaining wooded corridor.
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