Deer resting in old slash pile burns

[swampdonkey]

Went for a drive today and seen several deer resting in old slash pile burns
. Why do they do this.

[burger]

Saw the same thing. Blazing hot and there out in the sun on the black charred ground. Did see one licking the charred wood. Thinking maybe there getting some mineral from this??

[swampdonkey]

That's what I kinda was thinking

[wrenchhead]

I think it gets them into the breeze away from bugs.

[squamishhunter]

I wonder if the carbon is a deterrent against ticks or other bugs?

[olympia]

maybe they want to nibble really fresh and young shoots that grow out of them, maybe slashes have a certain plant they like to eat that would not grow with a canopy of trees blocking the sun, maybe its the reasons stated above, maybe because they want to confuse those two legged twits that shoot at them with tree branches that go boom ywice a year. Any wildlife biologists on this site that can shed some light?

[warnniklz]

I seen that on the long weekend as well. Some decent sized deer to boot. Never thought about it. I'm thinking it's to get away from bugs, as there was a whack of horseflies out that day.

[SingleShot]

Despite being black, the charcoal bed might actually be quite cool for them. Light and allows a bit of airflow?

[aggiehunter]

well I noticed that with whities that used to come thru this area on a sidehill and use it as a bedding area...it was clearcut and they still bedded there...a true animal of habit.

[hunter1947]

I have seen this many times on the island when scouting out the areas in Aug the deer do this because there food is there as for there are no hunting season open in the summer time months but as soon as the GOS opens you won't see the deer bedding in the slashes when the shooting starts the deer will be spooking back into the thickets when GOS is open for deer in Sept on through the remainder of the deer season this is when you will catch the deer out in the slashes first daylight and late evening they will be out feeding..

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I'd guess that the nutritional level of food is there post burn.
Too bad they don't do broadcast burns of clearcuts anymore.

SSS

[Weatherby Fan]

I would say the fresh shoots that grow in a fresh burn are highly nutritious, also had read that the like to lay in the soft ash dust,and surely laying in the open they can see/hear predators from a distance.

[Big Lew]

I first noticed that behaviour many years ago, and sometimes have seen them right in amongst the live embers. Don't know if it's just their curiosity, because of the charcoal, the warmth, or bug deterrent, but I always check recent burn piles and also unburnt ones. Have seen and taken some nice deer and moose by them.

[new hunter]

Its pretty buggy in the tree line , I think they were just getting away from the flies .

[hunter1947]

Just think about it if your food is there and your not being bothered by anything why not just stay where your food is seen this over my entire hunting years deer bed in the slashes where there food is during summer months the deer can also see predators in the slash much better but when hunting season comes the deer hightail it to the timber to hid from all the hunting pressure..

[Everett]

Saw this last year they were eating Morel Mushrooms on my case.

[HarryToolips]

Seen em do it just the other day

[Duck Buster]

Last season we found a hill that was full of mule deer in late Sept/early Oct, and the 2 mule deer buck that we took both came from old burn piles. We also noticed does and fawns moving up from the valley and making a bee line for the burns. The first buck taken was spotted bedded in the middle of a burn at 0900 in the morning and the second made his way up into one over 1 km from the tree line with a group of does just befor lunch time. Being that it was later in the year and there was snow on the ground, I don't think getting away from the bugs was the concern, and there were no fresh shoots comming up, it must have something to do with mineral availability.

Just my observations....

[Big Lew]

The wife and I came upon a band of 5 bucks bedded down in a depression right in the middle of a recently burned slash a couple of years ago. It was mid morning and a very hot day, and while we were gutting out the largest one, I noticed that we weren't bothered by bugs. We also noted that from where they were bedded they could see a long way in every direction and it would be impossible for a predator to approach them unseen. Their coats blended in with the surroundings so well that another hunter that stopped for a look didn't see the other 4 that were still in the slash milling about well within shooting range and off to the side of us where he would have had a good safe shot at them. They seemed reluctant to leave the slash for the timber.

[Sofa King]

I've seen this all over up bear creek.
i'll walk through a cut-block, and in all the ash-piles there will be many, many deer tracks all thru them.
i've never noticed a deer sitting in them though.
but a lot of these blocks recently are far from walkable.
they look like a bomb went off and just blew up the trees.
it's crazy how the whole ground is just covered in trees.
maybe the deer are just looking for a clear spot on the ground to rest.

[OutWest]

I'd guess that the nutritional level of food is there post burn.
Too bad they don't do broadcast burns of clearcuts anymore.

SSS

Spent my last year at school working on a project/paper that was based around broadcast burning of clearcuts. There's a few reasons it has become a seldom used method of site prep in the past decade but there are some strong arguments in favor of it over other methods.

[OutWest]

I've seen this all over up bear creek.
i'll walk through a cut-block, and in all the ash-piles there will be many, many deer tracks all thru them.
i've never noticed a deer sitting in them though.
but a lot of these blocks recently are far from walkable.
they look like a bomb went off and just blew up the trees.
it's crazy how the whole ground is just covered in trees.
maybe the deer are just looking for a clear spot on the ground to rest.

The reason those trees are there are for cwd (coarse woody debris) and it is helpful in returning nutrients to the soil after harvest has opened up the block. Although having a spotless block may look nice (like they used to do in the 90s), it does little to help regeneration in those blocks.

[Sofa King]

The reason those trees are there are for cwd (coarse woody debris) and it is helpful in returning nutrients to the soil after harvest has opened up the block. Although having a spotless block may look nice (like they used to do in the 90s), it does little to help regeneration in those blocks.

I've heard that was the reason.
but, does the block have to be so littered in wood that it's unwalkable?
i'm seeing whole trees that easily could have been taken to the mill just laying everywhere.
have you seen some of the blocks on the connector? Elkhart was a typical one.
I know that there's a degree that they are also supposed to clean a block up to also.

[Big Lew]

Many, if not all of the slashes created from logging the 'beetle kill' in the Interior are cleaned up into brush piles and eventually burned. The area is then roughly ripped up and re-planted. Often the 'ripping up' makes walking through it difficult and dangerous once the vegetation grows enough to hide the rocks and holes. I know of several such sites that even the deer avoid, choosing to circumvent them. Both prey and predator would have a hard time racing through it. Range cattle seem to feed there, but I saw a prize Douglas Lake bull very lame and barely able to walk in such a slash.

[buckeye77]

I've heard that was the reason.
but, does the block have to be so littered in wood that it's unwalkable?
i'm seeing whole trees that easily could have been taken to the mill just laying everywhere.
have you seen some of the blocks on the connector? Elkhart was a typical one.
I know that there's a degree that they are also supposed to clean a block up to also.

Most if not all that slash is considered undersize or Grade 6 and non merchantable. A lot of the pine blocks off the connector are beetle salvage blocks and the piece size of the original stand is marginal at best so they go through knocking down the non-merch and trying to pick out the merch. It can leave a mess soon after harvesting but then they get in their and drag scarify or disc trench for planting and break up all that slash to facilitate planting. The CWD left does provide nutrients as it breaks down but also provides habitat for small mammals and creates a walking hazard for cattle which protects the seedlings after they are planted. As bad as it looks what they are doing is managing for as many things as possible but making it look pretty is not at the top of the list. These sites are also all waste assessed and they pay stumpage on all merchantable material left behind and as someone who does these surveys the average amount of merchantable material left behind is about 5 m3/ha. with about 95% of that in the brush piles.

[Sofa King]

^^makes sense.

here's a question.
those trees that are sporadically left throughout the cutblocks, cut about 8' from the ground, are those left for the birds to perch?
I heard that I think.

[Big Lew]

My logging contractor brother calls them 'bluebird nesting trees', but I would assume they're for birds in general. The contractors have guidelines on how many have to left.

[buckeye77]

^^makes sense.

here's a question.
those trees that are sporadically left throughout the cutblocks, cut about 8' from the ground, are those left for the birds to perch?
I heard that I think.

Stubs are left at a rate of 2 - 10 /ha. depending on the prescription and are generally used for perching for predatory birds and eventually fall over providing more coarse woody debris for the site. Large diameter trees already dead with little merch. value are targeted. Usually left around riparian areas and rocky outcrops to help provide a little biodiversity. Around riparian areas provide a barrier for site prep equipment to stay out of these sensitive areas.