Cover question

Here’s the scenario. My place has 2 40 acre blocks of timber. Row crop is around the timber with the exception being 13 acres of pasture. I have let the pasture grow up the past two years. Question is should I cut it or let it grow ? I’m thinking if I let it grow predators would have more room to hide. On the other hand, deer would have more cover. .??

If the timber is mature and open I'd say let the pasture go. If you wanta hold deer you need cover.

Deer need cover, predators need space to hunt.

On one 40 acre block, some time in the past 20 years it was cut and replanted with pine in 3 section. The rest of the block is real thick with saplings, mostly 30ft high and 3 to 4 inches circumference. I have pushed some of the saplings up into shooting lanes, and a couple of small greenfield. Should I cut the saplings down or leave them for cover?

Yep. That's the whole reason deer are there. In thick stuff, deer win...

I would probably break the pasture up in sections and rotate a cutting every few years, if not it will eventually get away from any means you have to cut it.

I like this.

I think that depends on the prey. I have a 3 year planted pines area joined by a corn field. Corn field produced well but was allowed to grow up for cover. Cutover/pines + corn = mice and rats. Huge increase in snakes, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, and hawks. Some deer but this is not a high deer population area so there wouldn't be a lot there with or without predators. These predators are hunting the thickets for rodents.

Yup.