So I have a question about clear cuts/cutovers. I joined a new club this year and have never really hunted clear cuts before. Hunting one that's fairly large. Its around 2 years old. Fairly grown up and thick except for the roads.About 200 acres. Its Split in half by a big finger of hardwoods with a creek running through it and surrounded on all four sides by woods. The western side of the property drops off down to a river. Its very hilly and at some points you can see for about 200 yards out. My question is: Those of you who hunt or have hunted clear cuts, do you prefer to sit and watch the entire open area or do you prefer to hunt the forest edges and fingers of woods coming out into the cleared area?

Climb a tree in the SMZ and kill a pile of them.

Anywhere is good... Being it's two years old there will be plenty of bedding and browse to keep them in it unless it's been sprayed..... They will use the fingers and edges for access points and feed if there are acorn trees in those hardwoods.... I'd hunt different areas of it until you figure how they're using it.... There should be no bad spot....

Get as high as comfortable and watch and watch with a good set of binoculars ,use the first sit or two as observation sits them can adjust don't be scaredtonhunt them all day deer feed,move and bed in them all hrs of the day

Find a good trail coming in and out of the cutover and hunt all day if possible. It worked for me this past Saturday!

I like to climb as high as I can get on the downhill side so I can see the hillsides better. If you climb the high side the trees will keep you from seeing alot of deer. What's funny is when you have been sitting there watching for deer for hours and haven't seen anything and all of a sudden you start seeing deer stand up out of beds everywhere. I hunted a clearcut Tuesday and just as I was climbing down a small buck stood up for about 5 minutes and then laid right back down about 10 feet away from his previous bed. Never saw him again and he never spooked as I left.

Find a good straight pine or popular tree maybe that was left for smz or property boundary and climb at least up to the first limb, you can see a lot of deer at 50' up and higher if possible if you ain't scared of heights. I used to do this a lot the higher you go the better you can see into thicker areas. I've seen and killed more deer in clear cuts than any place I've ever hunted.

This ^

Deer are creatures of edge, Id look along the river bank and the finger of hardwoods you mentioned. Thats just a start. Every situation can be different and with the clearcut still being young you might have a lot of deer still habitually using there same old trails. Get some good binos, get as high as possible and try and set up with the sun at your back. The farther you can see the better until you can figure out what the deer are doing. My favorite time for a clearcut is mornings and the rut. I love a young clearcut with a little thickness to it.

GOOD FROSTY MORNING (ABOUT 20�) AND THEM SUNNY HILLSIDES WILL MAKE HORNS SHINE LIKE NEW MONEY

sat on ours tonight

Sounds just like a clear cut on mulberry fork that gets hunted to death.

Warmer days hunt the northern side of the hills cold mornings hunt the southeast side. If there are any real steep draws they tend to hold deer as well. Most clear cuts don't start getting good until they are to thick to hunt but get a little productive around peak rut

Definitely watch where the sun first starts hitting the cutover. My whole property is cutover and it's usually like clock work on cold mornings the deer start popping up out of no where when that sun hits it. Watch a nice buck last year bedded down for 5 hours out in a cutover and didn't realize he had a doe with him till she stood up. Binoculars are a must and just paying attention. Probably enjoy hunting cutover as much as anything.