Forest Management Equates to Thriving Whitetail Deer

Chad and Lear McCoy of Adams County, Ohio are second-generation lumbermen managing the J. McCoy Lumber Company their father, Jack McCoy, established in 1978. Both brothers are passionate hunters as well, and they have developed a method of managing timber for deer that benefits both whitetails and the forest itself. Now their success has incentivized others to consider timber management as a viable option for producing big bucks.

Logging is oftentimes associated with downturns in wildlife numbers and habitat quality, but it’s hard to compare the bare-earth logging practices of the late 18th century with the more sophisticated and less invasive methods used by the McCoys. The proof of their success is the impressive number of record-book bucks that have been harvested on their managed properties. Perhaps more impressive is that very large deer have been harvested consistently by the brothers on forest land they manage. The McCoy’s 12 largest bucks combined have an average score over 190 inches, extraordinary for free-range whitetails.

You might expect that Chad and Lear spend months each year planting and managing food plots, but that’s not the case. They’ve cracked the code on managing native timber stands to produce and hold huge whitetails year in and year out, and here’s how they’re doing it.

An Unlikely Tool

During the fall of 2019 Chad McCoy invited me to witness first-hand how his forest management strategy works. One of the tools of his management plan is a hulking machine known in the logging community as a Komatsu 931XC, a colossal Scandinavian timber harvester that looks as though it were made to mangle forest lands. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The Komatsu may look like the sledgehammer of logging tools, but it’s more of a scalpel. Specialized tracks cover ground—even steep hillsides—without disturbing the mineral-rich topsoil that is so critical to maximize antler growth.

Perhaps most importantly, though, the Komatsu can size, cut and remove target trees without damaging the timber around it. The target tree on the day I visited the McCoys was a poplar, but on either side of that tree were two white oak trees, the most important mast crop trees in the forest. Thanks to its impressive computer-driven technology, the Komatsu dropped the poplar and cut it into pre-determined lengths in a matter of seconds, leaving the twin oaks undisturbed. And, with more sunlight to feed them, the oaks will grow more quickly and produce more acorns.

Logging Works For Whitetails

Most loggers view trees as a saleable commodity, and the first species they target is white oaks because they are so valuable. In addition to their use as veneers and in the construction of high-end furniture, white oaks are in great demand for the construction of whiskey barrels. A booming market for high-end bourbons has led loggers to target smaller white oak trees, and this has resulted in removal of valuable mast crop trees.

It’s not just white oaks, either. Red oaks and other mast-producing trees are more valuable so they’re targeted more often. Harvesting oaks for lumber is not a bad thing, Chad McCoy said, but total harvest of mast-producing trees and subsequent damage to fragile topsoil can turn a productive hunting property into a whitetail wasteland.

This is one reason why logging receives a bad rap among whitetail hunters and why the McCoy’s method of dropping big whitetails by not dropping all the mast-producing trees has garnered so much attention. Landowners want to make money on their timber, but they also want to harvest big deer and maintain the value of leased hunting ground. To grow big bucks they also need to maintain mineral-rich topsoil that is often destroyed by aggressive logging practices.

"Foresters are always thinking long term,” said Lear. “People want results in a hurry. To manage forest land correctly you have to think 15 or 20 years ahead.”

“Our dad believed good forest management isn’t just about what you take but also about what you leave behind,” Chad added. Leaving some valuable oaks improves the forest, attracting deer to the property and adding value to the land because a much higher portion of the valuable slow-growing, mast-producing hardwoods are left alive.

Creatures of the Forest

Until widespread commercial logging began in the United States two centuries ago, much of the eastern half of the country was covered in old growth forest, and its in this forested habitat that the whitetail deer evolved. Deer, then, are perfectly suited for life in the woods, and a well-managed forest is prime habitat for deer. A forest with mast-producing trees also provides the nutrients and calories deer need to grow big antlers.

“Forest management isn’t the only way to manage whitetails,” Chad says, and Lear agrees. “We aren’t saying you shouldn’t plant food plots. Food plots still work well. But you don’t have to bulldoze a forest just to plant those food plots.”

One practice the McCoys don’t employ is hinge cutting trees. Hinge cutting involves sawing through a mature tree and allowing it to fall on its own, primarily to produce bedding cover. But there are issues with the practice. As professionally trained forest managers who work with chainsaws on a daily basis, Chad and Lear say that the practice of cutting trees at head or chest height is dangerous. For starters, the falling trees almost always shift and produce large splinters that you don’t want to walk into on the way to the stand. But their primary reason for avoiding the practice is that they say it simply isn’t necessary.

“The idea that you need to leave fallen trees as bedding cover is just wrong. Deer find bedding cover in the forest.” Chad also said that he has logging contracts on state-owned lands where conservation is key, and in those areas hinge cutting is forbidden.

“Leaving dead trees can also spread disease,” Lear said.

Canopy cover from mature oak trees can also prevent the spread of invasive plant species like bush honeysuckle and autumn olive, both of which quickly overtake disturbed sites and impede the growth of more valuable mast crop trees like oaks. Once honeysuckle and autumn olive are established on a property, they are difficult to remove. They’re also taking up valuable forest space that could otherwise be utilized by species that are more useful to wildlife. Many mast-producing trees like white oaks are shade tolerant when young and can grow in forests with canopy cover—but not if non-native invasives outcompete them.

What Does This Mean to Landowners and Hunters?

As stated, the McCoys don’t believe there is a single solution to land management, and terrain, previous use and topography all play a part in determining how to best manage your habitat. But forest management can work in many areas, and the initial cost is usually far less than other methods. In fact, sound forest management is the ideal way for landowners and managers to increase their return on investment.

“Some people spend lots of money on equipment to clear land they don’t need,” Lear says. “If you manage forests then the cost is much lower, and you can make money from managed timber.”

The principles of forest management don’t just apply to Eastern whitetail hunters, either. There are valuable mast-producing trees across the country, and they are utilized by a wide variety of species, everything from squirrels to bear and elk. Ohio has experienced a drop in turkey numbers in recent years, and the limit has been reduced from two birds to one. But the McCoys have not had that same experience. In fact, their turkey numbers are as high as any time previously.

I had the opportunity to witness the success of their timber management program first-hand last spring. Just after sunrise on opening day, six gobblers responded to my call, and I harvested a mature bird five minutes into the hunt. I was part of a group sponsored by Franchi and Fiocchi, and there were opportunities across the board on the first morning. And everyone agreed turkey numbers were very high on that property—much higher than most surrounding areas.

This illustrates that effective timber management works for wildlife, creating a natural environment with plenty of resources for a wide range of wildlife. That, in turn, makes your property a better hunting location, which is beneficial whether you’re a hunter or a landowner looking for the highest lease value possible. Well-managed properties with lots of natural mast crop production are a boon to a wide variety of wildlife, and ample natural food sources not only ensure maximum antler growth but also increase overall herd health in deer and improve fawn recruitment. Furthermore, by managing your forests, you are creating an attractive environment that will draw game from surrounding areas. In much of the country deer hunters are concentrating on small properties—10 to 100 acres. You can be assured that the local wildlife (including whitetails) will likely spend most of their time on land that is the most attractive. Properly managed forests will make your property more appealing to game and hold higher concentrations of animals, so you won’t have to see your target buck in the back of your neighbor’s pickup on a social media post.

It’s not just landowners or lease holders that benefit from an in-depth understanding of forest management, Lear pointed out. Public land hunters who are able to identify and locate mast-producing trees will be at a decided advantage because they can concentrate their efforts on areas with lots of mast production.

Focusing on Small Acreage

Chad and Lear McCoy have the unique opportunity to manage timber on thousands of acres, so do these principles still apply to hunters who concentrate on smaller tracts of land? Absolutely. Sound forest management may be even more important on small tracts of land. Losing two or three mast trees to lightning strikes, disease, age, or other natural causes diminishes the quality of your land and make it less attractive to whitetails and other game. Instead, if you manage those trees by removing and selling less-desirable species around them through forest management and caring for your mast-producing species you’ll see immediate improvements. Healthier trees produce more mast, and more mast attracts wildlife—including whitetails. Traditionally, mast-producing trees like oaks grow very slowly.

Understanding the value of mast-producing trees is also important for anyone who plans to lease hunting ground. Not all properties are created equal, and one tract of land with mast-producing oaks will hold more deer than a similar-sized property down the road where loggers have removed all the valuable mast-producing trees. No leasing agent is going to advertise that the property has had all the mast-producing trees removed, so it’s up to the hunter planning to lease the land to take a close look at the variety and quality of trees.

Chad and Lear run dozens of trail cameras each year, and what they have learned is that desirable land will draw big deer year after year. If you’ve killed a buck in a prime location—even on small acreage—there will very likely be another deer in the same place the next year.

“A 6 ½-year-old deer is mature enough to compete for any territory it wants,” Lear says. “If there’s a big buck using a tract of land he’s there because it’s good habitat. If you kill him this year another deer will likely move in.”

A Way

Anyone fortunate enough to have attended a shooting event at FTW Ranch in Texas has heard instructors there preach that their method is “a way,” not “the way.” Chad and Lear McCoy feel the same way about their forest management practices. But well-managed tracts of woods—even small ones—are more attractive to deer. Whether it’s a cottonwood-lined creek in Montana or a huge tract of land in Ohio, deer thrive in forested areas and rely on them for survival. Chad McCoy says that forest management is not necessarily better than planting food plots, but proper forest management pays dividends in the quality of deer on your property while simultaneously increasing its value. One only has to flip through the scrapbook of bucks harvested by Chad and Lear and their clients year after year to see that the “McCoy Method” has worked for them—and it can work for you.

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