Montana Tree-Stand Hunting

[El Jason]

Y’all ever take a stand watching a clear cut in NW Montana? That’s an awesome way to hunt in the Deep South.

I’ve had success with this tactic, but they don’t like all clear cuts equally, and IME tend to favor the small corners.

 

[Ben Long]

Montana loggers tend to leave "SMZs" (streamside management zones) around creeks. Basically, within a given distance of the stream (50 yards?) they have to leave half the tree cover on either side of the bank. These make for a lot of edge habitat right near the riparian zones deer are drawn to. If you can find the right balance of SMZ and enough cover where the deer feel secure, but open enough to see them and shoot them, and the flush of second growth shrubs that come aftre logging, that can be a very effective habitat combination.