diff --git a/lib/evolve_discrete_demes/evolvets.cc b/lib/evolve_discrete_demes/evolvets.cc
index bca5d8df1..20fc1a8cf 100644
--- a/lib/evolve_discrete_demes/evolvets.cc
+++ b/lib/evolve_discrete_demes/evolvets.cc
@@ -451,6 +451,7 @@ evolve_with_tree_sequences(
          ++gen)
         {
             auto fixations_removed = false;
+            auto mutations_counted = false;
             if (demography.in_error_state())
                 {
                     throw std::runtime_error("forward graph is in an error state");
@@ -519,8 +520,8 @@ evolve_with_tree_sequences(
             next_index = pop.tables->num_nodes();
             if (options.track_mutation_counts_during_sim)
                 {
-                    track_mutation_counts(pop, simplified,
-                                          options.suppress_edge_table_indexing);
+                    mutations_counted = track_mutation_counts(
+                        pop, simplified, options.suppress_edge_table_indexing);
                 }
 
             // The user may now analyze the pop'n and record ancient samples
@@ -581,66 +582,62 @@ evolve_with_tree_sequences(
                                             pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes);
                                 }
                         }
-                    else
-                        {
-                            genetics.mutation_recycling_bin = fwdpp::ts::make_mut_queue(
-                                simplification_output.preserved_mutations,
-                                pop.mutations.size());
-                        }
+                    //else
+                    //    {
+                    //        genetics.mutation_recycling_bin = fwdpp::ts::make_mut_queue(
+                    //            simplification_output.preserved_mutations,
+                    //            pop.mutations.size());
+                    //    }
                 }
-            else
+            if (options.preserve_selected_fixations == false)
                 {
-                    if (options.preserve_selected_fixations == false)
+                    if (options.track_mutation_counts_during_sim == true)
                         {
-                            if (options.track_mutation_counts_during_sim == true)
+                            if (fixations_removed == false)
                                 {
-                                    if (fixations_removed == false)
+                                    if (mutations_counted == false)
                                         {
-                                            auto itr = std::remove_if(
-                                                pop.tables->mutations.begin(),
-                                                pop.tables->mutations.end(),
-                                                [&pop](const fwdpp::ts::mutation_record
-                                                           &mr) {
-                                                    return pop.mcounts[mr.key]
-                                                               == 2 * pop.diploids.size()
-                                                           && pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes
-                                                                      [mr.key]
-                                                                  == 0;
-                                                });
-                                            auto d = std::distance(
-                                                itr, end(pop.tables->mutations));
-                                            pop.tables->mutations.erase(
-                                                itr, end(pop.tables->mutations));
-                                            if (d)
-                                                {
-                                                    fwdpp::ts::rebuild_site_table(
-                                                        *pop.tables);
-                                                }
-                                            fwdpp::ts::
-                                                remove_fixations_from_haploid_genomes(
-                                                    pop.haploid_genomes, pop.mutations,
-                                                    pop.mcounts,
-                                                    pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes,
-                                                    2 * pop.diploids.size(),
-                                                    options.preserve_selected_fixations);
-                                            fixations_removed = true;
-                                            // NOTE: this is hacky and should be better-handled upstream
-                                            for (std::size_t i = 0;
-                                                 i < pop.mcounts.size(); ++i)
+                                            throw std::runtime_error(
+                                                "mutations not counted");
+                                        }
+                                    auto itr = std::remove_if(
+                                        pop.tables->mutations.begin(),
+                                        pop.tables->mutations.end(),
+                                        [&pop](const fwdpp::ts::mutation_record &mr) {
+                                            return pop.mcounts[mr.key]
+                                                       == 2 * pop.diploids.size()
+                                                   && pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes
+                                                              [mr.key]
+                                                          == 0;
+                                        });
+                                    auto d
+                                        = std::distance(itr, end(pop.tables->mutations));
+                                    pop.tables->mutations.erase(
+                                        itr, end(pop.tables->mutations));
+                                    if (d)
+                                        {
+                                            fwdpp::ts::rebuild_site_table(*pop.tables);
+                                        }
+                                    fwdpp::ts::remove_fixations_from_haploid_genomes(
+                                        pop.haploid_genomes, pop.mutations, pop.mcounts,
+                                        pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes,
+                                        2 * pop.diploids.size(),
+                                        options.preserve_selected_fixations);
+                                    fixations_removed = true;
+                                    // NOTE: this is hacky and should be better-handled upstream
+                                    for (std::size_t i = 0; i < pop.mcounts.size(); ++i)
+                                        {
+                                            if (pop.mcounts[i] == 2 * pop.N
+                                                && pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes[i]
+                                                       == 0)
                                                 {
-                                                    if (pop.mcounts[i] == 2 * pop.N
-                                                        && pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes
-                                                                   [i]
-                                                               == 0)
-                                                        {
-                                                            pop.mcounts[i] = 0;
-                                                        }
+                                                    pop.mcounts[i] = 0;
                                                 }
-                                            genetics.mutation_recycling_bin
-                                                = fwdpp::ts::make_mut_queue(
-                                                    pop.mcounts,
-                                                    pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes);
                                         }
+                                    genetics.mutation_recycling_bin
+                                        = fwdpp::ts::make_mut_queue(
+                                            pop.mcounts,
+                                            pop.mcounts_from_preserved_nodes);
                                 }
                         }
                 }