Hinge cutting trees for deer cover

braucher · February 05, 2018, 08:41:19 AM

Thanks in advance Braucher
Trees best to cut ,any size better than another
Trying to hold deer on property

thecfarm · February 05, 2018, 08:52:14 AM

What state are you in?
In my state deer looooooove cedar.
I was thinning an area by the house and I was cutting white maple. I would leave the tops and pull out the wood. Than the day,after the deer have chewed the tops,I would pull the tops out and cut some more trees and leave the tops again.
I feed about 20 deer,just through the winter months,where they go during hunting season,I have no idea.

braucher · February 05, 2018, 10:48:27 AM

Braucher
Sorry I am in south east Ohio
I have a lot of maple With hinge cut they live about two seasons , provides food and cover.
Have been watching you - tube , hard for me to cut a hardwood . I have 150 acres mostly woods it was raped/ timbered 40 years ago could selective timber some now . Thank you

cbay · February 05, 2018, 11:49:18 AM

Hard for us to cut most hardwoods too. Especially any oaks. But seeing the lack of cover keeping the mature bucks from staying on our place has us wanting to create more cover for sure.
I think the location of the cover is more important than the amount to a degree. After hunting there for quite a few years and seeing where the deer want to travel it's getting easier to identify precisely where to give them more cover. Knowing any nice oaks are off the list i've been looking for the compromises in the trees that can have the greatest impact and got it narrowed down to some locust and hickories.
Sure glad i didn't just go dropping trees earlier in the years with the place because i would have taken some trees and been sorry later.
Just some thoughts from a guy who has a hard time taking a good tree down.

But, a sayin that comes to mind with a lot of things: Necessity has a way of making things happen.

braucher · February 06, 2018, 12:53:16 AM

Yes have some oaks and hickory I may cut but am going to put down some maples
Thanks braucher

coxy · February 06, 2018, 07:09:40 AM

around here the deer only eat oak tops if there starving but soft maple is there favorite along with ash and striped maple we cut a lot of small s maple saplings half way through (the biggest was about 6in round) and bunt them over for the last 4 years they have stayed alive and feed the deer it looks like a tornado went through there but the deer like it it also provides cover for them

Bibbyman · February 06, 2018, 08:52:42 PM

I find it strange to find folks trying to attract deer and grow their population. We drove from central Missouri north on US63 last Saturday and there was hardly a time you couldn't see the carrcus of a dead deer along the highway. I'd say 3 or 4 to the mile. And this is after deer season when their population has to be much lower. This is real typical in most of Missouri despite a very generous hunting program designed to reduce the population, blue tongue and chronic wasting disease.

thecfarm · February 06, 2018, 09:37:17 PM

Bibbyman come up to Maine. Big difference in deer. Yes,I see 25 at a time now,hunting season,I am lucky to see any. I see more deer when I am on my tractor,than walking. I want to see deer,I take the tractor. ;D I can drive for miles and miles on any road in Maine and I might see some dark stain where a deer got hit. Noticed the might word.

coxy · February 07, 2018, 07:32:52 AM

same here if i see 50 deer in the 4 weeks that i hunt and some of them are the same deer its a lot and i hunt all over in a 20 mile radius of home

braucher · February 07, 2018, 08:09:50 AM

I am just trying to hold deer on my property.
Many hunters here chose to drive the deer ,I don't like to do that.
braucher

moosehunter · February 07, 2018, 08:30:58 AM

I have cut poplar just before the leaves drop,the deer love the leaves.
mh

braucher · February 12, 2018, 06:59:46 AM

While waiting on the weather to warm up , time to refresh mineral sights .
Many of you guys do mineral / protein sites ?

petefrom bearswamp · February 12, 2018, 08:28:42 AM

Striped maple here is like candy to the critters, also cherry.
my son and i cut a large cherry by my mill 3 weeks ago and a couple of deer are feasting on the twigs.

Bibbyman · February 17, 2018, 02:52:18 PM

Quote from: braucher on February 12, 2018, 06:59:46 AM
While waiting on the weather to warm up , time to refresh mineral sights .
Many of you guys do mineral / protein sites ?

Not legal here in most of mid-Missouri. As is feeding. Food plots are still allowed. They have found feeders spread Chronic Wasting disease and blue tongue.

tmbrcruiser · February 18, 2018, 09:24:52 AM

I have a tree farm and use hinge cutting to provide food and cover for deer. The added bonus is cutting undesirable trees, TSI "timber stand improvement". Mostly I am cutting red maple or sweet gum both of which deer love and are easy to hinge cut. Many of the trees are less than 12" and I like to cut them above my waist, this allows the deer to move under the growing stem.

Chuck White · March 18, 2018, 08:47:35 PM

I know this is an old thread, but!

I was just now watching a show on the Outdoor Channel where they were hinge cutting trees to provide food and shelter for the deer, and other critters too!

braucher · March 23, 2018, 07:21:59 AM

I have picked a few spots to hinge cut a couple patches of maple anywhere from 4-12 inch trees .
Hoping you guys that do minerals have them out they are on them already . braucher

mike_belben · March 25, 2018, 11:52:26 AM

I didnt realize there was a hunting section.. Should have put this here.

DSI in Forestry and Logging

Please feel free to share pictures and information of what youve had good or bad results with on it. So far ive enjoyed making habitat and culling junk at the same time.