Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, whatever name you wish to call the devil plant... Maybe my area is the only one, but this is a problem I do not see anybody talking about. On our 365 acre family farm, about 180 acres is timber. And of that 180, about 150 is absolutely covered with bush honeysuckle to the point it is impenetrable. Deer trails have vanished over the years, former areas that produced no longer provide any deer sightings, and if you find an area, the stuff is so thick and fast growing that you sound like a herd of elephants coming into your stand, and once you get there you cannot see 15 yards around you. To remove the plant would be to dig up the root ball for best odds, or to cut at the base and spray with a potent herbicide. We are talking several hundreds of thousands of plants that need to be removed and as fast as birds spread these things by eating the berries, I'm afraid it's a battle that cannot be won until a more viable removal option exists (like a spray that actually kills it). Any others struggling with this? If so what have you done? Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
look like this? It's everywhere on the property I lease here in WI. Not nearly to the extent you are talking about, but you can't get away from the stuff either. First year leasing this place so I don't know how quick it will spread.
Sucks, we have in places in NY as well. There was a time when it was considered good cover and promoted by the DEC for habitat. One place I know of has had luck cutting the larger bushes and painted the stumps with herbicides. I'm the late winter. They then come back a few months later and use skid steer to clear the whole lot. Seems to grow back less that way.
I'll try to take some pictures when I get back out to the farm Monday, but that's the stuff Ruttin. I would try to eradicate it as best you can while you are still ahead of it. Trial, same situation here in Illinois from what I understand. Illinois DNR liked it for it's cover and hardiness in the winter. I've read up on the cutting and painting, it's labor intensive, but effective once you get ahead of it and can then continue spraying new growth each year. I've considered it, but I fear for clearing over 100 acres of hilly and brushy hollows it may be too big of a job. I killed my first deer on the ground during gun season in 2000. Today if you were to sit next to that same tree, you could not see 10' in front of you. It has completely choked out any new growth of beneficial species and has created a negative monoculture of our forest. I've even heard of some "experts" still encouraging this stuff.. Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
Wow:-/. And I've been wanting to plant some at my lease for deer. Guess I won't now. Very sorry to hear what a mess it makes. Kilboars Hunt Club
Scott, On One of the forty acre farms that we Hunt we have it Terrible. Ten years ago you could see 200 yards in there and we saw lots off deer. Now it's so thick you can't see ten feet. I have killed several big deer in there so I guess that's a plus but overall the deer usage is 20 percent what it once was. I'm hoping they come up with something to kill it that you can spray from a crop duster air plane.
I'll agree with everything you've seen on your place. At first I just thought the deer were hiding better, but years of trail cameras have shown the numbers themselves in these areas are way down. We did have a run in with EHD in there also, but it was not nearly as bad as surrounding areas. Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
Good idea about crop dusting. Imagine it would be very hard to find something that wouldn't kill everything though. I know exactly how bad some areas of Fulton are. Definitely sucks to track deer through Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
I have access to a property that was heavily infested with barberry and burning bush that the landowner wanted gone. We made a deal, hunting rights in exchange for me clearing invasive plant species. The best, and really only way, is to cut it down in winter, and then go back every month or so and spray any new growth. It is very time consuming to do a large area, but if there is an easier way I'd like to hear it. Shop around for the herbicide, and buy an off brand concentrate, so much cheaper than buying Roundup!
This does seem to be the best option. It'll take several years to completely get rid of it, but we may just have to give it a try, and continuous spraying after, but should do the job if you can turn the corner on it. I've also considered just taking a dozer to different ridge tops where it has grabbed hold of and then starting over by replanting them in a sawtooth oaks, fruit trees, switchgrass, and food plots. Once I get an area cleared and a food plot established, I have had no problems with it trying to grow back up every year. Starting from scratch should help keep new growth at bay as well. This would then leave me to wage war with the stuff on the hillsides and ditches. Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
I used to work for the MDC in forestry and we killed the stuff all the time. We did TSI projects and used chainsaws and sprayed garlon on the stumps. It will kill pretty much anything you spray it on.
We have honeysuckle here in places, however our main problem is Buckthorn. If you think honeysuckle is bad, try getting rid of this stuff. At least deer eat honeysuckle leaves. Buckthorn has no nutritional value to any animal and spreads just as bad. Much like your problem we have hundreds of acres of buckthorn thickets that are all but impenetrable and unhuntable. Deer used to bed and winter in these areas and now they barely step foot in them. Much like Clinton's problem the deer usage is a fraction of what it used to be. The only way to get rid of it is a chainsaw and herbicide. The problem is that the berries/seeds are viable for something like 8 years. And as soon as you cut the big trees down you get hundreds or thousands of sucklings that sprout almost immediately. I feel your pain.
There is a tool that you can use to pry out the saplings and get the root instead of cutting and spraying. i have never used it myself but watched inmates do it well.
I don't have experience with Kudzu, but I have read from those that have messed with both that it is comparable in regards to being invasive and hard to control. Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
If it was introduced by man it's a disaster. Kudzu, Multi Floral Rose, Honeysuckle, Brazilian pepper........
I have not heard of buckthorn before, but a quick google search and it doesn't look familiar to me. Maybe more present in the northern part of the state? Either way, sounds like a similar pain in the butt. With these plants being such an issue, I'm surprised they are not talked about more, or companies aren't trying to capitalize on their removal. Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
Buckthorn will still be green when the snow hits been able to keep it at bay at my place, I get after it after I am done hunting and the firewood is put up, I cut it flush with a chainsaw and the deer browse on the suckers seems to knock it down.
