Hey guys looking for some advice, past experience, and your over all Review of hinge cutting. I have about 100 acres of ground I'm Hunting majority of it is farm Ground but majority is surrounded by standing timber with state ground less than 1/2 mike away just looking for something new to try to get more bucks and deer to hold on property any and all help is accepted
Go to Youtube and look up Jim Ward's whitetail academy. He is a Whitetail specialist and he specializes in hinge cutting for deer habitat. I learned a lot watching his videos.
in my opinion, hinge cutting is the number one improvement a guy with a small parcel can do to hold mature bucks. Give these guys a hinge cut santuary where they will feel safe. I have hinge cut two one acre santuaries on my 40 acres and the results of mature buck sightings has gone way up. Over half of my 40 acres i dont step foot into unless I have to during the hunting season. You not only give deer a place to bed but also you are giving them food and opening up the canopy to let light in for new growth. Just make sure you have trails going in an out of these areas so deer don't feel trapped. Scoot
Just be sure not to over do it! This is the biggest issue I see with hinge cutting. There is a really an art to it and it takes planning. Just going in and cutting random trees in a group it not the way to do it. You can create a barrier from hinge cutting as quick as you can bedding. Make sure the deer still have plenty and entry and exit routes.
To expand on this....one of the biggest mistakes even my father and I made when we started was hinging low....if you want the deer to use the area hinge those suckers high...creates sight blocking, overhead cover and browse down to their level...hinge low and you impede easy travel.
Just wanted to share my most recent hinge experience. This was my attempt to create a buffer for our main plot. Cut most trees from waist up to just above shoulder height. Really need to get a habitat hook to make things easier. Have to go back and trim the branches that could take an eye out.
