What are some things you guys do to improve your wintering quality on your deer lands? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Other then winter rye in plots, Hinge cutting trees is a great thing for your property, it will not only give deer cover but in winter the tree tops that are on ground will give deer much needed food. Last year tracked through snow and cut down a bunch of aspen trees and deer hammered the tops. Scoot
Yes I would like to do some hinge cutting, seems like after the rut deer take off from our land! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hinge cutting will help. I would focus on south facing slopes however as these slopes receive the longest exposure to the sun and will be where deer congregate during the winter to stay warm. Also planting evergreens helps
Hinge cutting trees is the single most important improvement I have done to my property and noticed the results. Good luck this year Scoot
Our land has maybe 10 feet of elevation change over 140 acres:/ Most of it is willow area and low land with a open field and my uncle has a woods bordering the field on one side... There is a about 60 acres of poplars planted for logging only a hundred yards away, could they be wintering there? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Same situation by us in Northern Wisconsin. 120 acres of poplars for logging with only 10-15 foot elevation changes. Thick as heck with trees 2'' - 5''. Bucks seem to leave our property in winter, but the doe tend to stick around. I read somewhere that people don't think you should bother hindge cutting poplars and should jsut cut them to the ground and let completely new growth take over. What are your thoughts? Now that i think about it, i think the trees are our property are technically aspen, otherwise known as "popple" but hell if i know. I always get confused
I am no expert but here is a pic of a section that I hinge cut and cut some of the aspen trees down, I believe you are right you can also just cut them down, some of them I did and some I hinge cut, deer sure hammered them. Scoot
NICE! While you are creating a "feathered edge" type of environment with the main purpose being providing food, what would you do if my sole purpose was to create bedding? Would you still hindge cut, or cut them flush with the ground?
Nissen, Aspen don't really hinge that well, I got some that you see to hinge but the others I just cut to the ground, if you can hinge some about neck high at the hinge it would be a great bedding height. Cutting them to ground will open up canopy to let sunlight in and the new growth will take off which would be good also. Are there other junk trees where you wan't to create a bedding area? If there is hinge them at neck high and create trails like a maze throughout bedding area. Scoot
98% Popple (aspen). We had the property logged 15-20 years ago and its INSANE how thick they are. 2'' - 5'' trees every 4 feet. Thanks for the comments! I will certainly hinge some at neck height, as it's very easy to control trees these size.
Midwest, I think aspen is another name for a poplar tree, a forester called mine aspen trees so that is the only reason I know they are aspen. Scoot
