# hinge cutting



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

I have been reading about hinge cutting your wood lots to create bedding cover for deer. just wondering if any of you guys on here have done any of this to your woods? I looked it up on u tube and it looks like it might work pretty well.


----------



## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

I've done it more for the deer to browse. I think it has several benefits for the deer herd. Rather dangerous thing to do with trees. Use some caution on larger trees.


----------



## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I've done it.


----------



## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Just started this past year, for browse, bedding, & to open up some areas to thicken the woods back up. I'll do quite a bit more next spring since there are tons of 2-6" maples that work perfectly. It's too early to see a benefit for the deer, but we did jump a couple rabbits from those areas.


----------



## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

My buddy and his brother bought 100 acres in Pike cty 6 years ago. It had been select cut 33 years ago and was a mix of young and harvestable trees. The property had a couple sparse "thickets" and was pretty much open - you could see a great distance from your stand. That area just doesn't contain honeysuckle like much of the state (which is good). 

Google maps shows several thick areas contained in the 840 acre property connected at the back and this is where the deer were bedding. We were catching them coming to and from the fields or on the small oak flat eating acorns only. It was clear the dere were not staying on the property....no reason to.

After that first season they got the state forestor down there and he made some suggestions. We mapped and walked the property and marked trees in a "bowl" area we wanted to hinge cut and create a sanctuary. We hired a reputable independent logger (who was GREAT been doing it 40 years and was very helpful). We shared our plan and he was more than willing to take the time to walk all the property and share his input - we told him which trees to take which didn't include the most prized trees (white oak, etc.) and he was very cooperative. He put a culvert in and blazed his trail precisely where we strategically wanted it. 

He only worked on about a 22 acre section......we directed him and he placed tops how we wanted with his dozer and/or bobcat. He helped us hinge cut an area and we were thrilled when we were done. We had created quite a bot of cover and food.

This made an INSTANT impact! The deer quickly found the cover accomodating and we had deer actually bedding and staying on the property. We also pulled in several more bucks both in sighting and cam pictures due to the does being on the land and in the area. 

The deer still bed behind us on the neighbors, but they don't hesitate to lay up on our land now. Prior to this work we were a travel route only. We have done some other work to the property to make it appealing to deer and we are actually having our logger back out this summer to clean up a few things and work another 5 acres on the ridge top to complete our plan.


----------



## buckeye dan (Jan 31, 2012)

We're getting ready to do this in a hollow that is recovering clear cut. It has recovered to the point that you can walk through it and see pretty well. Everything that isn't hard mast will be dropped. Approximately 10-15 acres.


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

thanks for the info guys but would it be a good time of year now to start or should I want until spring. what do you guys think would work best?


----------



## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Did this in an area full of Aspens. Made the cuts about 3-4' off the ground. Not only did the tops create a secure bedding area for the deer, the stumps started re-sprouting out and the deer really browse on the new growth. Also found that when these tops started rotting, the turkey liked the area, scratching for the bugs in the deadfalls.

Am in the process of doing the same to another section as well.

When I did this the 1st time, it was in the summer and the trees were full of sap. The ones I'm doing now have little to no sap and are much more brittle, splitting a lot sooner then the ones I did in the summer. All these trees are anywhere from 1 1/2' -2 1/2' across at the base and anywhere from 50-80ft tall. Being very top heavy I've found that cutting them in the winter and them being more brittle and splitting earlier, more care needs to be taken with the ones I'm cutting now. Have also found that using either wood or plastic wedges has really helped me to fell them in the direction I want them to go.


----------



## buckeye dan (Jan 31, 2012)

@weasel, 

Play it by the weather. It's probably not work you are going to want to do when it's hot and humid. I am hoping we get all the saw work done before March. The cutting that needs done where I hunt is pretty young still so it is still impassable when things green up in some places. I can get to those areas now without fighting vines and brush nearly as badly as I would have to in the late spring or summer.


----------



## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

I'm with *buckeye dan*.

Even though you may have to be more careful in the winter, it's much easier to do it now or before things start greening up. Another thing is if you are planning on making your cuts waist to chest high so they will sprout and bush out for deer browse, you will have a better chance of most every tree you cut bushing out cutting in the winter since all the sap is running down and it won't bleed to death. 
Cutting when things starts to green up, the sap is running up and there will be some stumps that won't re-sprout before they just die. Seems the stumps that just die are bleeding out so fast that they can't reserve enough sap to sprout.

FWIW, if you catch poison oak and there are vines in your trees, remember you can catch it the winter as well.


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

thanks again guys for info. I think I will take your advice and do it in February or early march if not sooner. does it hurt to cut maple trees right now or should I wait a little later towards spring ? i know people tap them to make syrup out of the water but I am not planning on doing that.


----------



## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

> Orig posted by *weasel*:
> 
> does it hurt to cut maple trees right now or should I wait a little later towards spring


 Winter is the best time to prune,trim most all trees, including the different maples species. I'm thinking you may want to prune/trim maple sometimes other then winter if you're going to tap them but if your not, winter is best. There are less diseases and insects to attack the open wounds of the tree in the winter.

If I were you, I'd do some research and learn on trimming/pruning/thinning trees. Especially your more valuable trees. How much to cut, along with the best branchs to cut. The more you can learn about the process, the better chance you have of not killing a high $ tree. 

You may want to get ahold of your local county extension agent or call OSU extension office for some help. They'll come out, look at your grounds and you can tell them your plans/goals and they can tell you the best way to go about achieving what you are wanting. This is a free service and has proven to be very beneficial to me.


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

well got out Saturday and did some cutting turned out well only had a couple of tree snap off really created a lot of new cover and browse cant wait till spring to see the real results.


----------



## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

My buddy owned a 15 acre parcel of mostly red oak that he had logged off. This was by no means "hinge cutting" or selective logging. It was pretty much a clear cut, the loggers wanted that red oak for pallet wood, but they left a buffer zone around the edges of the property. Before the logging it was rare to see a deer in there. After cutting, they were in there all the time! Both feeding on the low growing browse, and bedding in the thick stuff.


----------



## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

> Orig. posted by *weasel*:
> 
> well got out Saturday and did some cutting turned out well only had a couple of tree snap off really created a lot of new cover and browse cant wait till spring to see the real results.


Sounds like your on your way.

*Word of caution...*

If I were you I would start looking into some of the non-native plants that are bad for your property such as Autumn Olive that like to move into freshly cut areas and take them over. These are usually very fast growing plants/shrubs that have small white blooms on them in the spring and will get small red berries on them in the summer. It will take over the area and choke out the new growth of beneficial plants. 
Once it moves in it spreads very quickly to other parts of your property as the birds eat the berries and carry the seeds spreading them throughout your property.

I've got an area I cut that this autumn olive moved into. When it 1st started coming up it was spotty but within a couple years had taken the area over. It created such a small, thick canopy not letting the sun get to the ground that there is not another plant under it. I didn't know what it was till it had almost taken the whole area over and I called the extension agent. He told me what it was and sent literature on it and how to control it. Just cutting it down will usually not kill it once established. Just makes it re-sprout much thicker. 

I started spraying it early last fall when the leaves were still on and I could identify it . Will continue this spring when the leaves come back out. 

Here's a good article on invasive plants:

www.oipc.info/specieslist.html 

Hope this helps.


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

thanks for all the in put ogfrs!


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

well got out today to check on the area I hinge cut a while back and it was torn up deer poop every were and they ate a lot of the tips off of the trees I felled along with a lot of bed sites. so I did another area this afternoon cant wait for spring to see the other results of the under brush taking off. I am going back in early april to rake out some areas and use some logs for more bedding sites. you guys need to try this out if your woods are kind a open. I think it really helped the deer with this cold winter with the browse I created for them. I got my ideas from reading, utube videos and advice from people on this site.


----------



## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Good deal *weasel*. 

If ya made your cuts about waist to chest high, you'll have some new shoots come out on some of your stumps this spring. The deer well go crazy over the young, new browse.

Again, just another reminder, re-read post #15 about the non native plants that may have a tendency to move in and take over since the area will now get plenty of sun. From experience I can tell ya Autumn Olive doesn't take long at all to take an area over.


----------



## weasel (Mar 25, 2007)

thanks for the reply fastwater I will keep and eye out for that autumn olive.


----------

