I've had enough standing dead trees coming down whenever and however the past several years due to the emerald ash bore. 100s of thousands of bucks bed every year, without a canopy, across the entire whitetail range. They must have some different trees then me. This type of cut is designed to manipulate where deer travel. Furthermore, planting tall native grasses will also help provide that buffer that deer love. Learn how hinge cutting trees can help keep deer on your property. The true cure for our place put a substantial amount of money in our pocket and not some fly by night habitat gurus pocket. Many hinge cut deer bedding area projects are doomed for failure before ever even firing up the chainsaw. Look for new growth sprouting from the cut tree trunk or starting up on the ground due to the additional sunlight that will come through. 99.9% of the time I agree with Plumbgranny that it is not a good idea to speak in absolutes but in the case of chainsaws: Hinge cutting is not for everyone and not every property. It ranks right up there with duct tape body repair in my mind. The correct way on how to hinge cut trees for deer is to always cut flat or level to the ground, and cut through the tree just enough to get it to lay down. Bedding/Feeding Hinges – Hinge at neck height so the deer … Properties Auctions Agents Videos LandBeat Careers About Home; Videos Here Hinge Cutting For Deer. This is the kind of regrowth you get after a few years. “It is a great way to turn otherwise low-value trees deer will browse, such as tulip poplar, maple and sweet gum, to a productive use. Typically your hinge cutting efforts should always center around a level at your waist or belly. Some species do much better then others. Ward also hinge-cuts a few trees at head height along the trail. Also, doing these things around food plots and other food sources will help deer use those more … I admit that I have not had good success with my hinge-cut trees surviving for more than a year or so. IMO, every 3-5 years is sufficient to prevent canopy and can done very quickly. That said I have done major dozer work over the last three years to the hunting property. My technique for this job is half-cutting, also known as “hinge-cutting.” Trees are cut only halfway through. The forage quality from hardwoods rarely is close to that of herbaceous plants. Posted on July 2, 2014 by Dr Jim — 12 Comments ↓ This video shows the cutting of over 100 trees by one man in 2 hours on a south facing hillside. Hinge Cutting for Deer Travel. (Minimum mature meaning browse out of reach of deer). We dropped a good sized maple tree all alone about 100 yards from where we were doing the rest of the hinge cutting. If the phragmites are controlled (by using specific herbicides), the deer might rapidly adapt to the next most suitable bedding cover. What I have experienced to be the perfect blend of high vs low, is to cut at height level to your waist or belly. By hinge cutting tree species such as hackberry poplar, and maples, non-mass bearing trees (do not cut oaks and hickories) we can put food at a deer’s level and also create bedding areas with certain cuts. I would do it - or remove some of the gum altogether. Pine trees do not survive well after a hinge cut and are better off if they are just cut off even. Horizontal structure can add dimension. Wrong! Cutting efforts that place your saw at your neck or head level, begin well above a deer's line of site. However, in my experience on whitetail lands far and wide, a canopy is the least important aspect of creating a bedding area. Bedding area location can be crucial to minimizing deer disturbance. Hinge cut bedding area for whitetail deer . A hinge cut tree brings the food from the tree top and leaves to the ground for deer to use as feed, and it also provides substantial cover. Hinge-cutting has made a profound affect on controlling deer movement. The top had hundreds of buds, now brought … Habitat work should NEVER be painted with a broad brush! They will hinge a little better right when the weather starts to warm up, like in the 40's. I would estimate that it may improve a bedding area by only a few percentage points if done correctly and within the 10% of whitetail states it will work - until it caves in, sags or just simply breaks down. As part of an overall plan, we hinge at differing heights for differing reasons, and here is a short list. The hinge cut some smaller trees to fill in gap in the wind/weather break. Elm rarely reaches maturity due to disease, competes with many desirable trees and has little to no value to deer and many other critters. Why Hinge Cut? The area should resemble storm damage when you finish. Look for natural bedding areas to hinge cut, such as near ridge tops and south-facing slopes. The goal is to always keep as much of the tree attached as possible. If your hinge cuts only stay alive only a season or two, they are done incorrectly. Not all hinge cuts are created equal! // One thing I love about hunting and fishing is your ability to learn and adapt resulting in acquired knowledge sets you apart and makes you successful. It also makes it easier for deer to feed, too, because Ward seeds the trails in a similar manner to his bedding areas. Here hinge cutting also enables mast-producing trees to fill in gap in the fall food in winter. 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