When to Hinge Cut (Or NOT!) Deer Bedding Areas
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- Опубліковано 20 лют 2021
- While many of you should not complete a hinge cut on your land for deer bedding or deer screening, some of you SHOULD! Here is when and why you should actually create a hinge cut for whitetails and other wildlife species...and when and why you should not.
You can create exceptional deer hunting hinge cuts for this Fall, by enrolling in my latest land design web class and learning how, when, if and why you need them:
www.whitetailhabitatsolutions...
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Over 2years watching show and still love it!!!!! No sun and it will not grow. Great show
We plan on focusing on more bedding this year.. hinge cut will be an after thought because you have to get those big trees down first. No sunlight equals failed hindge cuts. Love this channel sir, best management tool I have is your videos.
Ahhh...sunlight...that changes my plan on where I was going to do a little bit of hinge cutting. Thanks Jeff, for saving me from myself.
Thanks Jeff. Great video. I have some canopy to remove starting in the next few weeks. I will follow up with hinge cuts as needed.
Excellent information, just got caught up on the last weeks uploads.
Cutting the south end of conifers is amazing. I notice that years ago. And Cutting a little on the south side each year is a great way to remove any evergreen stand over time without creating a barrier if you can't remove the trees. Slowly but surely a the deer love that new growth each year.
Got my bedding point canopy opened up last week. Probably a dozen monster whitepine (36" diameter) are now on the ground along with a few spruce and fir (10" diameter) which should allow sun to get to the red maple and red oak that I look forward to hinging in March with the help of my habitat hook from Nick Nation.
I just got into this habitat improvement stuff, but honestly you must have pushed a lot of business to Nations. I bought one just to have if I need to hinge later on and no joke...I have used the snot out of that tool. Just having it as a brace for cutting, or as an impromptu support for moving logs...priceless. I have even used it as a support for felling some trees, overall I'm happy I got it and I haven't even used it for what I bought it for yet...
Been watching all you video's for a few years . If you are ever in western pa. you or Dillon I would put you up and or buy you dinner . I owe you guys more then that. The wife asked me this morning why everything i do for fun seems like work, I told her I call it the labor of love.
Excellent video Jeff! Can’t wait till March/April to add some hinge cuts. Any chance you could show an aerial view of your new MN property showing your hinge cutting/tree dropping strategy there?...together with before and after pictures if cutting hasn’t already taken place?
My neighbors in the southern tier of NY, have been hinge cutting in areas without sunlight, in the timber. It's no wonder they don't seem to be making any impact, no sunlight. Thanks Jeff.
Such a critical mistake! You have to drop the canopy down first...and then hinge cuts in this setting can help a bit. Getting the big canopy trees down first tho, accomplishes 80%...
Where in the southern tier of ny? I live there haha good deer here
@@autoaddict7162 Near Norwich
Best explained hinge cut video I’ve seen on UA-cam on the do’s and don’ts! You always see the big supporters of hinge cutting explain why to do it, then you see the the doubters saying why it’s so bad! This is the first realistic hinge cutting video that explains it all! Thank you Jeff!
It’s been just about 3 yrs since we undertook the project of hinge cutting now the task of cleaning some of those trees up need to get in the thick of it and clean it up hopefully can get this done
Another awesome video! Where would you find information on properly identifying trees for the DIYer.
Can you please do a video on management ideas for untamed mesquite flats in west Texas? Do I cut out shooting lanes? Clear 20 acres? Remedy/Sendero all of it? Are food plots possible in desert climates?
Any insight for us down in west Texas would be awesome! Thanks for your great videos
excellent video thank you
Howdy from Southwestern Kentucky! Love your channel bud. I have a bottom field near a road that has always been a honey hole for me. The issue is the only barrier between the road and the field is a 50 yard wide stand of poplar trees. The road is about 15 feet in elevation higher than the field. It has never been a problem since I've owned the property as the poplars have always been young and thick blocking the view. Now the poplars are 10-12 inches in diameter and are losing bottom branches and becoming more sparse allowing view of the field. Any suggestions?
I did some minor hinge cutting on some arm size trees several years ago. They did sucker out nicely, but we had a summer drought, and they all died.
Hi Jeff another great video.
I have a question about sweet gum tree.my woods was cut hard ten years ago.it is full now with Sweet gum an sugar maple .are sweet gum trees good for hinge cut for deer food along with the maple ??
Any thoughts on hinging young beachnut. Seems like I get 10 offshoot trees 8” off the root system of 1 mature tree
Hey Jeff, love the videos and information you present. Can you tell us about the earthway 2750 seeder settings for the blends you use? It would be very beneficial, thank you sir.
Thanks a lot! Brassica and switchgrass are around 1.75, but I have to admit I go by feel a lot and it depends on how fast you walk and spin the broadcaster. I go full wide open on the rye layering for 200#s per acre. 3-4 for most fertilizer and oats/beans/peas combo. Buckwheat somewhere around 3...
Those are approximates for sure tho. I always watch the bag and guesstimate how much I have left to do too.
I would also like to know what settings you use. Have been using earthway spreaders for over 20 years but am new to using your blend from John Komp.
We just had our property logged. They were able to leave a lot of younger trees 5" and under. Many of those smaller, spindly trees are tall as there were trying to get to sunlight. Have you ever tried to tie down a tree like these and "encourage" it to grow horizontally? I've seen this happen naturally when a larger tree has fallen on a young tree. It's almost like a live, horizontal tree.
If hinge cutting doesn’t work for you, have you ever recommended using a pole saw and removing limbs from the canopy to hit the ground with sun light?
Keep it up brother ..thanks
Thank you Chris...really appreciate it!
How do u make a doe bed on a island with creek surrounded the island and a big hill above but only dead trees
Have you ever tried hinge cutting cottonwood? I have a lot of those in one area of my property and considered either hinge cutting or canopy reduction. Do you know if cottonwood will survive and if deer will eat it?
Mr. Jeff I’ve got a quick question for you and I know you get a lot of these sir but I have been wondering for years do I need to cut some of my trees down? I have 25 acres and it’s all completely woods except we’re I’ve taken a tractor and pushed to make a trail. It’s all woods and never had a food plot and doesn’t have any fields or openings cut on it
Hi Jeff. Love the videos and actually took my best deer by far last year by following your advice on bedding. What do you think would be the minimum tree diameter would be for productive hinge cutting. I have some areas that I think this may be appropriate for, but the hardwoods are somewhat smaller than the ones shown in the video and I didn't know if there is timber that would be deemed too small for hinge cuts.
How much hinging in specific area is too much? I have a few small local areas i have hinged and deer are not bedding in it. I feel i opened it enough but maybe not? Would love to see this visually shown in an upcoming video. I may have it too thick and closed in? Appreciate the consideration!
Is there any specific or preferred pattern to lay the hinge cut trees down? Do you want to lay them all parallel to each other or create a spiral where they are all laying on each other? Or what?
50 yards between the minimum or the average for .15 acre doe bedding areas in mature Southern Ohio forest? Thanks
Hey Jeff love your videos! Does hinge cutting work good in low swamp land too?
It sure does Jesse!! One of the best improvements you can make in those areas. Red maple and ash are outstanding to pick on in those areas!
Thanks! Hopefully I can get in there this spring and do some cutting. Just gotta stay away from all the poison sumac!
Hey Jeff, Thanks for the videos. What is the best topo location for hinge cuts around bedding areas? If you have the choice between lowland, swampy area or on top of ridges and hills? In Maine, we have mostly wooded areas with some ag. Thanks.
So many choices but it all depends on where bedding needs to go...and stay. Then you let the habitat tell you how to cut and where. In elevated areas you typically want to hinge around small flats or on the downhill side of benches. So many factors tho.
Yes, too many factors to mention...we have a river, main road and heavy hunting pressure as boundaries on 3+ sides. Making it more difficult to know where the best locations should be.
Do you do any consulting up here in Maine? I'd be interested to know more. Thanks again for all the good information that you share!
Speaking of post logging...I am a former client who has recently completed a clear cut on the internal 70% of my property to fit our management map. This spring I will be starting to diversify my vast hardwood monoculture with pockets of red cedar and white spruce. Do you recommend any pattern to those conifer plantings? Are you keeping the winter winds in mind for providing thermal cover when planting?
Hi Anthony! Great to hear that you had that completed. I like clusters of 2-5 trees, tightly spaced and hidden within the dead tops and debris. You can work on areas of planted O'Conner pockets 1/8th of an acre to 1/4 acre and smaller...in particular on your flats and areas of bedding. That will be perfect!!
I would not worry about the winds, only because some of the most severe are prolonged southerly winds during frigid temps...as well as northwestern winds.
What is that buck eating at 7:59
Getting ready to select cut another 80 to 100 ac
I had an acre or so of Aspens clearcut because straight line winds broke the fibers on top of tree and they would die in a couple years. DNR told me I’d have all theses wonderful shouts but deer ate them to the ground and now it’s too late to fence. Blackberries and thick briars are now growing there and deer still bed and eat. I’ve planted conifers mixed in but bucks have rubbed them severely. Any suggestions? I’m thankful it’s only one acre.
Hi Mark! This briars ar excellent and if you can keep the deer from killing the pines, that can be an exceptional bedding area if in the right spot! Red pine, red cedar and Norway spruce can all be a great fit. I would focus on pockets of conifer fenced in...4-8 trees per pocket spaced at 4-7' apart am irregular.
Hey Jeff, we are waiting until after our timber is cut in April and we may not hinge cut anything until next year!
Amen to that Drew...great practice and plan! You may find you can push that hinge cut off a few years too...
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 thanks you’ve helped me a lot man!
What do you do with thick Jack Pine pockets? They are about 20 years old.
Many things you can do depending on your entire parcel habitat, food source locations, bedding areas, etc. Cutting on the south side to allow sunlight to get into the pockets is one thing...hollowing out the inside from chest level on down is another, to allow deer to move freely within. A combination of both...or conifer removal on the inside or all together are options.
I hunt in Florida, so crops and other management techniques are a little different here just be cause the climate is so different, but Jeff's techniques and advise work the best out of all of the other shows I watch, but I believe he's going to go out of business real soon. Class Action Lawsuit. In the environment we're in Whitetail Habitat Solutions should come with a warning at the beginning of the show. Something like " Please watch this show with extreme care because it's viewing has been proven to be highly addictive". I wake up in the morning turn the coffeemaker on and turn on UA-cam to see if Jeff has released another show or clip. My wife try's to stop me by making fun of me saying "I think you have a man crush on Jeff Sturgis". The only thing that's different here is I use oats in scenarios where Jeff uses Winter Rye because here the weather have a tendency to have periods of heat that oats can with stand and rye has more of a negative effect.
Hmm. You’ve got me thinking, Jeff. I have a spot that has been partially cleared and there are pockets of new growth and about two dozen white oaks spread over five acres. This is a transitional area between an open field and national forest. Would this be an ideal place for hinge cutting?
Boy it sound like it would? Also converting that old field to switchgrass and food or diversity pockets.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I really wish I could, but the cattle wouldn’t allow it. About 150 yards across the field there is a large ditch running a horseshoe shape around a field creating somewhat of an island. It’s covered in switchgrass. What I’ve noticed is the deer follow along the ditch and tree line between the two areas from the switch grass and make their way to the big timber. I have killed six mature bucks in the last ten years in this area.
Ironically, family also hunting the farm have always had preference on where to hunt and they are closer to the land to scout. They’ve commented on me being a “lucky” hunter ;)
Thanks for all you do, Jeff!
What about using wedges if you dont have a habitat hook? Will that suffice or do I really need the hook?
Wedges work great if the tree is large enough in diameter. Wedges become difficult with small diameter trees.
I have a few areas with alot of Virginia pine and a few cherry that I want 2 creat into bedding. How often would u cut down trees? I'm in pa 60 percent ag. Thank you
There are several ways that could be appropriate. Getting sunlight to the fprwat floor is critical tho, and you have to make sure that the area doesn't end up too thick...making sure no dead ends of deer movement. Hard to say exactly what your specific parcel needs tho...lots of variables!
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Thanks
Jeff, I listened to a podcast by Mississippi State University Deer Lab regarding the mineral stump technique. They did say to cut 100 trees and did say it needed to be done in June and or July. Would you comment on that please as I was hoping to do that this year? They are currently studying why some cuttings will only last for one year and others last four years. They stated if done correctly it is the equivalent of and acre of soybeans in food value for white tails.
Hi Ron, you should only cut timber as it relates to the entire property design.
Unfortunately if a neighbor has good food plots and cover during hunting season, cutringb100 trees will not be enough to attract, hold or protect a quality herd or hunt. We have known for decades that clearcuta provide 1000#+ pounds of forage per acre per year...but that is for necessary daylight browse in bedding areas and NOT a replacement in any way for quality food plots on private land. Also, quality food plots are measured in tons per acre.
100 matire trees at a stand location is not a good practice either...not definite enough for deer movement. Another accurate study that is inaccurate in its application for higher end, well managed whitetail and wildlife parcels. I would say that study while accurate, is roughly 25 years behind common knowledge?
They did say the timber would be in the 6" diameter range. I'l check the podcast date as I was thinking it was recent. I was hoping it was something that was viable since I cannot do food plots on my Three Hundred Acre lease but in certain areas and a large part of that area is on the gas line so acreage of food plot wise I'm limited to probably 4 Acres and the highway department owns a strip in the center that I'm not sure I can touch. I'm meeting with the state Forester next week he has the authority to give me permission to cut the land the highway department owns and I'm hoping that might be given because the highway is possibly being canceled.
The property I leased is in big timber no ag SW Virginia somewhat mountainous similar in appearance to you MN land.
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 I live in South Carolina and looking to buy 40 to 50 acres. Those that are for sell many have been (60 to 80%) clear cut. Since I turn 70 this year I purposely avoided looking at those since thinking it would be too long to be useful. With your comment maybe I need to rethink that.
@@travissmith-wz5nc Travis, did you cut only hardwoods and cut in summertime and were you going off of the Mississippi State Deer Lab Podcast information ?
👍
Are you just letting the deer eat the tree tops if there is no grass and making a gnarly area for bedding if there is no brush?
Yes...depending on the habitat available!
@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 thanks
Can you hinge cut in the summer?
Hi Harvey! August is one of the best times 👍
Should you hinge cut on a windy day
Depends on how windy...and the overall size of trees.
So sad....what people will do just to hunt !!!!! Im also a hunter...and love it ! But cutting trees just to cut trees is just plain stupid. Go get a real job !
You obviosly dont understand the benefits of cutting trees for all critters
@@troymuche8997 I cut trees all the time for wildlife..... I cut the trees off...totally ! Hinge cutting trees destroys any chance for new trees to come through. Many years ago the timber / forest floor was clean and clear for the most part. Tall straight trees..and only the best trees could make it to the canopy. This can not happen with hinge cutting it opens the timber floor up to invasive spieces..........muli-flora rose... prickly ass......etc. In no time the timber becomes a worthless timber.....yes only for critters.
Deer numbers are way out of control......and deer are a major reason for many of the invasive species also.. .along with the over population of Turkeys.( they spread the seed )
Hi. You are literally telling people how to get killed! This isn't a"hinge" it's a "barber chair" and those are man killers.
Small trees only. Agreed would be absolute insanity if big trees. If you note even in video of properties they are all about leg diameter max.