Ideal Hinge cutting

[sailinghudson25]

I read hinge cutting is good for deer habitat.  But, I read little else past the cut.

 

In NY what's a more ideal tree to hinge cut.  Also, if you plan on making a spot brushy by hinge cutting,  what ground prep would be ideal?

 

Obviously applying lime and fertilizer is good, but should you rake up the debris.  Should you buy seedlings of a certain kind, or buy or collect seeds from certain brush?

 

MY goal is to make a 70 yard long by 10-15 yard wide dividing wall of brush between two 1/2 acre food plots.  I just feel making this spot too big will end up having the deer go there at night.

 

Also, if there isn't and ideal tree to hinge cut, do you hinge cut a less than ideal one, or just completely remove it.

 

This spot in mind has ash, white and black birch, and maple trees. 

 

I have lightly raked and spread firewood ashes down there so far.  The 2nd plot will be done next year.  So far, I have planted a small strip of the 2nd plot, with about 50 yard between the two.

 

Since the brushy area is small, I could just buy the right seedlings.

[bigpaul]

whitetailambushsecrets.com

[Lawdwaz]

Growie is pretty knowledgeable at this stuff.  Send her a PM if she doesn't chime in.......

[thphm]

Deer will eat all of the trees you listed, Best to do it in the winter when food supply is scarce but I just cut some down for firewood this week and they were hitting them , Ash and maple.

They like the buds the best . I did quite a few before the past winter and they were hitting them almost every day.. Leave around 1/3 of the Dia. of the tree , make the cut at least 5' from the ground.

[sailinghudson25]

I read that it's best to do the hinge cut during the growing season and not the winter, survival of the tree is lower in the winter.  

 

I do firewood culling during the winter.  I cut down the tree, cut the main section into chunks to dry out quicker, and cut down the higher branches so the deer can reach the buds.

 

I have noticed deer don't care much for white birch buds.  Atleast when they can eat maple buds.  Still not quite sure if they like the hemlock or not,  I am leaning towards no from my experience so far.

[bigpaul]

Hinge them whenever you get the time.  Learn to use Knots to your advantage when hinging more difficult trees like Maple.  

[G-Man]

Maples seem to hinge best, ash can snap and kick and can be very dangerous, well all cutting is dangerous but ash especially so. If trees are small.enough.you can just bend them over and stake to ground. Aspen are butter to just be cut and they will regrow from.root sprouts and stump, any over 30 ft tall are just useless trees..

[growalot]

Well I do mine mostly in the late winter ...late February, March...When the trees are dormant they have transferred and stored their energy in the roots. Once they break dormancy there is a flush of energy released to the trees and all the both seen and not seen buds...so you will get new growth where there was none before to compensate for the damaged areas..Now when hinging some species in a growth period  you will find bark slippage at the cut( you do not want this) it normally will not happen when the tree is dormant. If you hing properly with the  right amount of tree left in tacked.... red maples ...ash...hop horn...small junk red oak...basswood and beech all hinge well..Watch out though beech will root sucker like crazy when any damage is done to the main tree...you can not get a good hing off popular...they tend to snap off. That's not to say dropping big popular in a hinging area isn't good...drop them first as a base.

then criss cross the others over that..I hinge high...I want a space under these trees for animals to bed and brush to grow.

[thphm]

They do like Hemlock , they ate the green growth 4' from the ground this past winter on mine.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7195.html

[growalot]

I cut a lot of ash..I suppose it depends on the size ash you are cutting ...mine never snap...though popular will snap in a heart beat. If you have never done this  before step back and take a good hard look and where the weight and or lean of the tree top is before cutting...nothing worse than starting a cut to realize she is going to lean toward your cut and not away...always have a strong  long length of  rope ready just in case of that or hang ups.

[growalot]

Ooppss dbl post

Edited August 10, 2015 by growalot

[dbHunterNY]

Well I do mine mostly in the late winter ...late February, March...When the trees are dormant they have transferred and stored their energy in the roots. Once they break dormancy there is a flush of energy released to the trees and all the both seen and not seen buds...so you will get new growth where there was none before to compensate for the damaged areas..Now when hinging some species in a growth period  you will find bark slippage at the cut( you do not want this) it normally will not happen when the tree is dormant. If you hing properly with the  right amount of tree left in tacked.... red maples ...ash...hop horn...small junk red oak...basswood and beech all hinge well..Watch out though beech will root sucker like crazy when any damage is done to the main tree...you can not get a good hing off popular...they tend to snap off. That's not to say dropping big popular in a hinging area isn't good...drop them first as a base.

then criss cross the others over that..I hinge high...I want a space under these trees for animals to bed and brush to grow.

 

good post based on my experience.  only other thing I'd add is i clear the ground of duff or debris under the hinge.  also pick a spot that a deer will use as bedding like a south facing slope, ridge step, or saddle.  hinge the trees into the wind.  deer want to smell what they can't see coming.  you're mostly doing smaller diameter trees, so a GOOD single handed pruning saw works great with more control versus over jealously using a chainsaw for those.  use a chainsaw for bigger stuff.  poplar and birch aren't really good i'll cut them down for low cover or to steer deer in an already traveled general direction.  another thing, make some bigger for a small doe family group and then have a smaller one for a "buck bed" 10 yards or so away in sight or downwind.