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The power of browse

Bucksnbears

Bucksnbears

Well-Known Member
This morning, I cut down 4 small boxelder trees that were growing from a stump from a big tree I cut years ago.
They were all leaning in one direction so I dropped them in a pile.
Bout 1/2 hour ago, I looked out and there were 6 deer devouring the limb tips.

Incredible how fast they zoned in on that food source.
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Far as I'm concerned, Boxelder is a HUGE under rated tree for deer.
I'm have 1000s of them.
They stump sprouts like crazy, hinge cut about the best and often grow at leaning / crooked angles that give the woods a different look then just a vertical view.
One bad thing is....,red squirrels love them and .22 ammo is getting expensive! Lol.
I shoot bout 100 average each year right from the windows/ porch. o_O

It's also my preferred wood to burn for smudge fires while I'm in hunting mode. Gives to woods a kinda pungent smell.
Will try and get some pics tomorrow of the trees and limb tips.
I doubt a corn pile could have attracted more deer then those few trees I cut down did late today.
Overall, I'm guessing roughly 15 deer ended up hammering those limb tips before it was to dark to see.

Is boxelder a common tree where you fellas live?
 
Bucksnbears said:
Far as I'm concerned, Boxelder is a HUGE under rated tree for deer.
I'm have 1000s of them.
They stump sprouts like crazy, hinge cut about the best and often grow at leaning / crooked angles that give the woods a different look then just a vertical view.
One bad thing is....,red squirrels love them and .22 ammo is getting expensive! Lol.
I shoot bout 100 average each year right from the windows/ porch. o_O

It's also my preferred wood to burn for smudge fires while I'm in hunting mode. Gives to woods a kinda pungent smell.
Will try and get some pics tomorrow of the trees and limb tips.
I doubt a corn pile could have attracted more deer then those few trees I cut down did late today.
Overall, I'm guessing roughly 15 deer ended up hammering those limb tips before it was to dark to see.

Is boxelder a common tree where you fellas live?
Click to expand...
I have a lot of boxelder, I wish i didn't. Boxelder bugs in the fall are miserable.
 
I’ve got too many Boxelders and hate them. Trash tree IMO. I don’t like the way it smells when burning. Spread like weeds. One thing I’ve wanted to try is the knot hole mushrooms that grow where a branch broke off.


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Hmmm, this is the first year in 15 I've had any boxelder bugs in my cabin.
Have you fellas tried hinge cutting them or flush cutting them for browse?
JNR, yep, they do stink while burning for sure but I'm starting to like the smell. Lol.
 
I hinge cut 3 acres of Boxelder in Minnesota and I had 9-10 does/fawns in there all year. It seemed like every buck in the area was checking them out during the rut .

The first year it was crazy, it’s settled down now… but some deer are still bedding in it .
 
When I hinge cut an area, I don't do it for the purpose of keeping the tree alive, just for structure.
I did an area about 2 acres last winter. Mostly boxelder,basswood and small elm. I think the minute I shut off the chainsaw, the deer flocked in and started browsing on the tops.
Have not been into that spot since last April. Only a couple yearling bucks su
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mmered here (lots of does) but about mid Sept, the bucks started moving in and by mid December, I'm guessing I seen over 40 different bucks entering/ exiting that cut.
 
Box elder is awesome to cut down for browse & regrowth.
Most farms are over stocked for any sorta tree…. U go in and drop some “junk” right now …. Huge amount of browse right now they need!!!! & open canopy up for later. Looks great!!!
 
:)Skip, or anybody else, how far south does BE grow?

Kinda strange how I stumbled into the so called " management " thingy.
Got this piece of riverbottom in about 2009.
Never had read or heard about anything to do with tsi/ fsi. Heck, didn't even have a computer then.
We had a super brutal winter. Bout all I (knew) was from reading about how loggers in Mn occasionally referaranced that deer would eat limb tips during a logging operation.
9
Our deer were literally STARVING to death.
I could not drive back to my woods so so I parked 1/2 mile away, threw on snowshoes, grabbed my chainsaw, hiked in and started whacking down about an acre of big BE. at the time, im not even sure i knew what kind of trees i was cutting down? Just wanted to see if the tops would get browesd on and help the deer.When I got done, I felt stupid for doing this. It was a horrible JUNGLE!. An ugly tangled mess.
This was started about 50 yards from where my cabin sits today. (Was not built at the time)
Come spring, when I was able to drive in, I was in awe at the browse pressure!.
Heck, I seen a few trees that the deer actually walked up the trunk and browsed 10' off the ground o_O

That was such an enlightening experience! I've done a little bit most year.
Was only a few years ago that I found out about how this (practice) was a thing that people do. I'm old school.

Totally self taught and cutting BE can be very dangerous. Had a few « shit my pants« moments!

I've got many huge Burr Oak, Ash and Basswood but if I were able to buy more land, I would 100% be looking for a place with big BE.
:)

I forgot to take pics today but those few trees I cut...., looks like a herd of cattle went through it last night. Every limb tip within reach was chewed off.
 
Interesting seeing the fandom of box elder. Where I grew up they were pretty much the only "tree" besides mulberry and hedge that grows along ditches and in little thickets. Always considered them junk before knowing what they were even called. That said, have always noticed that they re sprout like crazy and are always chewed on by critters.

Seems like they grow to just barely tree stand hanging size, then die?
 
Bucksnbears said:
:)Skip, or anybody else, how far south does BE grow?

Kinda strange how I stumbled into the so called " management " thingy.
Got this piece of riverbottom in about 2009.
Never had read or heard about anything to do with tsi/ fsi. Heck, didn't even have a computer then.
We had a super brutal winter. Bout all I (knew) was from reading about how loggers in Mn occasionally referaranced that deer would eat limb tips during a logging operation.
9
Our deer were literally STARVING to death.
I could not drive back to my woods so so I parked 1/2 mile away, threw on snowshoes, grabbed my chainsaw, hiked in and started whacking down about an acre of big BE. at the time, im not even sure i knew what kind of trees i was cutting down? Just wanted to see if the tops would get browesd on and help the deer.When I got done, I felt stupid for doing this. It was a horrible JUNGLE!. An ugly tangled mess.
This was started about 50 yards from where my cabin sits today. (Was not built at the time)
Come spring, when I was able to drive in, I was in awe at the browse pressure!.
Heck, I seen a few trees that the deer actually walked up the trunk and browsed 10' off the ground o_O

That was such an enlightening experience! I've done a little bit most year.
Was only a few years ago that I found out about how this (practice) was a thing that people do. I'm old school.

Totally self taught and cutting BE can be very dangerous. Had a few « shit my pants« moments!

I've got many huge Burr Oak, Ash and Basswood but if I were able to buy more land, I would 100% be looking for a place with big BE.
:)

I forgot to take pics today but those few trees I cut...., looks like a herd of cattle went through it last night. Every limb tip within reach was chewed off.
Click to expand...
BE grows down to the northern part of Missouri at least. I would say the tree species is less prevalent than it was when I was a kid as a lot of them have died and don’t se much for young BE trees. I have a small treed area on a pasture farm that is primarily BE but 90% have died since I bought the farm and no young BE trees around it.
 
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