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Hinge Cutting

SWBUCKHNTR

SWBUCKHNTR

Member
This is why I love the sport of hunting and managing whitetails. I have done all kinds of food plot work, tree plantings, and shrubs. Now I am entering a whole new concept to me "hinge cutting". Where I hunt in southwest iowa we are always trying to improve timber stands by planting trees. We just lack the mature timbers and that is what we strive for getting big oaks and other mature hardwoods. Now I bought a farm in south central iowa and that is all I have are big stands of mature timber but lack the thick cover. I have been reading a lot about hinge cutting and was wondering what you guys do as far as hinge cutting and when the best time to do it is. Also if you have any pictures or anything that would be great. My timber consist mostly of oaks hickory and some elms. I dont want to cut the elms becuase I love them morels and dont want to lose out on those. I also have walnuts but I know enough not to cut those. I have plenty of shagbark hickorys. Any advice would be great let me know what you guys do. Thanks.
 
SWBUCKHNTR said:
This is why I love the sport of hunting and managing whitetails. I have done all kinds of food plot work, tree plantings, and shrubs. Now I am entering a whole new concept to me "hinge cutting". Where I hunt in southwest iowa we are always trying to improve timber stands by planting trees. We just lack the mature timbers and that is what we strive for getting big oaks and other mature hardwoods. Now I bought a farm in south central iowa and that is all I have are big stands of mature timber but lack the thick cover. I have been reading a lot about hinge cutting and was wondering what you guys do as far as hinge cutting and when the best time to do it is. Also if you have any pictures or anything that would be great. My timber consist mostly of oaks hickory and some elms. I dont want to cut the elms becuase I love them morels and dont want to lose out on those. I also have walnuts but I know enough not to cut those. I have plenty of shagbark hickorys. Any advice would be great let me know what you guys do. Thanks.
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We have just what your looking for right in Dbltree's Corner! :D

First I would read the thread on Timber Stand Improvment to help youlearn how to identify good crop trees and decide if the black walnuts even have any value...;)

Understanding TSI

Once you understand which trees keep and which ones to cull, then read this thread to understand all facets of hinge cutting and all the cool things you can do with it! :way:

Edgefeathering and bedding areas


If youhave more questions about either subject...just post there and we'll try to answer them...:)
 
The black walnuts need to be arrow straight before they would be worth much, shagbark hickory have no value to deer really. They cannot eat the nuts, but a few are good for diversity. Favor the oaks, walnuts and if you must, leave the elms too :D

DT has lot and lots of good stuff that many people have added in his threads he copied above so check them out. Some of my hinge cutting pictures are in his threads.
 
How many acres did you buy? how many is timber? The more diversity and obviously the more acres of timber- the more you can do. I'll echo the above on Dbltree's corner- amazing and right on the money! I'm curious if you have 10 acres or 500 acres of timber because that would drastically change the ideas I'd have for what I would do or projects I'd consider.
 
Sligh1 said:
How many acres did you buy? how many is timber? The more diversity and obviously the more acres of timber- the more you can do. I'll echo the above on Dbltree's corner- amazing and right on the money! I'm curious if you have 10 acres or 500 acres of timber because that would drastically change the ideas I'd have for what I would do or projects I'd consider.
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It is a 200 acre farm. There are 95 acres of timber 100 acres of crp and 5 acre home site. The main chunk of timber is about 83 acres and that is all hardwood timber, the other 12 acres are a mix of locust cedars and mfr that is my only "thick" spot. The crp is pretty lousy never has been kept up and all turned into brome grass with about 4 acres of nice native stand. My idea is to turn the farm into an amazing hunting spot by replanting the majority of the crp back into natives and doing control burns every 3 years on different chunks. Also thicking up some of the hardwoods and obviously planting a food plot or two.
 
Before you plant any natives, burn the brome in early may and that will really sit it back and see what you already have laying there before you spend any money on seed. If you have a 4 acre stand now, I would be willing to bet you have a lot more ready and waiting that would show up after a burn.
 
letemgrow said:
Before you plant any natives, burn the brome in early may and that will really sit it back and see what you already have laying there before you spend any money on seed. If you have a 4 acre stand now, I would be willing to bet you have a lot more ready and waiting that would show up after a burn.
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I know why you would want to burn the brome in May, it's just that I have had a dickens of a time accomplishing a "brome burn" that late. By then it is too green to really get a good burn going from what I have experienced.

Could you burn it in March or April and then hit it w/Roundup in early May to accomplish the same objective?
 
Daver said:
Could you burn it in March or April and then hit it w/Roundup in early May to accomplish the same objective?
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If it is too green in early may to burn the other way should accomplish that, I would not spray the roundup too late as you make nuke some nwsg's and forbes that come up after the burn (02).

I have done a few early may burns that worked pretty well, but it is not guaranteed that time of year. You may just want to burn mid-late april if the brome is about 8 inches tall then.
 
SW- I put a post for you under Dbltree's corner, edge feathering and bedding areas. If you want, send me an email OR PM of your aerial, curious to see how it lays (won't share with anyone). I'd be happy to send you mine and explain what i've done. skipsligh@hotmail.com
 
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