Just walked one of my bedding cuts yesterday. After watching this, I realized it's far too thick. Headed back in to open it up and create a trail network. Thanks!
Great video! Another great tree to hinge cut is diamond willow, it puts great browse tips down at their level. And grows up into a great screen to access deer stands.
Very good addition. I haven't cut too many of those but the few I have have hinged very well. Very soft and malleable wood makes for a nice hinge and they sprout tons of new browse and cover off those trunks.
I need to buy some land. I can’t wait to be able to manipulate some habitat. Currently only hunt permission farms and I don’t have anything that looks like this to hunt in and around.
It can definitely be a grind to get to that point. I'm rooting for yah brother. In the meantime, finding some of those natural blow down areas or recently logged areas on public can be money. Keep grinding!
Some good points about hinge cutting unsuitable tree species. Poplar/aspen will die virtually every time. Around here, white ash and red maple are my favorites but ash provides only mid-summer browse. Maple is close to year-round. Couple of minor things: it isn't too cold in MN for beech. It's an eastern tree and can grow in zones 3-4 but it's range doesn't extend that far west. Our deer love a south-facing slope (even steep slopes) for sunbathing on a cold morning. Late morning they'll get up and go elsewhere, you just have to figure out where and ambush them on the way
@brianprobert3090 fair point on the beech, I thought they were a growing zone 4 tree, but I see they are a 3 (I'm on the border of 3). I've seen them in southern MN and in Wisconsin. Yah southerly exposures are nice to have, especially this time of year
Great video. I like the idea of using the downed tree tops to protect new oak seedlings until they can get established. We have a high density of deer where I manage (VA), even with a good effort to reduce numbers each season, so some additional physical protection is ideal. I think this might work well.
Yah we have harsh winters so the deer yard on us in the winter. That's when the woody browse gets crushed on our farm and the deer will definitely select the oaks first. Tree tops have helped a lot. Putting them under/near existing oak trees works very well.
Much appreciated! Boy that would just depend. If it was a morning access I would be okay getting it pretty close. But if you have to get near it in the evening I'd want to keep a good distance. Tough to give an exact answer without seeing it. I do have some bedding cuts I get within 80 yards of in the evening but they're heavily screened off with either switchgrass, edge-feathering, and even spruce I'm some circumstances.
@figandcloverranch5871 that could be tough but possibly doable. If the neighbors don't use their boundaries I have no issue setting up bedding closer to a boundary and accessing on the opposite boundary. Or a better option could be setting up the deepest portion of your property as bedding and hunting the front with the possibility of a stand near or even in the bedding as your homerun stand right during peak rut. Again, this is all speculation given I haven't seen it in person.
You mention trails 3-4 feet wide. Would ATV wide work? It would make working on the area easier if I could drive the atv through there and would encourage trails that are wide enough and easy to get around on.
If it's a trail I want them to use I'm always cutting it up so they can get past it. The only time I'd leave it is if I'm trying to redirect movement a different direction.
Literally had a tornado go through one of our properties to the point of visually looking like absolutely nothing could go through it. Turns out it beds probably the most deer and the preferred bedding of the mature bucks. Those small "dead ends" you are showing will have zero negative effect on the bedding. Absolutely regurgitated nonsense for the most part.
@wcb5890 I check the bedding after every deer season. The deer avoid the dead ends. I've also seen dozens of cuts done by other folks. Same story. So I'll just keep perpetuating the nonsense I guess 🤷
If your cutting live trees and ruining habitat and food for other animals just to give deer a place to lay down.... well.... I don't have the words.... 🤔
I'm sorry you have no words. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that cutting trees benefits far more species than just deer. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that merely cutting a tree doesn't kill it, it simply resets it. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that we have 100× more wildlife on our farm since we started to manage our woodlots. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that old growth forests with zero understory are man made phenomena, pre-settler hot fires did the resetting for us. Thank you so much for your input though.
The lack of knowledge Possess compared to what you think you know are day and night. Ground nesting birds, rabbits, deer, squirrels, and many other animals use ground cover for food, bedding and security meanwhile your big pretty maple is a home for a couple squirrels and a perch for some birds. The idea you typed out that whole sentence without thinking to yourself “I have no idea what I’m talking about” is a glaring example of a big problem in this world. Everybody’s an expert behind a keyboard.
Just walked one of my bedding cuts yesterday. After watching this, I realized it's far too thick. Headed back in to open it up and create a trail network. Thanks!
Awesome to hear! The deer will let you know when you have the right balance of open and cover
Thanks for the video. Perfect timing, one pheasant trip left than it's habit work time.
Good deal and good luck!
Nailed it! Great information, Sam. I can totally relate from what I see from clients who don't understand bedding area maintenance.
Thanks brother! Creation is the best teacher! Like many things in life I've had to get a lot of this wrong before I could learn how to get it right
@@PFHabitat likewise!
Great video!
Another great tree to hinge cut is diamond willow, it puts great browse tips down at their level. And grows up into a great screen to access deer stands.
Very good addition. I haven't cut too many of those but the few I have have hinged very well. Very soft and malleable wood makes for a nice hinge and they sprout tons of new browse and cover off those trunks.
@3:00 your deer must be different than mine. The whitetail on my property all bed on slopes that are around 45+ degrees.
@@Ryan40272 There's always exceptions. I have seen that occasionally in bill hill country
Spent all last weekend with the kids doing exactly this!!
Nothing better than spending time in creation with the kiddos!
I need to buy some land. I can’t wait to be able to manipulate some habitat. Currently only hunt permission farms and I don’t have anything that looks like this to hunt in and around.
It can definitely be a grind to get to that point. I'm rooting for yah brother. In the meantime, finding some of those natural blow down areas or recently logged areas on public can be money. Keep grinding!
Building it can be addictive
Sp true!
Some good points about hinge cutting unsuitable tree species. Poplar/aspen will die virtually every time. Around here, white ash and red maple are my favorites but ash provides only mid-summer browse. Maple is close to year-round. Couple of minor things: it isn't too cold in MN for beech. It's an eastern tree and can grow in zones 3-4 but it's range doesn't extend that far west. Our deer love a south-facing slope (even steep slopes) for sunbathing on a cold morning. Late morning they'll get up and go elsewhere, you just have to figure out where and ambush them on the way
@brianprobert3090 fair point on the beech, I thought they were a growing zone 4 tree, but I see they are a 3 (I'm on the border of 3). I've seen them in southern MN and in Wisconsin. Yah southerly exposures are nice to have, especially this time of year
Great video. I like the idea of using the downed tree tops to protect new oak seedlings until they can get established. We have a high density of deer where I manage (VA), even with a good effort to reduce numbers each season, so some additional physical protection is ideal. I think this might work well.
Yah we have harsh winters so the deer yard on us in the winter. That's when the woody browse gets crushed on our farm and the deer will definitely select the oaks first. Tree tops have helped a lot. Putting them under/near existing oak trees works very well.
Thanks sir I learned so much from this video. I’m just about to hing an area. Thanks so much !
Glad to hear you found it helpful! Have fun and good luck!
Is there a such thing as to thick of screen? Do they need to see through most of the built screen?
@@BradleyKanieski definitely not. Just make sure you leave an opening in your screens where you want deer to enter your food plots
What state is your property in? Looks like Pennsylvania with all that beech. My property looks similar. Thanks Great channel.
@@youdontceemee4436 Minnesota. No beech where I'm at. I'm too far north. Growing zone 3
Very good video . 👍🏼 my small parcel is pretty narrow . What’s the closest you think I can get a Bedding Area to a access trail ??
Much appreciated! Boy that would just depend. If it was a morning access I would be okay getting it pretty close. But if you have to get near it in the evening I'd want to keep a good distance. Tough to give an exact answer without seeing it. I do have some bedding cuts I get within 80 yards of in the evening but they're heavily screened off with either switchgrass, edge-feathering, and even spruce I'm some circumstances.
@@PFHabitat thank. You for reply . This is my biggest work around . Only 200 yards across 🫤. My parcel is deeper then wide
@figandcloverranch5871 that could be tough but possibly doable. If the neighbors don't use their boundaries I have no issue setting up bedding closer to a boundary and accessing on the opposite boundary. Or a better option could be setting up the deepest portion of your property as bedding and hunting the front with the possibility of a stand near or even in the bedding as your homerun stand right during peak rut. Again, this is all speculation given I haven't seen it in person.
@@PFHabitat yea thanks . It’s been hard . But I keep working at it 💪🏼 . Thanks for letting me pick your brain 🧠⛏️
@@figandcloverranch5871 no prob, good luck!
You mention trails 3-4 feet wide. Would ATV wide work? It would make working on the area easier if I could drive the atv through there and would encourage trails that are wide enough and easy to get around on.
Yup right at the width of an ATV would be about perfect. That's roughly how wide most of my cuts/trails are.
Any reason to cut up or not cut up trees that lay across the deer trails?
If it's a trail I want them to use I'm always cutting it up so they can get past it. The only time I'd leave it is if I'm trying to redirect movement a different direction.
Shouldn’t be hunting mournings till the rut? First I’ve ever heard that.
@@bigtuna1800 tends to be a low odds hunt in most situations. But there are always exceptions I guess
Ain't no way I'm trashing a woods up like that just so deer can get a good night sleep.
@BrianVincent-k6g no one said you had to brother. Merry Christmas!
Literally had a tornado go through one of our properties to the point of visually looking like absolutely nothing could go through it. Turns out it beds probably the most deer and the preferred bedding of the mature bucks. Those small "dead ends" you are showing will have zero negative effect on the bedding. Absolutely regurgitated nonsense for the most part.
@wcb5890 I check the bedding after every deer season. The deer avoid the dead ends. I've also seen dozens of cuts done by other folks. Same story. So I'll just keep perpetuating the nonsense I guess 🤷
If your cutting live trees and ruining habitat and food for other animals just to give deer a place to lay down.... well.... I don't have the words.... 🤔
I'm sorry you have no words. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that cutting trees benefits far more species than just deer. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that merely cutting a tree doesn't kill it, it simply resets it. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that we have 100× more wildlife on our farm since we started to manage our woodlots. I'm also sorry that you don't understand that old growth forests with zero understory are man made phenomena, pre-settler hot fires did the resetting for us. Thank you so much for your input though.
The lack of knowledge
Possess compared to what you think you know are day and night. Ground nesting birds, rabbits, deer, squirrels, and many other animals use ground cover for food, bedding and security meanwhile your big pretty maple is a home for a couple squirrels and a perch for some birds. The idea you typed out that whole sentence without thinking to yourself “I have no idea what I’m talking about” is a glaring example of a big problem in this world. Everybody’s an expert behind a keyboard.
You nailed it bullyhilloutdoors