toddyboman Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 I have several cedar thickets on my property.......All of these thickets vary in size. All of them also have mostly mature cedars in and around them. SO the ground under them is bare!! I can kneel down and look a long way across them....so if a deer was bedded down inside them I could see the deer....... I do not go into these cedar thickets during hunting season, cause I do know deer bed in and around these thickets. But I do shed hunt around them and often wonder if I could IMPROVE the quality of cover...... Since I know deer LOVE thick nasty cover. My thought is should I cut SOME of those cedars down to make some ground cover for them....NO I don't want to cut them ALL down but I thought about cutting some to create more cover.... Has anyone done anything like this? Is this a good idea or bad idea? Any input would be appreciated...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 The more cover the safer the deer feel. I think it would be a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 The more cover the safer the deer feel. I think it would be a great idea! kinda what I was thinking too. Thanks Todd!! just didn't know if anyone had done something similar and had any other advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 You have much trouble with bucks killing your cedars Todd? Seems here they really like to rub them, have had several cedar trees that they have killed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Not to the point I notice a shortage......I do agree they love to rub them but there is plenty around our farm.... The cedars that I am thinking about cutting are mature and BIG.......15 ft tall or better for most.....most the of the tree bases are the size of your thigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Not to the point I notice a shortage......I do agree they love to rub them but there is plenty around our farm.... The cedars that I am thinking about cutting are mature and BIG.......15 ft tall or better for most.....most the of the tree bases are the size of your thigh. Don't have too many that big here. We did have one along the river as big around as a coke bottle that was shredded and ended up killing the tree. Think your idea would work well. Kind of got the opposite problem here with underbrush and plenty of cover. Thinking seriously about cleaning out some undesireable trees and brush and planting pines on that hillside along our big feeder plot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 You ought to think about doing hinge cuttings on them. Hinge cutting will keep part of the tree alive and really increases your cover. Our cedar trees are red cedars and the deer don't mess with them too much. They are invasive and I try to cut them down as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeaveragehunter Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Seems like the people that have cedars don't necessarily want them and the rest of us want them and cant get em to grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 You ought to think about doing hinge cuttings on them. Hinge cutting will keep part of the tree alive and really increases your cover. Our cedar trees are red cedars and the deer don't mess with them too much. They are invasive and I try to cut them down as much as possible. Awesome idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 You ought to think about doing hinge cuttings on them. Hinge cutting will keep part of the tree alive and really increases your cover. Our cedar trees are red cedars and the deer don't mess with them too much. They are invasive and I try to cut them down as much as possible. That is EXACTLY what my plan is......this winter. Seems like the people that have cedars don't necessarily want them and the rest of us want them and cant get em to grow. I don't want to get rid of them.....I just want to make the cover in and around them a bit thicker and nastier to help hold more deer..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhine16 Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 You ought to think about doing hinge cuttings on them. Hinge cutting will keep part of the tree alive and really increases your cover. Hinge cutting is exactly what I was going to say you should do. Ha in fact, I think you were the one I first saw mention hinge cutting, Toddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hinge cutting is exactly what I was going to say you should do. Ha in fact, I think you were the one I first saw mention hinge cutting, Toddy. Yep, http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68359 and http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69038. I did hinge cut some sycamores and other undesireable trees here in a brush pile, really not so sure it has made any difference http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69354. Thinking in our case I will eventually take that same pile and cut it into 2 smaller sections and lay all the junk back into the two seperate piles. As it is right now the deer can move into that large pile totally undetected coming up from the old river channel. Not sure if hinge cutting cedars it they will live either, they do not seem to be very tolerant of disturbances, like I mentioned before we have had several that have been rubbed on that have died on our property. Sounds like that is probably not a concern for you though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hinge cutting is exactly what I was going to say you should do. Ha in fact, I think you were the one I first saw mention hinge cutting, Toddy. Yep, http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68359 and http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69038. YEP I have tinkered with the hinge cutting and done some selective cutting..... However I have never done so inside and around an existing cedar thicket.....So that is why I was asking But I am pretty sure I am going to try AFTER deer season is over. I will try and take some before and after pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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