# Hinge cutting info?



## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

I'm looking for some info regarding the practice of hinge cutting.

How?
What trees?
What areas?
How much area?

Thanks!


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## Swamp Ghost (Feb 5, 2003)

Make cuts 1/2-3/4 through the tree between waist and chest high, then push the tree over or let it fall.

I use it on all my non-nut or fruit bearing trees, some trees work better than others. Maples, ash and basswoods seem to have the highest rates of success.

I use hinge cuts everywhere but use this technique mostly on my property lines.

My propery line cuts average between 20-30 yards in width.


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## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

Nice pic.

Up to what size of a tree should be hinged cut?

And what are the benefits of hinge cutting vs. clear cutting and leaving the tops?


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## wecker20 (Mar 10, 2004)

I'm new to the hinge cutting also. Does it promote sucker growth or new growth from the cut????


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## G-Vac (Sep 20, 2004)

I've been wanting some more info on hinge cuts as well. What are the benefits? Is it the browse production, the cover production or both? Farm Legend, why due you primarily hinge cut the boarders on your property? Any thing you experianced hinge cutters can expound upon would be appreciated. Thanks!


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## G-Vac (Sep 20, 2004)

Sorry Swamp Ghost. Didn't mean to call you Farm Legend. Although he has good posts too.


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

Hinge-cutting, girdling, and felling trees around property boundaries is a great way of creating a nearly impenetrable wall of growth around your perimeter.

It's a good way to combat the efforts of those guys that love to camp out right on your fenceline then shoot onto your property at the neighborhood yearling bucks. Also, if you do a good job of creating other cover on your land, when those fence-sitters approach their stand locations, deer may be more inclined to seek refuge on your place.

I've got plenty of cutting to get accomplished this winter around my perimeter. I do some every year. Very pleased with the results.


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## Swamp Ghost (Feb 5, 2003)

Letmgro, I have hinge cut some prety big trees! LOL! 

The benefit of the hinge cuts is you get nice vertical growth from the new shoots that sprout from all over the hinge cut trees.

Next time I'm out I will show an updated pic of the growth these cuts provide.


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## Andy (May 20, 2004)

i am waiting with anticipation for these pics SG

andy


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## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

Should maple, ash and basswood be the primary focus? or are there other types of trees that should be cut too?

What trees are the best to be girdled?

Thanks


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

May be a waste of time to cut ash, if you happen to be in the path of the EAB. :evil: They'll all be dead soon anyway.

Best to hinge-cut or simply fell trees. Girdling (I've done hundreds of these) is best on trees that would be too much of a challenge to safely fell; big trees, forked trees, trees leaning the wrong way, trees with big snags leaning up against their tops, etc.


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## Bob S (Mar 8, 2000)

Letmgro, On my property I have a couple of areas with young Red Maple stands. With trunk diameters of 1/2 inch up to about 4 inches. I cut about 1/2 way through them with a hand saw and pull them over. I do most of this in the winter. The pulled over tree will provide immediate browse, as the branch tips are now where the deer can reach them. The majority of Maple this size will continue to live while on their side. This will provide browse and cover in the future. The deer will eat the leaves in the summer and again browse the branch tips the following winter. The trunks will also send up new shoots from below the cut. Creating even more browse.

I have found that I have less success with Maples over about 4-5 inches in diameter that I cut with a chainsaw. Once they get that size or larger they tend to snap off rather than fall with the hinge. You might have more success with larger trees depending on the type of tree. I just don`t have much luck with the Red Maples past about 4-5 inches. 

When non mast or fruit producing trees get tall enough that the deer can not reach the branches they are not providing much if any benefit to the deer. I like to get the tops back down to where they will benefit the deer, and add to my quality hunting experience. More browse + more cover = more deer.


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## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

So basically girdling a tree is more about letting mother nature bring it down over a few years timeframe, but killing the tree immediately so that atleast there will be no canopy to impede sunlight?


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## Bob S (Mar 8, 2000)




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## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

Gotcha...Thanks!


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## Bob S (Mar 8, 2000)

Letmgro, I thought of a couple other things I have done while I was on my property today. If you have trees small enough to bend without cutting. Cut a tree with a trunk diameter of maybe, 3" or so. Or larger depending on what is growing where you want to create browse. Then just bend the smaller trees over and tuck them under the larger tree. The heavier tree will hold the smaller trees in place. Your survival of the bent trees will be 100% since they have not been cut. You can do something similar by bending trees down and tying them in place. Again, survival rates of these trees is 100% because they have not been cut. Just a couple of other options.


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## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

Very interesting...thanks bob!


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Letmgro,
I have only 19 acres and 2 years ago I decided to designate 8 of it as a sanctuary. The piece was approx. 600' deep and although it was all wooded I could see all the way through it most times of the year. Enter chainsaw, WOW! I got after it on a Fri. after work and hinged about 50 trees, mostly Elm and Hackberry. What I found with the Hackberry was that it would snap off if I hinged it before the sap was up if I waited until Late May I could hinge a tree up to 8" and maintain a connection that would keep the tree growing for a while. The Sun. morning after my Friday night chainsaw massaquer I witnessed deer standing in the carnage where they usually would have busted out. Note: don't do this when your wife is around!
There is something about horizontal cover that puts deer at remarkable easy. There have been times when I have approached deer to within 50' without them busting out and even then they would just move off casually.
I found that Cherry, chosen selectivly because of it's value as lumber, Was the best to hinge. Cherry that I hinged in April would send up shoots the full length of the trunk that would look like a pickett fence. These are great next to my woodlot foodplots.
I hinged again this spring along my property lines where my neighbors are close and vertually double the usable bedding area of my sanctuary. This time I dropped around 100 trees. It sounds drastic I know but is the single best thing I have done to hold deer on my property. I have another area of river bottom to get after this winter to open the canopy so I can plant some bushes that are water tolerant. I'm considering Spicebush but would like some more Ideas .
Chop, Chop!
Big T


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## BigJim (Jan 12, 2001)

Would you recommend hinge cutting a stand of popple, or would it just be best to clearcut it?
Thanks for the info


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Big Jim,
What are you looking to use the area for? ie: bedding, browse, etc. If it will be a sanctuary hinge cut it and let it regenerate. If you would like to introduce new trees then clear cut and treat the stumps so the don't resprout. If you strategicilly place your brush piles from the clear cut you can sometimes accomplish both.
One thing hinging does not accomplish is the creation of thermal cover but it does block the wind. In my area, mid Mich., the wind stop is usually good enough as we don't have long periods of sub zero temps.
It's always good to know what you want to accomplish because once the chainsaw fires up you have to live with the results for a while. 
Big T


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## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

Thanks for the ideas Tony!

We're glad to have you aboard!


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## TSPham (Nov 4, 2004)

Does anyone know if the time of year has to be winter or dormant for the hinge-cutting not to kill the trees? I've just live-lopped a bunch of silver maples, but have other areas on my property where I want some leaves out to better ID the trees before cutting.

Specifically, I have a large maple stand that is a mix of reds, sugars, and silvers and only want to target the silver maples.

Can I hinge-cut in spring, summer, or fall and not kill the fallen trunk completely to promote regrowth? Is there an easy way to ID the leafless trees and differentiate with confidence the silver maples that I'm targeting?

Thanks for the answers in advance.

TSPham


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## Bob S (Mar 8, 2000)

I have hinge cut Red Maples in September with good results. This is with trees with trunk diameters of less than 3". I think the survival rates might be lower with larger trees at that time of year.


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## TSPham (Nov 4, 2004)

Thanks Bob.

I have a stand of maples along my roadway which is fairly busy. I lose several deer and bucks to roadkill here yearly (worse was 3 in one day). They cross to a 25 acre old farm habitat similar to mine (I have 47 acres). The maples are mainly pole timber size and perfect for hinge cutting. I have a pond and swath of switchgrass/grey dogwood fields next to this, then a thick area of hawthornes deeper into my property. I don't hunt this area at all (yet) as there are no treestand sites. The back half of my property is then more hinged cut maples, oak/hickory hardwoods, marsh/wetlands, then floodplains woods along a river. I hunt mainly the back half with sanctuary areas in the middle.

Do you guys think hinge cutting may increase my roadkill toll. I figure I should do it as it would only increase the holding potential of my property for deer, but I am afraid if the thickest areas are immediately adjacent to the road, it may create more deer and car accidents there.

Thanks for any input.


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