Outreach Outdoors Christian Hunting Ministry

When to Hinge-cut

When to hinge-cut trees to improve whitetail deer habitat...

Hinging is one of the quickest and best whitetail deer habitat improvement projects...

As always, detailed information on hinge-cutting can be found at this link: Hinge Cuts.

When to Hinge-Cut

Late winter and early spring are usually the most effective time to work on hinging when sap is rising. This would be November to April here in Iowa. Hinging during bitterly cold weather can cause the trees to snap off instead of “peeling” as you’d like, thus hinging on days above freezing will help. As stated before hinging some trees too late can cause the spread of disease such as Oak Wilt thus the reason hinging between November and April is a good idea. Remember, if you have invasive trees such as locusts, add some Tordon RTU to the stump to keep it from coming back. Others, such as maples, usually provide browse and cover and should be left alive.

Be careful on the snowy/muddy hills...

For more helpful information on hinge-cutting trees and how to perform hinge-cuts in your management program or if you have questions, click here. If the hinging trees thread doesn't help, register, and send Paul a personal message.