I have also gotten some hinge cut bedding underway. After every snowfall this season (didn’t bother hunting the new place this year) I spent a few hours in the woods. Walking ridges, crossing saddles, and climbing hills etc etc. i covered the property beyond thoroughly. Noting wind direction, following the tracks and so forth the standard obsessed hunters scouting ensued. After what seemed like 100 snowfalls (realistically 8-10) I put it all together. Deer primarily 95% of the time naturally want to bed on the northern property line. Perfect! I marked out all spots along the 700 yard span that they were bedding with surveyors tape to have a reference for after the melt. From these locations they stare off into the neighbors properties from 300 foot high vantage point. This little series of benches and saddles keeps the deer looking at the neighbors (no way to get in without getting busted) while at the same time being 30-50 feet below the highest ridge. This allows me bulletproof access without the deer seeing me. Plus the prevailing wind here means for most stand opportunities I have mapped out I can get in passed them without being scent busted. So in I went with the chainsaw to start giving them some cover. I cut the areas lightly in some spots and more extensive in others. Some areas trees were mature and very few smaller trees to use. The big guys as usual snapped after hitting the floor. The smaller ones no problem. I got roughly 200 yards worth of the total are done. Some of it is cut lower but he vast majority is at shoulder height. I know there are debates on which is better. My reasoning for the higher cuts is the deer are traveling this edge heavy. Some section of this edge are narrow and other open up to a series of low saddles. More then just bedding I wanted the overhead and higher hinges to act more in a manner that would influence travel. The area is extremely rocky (duh it’s a friggin mountain) and yet they lay here anyway. Anything I add to otherwise minimal cover will work just fine. Areas will be cut more in the upcoming seasons but for now wanted to make sure I left enough hingeable sized trees for the future since I do not yet know what will survive the first round. So with that I will finish the rest of the bedding this month, then open it up a bit as all the cutting ws settling and some spots aren’t easy to get through. Then some trails into and out of this bedding with be extended slightly into the timber. Picture three separate humps in a row. Between each hump is a 50-70 yard span. Deer already travel between these ridges so a little work with the saw will enhance that further. And will all this typing I don’t have pictures of the hinged area yet! They will be soon to come next time I’m working on em.
