TSI

[Mackie889]

I was thinking about doing some girdle and squirt work on a few open hardwood areas of my farm. I tried to open up a small area last Winter in a large hardwood area and it took me most of a day to do one small area by just cutting down some trees and hinge-cutting others. It was not an easy job! The girdling and squirting technique seems to be a simpler, faster way to accomplish the same goal. That goal is to create some more thicker bedding areas on the property as well as more deer forage. I saw a YouTube video by the National Deer Association that uses a technique involving girdling a tree with a chainsaw and spraying the “Craig Harper Cocktail” (mix of herbicides) into the girdle. In addition to girdling some of the larger, junk hardwoods, I’d like to create mineral stumps where you cut down trees leaving the stump to sprout new growth that the deer really hammer if you do it to the correct tree species. I have a few questions for anyone who has done either or both of these two things:

1)How big of an area would I need to open up to create a bedding area for, say one small doe group (3-4 deer) to use on a consistent basis? Is 1/4 acre big enough?

2)Concerning mineral stumps, which South Georgia species of trees would deer prefer to eat when it sprouts new growth?

3)I saw something that stated that black gum trees (they stated tupelo) are a highly desirable tree for using as mineral stumps. Is this the same tree as swamp tupelo? I have a bunch of these along my swamp.

Thanks for any input or ideas!

 

[fireman32]

As big of an area as you can manage. More sunlight on the ground means more food. Water oaks that I’ve cut turned into excellent mineral stumps. I had zero success with sweet gums as mineral stumps, but a friend of mine had several that deer hammered. Here’s some of my results.

 

[fireman32]

Don’t forget to burn.

 

[Canuck5]

Mineral Stumps!

No longer stumped: mineral stumps provide white-tailed deer nutrition

It has long been a mystery why white-tailed deer devour the sprouts from recently cut tree stumps. A Mississippi State assistant professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aq-uaculture has figured out why—and developed a simple, cost-effective management technique to help support...

www.msstate.edu

 

[Canuck5]

 

[Mackie889]

Thanks and your TSI is looking good! After posting I did find where oaks cut will make good mineral stumps and sweet gums do not. I’ll probably cut down every sweet gum and spray the stump w/ the herbicide cocktail.

As far as burning, I had the forestry service out to make fire breaks to section off the property for future burning. How long was it between the pictures you took. Thanks again for replying!

 

[Deernut3]

I did hack and squirt with a hatchet and undiluted 45% glyphosate. I think you do one squirt (spray bottle) for every 4 inch dbh. It's very affective right now when the sap is going down.

 

[fireman32]

Thanks and your TSI is looking good! After posting I did find where oaks cut will make good mineral stumps and sweet gums do not. I’ll probably cut down every sweet gum and spray the stump w/ the herbicide cocktail.

As far as burning, I had the forestry service out to make fire breaks to section off the property for future burning. How long was it between the pictures you took. Thanks again for replying!

Cut in the fall and the following spring it exploded with growth. Also, be sure to double girdle your trees, I had a few bigger trees that healed after being single girdled.
My method has been to eradicate a majority of all sweet gums and maples. Clear around all white oaks and burn every 2-3 years. It’s a small 40 acre wood lot, almost a full time job improving it for wildlife.

 

[fireman32]

Another spot on the same lot. You could just about see all the way through the 40 acres before I started TSI.

 

[Mackie889]

Another spot on the same lot. You could just about see all the way through the 40 acres before I started TSI. View attachment 1265815View attachment 1265816View attachment 1265817

Thanks for the great info!I hope to get started with the TSI project right after deer season. I have 2 different area types that I’d like to address:
1)I have open upland hardwoods strips approximately 40 yards wide along crop fields. I’d like to take sections of that (about 1/4 acre each) and turn it into bedding / travel corridors based on the stands that I have along the field edges.
2)A few bottomland hardwood areas w/ mixed timber (mostly oaks and swamp Tupelo). I am hoping that the swamp Tupelo will make good mineral stumps there. Your pics are encouraging … can’t wait to get started!

 

[Mackie889]

I did hack and squirt with a hatchet and undiluted 45% glyphosate. I think you do one squirt (spray bottle) for every 4 inch dbh. It's very affective right now when the sap is going down.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Mackie889]

Mineral Stumps!

No longer stumped: mineral stumps provide white-tailed deer nutrition

It has long been a mystery why white-tailed deer devour the sprouts from recently cut tree stumps. A Mississippi State assistant professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aq-uaculture has figured out why—and developed a simple, cost-effective management technique to help support...

www.msstate.edu

Thanks for the info … you never disappoint!