Travel corridor maintenance - after the cutting

Jacobpoirier

Jacobpoirier

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kitchener, ON
I'm looking for something to stop some of these saplings and other woody brush species from growing back in my freshly cut deer travel corridors. Triclopyr is what people use for a chemical solution in the states but its a class 9 herbicide here. Any suggestions? I'm not near any wetland/water runoff etc. Would prefer not to cut it several times a year. Just seeing what other people are doing.
Thanks
 
Roundup. Spot spray the saplings. If that is too big of a job then you can use a wick weeder and sweep the tops of the saplings with the herbicide. I have kept 80 acres of hay meadows open this way, over the past 20 years. You need to go over it about every 4 years with spray and mow every 2 to 3 years. We use a 5' rough cut mower behind a 30 hp tractor. If you are opposed to Monsanto (and who isn't these days ;) ), you can use generic roundup.
 
I drag a harrow that I made behind my ATV, rips the ground up on the trails on my property real good. I do it once or twice in the summer and in the fall after the cooler weather has stopped the growing cycle of vegetation.

The bonus is in the fall it rakes the leaves off the trails and it is then nice and quiet walking into my deer hunting stands.
 
Jacobpoirier said:
I'm looking for something to stop some of these saplings and other woody brush species from growing back in my freshly cut deer travel corridors. Triclopyr is what people use for a chemical solution in the states but its a class 9 herbicide here. Any suggestions? I'm not near any wetland/water runoff etc. Would prefer not to cut it several times a year. Just seeing what other people are doing.
Thanks
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You could look at the self-powered (as opposed to PTO powered) flail mowers that are for mounting behind a lawn tractor or ATV.

Not particularly cheap, but thorough and useful as food plot prep if you go to that bother.
 
I personally have an aversion to using chemicals on any land that I want in a natural state. I would use one of the mechanical methods suggested.
 
Personally, I like using the mower but in our area the aspen trees grow so quickly, that it is not really an option. The OP was asking for chemical options, and roundup is one of the safest herbicides available. I'm not sure about Ontario but in Saskatchewan nearly all farmers us herbicides on a regular basis. In our area , it would be pretty much impossible to consume game meat and call it "organic" in the strictest sense. Kind of sad, perhaps, but that is the reality. Also,people often confuse herbicides with insecticides. Insecticides are much more dangerous, hence stricter regulations regarding their use.
 
I use a three point hitch rough cut mower behind my tractor. I only cut my trails every 2 or 3 years and the aspen and willow might get to 3 or 4 feet tall. Now with two grown daughters and their husbands eager to hunt I rarely have the opportunity to even start the tractor...lol.

No reason you couldn't use glyphosate but you need to pay attention to mix strength and time of year for application. In the past I just pastured my cows over there about every third year and they kept the brush down and caused the grass to grow up fresh and tender the next year.
 
I use a 5 ft brush mower behind a compact tractor, used to cut twice a season but now have over 5km of bush trail and once in late summer is fine. Typically costs me just a couple gallons of diesel. I can't imagine using chemical for that much trail. If the trails are good then the natural traffic helps keeps them decent. In the summer the kids' quads, winter sleds, snow shoeing, and Elk. Elk are freaky lazy, given a choice of creating a new bush path or taking an established trail they most commonly will take the trail, deer are a little less reliable.
 
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I like to try and keep the brush down by mowing but this is not always possible depending on terrain...I don't like using chemical but when there is no other way Grazon is my choice...It's designed for just what you are trying to accomplish with the bonus of a residual effect plus it does not kill grass species.
 
a brush saw or flail mower will work, especially if done in the spring immediately after the brush has leafed out. That way the plants/trees have moved energy from the roots to leaves and will have diminished resources to do it again, although they will. You would likely have to do it several more times.

I have done herbicide programs in forestry settings and it's nasty work. In general it may be easier and very effective to apply chemicals but manual brushing is better for land, water, and animals in the long run.
 
ROUNDUP is Glysophate. It is commercially used by silviculture companies as VISION, sprayed to kill vegetation that is
undesireable in newly planted evergreen areas.
I have seen the effect this has on moose and deer in sprayed areas....They do NOT like it, and will move out, at
least temporarily.
I hate using any chemical means to inhibit plant growth, so I would also suggest cutting the brush. Dave.
 
dan240 said:
Salt it. It'll attract the critters and keep anything from growing. Ask the Romans how well it worked.
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Well I guess I'm outvoted on on use of roundup on this forum. LOL. I do think using salt is a very bad idea. Destroys the soil basically forever. Who knows what you will want to do with the land in 30 or 40 years?
Eagle eye, I very seldom disagree with your posts but I've seen whole herds of elk in freshly sprayed GMO canola.
I do agree with everyone on the point that mechanical mowing is the best route though.
 
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