How important is trimming and How do you do it

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Uncle Lou
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How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Thu Feb 07, 2013 12:51 am

I started a thread in the equipment forum to give a shout out to a friend and sponsor of the Hunting Beast Buck Contest - Hooyeman Saws. I did this because there has been a lot of talk lately about the Wicked Saw, and just wanted to get some feedback on the Hooyeman. The thread didn't quite go as I planned, but they rarely do.

It surprised me a bit all the mention of pruners in the thread I started, I don't have a problem with it, but since it wanted to be discussed, lets discuss it.

This information should be beneficial to not only the BEAST members but also to the saw manufacturers.


First, how important is trimming to you? There is no wrong answer just want to hear where your at. For example answers could range from your obsessed with clean lanes (eying trees to trim right now) to you couldn't care less (you will just deal with it as it unfolds).

And what tools do you use, chain saw, hand saws, hand prunners, pole prunners, just bend some twigs or break them off by hand, or what else you may use if anything.

I dont care if we mention brand names, but there is a wicked and a hooyman saw thread currently in the equipment forum if you want to talk about details or specs of a particular saw.


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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Thu Feb 07, 2013 12:58 am

Ill go first. I don't consider my self obsessed, I would really put my self in the I will just deal with it.

The hand prunner (Fiskers?) accompanied me a lot last season, I use it to help navigate thorny thickets, but if I forget it I will just deal with it.

I have a pole pruner (dont know the brand) that I mostly use to trim my apple tree in my back yard. I have maybe taken it to the field a handful of times in 20+ yrs.

I have two hand saws a fiskers and a Hooyeman. I got the Hooyman this past season and kept it in the jeep. I used it occassionally.

I have an 18" craftsman chain saw that I use up north on my property. I have a lot of second growth cherry that isn't worth much and I have cut a lot of it more for land management but I have cut some lanes through it as well. I picked up that chain saw at a garage sale for $25 and must say it is the best $25 bucks I ever spent
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby Southern Man » Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:27 am

Very seldom have I hung a stand where there was nothin to trim. Mostly, right around the stand up in the tree to open up areas to move and shoot through. I don't need a very big hole to put an arrow through. I don't like trimming at ground level and try to keep that to a minimum. I've often wondered when deer smell the fresh cut branches at ground level if it puts them on alert? You know they can smell it and I would think it wouldn't be a common smell they encounter day in day out. Not that they would consider it a danger, but something different, something to check out. If they encountered that smell enough, along with human scent, it seems to me they would soon associate it with danger. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

I carry a set of hand pruners in my pack always when I am hunting. I can cut limbs up to 1" in diameter and that takes care of most of the trimming I do. Also they're handy in early season for making blinds. I cut small limbs with leaves on them and stick them in the ground in front and behind me on the ground. You can set up a small ground blind in minutes to break up your outline with natural cover. I also do this for stands up in the tree. If you choose the right tree type, the leaves will hold quite a while after they brown. Works great for added cover in the trees. Pruners are probably one of my most important tools for hunting.

I do have a Hooyman saw with a 5' extention, a pole saw/pruner that extends to 20', and a dewalt battery powered saws-all for preping stand sites in the winter and spring. I use those for the larger stuff I need to remove. I will never cut larger stuff in the fall close to hunting time.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby Spysar » Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:35 am

I have a gerber hand saw and pruner in a kit.I only trim the tree I'm in, and only enough to get in the tree.Then I trim or prune whatever is in my way from the stand. On rare occasion I will get down and cut off a tree that may be in the way. I try and trim it high, so the tree looks the same at deer level.

I'm a light trimmer, and only do what is nessesary. I accept that I may only have one or two windows to shoot at a deer.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby Craaaig » Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:12 am

Trimming can be very beneficial depending on the type of situation! I trimmed a tree last week sometime for an all day rut hunt next year. Trimmed the tree for the climber and made about 4 decent shooting lanes I think! Climber is my favorite for all day sits because it is decently comfortable! Probably only hunt that tree once next year, possibly more depending on what I see! It's just a classic rut spot, downwind of a tamarack swamp, waiting to catch bucks cruising mid day. I wouldn't trim much around a buck bed if you're planning on hunting the bed beast style. Trim nothing if you can get away with it, and trim the minimal amount if you have to!

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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby xpauliber » Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:22 am

Spysar wrote:I have a gerber hand saw and pruner in a kit.I only trim the tree I'm in, and only enough to get in the tree.Then I trim or prune whatever is in my way from the stand. On rare occasion I will get down and cut off a tree that may be in the way. I try and trim it high, so the tree looks the same at deer level.

I'm a light trimmer, and only do what is nessesary. I accept that I may only have one or two windows to shoot at a deer.


This pretty much describes my trimming as well although if I have to trim a sapling, I do it as low to the ground as possible and cover the exposed part that remains with leaves. I think trimming up in eye-shot can tip people off to your spot. A freshly trimmed branch/sapling sticks out like a sore thumb.

I have a small folding saw that is maybe 8" long when unfolded. It's a cheap plastic thing with very aggressive teeth that gets the job done if I have to use it but for the most part, I use pruners to try and keep as much sawdust down as possible which deer may be able to smell.

I like to have as many shooting lanes as possible, but if I know I only have 2 or 3, it helps me to really focus and stay sharp when I'm on stand because if a buck sneaks in on me and gets past my one lane, the hunt is over.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby Brandon » Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:36 am

maybe 1 or 2 branches a set... as said... just enough to slip an arrow through.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby P&YBuck1 » Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:42 am

I too try to trim a minimal amount. That being said I use the following: a off brand hand pruner, a fiskars pole saw and an off brand fold out hand saw. I use the hand pruner the most, followed by he fold out saw and lastly the pole saw. I normally only carry the hand pruner and fold out saw with me each sit, the pole saw for obvious reasons is only used on planned scouting trips to clip high branches.

Hope this helps!
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby headgear » Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:48 am

Spysar wrote:I have a gerber hand saw and pruner in a kit.I only trim the tree I'm in, and only enough to get in the tree.Then I trim or prune whatever is in my way from the stand. On rare occasion I will get down and cut off a tree that may be in the way. I try and trim it high, so the tree looks the same at deer level.

I'm a light trimmer, and only do what is nessesary. I accept that I may only have one or two windows to shoot at a deer.


Pretty much what I do as well. When I am scouting in the spring and picking out trees I also do a little trimming then, not a lot just clearing a few branches and trees I think might be a problem when I hunt it in the fall. Most of the time it grows back pretty thick but I can usually still get an arrow through.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby JoeRE » Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:18 am

I hunt everything from wide open to super thick. Since I move around a lot I don't do a ton of trimming, but sometimes in the thicker areas I do take a pole saw with me when checking trees a month or two before the season and cut a few limbs to allow me to shoot out further in a couple directions, if I think I need to.

My leatherman's saw blade will cut any limb 2-1/2" in diameter or smaller. I always have that with me while bow hunting and on rare occasions use it while hunting.

If the setup is a big buck's bedroom I do no prep work that could disturb the area. Often these areas are pretty thick so I find myself hunting close to the ground or on the ground just to be able to shoot a bow.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby mibowhunter » Thu Feb 07, 2013 4:44 am

I try to keep trimming to a minimum, but in a few areas where I hunt it gets so thick I have no choice but to cut a lane or two. Typically I will do this in the spring, and try to envision as best as possible what the leaf cover will be like in the fall. Most of the time this works like a charm. I'll cut a few branches in the tree where I place my stand, and then a few to make a lane, if necessary. I generally just use a cheap pole saw that my dad has had for years. I can't justify spending more on a saw when I use it so little.

I did have an interesting experience a few years ago, though. I got in to a stand i had cleaned out in the spring and settled in for an all-day hunt. When daylight broke I noticed my lanes had become a bit overgrown. After a few deer filtered past I realized there was no way I could thread an arrow where I needed to, so I made a quick decision to get down and trim the branches. I got down and made the cuts and climbed back up. Not 2 minutes later I had a nice 3yr old come in looking around, i think he heard the noise and came in to investigate. He stood right under my stand looking around, and then started to eat the leaves that i just cut! It was pretty funny... This was a really high-pressured area too, so I'm guessing he didn't make it through the year. :)
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby dan » Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:18 am

Spysar wrote:I have a gerber hand saw and pruner in a kit.I only trim the tree I'm in, and only enough to get in the tree.Then I trim or prune whatever is in my way from the stand. On rare occasion I will get down and cut off a tree that may be in the way. I try and trim it high, so the tree looks the same at deer level.

I'm a light trimmer, and only do what is nessesary. I accept that I may only have one or two windows to shoot at a deer.


Same as me... With the exception that I do more trimming at permanent stand locations or observation type stands on private... 99% OF the time I do pretty much as Spy stated.

I started a thread in the equipment forum to give a shout out to a friend and sponsor of the Hunting Beast Buck Contest - Hooyeman Saws

Both Hooyman & Wicked saws sponsor the Big buck contest.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby WKPTodd » Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:49 am

In the summer, I probably go over-board with trimming stands, but you can't shoot what you can't see. I hunt alot of thick areas, and also have to get a cameraman an angle too. What I've found is that after a year goes by, and those areas thicken slightly, deer don't notice a thing. I still kill deer out of stands I've trimmed heavily a couple months prevoius.

For running and gunning, I don't trim near as much, but I can't hunt the thick areas I'd prefer to hunt. Have to have some natural openings or you can't shoot what you can't see. I a mature buck comes within 30 yards, I want to put an arrow through that animal.

For equipment, I used to use Silky hand saws, but designed my own to solve the problem of "breakage"... For pole saws, I use a 21 ft. Silky part of the time, and a home-brew pole pruner. This year, I'll be using my Wicked pole saw as much as possible for R&D. It will also be the choice of my mobile hunting set-up.

I no-longer use pruners (hand clippers). I have found using my saw as a machete works faster, and in the pre-season I'm not worried about noise.

Good luck, remember that first stand is only a starting point. I usually end up making adjustments during the season based on movement. That is the #1 mistake I think most guys make. They have put all the work into hanging a stand and trimming it. Season comes, and all the movement is 50 yards away. If I see continuous movement away from my stand, I'll go scout it. Based on the sign, I will make a move that next hunt when the wind is right. During the season I would MUCH rather run&gun as-oposed to making a seperate trip for hanging a stand. Put's double the scent into an area, and you don't get that surprise attack that running and gunning gives you.

I should also mention, my average summertime trim job lasts between 2-5 hours. If I'm in there screwing it up anyway, I'm going to do it good enough so that that one trim job will last a couple years with minimal touch-ups. That means next season, I will have a suprise attack again out of the same stand first time in.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby Stanley » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:21 am

My success rate increased considerably when I finally figured out, you gotta have a shot.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: How important is trimming and How do you do it

Unread postby G3s » Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:33 am

Spysar wrote:I have a gerber hand saw and pruner in a kit.I only trim the tree I'm in, and only enough to get in the tree.Then I trim or prune whatever is in my way from the stand. On rare occasion I will get down and cut off a tree that may be in the way. I try and trim it high, so the tree looks the same at deer level.

I'm a light trimmer, and only do what is nessesary. I accept that I may only have one or two windows to shoot at a deer.

I mirror spy 100% on this.


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