Favorite Habitat Tools

Stihl 460 magnum was my all time favorite, but my Stihl HT56CE pole saw is fast overtaking it. A pole saw with a sharp chain is faster with less work on smaller diameter habitat work, and the overhead reach for trail and field edges is unbeatable.
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Ive had my eye on an MS460 or 461. Looks like a perfect felling/bucking saw. I have an 042 that is over 40+ years old that still cuts good. I wish the trees I was cutting were a bit bigger so I could justify the bigger saws!!

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Ive had my eye on an MS460 or 461. Looks like a perfect felling/bucking saw. I have an 042 that is over 40+ years old that still cuts good. I wish the trees I was cutting were a bit bigger so I could justify the bigger saws!!

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A Stihl 460/461 is the ticket for cutting up big trees, but a bit overkill for habitat work & hinge cutting 4" stuff, similar to a guy using a .300 magnum for deer, which I do as well. I've used it for clear cutting small stuff and it goes through 4-8" trees like a hot knife through butter but it wears you out in a hurry. A man's age directly affects the size of chainsaw that he carries into the woods and I'm starting to grab a smaller saw more often, I have several Stihl 260's that I like for habitat work.
 
Ive had my eye on an MS460 or 461. Looks like a perfect felling/bucking saw. I have an 042 that is over 40+ years old that still cuts good. I wish the trees I was cutting were a bit bigger so I could justify the bigger saws!!

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A Stihl 460/461 is the ticket for cutting up big trees, but a bit overkill for habitat work & hinge cutting 4" stuff, similar to a guy using a .300 magnum for deer, which I do as well. I've used it for clear cutting small stuff and it goes through 4-8" trees like a hot knife through butter but it wears you out in a hurry. A man's age directly affects the size of chainsaw that he carries into the woods and I'm starting to grab a smaller saw more often, I have several Stihl 260's that I like for habitat work.
 
Reading this older thread, I had a couple thoughts. Those of you contemplating electric saws need to check out the Greenworks saws. I have a good Husky for felling and cutting firewood, but my smaller limbing saw has seen better days so I bought a Greenworks battery powered to replace it. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much power it actually has and after using it a few times I bought their pole saw also. Both are much cheaper than running a gas saw, much lighter too (even though the pole saw is longer), to say nothing of the lack of noise. It's also designed better on the chain end and doesn't pinch nearly as much as my Stihl pole saw. The Stihl is straight with the pole and the Greenworks is at an angle. The only complaint from me is the smallish oil reservoir. It fairly whistles through limb trimming, has three sections so that you don't always have to use it at its full length and they both use the same battery, so whatever I'm doing, I have a reserve battery. Li-ion batteries, last long and charge quickly. I'm sold on the New Green(works)Deal......er, uh Saw !o_O

Oh, and tooless chain tightening on the regular saw, just a screwdriver on the pole saw !
 
1) Chainsaw and 2) brush cutter attachment on the weedeater. That thing is a sapling cutting machine. I did 1,000 yards of trail cutting in 3 Saturdays with it back in Jan.
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Reading this older thread, I had a couple thoughts. Those of you contemplating electric saws need to check out the Greenworks saws. I have a good Husky for felling and cutting firewood, but my smaller limbing saw has seen better days so I bought a Greenworks battery powered to replace it. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how much power it actually has and after using it a few times I bought their pole saw also. Both are much cheaper than running a gas saw, much lighter too (even though the pole saw is longer), to say nothing of the lack of noise. It's also designed better on the chain end and doesn't pinch nearly as much as my Stihl pole saw. The Stihl is straight with the pole and the Greenworks is at an angle. The only complaint from me is the smallish oil reservoir. It fairly whistles through limb trimming, has three sections so that you don't always have to use it at its full length and they both use the same battery, so whatever I'm doing, I have a reserve battery. Li-ion batteries, last long and charge quickly. I'm sold on the New Green(works)Deal......er, uh Saw !o_O

Oh, and tooless chain tightening on the regular saw, just a screwdriver on the pole saw !
Thanks for the information. This is one of the types of pole saw I was interested in. Do you know if the battery lasts very long?
 
Thanks for the information. This is one of the types of pole saw I was interested in. Do you know if the battery lasts very long?

So far it lasts longer than my arms do. I'm sure if I were to use it constantly it would play out in a couple hours, but for what I've done, it hasn't ran out yet. I have another in reserve if it does and they charge very quickly. Mine is a 40V but they make bigger batteries if I'm not mistaken. I like it much better than the gas model I have.
 
So....the question begs to be asked. If these brush cutters and chainsaws are so valuable to the habitat manager....Why is it that the hunting industry seems so determined to push plots and products in a bag?
 
So....the question begs to be asked. If these brush cutters and chainsaws are so valuable to the habitat manager....Why is it that the hunting industry seems so determined to push plots and products in a bag?

I'll take a stab at that. Short answer, $$$$$. For me though, the food plot will always be as important as habitat management because I live in an area with zero ag crops. I manage my habitat with timber thinning, but on the place I lease with others guys, no habitat management can be done other than what the landowners do, and that again, is timber thinning.
 
So....the question begs to be asked. If these brush cutters and chainsaws are so valuable to the habitat manager....Why is it that the hunting industry seems so determined to push plots and products in a bag?
Because it's a proven business model with a rolling supply of money coming in. But, to be fair, it is an important part of deer management in alot of areas as @Drycreek said.

Deer management started in south Texas and the southeastern United States. In south Texas, feeders play a huge part in management. In the southeast, foodplots play a vital part in management. The vast holdings of land by timber companies in the southeast give alot of people private lands to hunt on. These are generational "clubs" or "camps" that have been doing management since the 70's. They've been collecting jawbones, body weights, lactation rates, and doing browse surverys a very long time. One of the only ways they can supply food is with food plots. They aren't allowed to cut trees or plant trees on these properties. They are limited to planting loading docks or between rows of trees. So, plots play a vital role if you want to supply food. Thus, the start of the commercial food plot business with Ray Scott. And, others just followed after seeing the money to be made.
 
Thanks for the information. This is one of the types of pole saw I was interested in. Do you know if the battery lasts very long?
I bought an Oregon brand battery powered pole saw last summer with 40V battery. It is a beast of a saw. I run out of "gas" before the battery runs out. And if it does run out, doesn't take long to charge. About 2 hrs of constant trimming and cutting is about all I want. I figure if I wanted to go longer I would either buy a 2nd battery or break for lunch and recharge battery. I posted pic and description last summer in my property tour thread. I gave my son one as a gift with the 60V battery. If I ever need another chainsaw for smaller type work it will be a battery powered saw.
 
I bought an Oregon brand battery powered pole saw last summer with 40V battery. It is a beast of a saw. I run out of "gas" before the battery runs out. And if it does run out, doesn't take long to charge. About 2 hrs of constant trimming and cutting is about all I want. I figure if I wanted to go longer I would either buy a 2nd battery or break for lunch and recharge battery. I posted pic and description last summer in my property tour thread. I gave my son one as a gift with the 60V battery. If I ever need another chainsaw for smaller type work it will be a battery powered saw.
Thanks for the review! I'm definitely interested in one. I just have to pull the trigger
 
This is awesome when you need to do some trimming in a food plot but don't want to take the time to get the bushhog out. It's also great around the edges where you can't get a bushhog to.

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How well does it work for you? My FIL has one that I'm going to borrow when I need it for food plot trimming.

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