Neighbor Screening

Trying to block the view from my neighbors clear cut into my woods lot. really just looking for a visual barrier and not trying to completely stop the deer from going back and forth. To my knowledge there are a few different options that I've looked up. Curious to hear what you have had that worked.

1. Hinge Cutting to make a thick barrier along the entire property line (really not sure about this one, unless it the right thing)
2. Planting something like Hybrid Willow or Type of Conifer (not sure what kind)
3. Any types of bush?
4. Could always drag in brush piles
 
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One option is to keep the under story completely open via keeping the trees fully canopied so there is no ground cover and thus very little deer activity to see from the bordering property. Another is very light hinging to create some canopy openings to have some thickening going on which creates some browse but not so much that it draws the deer. And for blocking views spruce trees are tough to beat. I'd fear though that making it so thick you can't see into it may cause more deer traffic on the border than one might want.

All three approaches have been done here but mostly it is handled here with regular use of perimeter "roads" and the deer seem to get the idea that the borders are not a safe hangout place and the would be trespassers seem to catch on to that idea as well. We also post heavily and annually paint the sign edges and border trees with a fluorescent red tree paint. Fencing (deer cross able) is planned for at least one key border area.
 
It's going to depend... It's going to depend on elevation changes, distances, what you have to work with, how long or quick you want something and those sorts of things. Soil types, soil moisture, availability of the sunlight and the like all play a role. $$$ and time also tend to come into play as well.

What you are looking for is something to block the view of others and you have lots of options. Annuals, perennials, conifers and evergreens, trees, shrubs and grasses and even man made/man created methods like wind-rowing brush of vines on fences and the like.

Also consider a combination of things. A short term solution and a long term solution....you can then remove the short term solution once the long term is in place. Also consider multiple rows or multiple concepts as well. I personally like year round solutions as well. Nothing worse than having a nice wall of green all summer long and then fall comes around and you simply are left with a row of sticks! Most screens you also don;t want to provide any sort of food value and you want it to be thin enough to not encourage bedding as well. Leaving a perimeter road/trail for hunting access and property monitoring is also suggested. This will show the neighbors that you are paying attention and help push the deer out of your screen should it become appealing to them. You may as well also take advantage of being able to move about your property and not alert the deer in the process and avoid interior paths and use the perimeter ones if possible.

Options to consider:
Egyptian Wheat - annual
Switchgrass - takes 3 years to reach max height but perennial - will get roughly 5 to 6 feet tall
MG - takes 3 years to reach max height and will fill out beyond that - perennial, will get 8 feet or more (doesn't like wet ground)
Conifer trees (spruce, cedar or pine) - different varieties to choose from to match different conditions (cedar can carry CAR - concern for fruit trees, and some pines self prune lower limbs as they mature as well)
Conifer or dense shrubs - if you don't get an evergreen you will ant something with many stems to create density. Select a variety for the height and conditions you have.
Fast growing trees like hybrid willows or poplar - these are great as well, but you need layers of them. When the leaves drop you will want to have more then just a row of sticks.
Brush piles - These tend to break down over time but can be a short term solution. If they are too thick it can prevent deer travel.
Edge feathering/hinging of the wood lot edge - this is an option but can create food and cover which may NOT be what you are after, depending on how close it is to the neighbors.
 
I would keep it open so you can see into THEIR clearcut and shoot deer over there when they aren't around. LOL. In a year or two their clearcut will be so thick you won't have to worry about it.
 
That is true! the clear cut is already a few years old but the neighbors are taking long shots trying to hit deer walking the edge of mine. I Was thinking on making a trail right on the edge and thickening it up a bit 15-20 yards in to stop deer from seeing me walking the edge (the deer on my property).
 
I think the MG J-BIRD was referring to is miscantheus giganticus. That would probably make the best permanent screen but I've heard it's slow growing too. I know nothing about it except we have some in various places growing on state road rights-of-way and it's tall and thick. I know it plants with roots and not seeds but I'm not sure about your area or if it would handle snow. Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
We have Miscanthus growing here as a screen to breakup an extra long food plot. It works perfectly, handles the zone 4 snow well here (better than switch here) and only took three years to be very thick and was of value in two years. And it is planted in a poorly drained soil -not standing water for sure but not all that dry either. It is planted in full sun. One factor that could affect a slow thickening would be just how thick the rhizomes are planted, ie one per ft. or one per three inches would make a huge difference.

I had not thought of it for growing along a wooded property line before j-birds post but it is definitely a contender if it isn't too much work to get the sunlight to it.
 
That is true! the clear cut is already a few years old but the neighbors are taking long shots trying to hit deer walking the edge of mine. I Was thinking on making a trail right on the edge and thickening it up a bit 15-20 yards in to stop deer from seeing me walking the edge (the deer on my property).
I think this would be your best bet. The road will add a few yards of "unsafe" travel that the deer will most likely avoid. Followed up by a thicker screen which should keep them hidden from the neighbors' view, as well as keep you hidden from the deers' view when accessing stands. WIN-WIN
 
It is possible to make a "fence" by dropping trees in a continuous swath. A friend of mine did this along his property line, just inside his perimeter road. this keeps the deer from seeing him when he patrols his property, and prevent his neighbors for seeing in or trespassing. If you have the size and amount of trees needed to make this swath growing along that edge, it would be an option. Using an excavator to push over/align the trees in a swath as you cut and drop them is almost a must. This can make a barrier that's well nigh impassable, and will last a long time.
 
If you are just looking for a visual barrier you could cut trees and create a wall. I would rarely choose to do something like that near a border that has hunting pressure as it creates limited access for deer and sometimes becomes a focal point for travel. If you decide to plant trees (conifers) or high rise shrubs you are likely going to have to remove some trees, willows do not do well in completely shady areas so consider that as well... the best idea from my standpoint near borders is to stay away from creating edges that the deer want to travel against or stick around significantly.. make the draw for the deer some distance away from the border and pull them in the opposite direction toward food, social areas etc...., do not intermix shrubbery that is a food source on the border, plant conifers in straight lines and do not create a hard or soft edge with tops anywhere within shooting distance, again that defeats what you are doing. So in your case Id create a road near the border, interior have straight conifer lines and interior to that - minimally 40 yards build a hard and soft edge, for travel... depending on how you want them to travel this would normally be parallel to the border... If you plan on hunting these areas there is another topic to tackle. Conifers again are you best bet against neighboring snipers. Shrub wise you can go with forsythia (need sun) or viburnum. If it was wet Id go with willows intermixed with shrubs, in dry areas willows will not be your best bet but can survive if they are not completely exposed to south and west slopes and have gravely ground--- trust me on that one....
 
While I was out over the weekend I took this pic of my road screen.

I am looking toward the road....the trick, in my opinion, with screens, is layers. Don't put all your eggs into one basket. At the road (furthest away in the pic) is a woven wire fence where I transplanted some native vine honeysuckle. Here it stays green nearly all year long. The middle row you see cedar trees. These are transplants as well from other places on my property. I move them in the early spring when they are a foot to 2 feet tall and they seem to tolerate it fairly well. They are planted on roughly an 8 foot center or so. There is roughly 8 feet between the fence and the cedars - I can get my 6' wide mower thru there if I choose. I didn't use spruce simply because I didn't want to spend the money. There is a powerline overhead and as these grow I figure I will have to cut them back and I would rather hack up a transplanted cedar tree. Cedar is common here so worrying about it being close to fruit trees is pointless here. The third row - another 6 to 8 feet - is a row of MG. This MG was all grown from cutting (thanks to Bill) and is proof that it's not that difficult...if I can do it you can to. The MG is planted on roughly 3' centers and will fill in and get much taller as it matures over time. So other than the honeysuckle (and I only see use of it real late in the winter) there is nothing here for the deer to eat to lure them closer to the road. I also try to mow in between to reduce the chance of any bedding. This will take time...as many things do. But I don't have a dime invested other than my own time and effort. If the cedars do as I hope...the plan is to relocate and propigate the MG to other locations.

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