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Disturbing trend

LonewolfNopack

Junior Member
1,503
127
The woods
Not sure how many of you guys deal with this, but for us in southwest ohio it's a huge factor that could really start impacting shed hunting. About 20 years ago Bush Honeysuckle started spreading throughout all our forests and have by far become the dominant understory species on most properties. It originally came from Asia on a barge that unloaded in Cincinnati.

So dealing with Bush Honeysuckle isn't really a new problem. What I have noticed the past several years though is the disturbing trend of the honeysuckle budding out and turning green earlier every single year. The last few years, it was almost impossible for me to spot a shed much later than the third week of March due to the Honeysuckle being leafed out. Already this year, I have noticed some buds opening and it's not even march. A few warm days in a row and they will turn into little green leaves.

I'm not a huge global warming activist or anything, but I'm also not blind or oblivious to what is going on around me in the natural world. I can see the line between winter and spring being blurred more and more every year. Guys who ice fish will be able to vouch for this as well. This is without a doubt becoming an issue for us shed hunters, as many of our deer don't shed until well into March once things are greening. Things never use to be this green in February or March, at least not in any of our lifetimes. Not finding sheds though is a very small issue to what it could mean to our environment and natural systems as a whole into the future.
 
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giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Even when it’s been cold this damn Bush buds early. The winters of 13-14 when it was really cold, they held leaves until late January and budded the first time it thawed out. Trying to kill the plant is next to impossible! My place is littered with it being a south facing creek bottom.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
It's considered a semi evergreen. It is the last to drop and the first to bud. A mild winter will have it budding earlier. I personally could care less about sheds but I really enjoy an opening week of turkey season where you can actually see in the woods.
 

LonewolfNopack

Junior Member
1,503
127
The woods
Even when it’s been cold this damn Bush buds early. The winters of 13-14 when it was really cold, they held leaves until late January and budded the first time it thawed out. Trying to kill the plant is next to impossible! My place is littered with it being a south facing creek bottom.

I kill them for a living. Easy to kill, but you have to be diligent. I can tell you how to do it and what to use next time we meet.

Honeysuckle is notorious for holding leaves late after everything else has dropped. It is also one of the first to bud in the spring. While there may be outliers to this statement, I can tell you from working with the stuff for the past 10 years that it is definitely budding and greening earlier as a trend every year.
 
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LonewolfNopack

Junior Member
1,503
127
The woods
It's considered a semi evergreen. It is the last to drop and the first to bud. A mild winter will have it budding earlier. I personally could care less about sheds but I really enjoy an opening week of turkey season where you can actually see in the woods.

Exactly. My point is the winters keep getting more mild as a trend every year.
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
I kill them for a living. Easy to kill, but you have to be diligent. I can tell you how to do it and what to use next time we meet.

Honeysuckle is notorious for holding leaves late after everything else has dropped. It is also one of the first to bud in the spring. While there may be outliers to this statement, I can tell you from working with the stuff for the past 10 years that it is definitely budding and greening earlier as a trend every year.
I am very interested. I also have 145 trees on order and I’ve taken serious thought into clearing my wood lot and starting over. I’ve got cold Busch Light on hand all the time. Lol. I also need to go see Ethan this weekend so maybe I can stop by.
 

LonewolfNopack

Junior Member
1,503
127
The woods
I am very interested. I also have 145 trees on order and I’ve taken serious thought into clearing my wood lot and starting over. I’ve got cold Busch Light on hand all the time. Lol. I also need to go see Ethan this weekend so maybe I can stop by.
Doubt I'll be home much this weekend but anytime you know your gonna be over this way text me. Best time to kill is fall when its still holding leaves. That's when I can foliar spray and with a high volume sprayer and kill a bunch quick. Second best time is December up until the end of March. This is when we cut them and treat the stumps. Common factor if you want to eradicate Honeysuckle is the appropriate dose and timing of herbicide depending on method. People are starting to take note how bad the stuff is to our ecosystem and I've taken more calls and emails wanting me to kill it then I can field. Having this much rain fall in February already and coming off a record setting amount of rainfall last year has made it hard though to get much done.
 
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giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Come give me a bid for next year when you get a chance. Trees are all starters (12”) still, so I plan to bucket plant them for at least a year.