clearing understory - can I avoid the turtles?

[Ed of all trades]

I know this sounds strange but if you really want to save the turtles paint their shells a bright color so you can see them. In a year or so the paint will fade and they will be no worse off than if you killed them, thats for sure.

 

[ohbehave]

Ok... I'll have to be careful. That's about all I can say.

It is nice to know that there are members that can sympathize with my turtle worries!

 

[case245]

to bad they arent snappers you could make soup

 

[IkeRoberts]

Interesting fact about turtles-they don't age.
Negligible senescence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scientist cannot explain it.

 

[Stick895]

Technically, they do age, they just don't show signs of age. Everything ages, time marches on.

 

[Redbug]

Why not get a backpack sprayer and use roundup on the plants/areas you want to change. That way no turtles are run over or cut up.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

I love that there are box turtles in my woods.

Also, there are these 5" high box turtles...I'd like to avoid them.

I can rent my dog out to you. We rescued him last spring at 6 months of age. I put him in a kennel of a day and let him out when I get home.

I have an area behind my house with a small spring and undergrowth like you. We stopped counting at 11 box turtles; he would catch and bring them to me. I would mark them and take them to a different part of the property and release.

I can rent him by the day or turtle:thumbsup:

He also brings moles, lizards, rabbits, and squirrel to me. He is like the cat we never had.

I told my wife it is most likey because he was set out at an early age and had to hunt for survival. He also is constantly chasing grasshoppers and butterflies.

 

[leonz]

I love that there are box turtles in my woods.

My woods are absolutely full of honeysuckle and invasive privits as an understory.
On the floor is pretty much blanket of English Ivy. I'm ok with the Ivy.

Also, there are these 5" high box turtles...I'd like to avoid them.

I'll be buying a 30hp tractor with a front loader to knock the understory down and push them into a pile. I'll also be using a bush hog.

I've never operated a tractor before, but can a bush hog be used at a level high enough (and yet, level) to avoid turtles?

It's not like I can guarantee no turtle harm, but if it is too low, it could be bad.

I just don't know about bushhogs at all and how they are adjusted.

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I would not worry about a rotary cutter for this issue as it is not needed.

The only way is to pull them out or dig them out.

If you purchase a large,medium and small brush grubbers from Gemplers and a
bit of 1/2 inch chain, chain hooks, and a pair of shackles sized for the chain and
the tractors rear hitch you will be ripping out the honeysuckle quickly and
effectively as well as any other heavy brush quickly with very lttle effort other
than attaching the brush grubbers to the offending plantlife.

I would ask that the tires be loaded with either rim guard or windshield
washer fluid and also purchase set of logging chains for the rear tires as the
R-1-and R-4 will lose traction if the tires are not loaded.

AND LOGGING TIRE CHAINS ARE YOUR FRIENDS IF you have mud that sneaks
up on you before you can back up anyway.

AND No no tow truck is going to come and pull you out of the mud unless its
next to a road(been there done that$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
this is other good reason for owning and mounting a 12 volt winch on your
new mule that will yank 10,000 pounds.

The other thing is you can also use the bucket to simply bush the brush
back as you pull it out. NO YOU SHOULD NOT BE USING the loader to
rip out the brush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! USE the rear hitch
and a shackle sized for the rear hitch hole and use the proper sized
slip hooks with the 1/2 inch chain and brush grubber(s).

The other thing is you can purchase a 10,000 battery operated
12 volt winch to also pull out the brush very effectively from one position
over along distance using a roller fairlead to keep the winch cable in line
and prevent it from binding.

 

[paulemar]

I love that there are box turtles in my woods.

My woods are absolutely full of honeysuckle and invasive privits as an understory. On the floor is pretty much blanket of English Ivy. I'm ok with the Ivy.

Also, there are these 5" high box turtles...I'd like to avoid them.

I'll be buying a 30hp tractor with a front loader to knock the understory down and push them into a pile. I'll also be using a bush hog.

I've never operated a tractor before, but can a bush hog be used at a level high enough (and yet, level) to avoid turtles?

It's not like I can guarantee no turtle harm, but if it is too low, it could be bad.

I just don't know about bushhogs at all and how they are adjusted.

Can't you do your work during the winter when the box turtles are hibernating? I would think that you could look up exactly when and how they survive the winter and work around that. I don't know for sure but I'll bet that they dig a hole and bury themselves down fairly deep out of harms way. Your relatively mild winter weather should give you plenty of opportunities to work on it while the turtles sleep away.

 

[LJH]

Y'know what? The first thing I thought of when I read honeysuckle and ivy wasn't a brush hog, sickle bar or weedeater, it was GOATS. Seriously, if you know anybody with a herd of goats or ever considered owning some they will do a better job of clearing your underbrush, with zero worries about collateral turtle damage, than just about anything going. There are people who make good money renting out their goat herds for just that purpose. Just a thought.