Where guys have it...it is INCREDIBLE deer bedding cover. Its great for birds, small game, and in high deer density areas it isn't eaten. In fact, that's why AO is able to spread sometimes, although not as fast as some think. It spreads...simply because it is not a preferred food source such as dogwood, for example.
I am not sure I would add it if I don't have it purely because of the negativity surrounding it...but if guys actually have it on their parcels it can be some of the best deer bedding cover in the neighborhood.
As far as hinging goes, tie downs, deer bed creation with living suspended living bushes of regen, leveled bedding platforms, and both increased stem density and horizontal structure...it all has to have sunlight. Too many times guys make the mistake of building sunless bedding areas that have little to no value within just a few years. Instead, open up the canopy to at least 60-70% within the location...give it a good 7-8 hrs of sun, and while you are at it, throw in some fairly random clumps of spruce or pine to diversify the location with another of the 4 components of good bedding habitat...conifer.
Again...not sure if I would introduce AO, but dang you haven't seen a deer bed until you have seen a carved out bedding hole within just a handful of AO, flanked by grasses, weeds, early successional growth and a few supporting conifers.
Last edited by NorthJeff; 02-16-2012 at 05:29 AM.