Help with hunting land

[NathanSteg]

 

[NathanSteg]

Hello, Im new to this whole owning property thing but I knows there’s deer on it and want to use it to hunt. In about 7 days I’ll be getting this piece of land that’s 30 acres, the previous owner hunted on it and had some smaller food plots and all sorts of things but now I’m getting it and want to really make it nice.

I’ll explain the pictures. The top picture the maroon is “swampy wet area” he claims that does bed. The blue line in a small creek that flows through. Green boxes are 2 small “food plots” that are basically grass now. The second picture the yellow lines are known trails that the deer use and the red dots is where there are trail cameras set up. The last picture is just a zoomed out picture to show the surrounding area. Both shorelines are filled with houses so it’s a little more residential than I’d like.

My plan is to make this land better and more buck friendly. I’m going to remake the food plot with clover and chicory this year but that’s about all I have planned. Not sure if I should add a water hole because there’s already a small creek in it and 2 lakes close by. I want to add a licking branch/scrape but no idea where and with what.

I’m my question is what would you guys do with this property to make it more deer attractive. He’s hunted on and off throughout the years but nothing special has come from it, I want to change that

Thanks for everything and if you need more pictures or explanations I’ll be glad to share

 

[CatDaddy]

Hello, Im new to this whole owning property thing but I knows there’s deer on it and want to use it to hunt. In about 7 days I’ll be getting this piece of land that’s 30 acres, the previous owner hunted on it and had some smaller food plots and all sorts of things but now I’m getting it and want to really make it nice.

I’ll explain the pictures. The top picture the maroon is “swampy wet area” he claims that does bed. The blue line in a small creek that flows through. Green boxes are 2 small “food plots” that are basically grass now. The second picture the yellow lines are known trails that the deer use and the red dots is where there are trail cameras set up. The last picture is just a zoomed out picture to show the surrounding area. Both shorelines are filled with houses so it’s a little more residential than I’d like.

My plan is to make this land better and more buck friendly. I’m going to remake the food plot with clover and chicory this year but that’s about all I have planned. Not sure if I should add a water hole because there’s already a small creek in it and 2 lakes close by. I want to add a licking branch/scrape but no idea where and with what.

I’m my question is what would you guys do with this property to make it more deer attractive. He’s hunted on and off throughout the years but nothing special has come from it, I want to change that

Thanks for everything and if you need more pictures or explanations I’ll be glad to share

Hope you get some advice! Good luck to you!

 

[bucksnbears]

First off, Welcome to the site and Congrats on your first piece of ground.
What kind off soil are the foodplot areas. If it's a sandy/ dry soil, clover may not be the best choice. Especially the whites.

How can you acsess stands without bumping deer off.?

Judging from the pics, I'd be inclined to let those 2 plots grow into cover and move the plot more in the center away from prying eyes.

 

[NDSportsman]

Here's my advice take it for what it's worth. What kind of trees are out there? Oaks and apples would make great stand sites. Cut some small walking trails to and from stand locations to keep your entry and exits quieter. Make a couple small food plots or just some mineral sites in the spring or late summer and then stay out of it until you are actually hunting it. The less human activity and intrusion the better for bucks anyway. Does seem to tolerate a lot more activity then bucks. If you can keep the does around during Oct/Nov the bucks will be there.

 

[Allen]

What NDSportsman said. I own 38.2 acres of similarly broken up food plots and cover. I've does that bed on the place, but the mature bucks seem to always come from afar to hangout with the does. It's just the way it is.

 

[KDM]

Welcome and Congratulations on your first piece of dirt. LOTS of options here. The specifics aren't as important as the big picture IMO. The best piece of advice I can come up with is to drop the mindset that you have 30 acres of land to hunt. NO YOU DON'T!! Not if you want more mature bucks to hang around. You have about 7 acres to hunt. The rest should be the heaviest winter cover (Pines are my favorite) you can create, food sources, and sanctuary. Allen and NDsportsman are correct. Create a utopia for does and fawns and the bucks will show up. Meticulously plan you stand locations for quiet, unobserved access for your stand locations to and from for various wind directions. Keep your presence as small as possible. The best way to destroy your efforts to hold deer is to blow them out by stomptrompin through the place. The rest of the details is where the fun is. Enjoy! Please let us know how it goes. I love this kind of stuff.

 

[Ruttin]

I agree with all of the above. I would have a minimum of two enclosed "scent proof" stands to hunt from with different wind directions. Other than that stay out of it and run cellular cams to be your eyes on the ground. Good luck!