1 large farm or several smaller tracts

Question for the multi-state buck guys: Do you aim to shoulder mount or euro mount all these bucks? I can't imagine mature buck venison is something a guy would want taking up a substantial amount of freezer space. Or is it a pursuit of a single buck across multiple states?

Personally, I've grown tired of taxidermists after the fiasco with my bear (don't ask). What I'd love to do is be able to get in with an overrun entity and help extract surplus does for the canner. I am a big fan of canned venison, but I've done enough deer to know there is still a difference in age and sex of the animal. If it's not a brag board buck, I'm gonna wait for a clover fattened yearling doe.

We still haven't finished the winter that'll never end in my country. Mother nature cured the surplus for us once again, and that's a shame.

Shoulder mount for Iowa bucks. Oddly the bucks from Iowa have been very tasty… tender venison? Maybe all the corn/beans/Alfalfa ? I certainly prefer a doe to eat though !
 
its not age alone on how tender or not a deer is to eat, there are a lot o things other than age
diet, stress, location and what happens front he time its dead till being processed and then a lot has to do with how its actually cooked!
yes its maybe less likely to get a young one that is tuff , but that doesn;rt mean older ones are all bad to eat!
have eaten deer of all ages from a lot of places!
and sorry for getting off topic here!
 
SD - Northwoods bucks that survive Winters browsing Balsam while they dodge wolves 24x7 are different than fat Iowegian bucks full of soybeans and silage.
 
That's interesting about the EHD.

What percentage of bucks do you think you see that have been on both farms?

Not a one, and I've owned them since 2010. My theory is they travel the creek drainages, and they are on 2 separate drainages that never really come together nearby. I keep thinking I'll get a pic sooner or later, but haven't yet.

Both farms have good deer every year, but I'm after something special. I have a deer with multiple drop tines, and was after only one deer this year, another drop tine. A 200" deer was killed off the fenceline of the other property the season before. I had 1000s of pics of him, but neighbor kid beat me to him. I'm usually after something unique or 160+. Both farms always have multiple 140" deer, north MO is a magical place...
 
Last edited:
Does and fawns taste great, but northwoods bucks also taste very good. Some of my favorite tasting deer are young northwoods bucks. Low deer numbers caused us to give does a fee pass for years up there, so we shot some young bucks instead and they were excellent.

I think shot placement and carcass care are as important to venison flavor/texture as the deer's diet.
 
I've got two small farms, mostly because it is what I could afford at the time.
Now rough ground in my area that floods a few times a year and can't ever be farmed or built on is going for over $10K an acre. People are paying that here for hunting land!

My two farms are five miles apart, doing all I can to sexy them up for wildlife. It is realistic to expect to have a chance to shoot a 140" buck if I choose to on either place. Two booners have been killed within a half mile of me in last four years.
If I could even afford to buy up bigger places of over 100 acres they would end up being mostly tillable ground which I have no use for...and not sure they could/would be better than what I have now.
 
I am a little late to the discussion....but given the choice.... I would want 1 large property. The simple fact is that a larger property would be able to handle more pressure. I also like not having to move equipment around and the like. I think it may also depend on the total area you are looking at as well. I might bite on 2 places of 250 acres each vs a 500 acre place.....but I would certainly prefer a 100 acre property over 2 50's. The only other thing that might come into play is if you have different desires for the function of the properties. Deer hunting land vs duck hunting land may be very different. Deer hunting land vs an ATV park is also very different.
 
I really like these different points. Great post.

I own 3 small plots- live on 51, have a 53 and a 54 that are 45 minutes and an hour away.

Initially my reaction was to have a single larger peice. And I think it still is. Based on the logistics, distance and more than anything Neigbors. I have horrible neighbors. That said the points about having multiple different deer to hunt made me pause and count my blessings so that’s good. It is nice to not have to put all my eggs in one basket. So while I’d still opt for a large parcel for most of the reasons stated here- I’ve chilled out a little. Lol
 
I’m potentially looking to expand my footprint into another state after my timber harvest at my current property.

Would you rather have one larger tract to manage say 300+ acres, or several 40’s, 80’s, etc? Primary concern is hunting older age bucks. The idea would be to have these tracts all within a 30-45min core area. Please share opinions or advice.

Distance from home nit playing a factor in the decision whatsoever.

It would all depend on adjoining properties. None are close to the size needed for QDM or to hold older age class bucks on their own. That means most will depend on how adjoining tracts are managed. The only way to have older age class bucks is to let them live long enough to reach an older age class. In our state, most of the oldest age class bucks are taken from a suburban county where firearms and prohibited and only bowhunting is permitted.

If you plan to do any habitat management on property, a single tract of 300 acres is much easier to mange than three 100 acre tracts some distance apart. In most cases, it is less expensive as well.
 
I have three properties, one 85ac, one 40ac and one 13ac. All are in Missouri. The 40 acres is prime deer hunting land and adjoins the Mark Twain National Forest at a point that few hunters ever go. The county is always #1 in Missouri for deer, however, the distance (five hours) keeps me from hunting the property. Once I retire, this will be my go-to hunting haven. The 13 acres is a forest island with a nice hunting cabin that has some nice deer and is 3 hours from home. It’s easy to manage the property, but is way too small to manage the herd.

If I had opportunity to consolidate these into one 138 ac piece, I would do so in a heartbeat. As it is I have three tractors (two on the main property, one on the 13ac), plus redundant tools (chainsaws, implements). If you don’t farm, you will be able to get by with one tractor, one set of implements and one master plan for the property.
 
One property absolutely has the logistical advantage for equipment usage if your food plotting mowing etc.. I spend a bit of time just moving equipment between properties. If your more of a low management person and your not doing annual food plots then multiply properties do have the advantage different deer herds to choose a buck to pursue and the ability to let a property cool off when over pressured for whatever reason.
 
My 20 acre property is very different than my 100 acre property. On the 20 acres there is really nothing to do except keep shooting lanes cleared and hinge cut trees. There is no place for a food plot, because the only open ground (7 of the 20) is being farmed. Hence, tractors or equipment are not needed by me. I am much better off with this being 4 miles away from the 100 rather than joined to it. And, I have two different deer herds to hunt.
 
I guess I kind of have two properties now, one is 16 acres where we will retire, half open and half mature hardwoods. The other is the pine farm of just under 400 acres that we actively manage for deer and turkey. They are only about 15 minutes apart and both about 2 hours from where I currently live. I find it a pain, but workable transporting equipment between the two, but I have barns at both locations, so the transport is only occasional. I do hunt the retirement property on occasion but most of my hunting is at the pine farm.
 
Top