I'm fortunate to be on year 3 of this new farm and I'm 41 years old. Good Lord willing, I'll be healthy enough to enjoy some of my improvements over the next few decades. I owned a smaller piece prior and have been managing property for deer for almost a decade now.
A few things I've learned:
Start planting trees, shrubs, etc. on day one or as soon as conditions allow.
Protect those trees & shrubs with quality tree cages. I buy welded wire fence by the 100 ft roll, worth every penny long term.
Buy fewer, bigger, healthier trees instead of thousands of twigs. Less trees allow you the time to care for and protect every single one. Plus the larger trees will establish and produce quicker. I once planted hundreds of 12" pines. The deer literally ate every single one.
Soil tests
Buy the right equipment for the job. ATVs were made for pleasure riding, not planting. Good used equipment is everywhere.
Don't be afraid of ag herbicides. I was the new farm owner from the suburbs who thought I'd be a better landowner by avoiding herbicides. After many struggles, and doing research ON MY OWN, I discovered how safe most herbicides we use for food plotting are when used properly.
Be a little selfish. It's my nature as a Christian to want to share what I have and turn the other cheek. I've learned that if I want to enjoy the property I bust my butt to pay for and work year round to improve, I can't allow everyone I know to hunt it. Especially those who are too busy to help all year but miraculously have all the free time in the world come hunting season. I used to let many things slide with my neighbors but I figured out I can still be a helping, kind neighbor while telling them in a nice way what I allow and don't allow on my property.
ACCESS, ACCESS, ACCESS This will be the first year that me and the only 2 other hunting buddies hunting my place will be strictly adhering to dedicated access paths for tree stands. No more walking down the back field access road through the middle of the property to hunt a stand a half mile away. I left a dead zone of mature maples & black gum trees along my east border/power line where there is little deer activity. This is downwind of my property for the prevailing W/NW winds. Strategic paths through here to stands should improve our hunting.
Test all of your equipment, new & used, before the day of said project. Murphy's Law applies here. You've been warned.
Let the deer tell you what they want, not the bozo on TV who kills 200" deer at a deer farm.
Avoid the commercial food plot blends from sporting goods stores. Find a local seed dealer, even if you have to go a little out of your way to go there. Nobody should be paying $10/pound for clover seed.
Get a decent chainsaw and make a timber stand improvement plan. Know the difference between hinge cutting & clear cutting and use each where appropriate. Know your tree species so you don't accidentally cut the wrong ones. Cut, cut and cut some more. I have acres of useless maples and black gums that choke out the understory. This was a result of bad logging practices that took every single oak & cherry out of my woodlots without a single seed tree left behind. I'm slowly changing that by hinging/clear cutting the maples & gums, releasing the oaks, apples & cherries I do find and planting as many desirable trees as I can. Oh, and safety first, cutting trees can be dangerous if you don't understand the basics.
Take time to stop and enjoy your property. (Still working on this one) While the work is enjoyable to me, I try to fit in a few multiple day stays during the work season to enjoy a campfire and the amazing sunsets & stars. And keep your hunting fun. (Still working on this one too). I put a lot of pressure on myself every season but I'm fortunate to have plenty of deer that I take a mature doe every year for the freezer. I pass a lot of immature bucks each year so it's nice to get a deer down at least once a year if it doesn't work out on a mature buck.