If you have one task for 2021???

[Mattyq2402]

Say you get a new farm this coming march 2021, its 60 acres and you begin a plan for it, you are able to complete one improvement before archery season opens for the upcoming season and one improvement for the long haul. Whats your go to number one method to attract and or hold a mature deer for the near future and the extended gameplan? I know its broad but some of the help I have gotten on this site has been outstanding.

 

[Catscratch]

It would depend on the layout and what was missing habitat wise. I would tend towards some strips of clovers/chicory/wheat.

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[Mortenson]

Of 60 acres, stay out of 40 of it. Let them feel left alone.

 

[Bill]

Miscanthus grass screening if any is needed. First thing because it takes several years before it’s a screen.

 

[Chainsaw]

Learn the property and neighborhood and make a plan.

 

[chummer]

I agree with Chainsaw, best thing you could do is probably nothing. Find out what the deer are already doing and plan around that. Now I realize there is probably 0% chance of you doing this so grab a chainsaw and fire it up. Thicker the better.

 

[Telemark]

Archery: hang cameras and stands.

Long term: TSI, including coppicing some food species for stump sprouts.

 

[Mattyq2402]

What kind of hinge tactics do you guys use? Ive read dr jims book, watched sturgus, etc.... Whats yoir reccomendation. My canopy was state forest between known buck beds and food. I hinged corridor trails 4 years ago and then again 3 years and 2 years ago. I now have some sweet regrowth which id call good security cover leading to my orchards and new planned orchard. Do yall do edge fethering? Bedding? Tornado? Etc?

 

[Booner21]

Say you get a new farm this coming march 2021, its 60 acres and you begin a plan for it, you are able to complete one improvement before archery season opens for the upcoming season and one improvement for the long haul. Whats your go to number one method to attract and or hold a mature deer for the near future and the extended gameplan? I know its broad but some of the help I have gotten on this site has been outstanding.

My improvement unless you have prior knowledge of the farm or a lot of history setting properties. I would dust of a paper notebook or notes on the iPhone and do a lot of observation and make a really good list of projects after 1 complete hunting season. I ended up redoing a lot of what I did the first year.

Spend the first year getting a really good idea how your farm lays out and the deer use it. A lot easier to build on what is already there that trying to disrupt it.

It was was said earlier but find a way to not disturb a big section of the property a big majority of the season and plan any habitat improvements around that.


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[S.T.Fanatic]

Nothing! As mentioned above learn where the deer already want to go. After that I’d say mast/fruit trees. Best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. However don’t plant any if you aren’t going to do it right and protect them. After that I’d say water.


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[BenAllgood]

One improvement? I'd improve my knowledge of the property. I'd walk every square inch I could of it and take inventory. I'd identify where they are bedding now, where they travel and what are their food sources. I'd inventory the trees and plants and their succession stages and then come back and make a detailed map of everything.

 

[Tree Spud]

Say you get a new farm this coming march 2021, its 60 acres and you begin a plan for it, you are able to complete one improvement before archery season opens for the upcoming season and one improvement for the long haul. Whats your go to number one method to attract and or hold a mature deer for the near future and the extended gameplan? I know its broad but some of the help I have gotten on this site has been outstanding.

Do nothing but observe. Learn the property, the neighboring properties, and how the deer interact through the whole season. Walk the property in the winter after the season to start to learn travel trails, access points, rub lines, bedding, etc. Where are food sources on and around the property? How do the neighbors set up around it?

The other important thing to do now, is use google earth to study the entire area around the property. You can learn a lot about travel corridors, food sources, etc.

If you start working on the property and making changes before you understand the property, you reduce your odds significantly of holding deer much less having a mature buck visit.

Good luck.

 

[bjseiler]

If you had some guesses on where you might end up putting plots, I'd probably do some soil tests. I have some forest areas I wish I would have done years ago that need about a billion pounds of lime...... Soil tests, and honestly even lime, I would not think would disrupt much.

 

[j-bird]

My opinion....

I would start on 2 things:
1 - perimeter access to limit disturbance to the core of the property if possible. With clearly defined property markers.
2 - start any and all screening projects. To hide the deer from the road, neighbors and even you. This may involve conifers, MG grass or even the slash from the trail making process.

THEN you need to learn the property....assess it. What it has, what it lacks, where are the natural foods, where are the bedding areas, where the deer enter and leave the property...and why. Where are your pinch points and the like....these are all things you need to learn. This is all so you can work WITH what you have and enhance what you have vs trying to force a plan on the deer. MANY times folks try to make improvements where they can or where its easy for US.....which may not work well for our hunting efforts or be where the deer feel safe using those improvements.

 

[Tree Spud]

My opinion....

I would start on 2 things:
1 - perimeter access to limit disturbance to the core of the property if possible. With clearly defined property markers.
2 - start any and all screening projects. To hide the deer from the road, neighbors and even you. This may involve conifers, MG grass or even the slash from the trail making process.

THEN you need to learn the property....assess it. What it has, what it lacks, where are the natural foods, where are the bedding areas, where the deer enter and leave the property...and why. Where are your pinch points and the like....these are all things you need to learn. This is all so you can work WITH what you have and enhance what you have vs trying to force a plan on the deer. MANY times folks try to make improvements where they can or where its easy for US.....which may not work well for our hunting efforts or be where the deer feel safe using those improvements.

Perimeter screening would be at the top of my list also ... roadside and from neighboring properties. Once you provide the deer a sense of security, they will be more comfortable using the property.

 

[roymunson]

if you do anything, make it a short term thing for the first year. Nothing wrong with planting a plot, etc, but don't do anything for the first year that you can't undo.

I am on a piece for the first year, granted it was a neighboring piece that I'd watched from afar for a couple years, but short of a couple stands and food plots, I intend to plant screening this winter (cedars) along the road, and hanging a couple stands in obvious places, I intend to observe and report. I think I know where I want to do some TSI/ bedding cutting, but I want to make sure for a year. So I'm gonna hunt the areas, watch what's happening and how they're moving. Unless this is a flip property, take a year or 2 and learn what's going on.

 

[thunderchicken10]

if you do anything, make it a short term thing for the first year. Nothing wrong with planting a plot, etc, but don't do anything for the first year that you can't undo.

I am on a piece for the first year, granted it was a neighboring piece that I'd watched from afar for a couple years, but short of a couple stands and food plots, I intend to plant screening this winter (cedars) along the road, and hanging a couple stands in obvious places, I intend to observe and report. I think I know where I want to do some TSI/ bedding cutting, but I want to make sure for a year. So I'm gonna hunt the areas, watch what's happening and how they're moving. Unless this is a flip property, take a year or 2 and learn what's going on.

This is what I’ve done on my new property as well. I closed on 75 acres in July and was able to get food plots in. I’m going to hunt it this year with only observation stands to see how they use the property and make my decisions this winter. I’ve got a plan but that’s subject to change depending on what I learn this year.


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[Natty Bumppo]

I agree with the advice to spend year one observing and getting to know the land. I can't see anywhere what zone or state you're in...if you have apples, I think I would get in there and spend some time releasing and pruning them if needed.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Do nothing but observe. Learn the property, the neighboring properties, and how the deer interact through the whole season. Walk the property in the winter after the season to start to learn travel trails, access points, rub lines, bedding, etc. Where are food sources on and around the property? How do the neighbors set up around it?

The other important thing to do now, is use google earth to study the entire area around the property. You can learn a lot about travel corridors, food sources, etc.

If you start working on the property and making changes before you understand the property, you reduce your odds significantly of holding deer much less having a mature buck visit.

Good luck.

This, word for word!

 

[Someday isle]

I was in the same spot four years ago. Bought the property in June (35 acres). Put cameras out pretty quickly and walked the property several times. We only had a few deer on camera that first summer. There was no food nearby and no water source on our property other than a couple, wet weather creeks. I cleared some old logging roads and put in some cereal grains on the trails That summer Just to get some food in. It seemed to draw in a few more deer. Other than that I didn’t do any big changes until the next year. I think the advice to not go crazy the first year is a good idea. It’s hard to regrow something you tear out. Now every year we evaluate where we are and make changes and improvements accordingly. Our food plot trails continue to be effective And I don’t regret them one bit but I’m glad I took a simple, low impact approach that first season While we learned the land and the neighborhood a little better. Its not complicated but it’s easy to screw it up. It still comes down to food, water, cover, hunter access, safety for you and your family, and security from neighboring properties (I’m fortunate there as I lucked into great neighbors). My advice is enjoy the land and the opportunity and take your time really making a good plan.