One of the 1k acres is riddled with food plots (winter wheat) and also corn feeders for every 200 acres. Stands/cameras are put up yearly as well.
The other 1k acres is left natural and only touched to put stands up and occasional cameras. Fields are left untouched, overgrown.
Which would the deer prefer and inhabit the most, in your opinion?
The untouched parcel will hold way more deer than I'd ever know what to do with and it'd be WAAAY more fun to figure out.
They go for the "All You Can Eat" and easy pickings.
Me and my dad don't bait and Jack saw one buck his first morning and that was it!
I hunted 6 days and didn't see a deer my neighbor who has a 2 acre plot and 4 feeders on 188 acres saw over 15 deer a day!!!!
Deer can be easily conditioned
Here's the thing: there is a continuum that runs from Virgin Wilderness to Feedlot, and every last one of us hunts a place that fits along there somewhere.
JMO, the heavily "managed" plot you described is far too close to feedlot for it to provide me with much enjoyment or satisfaction, so you can keep it.
But do invite me over if you need a few does cropped off. Hunting The Hard Way is even more fun on a full stomach.
There are two bars across the street from each other. One is populated with dirty legs and serves cheap beer. The other is filled with pretty girls and good beer. Which one ya going to ? :-)
Hint: The pretty girls are gonna hang out where the good beer is !
I know deer require a mixture of all to be comfortable. And to prefer a certain area for their living quarters.
The biggest request I get when developing a harvest plan for someone's timber is too improve deer habitat.
This can be a VERY complex situation. Indtead, just remember a deers food preference is determined by chemistry and, species more do than any other variable. And not all species of the same are created equal.
I've done a fair amount of food plotting for these clients and on personal land. What I found out is deer have times they prefer certain foods. And, in order to make your plot attractive to deer in a healthy ecosystem, it has to offer them more than what nature is providing.
In soul that is above limestone, that is hard to do because every element it offers is present in the foliage due to having a neutral PH naturally. However, In an acidic soil, you can make plots a favorite real quick with the right plants and, the minerals you add to make it do well. It simply is offering the deer more than its habitat is.
Some may dismiss this but, that's my theory based on 21 years of experience trying to figure out why plots go untouched in some areas and, get demolished in different soil types.
On my personal land, I'd always ensure to keep a good timber rotation in play to provide a financial return plus keep plenty of browse and security cover available. If my soil had a low pH, I'd definitely clear plots and prefer that. But, in limestone country, I'd let the fields grow up in brush and natural browse. I'd keep a check on them and wouldn't let them convert back to timber. But, I would surely invite the berries, greenbrier, and natural succession back. I'd now them every three years and put that on a rotation too.
I guess I'll finish by saying if you have a neutral soil, plots are going to have a hard time proving their ecological benefit. In acidic soil, they'll attract deer accordingly to the crop you've planted. And, I got no qualms with the ethics of shooting deer over feeders. I just know here, if you intend for big deer to frequent the areas you hunt, you'd better not be hanging feeders. It pushes their panic button. So, there'd be few, if any feeders on my place. God Bless
Like others said, I am careful about hunting my 120 acre farm. I do not take folks regularly, and people who do not listen as to how it must be hunted are not invited back. I know that sounds mean, but 120 acres is small in size, but large in expense. I like to share, but only with people who respect my wishes. I do not go into the timber early season, only hunting the edges. Does seem to tolerate farming activities, and I think this helps some what as hunting season progresses. Call me nuts, but I think they recognize the difference in human behavior engaged in hunting type activities versus farming. Being mobile and limiting human activity really seems to help in numbers observed on my parcel.
One thing I believe is not considered often enough when laying out and hunting a property, is what surrounding properties have in the way of habitat and activity. I have only small areas dedicated for sanctuaries given my limited habitat, but the key for me is having winter food and not letting the deer pattern me by hunting the same travel routes from neighboring properties to my food. JMO, hope that helps.
When I bought this place, I have to admit that I didn't think enough before clearing for plots, etc. I would definitely have done a few things differently, but I was just elated to find it after looking for three years for something I really wanted. My place has lots of creek bottom, so it's hard to bowhunt with confidence in the wind, but I manage to hunt the "high" places and luck into one coming or going.
Ok, back to the bar scene ! I have regular boys hanging out at the bar looking at my pretty girls all summer. Then, something throws a monkey wrench into the works, they all scatter, and the one I usually kill I've never seen before ! Man plans, and God laughs !
Even larger if you spend a lot of money on feeders and food-plots and all that stuff that makes it possible for the "improved" landscape to support way more deer than you know what to do with.
I'm clearly operating on a vastly different set of priorities.... Not saying "better" - just different.
What got me thinking of this, again, was nutritionists thread about weeds. As some of you might know, the place myself and 4 others hunt is around 1200 acres. We have a sanctuary in the center portion that nobody hunts, its around 100 acres. We do hunt points entering/exiting it although. We don't have food plots or feeders going. Mainly due to the amount of pigs and what they will do to a plot, if planted. Also feeders we don't use them and I've just never cared for hunting deer over them.
We have a major creek that runs through us also with many large oaks. The fields are grown up and they aren't hayed because finding someone to mow/hay them is tough to find due to what the hogs have done creating small canyons, everywhere.
We do mow a little every year around the borders of the trees and the deer use these paths like runways. I do wish I could put in plots, but with the hog damage, not happening.
Something keeps the deer on us, and I'm betting it's the amount of browse available, the acorns, and briars and such on the creek bottoms.
WV... I also agree that pressure could definitely skewer the amount of deer one might see.
Good talk guys!
Baiting is not legal in MO. Habitat improvements are not limited to food, but include cover that benefit all wildlife, game and non-game. Both increase the carrying capacity of the land, but not to a level that we have more than we know what to do with. LOL.
Some may not think gunning deer down at over 500 yards is either?
I think the undisturbed baited land will hold more deer in daylight hours.
But spending a lot of money on feeders and food plots to create a target-rich environment? Screw that!
I have had to use some fertilizers since my farm was abused for the previous 40 due to it being cash rented. However, I have just purchased 20 bags of rye grain that will be disced into the soil the beans are coming out of and will be green manured next spring. Most of the money I spend is trying to bring the soil back, and we are making progress. Thanks.
If pressure is pretty high, the second property will likely hold more regular deer. Though at some point of pressure, neither property will likely hold a lot of deer, depending on the surrounding properties.
Food is king on lightly pressured ground (except perhaps for mature deer), while security is king with heavy pressure.
Grubby.. you are correct about the geography being a large factor. The amount of forage, things deer like to eat even on the undisturbed land is key.
So... do any of you guys think mowing some of the fields helps? We don't mow them all but we do mow around the perimeter of the fields.