One of my best tracts of land (for buck pictures) is right at 150 acres and is very hilly and thick. It was clear cut probably 25 years ago and just left to grow back on its own so for the most part it is trash hardwoods and is just now getting open enough to be able to see 50-60yds in most spots. There is one good hardwood bottom running through the middle with a few white oaks that I have done a little clearing around to reduce competition. The property is bordered on all sides by leased timber company land in various stages of growth which is where the majority of my deer bed. There are a few food plots within 200yds of our line but none on our place as the access/soil type is not very conducive for planting on our tract. I always have several real big bucks on camera on this tract right before bow season and then they disappear till rut and will cruise through from time to time and it just seems as though they don't stay on our place much.

With it being as thick as it is, these deer are just hard to hunt with visibility being so poor. My question is, would you work on clearing small areas via hack and squirt/chainsaw or hinge cut and leave laying for added cover and increased visibility from a treestand?

I'd figure out a way to clear an acre and plant something. It will make a world of difference in your sightings. You can keep most of it thick, but the plot will be a draw for sure.

If you can already see 50-60’yds, and really big bucks are using it during multiple times of the season I wouldn’t do a dam thing.

Get a dozer and push some rows through it.
Plant em in a food plot. Tower blind/tripods
on the ends or at the hub.

Since you said hilly , clear some long straights/roads on the ridges for plots maybe?

wind swirls too much in the bottoms to clear it out, cut some senderos mid-elevation wise on those hills. put a big plot on your ridge top.... you'll increase your sightings. Pick em off in the senderos as they move towards food and go towards bedding

If it's hilly like you say those bucks are using the bottoms to travel, guarantee. Clear some lanes where you can see into one and put up a tripod downwind. You oughta be able to see their rub and scrape lines running through the bottoms this time of year, too.

I'd put a fairly large plot near the center and maybe a couple of small satellite "kill" plots. And I'd do some checkerboard burning. Most of all I WOULD NOT OVER HUNT IT!

Don't put a plot in the center of a small property. It doesn't allow for you to enter or exit the stand without bumping deer. You should put most the thought in placement of plots based on entry and exit. Ditches, saddles, wind direction, bedding close. Also you can stack does closer to food and let bucks bed in the center of the property. Landscape architecture is fun, but alot to think about it.

Don't put a plot in the center of a small property. It doesn't allow for you to enter or exit the stand without bumping deer. You should put most the thought in placement of plots based on entry and exit. Ditches, saddles, wind direction, bedding close. Also you can stack does closer to food and let bucks bed in the center of the property. Landscape architecture is fun, but alot to think about it.

You don't hunt the large plot , hunt around it. Goes without saying , approach to any plot or stand should always be taken into consideration .

If I’ve got a big, nice plot in the middle of my property, I’m hunting it!

What 2Dogs said. And dont over hunt.

Burn what you can several years in a row.

Would a topo map help any of you guys point me in the direction of a plan? We’ve hunted it very sparingly over the years but we’ve always hunted it the same way from the same stands. I just want to change some stuff up and put bucks on the ground.

Carving out several smaller , oddly shaped plots is the way to go. If your going to hunt them ( and I'm guessing you are), then stand placement where you can see two ends of the fields , but the two ends of the fields can't see one another ahs worked wonders for me. Bucks like edges.

Just looking at the Topo I would try and setup or build blinds on the saddles on the north sides. The bottom on the west side should have deer moving off the drainage and I marked where I would setup if I had to go in blind. There are people on here that understand topo's better than me and may see a better spot. Now...from what I know about the property surrounding this I would see if you can find a setup on the east side where I have marked. I have seen lots of deer moving along the property line there. This was one of the best bedding areas. If you can get a field on your side you will see a lot of deer here.

Throw a wide line around it and burn the piss out of it. Let the fire do the clearing and killing.