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9 registered members (sw1002, JAT, Buckshot77, MTeague, CCC, AU coonhunter, Tree Dweller, fur_n_feathers, 1 invisible),
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Managing small acreage
#3364244
03/01/21 06:59 PM
03/01/21 06:59 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,190 AL
booner
OP
6 point
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OP
6 point
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,190
AL
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For those of y’all that have small acreage. What’s your secret? I just grabbed two 300 acre parcels that have a history of having some pretty good deer on them. I’m looking for some suggestions on what y’all are doing on your small pieces to be productive year after year.
One piece is 50/50 planted pine and hardwoods with thick swamps. The other is an overgrown pasture with pockets of thickets throughout and has an 80 acre cedar thicket dead center of the pasture.
My primary plan for these leases is to limit pressure and human activity to a bare minimum. This will be a park and walk from gate scenario and only hunted when everything is right. Since I will be the only one with access, this shouldn’t be an issue. Especially since I have other places to hunt as well. Pretty much opening weekend a couple times and don’t show back up until rut for a few hunts.
Since picking these up, I have resurrected their food plots, placed stands and limed according to soil data. Since the plots are relatively small I won’t be doing any summer planting but I’m entertaining the idea of placing gravity feeders for protein/supplements during the spring and summer. How many would y’all recommend per acre, if any?
Another point that all the folks I talk to keep saying is FEEDERS, FEEDERS, FEEDERS!! Everyone is screaming that every plot should have a working feeder on it year round. Personally I feel this might be counterintuitive to trying to limit my presence on the properties. Those of you that run them on small property. What have you seen as the pros and cons? I have the resources to place as much as one per 50 acres but I’m a little apprehensive to get that extreme with them.
Any suggestions or tips will be appreciated.
Last edited by booner; 03/01/21 07:00 PM.
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: Sasquatch Lives]
#3364305
03/01/21 07:45 PM
03/01/21 07:45 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 21,781 USA
Remington270
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 21,781
USA
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Put in a couple plots, keep the woods thick, and stay out of there. No feeders. Have your taxidermist on speed dial. Nice
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: ronfromramer]
#3364426
03/01/21 10:12 PM
03/01/21 10:12 PM
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 8,067 Right behind you
Mbrock
Fancy
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Fancy
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 8,067
Right behind you
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Why no summer plots? I would plant as much food as I had room for, keep them on the property as much as you can. Food, water and cover and they have no reason to leave They don’t have to have reasons to leave to do so. Lol. They just will because.
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: ronfromramer]
#3364444
03/01/21 10:26 PM
03/01/21 10:26 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,190 AL
booner
OP
6 point
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OP
6 point
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,190
AL
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Why no summer plots? I would plant as much food as I had room for, keep them on the property as much as you can. Food, water and cover and they have no reason to leave Biggest plot I have right now on the pine/hardwood piece is 1/4 acre, maybe a touch more. Not sure what I could put on those to withstand the grazing pressure. On the pasture property. The landowner still lets his cattle free range through that area and they have a tendency to destroy food plots The only thing I can think that may withstand the grazing and be a good soil builder would be a buckwheat/sunn hemp mix
Last edited by booner; 03/01/21 10:55 PM.
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3364742
03/02/21 10:02 AM
03/02/21 10:02 AM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,146 Ramer
ronfromramer
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,146
Ramer
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Why no summer plots? I would plant as much food as I had room for, keep them on the property as much as you can. Food, water and cover and they have no reason to leave Biggest plot I have right now on the pine/hardwood piece is 1/4 acre, maybe a touch more. Not sure what I could put on those to withstand the grazing pressure. On the pasture property. The landowner still lets his cattle free range through that area and they have a tendency to destroy food plots The only thing I can think that may withstand the grazing and be a good soil builder would be a buckwheat/sunn hemp mix A 1/4 acre plot might provide a little attraction in the fall/winter but can't think of anything that would work spring/summer if you have any deer at all. I have problems with deer wiping out 4 or 5 acre plots in summer and 2 acre plots in the fall
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3364748
03/02/21 10:07 AM
03/02/21 10:07 AM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,747 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,747
Awbarn, AL
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Just fertilize and lime them in the summer and let nature grow what it wants to.......Spread cereal grains and clovers in the fall.....white and red
Last edited by CNC; 03/02/21 10:07 AM.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3364843
03/02/21 12:11 PM
03/02/21 12:11 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10,579 Central, Al
Bustinbeards
Booner
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Booner
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 10,579
Central, Al
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I’d be on the edge if not in the swamp when time is right
Originally Posted By: Wiley Coyote Well, the way I see it is there's just too many assholes On a good day there's a bunch of assholes in here. On a bad day there's too many assholes in here.
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3364878
03/02/21 12:46 PM
03/02/21 12:46 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,773 Florida
jacannon
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,773
Florida
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Provide something better than your neighbors have. Food ,water and cover. Then leave them alone till you can slip in and kill one. Big difference between owning and leasing. We lease 98 acres and we own 55 acres of hills and draws that we select cut 8 years ago, and let it grow up in sage and briars. We keep a few roads mowed and do a few small burns. most of our stands are on the fire breaks around the edges. Only hunted once this season We have a 15 acre tract that crosses a big creek with cane breaks, beaver dams, and cypress trees. Just hunt crossings here. This one not hunted in 2 years. Most of my hunting is on the lease. Different land all together, land is mostly all flat in pine plantation, with 2 one acre plots with spin feeders, and 1 spin feeder along a large hardwood bottom that runs the length of the property. I have another feeder in the edge of a cane break next to a beaver pond. This is the hottest spot on the lease. You can bring deer anywhere you want them with corn. The location and how you hunt will determine whether you can draw mature bucks in the daylight or not. Let all the does and young bucks walk. This might not work for everyone, but it works very well for me.
Grandma said...Always keep a gun close at hand, you just never know when you might run across some varmint that needs killing...
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3365170
03/02/21 07:15 PM
03/02/21 07:15 PM
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 10,963 Earth
TDog93
Booner
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Booner
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 10,963
Earth
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Booner - your pressure cenario sounds awesome - I hav a 256 and an 80. 3 fields on the 256 and next year is my 3rd year - there - 2 small and one semi decent size fields - the field with thicker stuff all around it is my best producer - seen a shooter in it my first 2 seasons in muzzleloader and one was a mounter. I hav banks gravity on 2 and 80 pound capacity redneck feeder on another. For me low pressure is key. I hav created a few stands - one is long road stretch w lot of tracks in it - discovered it and it’s on road system. Got one spot in woods by road which is good for slipping in and out
Gone try protein for first time this summer and I always hunt wind
My 80 has one field and I got 2 redneck feeders on it - it was my first year on it - it is bow only - killed decent 9 and solid 6 on it this year
I am only one that has access to both spot and finding second spot was huge this year for reduction in pressure and bow only on small spot helped
My son kill nice shooter and we did not hint much the last several week of season
By early feb I had my best deer - 6 year old showing up daily in field w thick around it - I think because we left it alone so long and I had food there
Hunt the wind - leave it better than you found it - love your neighbor as you love your self We need prayer for our country now more than ever
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3365631
03/03/21 12:07 PM
03/03/21 12:07 PM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,747 Awbarn, AL
CNC
Dances With Weeds
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Dances With Weeds
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,747
Awbarn, AL
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You can give folks general recommendation of what to do but every property is different......You gotta sit back and do a little brainstorming and create a plan just for that property.
We dont rent pigs
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3366135
03/04/21 01:17 AM
03/04/21 01:17 AM
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,783 alabama
outdoors1
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,783
alabama
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For those of y’all that have small acreage. What’s your secret? I just grabbed two 300 acre parcels that have a history of having some pretty good deer on them. I’m looking for some suggestions on what y’all are doing on your small pieces to be productive year after year.
One piece is 50/50 planted pine and hardwoods with thick swamps. The other is an overgrown pasture with pockets of thickets throughout and has an 80 acre cedar thicket dead center of the pasture.
My primary plan for these leases is to limit pressure and human activity to a bare minimum. This will be a park and walk from gate scenario and only hunted when everything is right. Since I will be the only one with access, this shouldn’t be an issue. Especially since I have other places to hunt as well. Pretty much opening weekend a couple times and don’t show back up until rut for a few hunts.
Since picking these up, I have resurrected their food plots, placed stands and limed according to soil data. Since the plots are relatively small I won’t be doing any summer planting but I’m entertaining the idea of placing gravity feeders for protein/supplements during the spring and summer. How many would y’all recommend per acre, if any?
Another point that all the folks I talk to keep saying is FEEDERS, FEEDERS, FEEDERS!! Everyone is screaming that every plot should have a working feeder on it year round. Personally I feel this might be counterintuitive to trying to limit my presence on the properties. Those of you that run them on small property. What have you seen as the pros and cons? I have the resources to place as much as one per 50 acres but I’m a little apprehensive to get that extreme with them.
Any suggestions or tips will be appreciated.
Booner, What county?
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: outdoors1]
#3366183
03/04/21 07:41 AM
03/04/21 07:41 AM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,190 AL
booner
OP
6 point
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OP
6 point
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,190
AL
|
For those of y’all that have small acreage. What’s your secret? I just grabbed two 300 acre parcels that have a history of having some pretty good deer on them. I’m looking for some suggestions on what y’all are doing on your small pieces to be productive year after year.
One piece is 50/50 planted pine and hardwoods with thick swamps. The other is an overgrown pasture with pockets of thickets throughout and has an 80 acre cedar thicket dead center of the pasture.
My primary plan for these leases is to limit pressure and human activity to a bare minimum. This will be a park and walk from gate scenario and only hunted when everything is right. Since I will be the only one with access, this shouldn’t be an issue. Especially since I have other places to hunt as well. Pretty much opening weekend a couple times and don’t show back up until rut for a few hunts.
Since picking these up, I have resurrected their food plots, placed stands and limed according to soil data. Since the plots are relatively small I won’t be doing any summer planting but I’m entertaining the idea of placing gravity feeders for protein/supplements during the spring and summer. How many would y’all recommend per acre, if any?
Another point that all the folks I talk to keep saying is FEEDERS, FEEDERS, FEEDERS!! Everyone is screaming that every plot should have a working feeder on it year round. Personally I feel this might be counterintuitive to trying to limit my presence on the properties. Those of you that run them on small property. What have you seen as the pros and cons? I have the resources to place as much as one per 50 acres but I’m a little apprehensive to get that extreme with them.
Any suggestions or tips will be appreciated.
Booner, What county? Wilcox and Butler
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: booner]
#3368025
03/07/21 10:30 AM
03/07/21 10:30 AM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,898 Ozark , Alabama
BradB
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,898
Ozark , Alabama
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My place is 320 acres and for the last 7 years I have been serious about making the place as good as it can be. I own it so I can do whatever I want. For me the biggies have been: 1.Neighbors-None of us have control over this but I am blessed. My 300 ac south neighbor feeds tons of corn/protien and has not shot a deer in 10 years, the 200 ac south of him is totally unhunted. There is no hunting to my north and little if any to east because of town. The west neighbors appear to hunt some but I never see them and have not heard them shoot in years.I hunted every morning/evening the last two weeks of January and did not hear a rifle shot other than mine. What I do have control over is: 1.Timber Mgmt-I burn regularly and all of the varied planted pine tracts are thinned at appropriate stage. Because a buddy was a timber guy I have been able to clear cut smaller tracts every few years to keep bedding cover on my property but that is over. I am 64 so best case I have maybe10-15 hunting years left so I am gonna cut about 30 ac this summer and repeat every 3-4 years. 2.Food-I know the deer have PLENTY of natural browse to do fine, especially with the thinned/burned pines, what my neighbor feeds them and I also keep my field and plot edges in early succesion. That said I plant about 8 acres of summer plots and will never stop unless I am forced tp. I have been doing summer plots around 6 years and the benefits really started showing the last 2.There has been a very very noticable change in both quantity and quality of the deer seen. I also plant good quality fall plots, have about 2.5 acres of Perrenial Clover, and probably 30-40 pear, persimmon, chestnut and sawtooth oak trees in the ground. So they have more, high quality food than they can choke down. 3.Pressure- My place is lightly hunted, afternoons only, Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks and that is it until January 15 when I arrive for my yearly rut hunt. No does get shot in plots and a plot does not get sat on a bad wind. The number of daytime deer sightings have soared since I started doing this. 4.Plot Design- I like sitting on plots and seeing lots of deer, Unfortunately seeing a mature buck out in a food plot happens very seldom at my place. So I have tried to get the best of both worlds. Most of my plots are designed with not just a plot but also shooting lanes and lots of edge cover I can see into. My absolute go to stand looks like this. View to front. About 300 yards to curve in road, huge crossing across it.I killed both of my bucks this year right at top of photo. View to left. Heavy trail coming in from bottom left, all those woods are thinned so I will see them long before they get to plot. View to right. About 300 yards to back of plot. Several heavily used trails cross the shooting lane. pic is worth a thousand words.
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: Snuffy]
#3368040
03/07/21 10:43 AM
03/07/21 10:43 AM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,426 Boxes Cove
2Dogs
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,426
Boxes Cove
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Here's ^^^^^ the biggest limiting factor. Just bout everyone has focused on food , I say make the place a bedding area / sanctuary with a little food near the center. Keep the presser to near zero, hunt it only when timing and conditions are right.
"Why do you ask"?
Always vote the slowest path to socialism.
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Re: Managing small acreage
[Re: Sasquatch Lives]
#3368124
03/07/21 01:22 PM
03/07/21 01:22 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,426 Boxes Cove
2Dogs
Freak of Nature
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Freak of Nature
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 34,426
Boxes Cove
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I have always felt deer will find food in the summer. You can't hunt them in the summer. Make your place an attractive place for them during hunting season, they will leave their summer haunts and someone else will have paid for growing them. I agree and concur, Squatch. The larger the property , more likely to hold them year around. Small property I'd concentrate on holding them in season, cover and minimal pressure is the best bet on that.
"Why do you ask"?
Always vote the slowest path to socialism.
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