How Many Acres do You Need to Grow Big Bucks?

[@deercorner7666]

It's great to hear someone talk about true habit and not use food plots in habit structures, you will hold more deer with good habit thanks again

[@tompeplinski]

I used to think, years ago, that good plots were the answer to everything. They do help by themselves in some circumstances. But great habitat and holding power starts with great cover and browse and security you can only get with non food plot habitat.

[@rfb7117]

Tom...I also have been hunting in WI for 33 yrs, AND COULD NOT AGREE WITH YOU MORE. We have a farm in SW WI and have some like minded neighbors that we cooperate with and share information... we manage it for 4-6 yr old deer. In the 90's I was the State Director for QDMA and traveled the entire state spreading the word. Thank you for presenting the information in such a precise way, I appreciate you sharing your information. Bob

[@tompeplinski]

That's crazy, when I was 15 years old in the 80's, I had my dad drive me to all the neighbors and we asked them one by one to consider QDM. Most thought we were nuts. Back then by us nobody would do it. On my grandpa's farm we had 11 guys hunting about 80 acres of cover with rifles... No way we could make anything work without help because of the amount of pressure we put on the deer. Boy things have changed.

[@rfb7117]

Yes indeed.......thanks for your contribution. Yes indeed it is all about people cooperating!!!

[@CentralMississippiWhitetail]

*We just went to Mississippi States “Gold tiered” program. We have 3,000 acres, bucks have to be 5 yr, but we shoot bottom 33% of small racked younger buck per survey. We are turning up summer food and habitat improvement.

[@tompeplinski]

Thanks for the comment. 3000 acres is a nice piece of land to have control over. I can't imagine having that much land.

[@CentralMississippiWhitetail]

@@tompeplinski a good 300 where you live is better than 3,000 where this place is…we hope to change that…We’ve failed to help the land reach its potential since 1970’s.

[@Camera1931-p5v]

My area had a poaching problem for years! A few years ago the Head of the Fish and game moved 2 miles from me and now we are shooting 140 class bucks regularly! He was a warden in his younger days! You are also correct with your advice on habitat being a critical part of getting bucks to get older! I am working hard to get my property the best it can be! Great job!

[@tompeplinski]

Good story. I've had poaching around me my whole life but never to the extent where I thought it did that much damage. Thank you for the comment.

[@josephtreadlightly5686]

Poaching is never as evident unless u can live on 3 hours of sleep. If most people could live on 3 hours of sleep they would be more aware of poaching. 😮 Define big. A 140" in some areas is a good 2 yr old. Hunting 50 years from now will be much different. That is if it even exists in a free range manner.

[@Camera1931-p5v]

A 140 class buck in my area is rarer than a hens tooth! We have restaurants that were paying 20 per pound here in New England for Venison 25 to 30 years ago! A lot of poachers were caught and prosecuted! That is how I know about it! And I was personal friends with a Game Warden! This is not Iowa! @@josephtreadlightly5686

[@figandcloverranch5871]

Lots of great points ! Just under 30 acres here . And it is very difficult 👍🏼👍🏼

[@tompeplinski]

Rarely is it not on a small property. Thanks for the comment.

[@FullThrottle-0-100]

I've got huge bucks on my 30 acres! Biggest one i been folowing for 3 yyears is at least a 190'! Depends on surrounding area.

[@tompeplinski]

Good luck....get him this year!

[@Quinncyoutdoors]

The short of it is this, you cannot grow mature bucks without one of two things. 1. $2,000+ continues acres or 2. Being in an area with little to no hunting pressure and having a fool proof management plan. That is it simplified. Heavy poaching in an area can drastically affect age class no matter the management practices or land size. You have to have little to no hunting pressure for bucks to survive year after year.

[@tompeplinski]

That hasn't been my experience, but I haven't hunted everywhere. There are a lot of hunters, myself included, that have successfully grown big bucks in areas outside of what you describe. But, it's interesting to hear other's perspectives on the subject. Thanks for the comment.

[@KenHicksJr]

Interesting. I'm looking at food plot & water placement to let the deer hit the ag fields around me at night.

[@tompeplinski]

Good luck with your strategy, hoping it works out for you.

[@Mark-oq5pf]

great information Tom, in my opinion you're spot on and my little 40 acre piece proves it. By giving the deer what they need I've gone from seeing no deer to up to 40 (with 6 bucks) in a day and thats in a 4 year span. On average I see 12 doe and 2 bucks every time in a stand. last fall I saw 5 bucks in the 2.5 age class hopefully a few of them made it through the season. My neighbors shoot everything.

[@tompeplinski]

Proof it can work right! Thanks for the comment

[@Alexander.McDonald]

My gun season is high powered rifle for 44 days from pre rut to post rut

[@tompeplinski]

Oooouuuch! That's a tough situation.

[@Alexander.McDonald]

@@tompeplinski That’s NY for ya lol

[@robbrown4480]

Small acreage property provide for does the bucks will come through during the rut.

[@transamguy9073]

I have 21 acres and we had 4 shooters over 140” unfortenetly the amish shot 2 and one was found dead. All my other neighbors are good tho. We let the young bucks go. My one neighbor to the east lf me has around 400 acres and hardly no huntin pressure

[@tompeplinski]

Always helps to have a big neighbor close by that is like minded in managing the deer herd or little hunting. Thank you for the comment

[@royguidry1311]

Your neighbors are the #1 factor in how good or bad a property can be. Simple fact is you can’t control them. You can grow anything, cut anything or dig anything except your neighbors. I deliberately buy land that is surrounded by large tracks of land that are either owned by older locals with a lot of land or non residents. Then you know even if a property gets hunted hard it is just for short periods of time, then I make my property super attractive. My absolute best property was only 12 acres and it was insane with big bucks.

[@tompeplinski]

Interesting points. Not saying you are wrong, but the intent of the video was more what can you do with an existing property. Many hunters buy land that has been in the family, inherit land, buy a neighbors piece, or buy something close to home etc. That was more my target. Buying land has a whole nother set of ideas or tactics wouldn't you say? Thanks for the comment.

[@sandych33ks1]

Trying having the Amish as neighbors... They kill everything and seasons and tags are not relevant. I try to keep them off my land but it's almost impossible.

[@tompeplinski]

Always tough when there's a bunch of brown is down hunting around. Been there and done that!

[@tommyhunter1817]

1000 minimum

[@tompeplinski]

Not in my opinion. But obviously I haven't seen everything.

[@michaelcope2329]

Mississippi State University, Auburn University, countless biologist, years of research, says a deers home range is a square mile, if you don't have a whole lot of land around your 5, 10, 20 or 30 acres that support deer, your property is not going to have deer. I'm a large land owner and I'm constantly amazed at all of these videos, you can do it with 5 acres. Yes you can if your adjacent to large well managed lands, if your not YOU CANT. These videos are getting ridicules, not one of these videos ever mentions large land owners. You do mention a little of it here, but from the stand point of piggy backing off the 300 acre owner doing the heavy lifting time, effort and money. Your wrong the question is how many acres, if your on 10 acres and surrounded by large land owners that are managing, your taking advantage of their time, effort and money, and don't even begin to act like your not or try and defend it.

[@tompeplinski]

Wow, I'm really sorry, didn't mean for this video to be so controversial. I guess you missed the point of the whole video; I'll take the blame for that...I'll try to be better describing what i mean next time. There are countless examples of hunters having small properties in locations not surrounded by other big landowner that have improved their lands. Literally countless. They will not necessarily kill giants every year, or ever, but they are better and those hunters see older bucks and have better hunting. You can choose to not believe this is happening, but it is. Home range is based on available resources. In a big woods setting it is actually much larger than a square mile, in other areas with phenomenal habitat it can be smaller than a square mile...but your point is well taken and I think most people know that you are never going to "hold" deer on a 40 for example. However, deer are selective in where they eat, sleep, and spend more of their time. They don't use all of their home range all year. MSU has actually documented that bucks will spend way more time in better habitat and lower hunting pressure areas within their home range...so there's that. I promote the best habitat you can get as well as low pressure, the reason should be obvious. I have never once, in any video, podcast, publication, or article tried to convince small property owners surrounded by brown is down neighbors that they could grown giants consistently. I have only said they can have better hunting and have the highest potential in growing older deer, and even possibly a giant if they improve their lands. If you think that is impossible, or they are only reaping the benefits of large land owners, I can't help that. Most hunters...the vast majority of hunters out there will never own large tracts of land. It's not even possible. If you think they can't have good hunting, shoot some big bucks, etc. unless they are mooching off a larger landowner nearby you are simply mistaken.