How To Attract Mature Bucks To Small Parcels

[@whitetailhabitatandhunting]

Thanks Jeff!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

You are very welcome Isaac!

[@dennybirchfield]

I did just a handful of these things and had 8 or 9 mature bucks in 1 year thanks to Jeff

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

I love to hear that Denny! Co grass to you and also...enjoy continuing the work on the land!

[@dennybirchfield]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 yes its so fun putting it all together and actually seeing deer travel down a path you put there.

[@bowman8316]

Now we're talkin ! 👍🏼🦌

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

I hope you like it David!

[@elicoblentz8650]

Priority over habitat improvement. I like it it !

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

For sure...hunting is always the lowest hole in the bucket.

[@bowman8316]

Great video TY !!!

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

You are very welcome David!

[@elicoblentz8650]

Priority over habitat improvement. I like it !

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Definitely! Hunting is always the lowest hole in the bucket...

[@chrismacomber9727]

As always great info brother..I just cut a trail all the way around my property so I no longer have to walk through it I can go around to all my stands..

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

That sounds great Chris...and you can protect that core 👍 Hope you have a great day!

[@miket7569]

Potential video topic? Is pasture land on a hunting lease a bad or good thing? I see leases come up with pasture land on some, or almost all of the acreage. Is cattle, horse, or sheep pastures good or bad for deer hunting? Even if the pasture animals are not in the pasture during the hunting season.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi Mike! Pasture with animals is bad...deer don't get along too well with cows, horses, sheep, etc. Those animals also destroy habitat in the form of cover and browse. In some cases when they are taken off the land for hunting season the lack of cover in the area can help to attract deer to the pasture areas due to the fact it may hold the only cover around.

[@miket7569]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Thanks for all the great videos. I shot my biggest buck ever last year, (and a management doe tag). Using your hunt the weather strategy, I shot two deer in three sits.

[@steveo2129]

thanks again for sharing your info and making these video,s , much appreciated.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

You are very welcome Steve!

[@petec200]

I’ve been following your advice for the last 2 years. My Hunting success and Hunting Property has grown at an amazing rate. Thank you So much, for all you do.

[@fredk7250]

Unbelievable how much detailed info you give in all these videos, we are implementing your plans on our Big Woods property in Pa., looking for a huge change, , Thank You for all your great videos

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi Fred I'm excited for you and I love those big woods of PA! You are very welcome and I hope all the vids help you out a lot this Fall 😊

[@curtyoder2210]

I'd like to hear the complete story of Venti. How many daylight pictures, night pictures, how often was the neighbor getting pictures of him daylight n dark, did more than one neighbor get pictures of him? A guy can do it all right and individual bucks will do their thing and get shot by the neighbor over and over. On our farm we have experienced many times where mature bucks will leave during the night and not come back to the same area before daylight and then show up again in daylight several days after not being around. Seems like on small parcels the best thing is to not get set on one buck but rather just mak it a parcel that mature bucks want to hang out on. Some will stay longer than others.

[@stephenpierce7370]

28.5 acres 125 yr old farm parcel here in southeast Ohio, which has been family owned for 35 yrs. Incredible diversity, which we're increasing (habitat improvements) this year. Been hard at work on it these past two months, food plot by Northwoods Whitetails will be in this late spring/summer in a primo natural meadow with est travel routes, Buckwheat to Brassica with HD Screening. Rabbit houses have been made and placed, key hinge cuts made, fruit trees pruned, 1/2 acre of Bird blend goin in as well, two 1/4 acre strips. Lime and fertilizer droped, 1st spraying down. John K was sold out of switchgrass when I went to buy so gotta plan that for next season unfortunately. BUT so thankful for WHS and all Jeff's knowledge 🙏. Couldn't have pulled it off without you guys. Keep up the good work. Can't wait for the payoff come fall/winter! #northwoodswhitetailseed #whs

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Stephen...I can't wait for Fall for you!! Man you have accomplishes so much already...including the rabbit houses 😊

[@gregruotsala6266]

Access and location,sounds like you are still in the real estate field Jeff. The access an location of improvements are the key elements of an unpressured deer herd I must agree

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Ha..it does Greg! But so, so critical. How a land is hunted is always the lowest hole in the bucket.

[@gregruotsala6266]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 the "donut" property design with the food plot in the center must drive you crazy.

[@williamprice1542]

The property I purchased last fall, was one of those few, I saw 4 does and 10 bucks. I followed your advise and didn't spook anything, only had to hunt 3 sits and filled my bow tag with a great buck. Sat opening weekend for gun and passed on 3 bucks because I knew the one I really wanted was still around. Checked my cameras after the season and he was hiding on my property...lol

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Dang, that's awesome William!! Really happy for you...bet youbare excited for this season 😊👍

[@williamprice1542]

Yes, I am putting in 2 food plots and screening, also cleaning up the access, like you say, to make sure they never see me...I bought the property after watching a video f yours about what kind of land to look for. Thanks for all you do for us ❤️

[@RS-ms1bz]

Jeff, the one constant factor that I’ve witnessed over the years is the one way to attract small bucks to a large parcel, is bad access, atv use and poor stand locations. I realize that goes with any property, but the larger the property, the more likely hunters disregard being stealth and keeping stealth access to stands priority number one.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Oh for sure RS! On any size parcel, how the land is hunted is always the lowest hole in the bucket. Hunters often forget that when deer spook they cover a 1/2 mile or more at a time. That can push them off 160 acres in a few seconds...

[@alquinn3562]

Biggest deer I have ever killed was in a 20 acre wooded area surrounded by subdivisions and a golf course. A week later I got pics from a neighbor that I didn't know hunted and he killed a non typical 200" raw score. I had pics from three years prior when he was a young 14 point in velvet. The deer had water, thick stuff and probably didn't have to move 30 feet to find everything it needed.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

So dang cool Al! They really don't need to move that far in any way. A mature bucks daylight home range is MUCH smaller than its nighttime.

[@ala5831]

22

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Ha, good job 😊

[@johncirilli6846]

Jeff, when is it a good time to apply lime, before or after the first application of 24D and glyphosate?

[@lavernewadel4349]

hey jeff is it to late to plant 70 % hard seed switch grass now. I live around dodge center mn

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi LaVerne...not at all. Still a LOT of rain, frost, snow and freeze coming.

[@georgehelzer7569]

I hunt nothing but small parcels.. Hunted my 8 acres in one county for 18 years. Killed a couple really nice deer once I got smart about it. I now have 7 acres and killed a couple bucks the first year. I have a plan I cant wait to implement when I move out there... I have a magic oak tree that is awesome for the early archery with the right conditions.

[@nicschaalma3508]

😎 Does it benefit owning the parcels around the non hunted parcel ? Does that make the parcel around it hunt bigger ? Or is it a negative.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

It's a really good thing...but you still want those bucks on your own land during the daylight. That means good food on the opposite side of your land from the non hinting area. A very good thing but far too many folks allow the bucks to live in the sanctuary most of the season which means they only get to hint them a very small portion of the day.

[@tomdavenport6735]

What if your only access is from the road frontage which is also the only food source?

[@derekstallman6694]

Jeff, Planning on using your no till method this year with buckwheat to plant winter rye. With this process, when do I spray the DeerGro Plot Start? Before planting the buckwheat on June 1 or before planting the winter rye on August 1?? I know I have to spray glyphosate after smashing the buckwheat to kill the buckwheat. Located in North Central WV. Ps- I used DeerGro Plot Start last fall when planting a perennial clover plot and had success with it. Thanks for all you do!!

[@MrRABland]

How do you manage access on a 120-acre NW Wisconsin essentially square parcel where your house sits on the northwest corner and it's surrounded on the east by a lake, on the north by a road, but the east and south are very large public land parcels? I'm putting an ATV Road/path around the property so that most of the property is a true sanctuary. Will that road solve my access problem? southern access is the biggest issue. This is my main dilemma for my plan.

[@MrRABland]

Also, my food plots will be two north and two west so I'm pulling deer from the east and south public areas.

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi Rick...boy, it is impossible to give you accurate recommendations for your specific situation...I wish I could help you more within the comments here, just don't have enough time to fully analyze and give you appropriate feedback. The exterior access is always a good idea for starters tho! Whether it ends up more for hunting access, dead deer retrieval or just keeping trespassers away it is very important.

[@MrRABland]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Thanks, Jeff, I totally understand. I emailed you last month to try to get you out here before FSI in October but you're booked all year and I hesitate to wait another year. At 73, I've got to get things done and the property mature before I get too old to hunt 😀. But, I think I've learned enough from your videos and books to get reasonably close to a productive wildlife and deer property starting next spring with the switchgrass and then in the summer/fall with the brassica and cereal grain food plots. At least it should be good in the following years while I can still hunt as well as for my son and brother-in-law. I do appreciate you responding considering how busy you are and so many requests for comment answers.

[@drewharman1690]

Jeff how far was that buck you shot at the waterhole away from the food source last season? Also morning or evening?

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi Drew! About 80 yards and downhill about 20' in elevation. Evening hunt. They cruise in that location all day...

[@tatecarter5167]

I have a 50 acre parcel in KY that has about 50% steep wooded terrain that is mostly too steep for any viable use for stands & access, and the other 50% is open hay fields. What would be your best advice for access and stand placement just based on this limited info?

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Hi Tate! You have to define quality food to determine buck movements and where to hunt. Fallow hay fields would have to be changed...food and cover. But in reality impossible to determine without a day's worth of discussion and scouting the land.

[@tatecarter5167]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 Thanks Jeff! I knew it would be hard to make a definite determination without you actually seeing the land for yourself. That advice is still very helpful though. Thanks again!

[@tybrouwer7620]

Great video Jeff! I know you talk about rye quite often in mixes but can rye be a good attractor alone or should it only be planted alone in poor soils or extreme cases?

[@johnfriend4275]

Thank you Jeff. You cannot drive these points home enough. Great job. Question if I could? Ultimate Food plot. You say to stagger planting times for the greens and brassicas. Does that mean I stagger the planting of half the plot Buckwheat too? And seed into it and knock it down and spray staggered timing? Thank for any help. John Mid Missouri

[@drakechampion4064]

My father in law is letting me hunt on 100 acres he's developing in Alabama. It is a flat lowland area and a bit swampy in areas, and much of the timber has been cut several years ago but have an abundance of hardwood regeneration. It is covered with decent bucks for that area because it has zero hunting pressure. The interstate borders one side, the opposite end is bordered by a creek with a giant park with baseball softball fields on the other side of the creek. A big shopping center is at the entrance of the property and another 200 acres of timber that is never hunted borders the other end. I am currently using your strategies to try and build a great hunt. One question I have is can I nestle a food plot somewhere into the hardwood regeneration areas of the property with trails connecting to it? The regeneration is thick and 6-8ft tall, so it would provide good screening for the plot. Just wanted to hear your thoughts on a property like this. Thanks! Oh and your videos are awesome! Thanks for all of the knowledge!

[@seldomseen_outdoors]

My neighbors hold the big bucks, we got the small 1.5 2.5 year olds 😩

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

There is always a reason...you can typically flip that in a season tho!

[@seldomseen_outdoors]

@@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751 come and help us with the flip 🙃🤣

[@whitetailhabitatandhunting]

@@seldomseen_outdoors lol

[@seldomseen_outdoors]

@@whitetailhabitatandhunting lol

[@jamesfarrow2130]

1

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

I would say so..

[@carminemonaco5712]

Hey Jeff, we just got permission from the gasline company to plant on it. This gasline has years of dead grass and light briars on it. What would you recommend doing. It’s in CT so we do get that harsh winter weather and have a lot of deer? Thanks!

[@kurtpearson2793]

First

[@whitetailhabitatsolutions9751]

Yep...I think?

[@kurtpearson2793]

HuntWise called me to set up a “first” predictor. Moon phase and barometric pressure , plus secret sauce. $$$