Help with hunting property

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armedaccountant

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My father in law lives on some acreage in the Ozarks near the AR/MO line. He is happy for me to hunt on his land, and I am free to add feeders, cut down trees, etc. Any suggestions for making an area more attractive to deer would be welcome. The flattest part of his land that I could find that offers a safe shooting direction is about 50 yards long and 30 yards wide. I will attach a picture when I can figure out how to do that.

I'm thinking of starting with some simple feeders. Also clearing some trees for a clearer shot and also to allow some light to reach the ground so I could get some clover growing here. Any thoughts are welcome.
 
I assume the feeders are for deer? Depending on how close hunting season is, I would be hesitant about clearing out too much as this may disturb the normal activity of the deer. I would clear shooting lanes only for now and install feeders(if legal) being as inconspicuous and quick as possible. I would also wait till after a season to make any major changes to the habitat. Otherwise, one may clear out a major bedding area, thus changing the whole travel pattern on the land. Waiting a season and learning the travel routes, both normal and escape, will help determine where to place stands in the future and where small food plots will do the best job of making the animals vulnerable. Size of the property and what surrounds it, also makes a big difference. Larger parcels are easier to change and influence animal behavior, and sometimes very small parcels that are used mainly for travel between bedding and feeding areas are better off left alone. I suggest you learn the lay of the land and try and understand how the animals are using your FIL's property. Otherwise, it's like trying to fix a car when you have no idea if it's broke or not.
 
^^^#1.

I acquired rights to hunt 45 acres of very dense bottom land near my farm in Alabama this year and I don't plan to do anything but hunt it a few times this year and determine the movement patterns as best I can. If your land is already holding deer then I wouldn't do much cutting or anything else this close to the season. Having no idea about Arkansas laws, seasons or the way you prefer to hunt I would think that finding a suitable stand location or two and doing MINIMAL trimming would be the best for this year. As soon as the season is over you can do some major renovations and get a couple of small food plots going. Disk up some old road beds if that is all you have available and get a couple of feeders put out. If the deer are not accustomed to feeders then they will often be spooked from an area for a short time because the noise bothers them. Eventually they, especially fawns, will find the feed and recognize it as an easy food source.
If your season is still two months away like ours in Alabama is then you could probably get away with a little work right now but I would give the deer at least a month to settle in.
 
Just my take.

Buck and JR give good advise. I have chased deer in Northern Arkansas for over 50 years and love to hunt new territory. I have found that it is best to scout it and hunt it a little before you do any major changes. Take wind direction, cover, bedding areas and normal feeding areas, (read acorns, preferably White Oak,) into consideration. Feeders are an easy way to take deer before and after the acorns drop, but all bets are off when the nuts hit the ground.
 
Feeders are hit and miss. If deer are accustomed to them, then yes you'll see them come up pretty quickly. But if they're not used to the noise, or anything new for that matter, you'll have a trailcam full of squirrels eating your corn. I've been there.

I hunt 50 acres. The first year was rough because I didn't know much at all about it. I would recommend cutting trails only so you can pass through without making much noise to get to your stands if you're using them. You also don't want to be leaving yout scent on branches and tall grass as you walk in. Otherwise, look for where the deer may be moving and set up there.

Be patient, in two years or so, you'll have that area locked down.
 
It's interesting that some states allow deer feeders and other don't. In Ohio, they don't think feeders make much difference in success and they're allowed. I think that if there is plenty around for deer to eat, a feeder won't do much good.
 
Check out the Alabama laws on feeders. They are about as confusing as possible. You can use feeders as long as they are 100 yards away from the hunter and out of the "line of sight". This is to keep people from putting them in the middle of a hay field behind hay and then shooting deer as they approach the feeders. There is also a part about not being able to see the deer heading to a feeder which basically gives the game warden the right to write a ticket if he finds a feeder because deer can always be "headed to the feeder".
In my area the feeders are hit very hard in the winter and early Fall. By hunting season the only deer that frequent them are family groups and yearlings. This is mostly because our gun season opens right before Thanksgiving and the acorns are falling everywhere so the deer don't move as much. When I first started using feeders several years ago it took the deer at least a year to get used to them. Now they routinely eat the corn that is sitting on the spinner. Coons probably eat 50% or more of the corn.
 
jrdolall said:
Check out the Alabama laws on feeders. They are about as confusing as possible.
Click to expand...

Years ago....feeding and baiting when hunting for deer was considered a big no-no. Then the population exploded and almost everything became legal. Then CWD raised it's ugly head and it was found that feeding/baiting deer in a small area was the main contributor to the spread of the disease. The DNR has been fighting with the public ever since to once again get it banned statewide. Folks have become so ingrained to the thought that they NEED to bait/feed to be successful, the DNR has only been able to ban feeding in those parts of the sate affected by the disease. This is now the majority of the state and at some point probably will be the whole state. Funny thing is, overall success rates have not gone down in ares where baiting/feeding is not allowed.

Many states with new concerns about CWD are looking to Wisconsin as their model for limiting it's spread. I would think feeding/baiting will be one of the first things looked at by those states.
 
You're not too far from me, and I've travelled that area a fair number of times. If you don't already know how to, I'd suggest you learn how to identify white oak trees and persimmon trees. Start there. Nature has already provided the food those deer need. You just need to identify what they are eating and how they are getting to the area.

Food, trails, and bedding areas. Focus on those. I'd go hiking with the goal of identifying every big white oak I could find on the place. I'd also be looking along the edges of open areas for persimmon trees, and be trying to identify likely areas the deer may bed down when not feeding.

Sometimes all it takes is a single white oak, but if you find a whole stand of them, then you've found the chow hall and every critter on the place will be there when the acorns start raining down in the fall. Makes me want to go out right now!

Go hike, learn what food is already there. There's no need to start cutting stuff down and planting food plots. You need to learn what they are eating and how they are using the place...basically learning to hunt.
 
If you're limited to a small area,there may be some incentive to install a feeder.Its not for me.As an old farm boy,it reminds me of domestic animals coming to the feed trough.Part of the attraction of hunting is pursuing the game while learning its patterns,not altering those patterns by unnatural feeding.I enjoy roaming large areas looking for sign and setting up on that sign.No tree stands,no bait,no scents.Hunt the wind and see what happens. I bust deer, but remember that spot and check again later.Success achieved this way is sweeter than training the deer to come to a feeder.I guess I'm lucky I don't live in those areas with impenetrable brush where a feeder is your only hope of seeing deer.Sorry for the ramble.
 
I would have to ask what your intention is for the property before giving advice. Are you there to hunt one or two days a year with the hopes of killing a deer? Or are you going to develop a management area with the sole purpose to cull the deer herd of old deer, adding good forage to make the herd bigger and stronger over the next 5 years?

Do as the others suggest plus get a stand on the edge of an open field and do a lot of glassing. Find where the deer are coming out of and where their going to from the field. Now move your stand to where they come from. Glass some more until you find their bedding area.

From there you will find their travel corridors. While doing this take a map of the property and note the wind directions, water sources and food. Now you have the scouting research necessary to make a management plan that can be implemented.
 
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