Asking for thoughts on how to manage my 6 acres in SE Oklahoma for deer hunting: heavily wooded with both pines and hardwoods. It borders national forest land, so although its private, the deer are public land deer. I have a heavily used game trail, and a couple areas of natural open clear canopy. I plan on habitat improvement, clearing the thick brush, and cutting down some un-nedded pines to open up canopy. Trail cams last year showed a couple nice bucks and plenty of doe. I have not hunted it yet. Should I put put a couple mock scrapes, and/or plant some forest blend clover, etc...? All ideas welcomed. Thanks in advance.
I don't know how long you've had it, this said, I'd really look into how the deer are using your land before cutting and clearing anything. Is the trail camera information year around info? Is it lots of doe then buck during the rut. Is the brush bedding brush,food source ,or just junk. Is the clearing a possible bedding clearing . Will working it cause you to over pressure the deer? perhaps consider something like a fast growing fast producing mast tree or trees. Dunstan chestnuts are both and heavy yearly producers. If water is scarce add a water source.
I agree with the above post...go slow moving forward and see what the deer are doing...if they are bedding in that thick brush certainly don't remove it. I don't know what removal of pines will do without also burning the litter underneath to get any natural browse to grow. Definitely take advantage of open areas and do little kill plots in there, but be super mindful of building the plot to match your stand location with an entrance and exit route that doesn't spook any deer. PS if you already have several nice bucks and doe moving through you may just want to hunt it for a season and then make a plan. You can do a lot of thinking on stand. Also if they aren't bedding on your 6 acres but somewhere off in the Forest land figure that out as that will help you make stand location decisions and possibly kill plots more effective if they are naturally on their way through to get to another larger feeding location.
If you can, see if you can find where they are bedding. See if they are bedding on or near your property. Like other said, a water source is key if there isn't any there already. Give them something they can get at your property that they can't in any immediate area. Chestnuts, persimmons and apples trees would be killer, Most of all....When deciding to hang a stand, figure out the best access in and out so won't spook any deer when going in to hunt.
I agree with the others. 6 acres, I would leave it alone, at least for a while until you learn more about their activity. You already have deer moving through and possibly going there when pressured on the public land. Place a stand or 2 with the wind in your favor (not too close to that trail), cut some decent shooting lanes and hunt. And, don't go walking around in there too much, you may already have a honey hole.
I'd leave the thick cover alone and hinge cut a load of trees, the goal being food, but more importantly, cover. I'd want that land to be the place the deer go to hide. I'd go so far as to not hunt it at all, but instead hunt the public land near your land in hopes of catching them going in or out.
