I believe you need at least 250 acres to hold deer( I think that might even be a little small) . You need enough food to sustain the deer and cover to hide them plus they just move around. Like that doe I tracked this weekend she covered some ground. Bottom line if you want enough land to hold the deer in year round I would say 600 acres.
I'm just curious how deer are held in residential areas that most would agree are very small acreages? If a deer has food/water/adequate cover at its' ready disposal......is it a given that they will still seek other areas to seemingly just roam? Just a Q.
They are not held on one lot but many small lots.They will just move from lot to lot depending on there mood and pressure.
Young deer will seemingly adapt to residential surroundings but as they mature and face adversity they become far more solitary, nocturnal and reclusive.
This would mean that a lone, secluded, 20ac, residential woodlot would not be able to hold deer. Correct? I'm just trying to answer the OP's question....which stated 1/3 of their time be spent, there.
I don't know specifics, but I hunt a 30 acre residential woodlot and I know it holds deer for likely 3/4+ of their time, have too many trail cam pics to think otherwise...I see where they come from and go to, and there is nothing in either of those directions very far at all.
Again....1/3 of the time was the question. I'm not saying you're wrong, 130. Just answering the question - as asked.
My land is ~90 acres, which ~60% of is ag fields (corn and hay mostly). We're surrounded by an ~150 acre parcel to the East which has no hunting, but not active ag fields, nor no active water source. To out north, there's another 60 and 40 acre parcel with water and cover, but no ag fields. To our West, it's mostly deep ridges, water at the bottom, and hay fields. To the South, it's the same. From what I've found, our property has the most food of neighboring properties (active crop fields and our two main food plots), we also have sufficient sanctuary in a southern facing slope that was timbered ~10 years ago which is now thick new growth. The lack of a water source on our property doesn't seem to affect deer movement during the season. I've often seen deer leave our property, cross the road, and enter the south or west neighboring properties for a drink in midday, but that is during the summer months and peak heat. During the season, we will routinely see deer crossing our driveway on their way to get a drink to the South or West shortly after dark, or even hours after dark. I can't assign a percentage to it, but I would definitely say we're holding the local population on our property 1/3 of the time. We may not have all three things a deer needs, but we have two of the three, and the best two of those three amongst the neighboring properties. That, imho, plays the biggest role in our situation as to why our property holds the deer as it does.
I know what you are saying and I still think that 20 acres is not enough to hold deer 1/3 of the time. Maybe in some cases yes but in general no
Scott.....I'm gonna say there's up to 6 deer that bed in that 1 ac. thicket (that's part of the 20ac parcel). If you ONLY count the daylight time they stay bedded or close, you're satisfying your criteria.
I am not trying to argue with you or stray the conversation. I just wanted to know how many deer you feel that 20 acres holds. Not trying to spin anything, if you were wondering.
I have land adjacent to 40 acres of multi flora thicket with two small creeks running through it. I bet at some given times there are 20 deer bedded within it.
If they bed there.....I'm assuming we'd all agree they'd spend 1/3 of their time there. I'm surprised at some of the answers.
Not the same SPOT....the same "area". We're (in this case, apparently) discussing a 20ac tract. If we expand it to 50ac.....like I said, I'll add more deer. I have no problems thinking deer use the same area, daily. Spot.....area....could be semantics. Granted.
Interesting question.. A deer spending spending 33% of their time would mean you have solid bedding and/or feeding area on your lands. Granted. But.. my counter question would be.. 33% of the what.. 33% of the year?? 33% of a day... week...??? I know you asked of "my" lands.. but in 15 years of hunting I've only had access to 1 piece of ground where that 33% of the time was achievable.. and that ground was 350 miles away. How many acres.. is the question.. would I need to hold deer on my lands 33% of the time? The counter question above would first have to be answered. Deer are mostly nomadic from what I've seen over the years.. 33% of the time in fall may only be 3% in winter.. etc etc etc. They will travel as the season changes on and off my lands (and most others) as I have never hunted areas with adequate bedding or feeding. Fot that.. you need money.. or relatives with land... or to get lucky enough to meet the right person. Keeping in mind.. I live outside Chi-town.. an acre of land here costs $60,000+... but usually closer to $200,000. So.. this question is nearly impossible to answer (for myself). I do have 1 piece of ground thats only about 7 acres in size. Deer (does) spend an average of less than 20% of their week on it.. (about 3-4 hours a day.. times 7 days). What can I do to make them spend more time on my land there.. well.. I'd like to think I'm doing it.. keeping pressure LOW.. planted some native grasses to keep variety which hopefully means deer feeding longer.. cut a few trails for easier access for deer to water source.. a mock scrape to draw in the occasional buck looking for love near a doe feeding area. And could I do more? Sure.. but only if I had ownership of the land. How many acres do I feel I need to adequately hold deer longer.. or 1/3 the day.. all season? An impossible question with too many variables. But.. the straight and narrow would be.. with adequate bedding and feeding.. I would need at least.. several hundred acres.. but then.. how many deer we talking about? One... two... thirty??
Semantics aside, if we were talking the summer, I think it is far easier to assume that deer will bed in the same "spot" daily. But during the fall, I think they have a greater tendency to bed in different "spots" (meaning most likely not on the same property if its 50 acres or less) I have no science to back up my thoughts, just my opinion based on the frequency (or lack there of) of seeing deer on a consistent basis.
