I've been on the board for a while but mostly just read everyone else's comments and learn from you guys. I wondered how many of you had had success on small tracts for bow hunting. My grandfather has a few acres that backs up to his neighbors land and I have permission to bow hunt only about 15 acres and I will be the only person on the land. We have had cameras up on my grandfather's part of the land and getting pictures of some doe and some small bucks. The neighbor says he sees deer all the time when he is driving down his driveway. I'm excited but wondering if anyone else has had success on tracts of land this small. Also, there isn't a place for an actual green field but has anybody had success planting stuff out in the middle of the woods. I can do a little tree trimming but nothing major to allow more sunlight in the woods. Any ideas on what I might could plant or a specific seed to use. I know it's not a large hunting spot but this is the first place I've had to hunt that wasn't public land so I'm pumped about next year.
One place I hunt is around ten acres with only about three or four of it being woods. I have killed three deer there the last two years and this season I saw a couple of nice bucks, but both were out of range. My grandma's place is around three acres with probably about half of that woods. I didn't shoot any deer there this year, but had opportunities.
One of the best places I ever bow hunted was 12 acres. As long as your seeing deer....then its a good place.
My blog/site is all geared towards guys hunting under 100acres....50acres....20acres....shoot until last year I did all my hunting on only a 10-19 acre collection of properties. All my bucks to date have come from that spot...hoping to change that but love small acre spots. This season I saw over 15 bucks (nothing big really) and could have shot about 10 does a day on a fresh 3 acre piece of woods we picked up adjacent to the family 10 acres.
Thanks for the replies. Your responses have excited me a little more. and tynimiller, I'll have to check out your blog. Any tips on planting?
Man 10-20 acres is all you need. Put a few cameras out and see what you have roaming around on the property. I bet you are rather shocked as what is actually there.
Alot of my pieces are less then acre... see deer kill deer. As long as you get within 40 yards maintain that distance for the laws it dosnt matter how big it is.
It's really not about the size of the property, but more about where it is and how the deer use it. I own 40 acres, but I really only "hunt" about 5 of it. 15 of it is an open field w. road frontage, then there's some very think nasty spots. I have a creek running diagonally across the property. I used to hunt alot on the west side, but as I have grown to understand this property, I have realized that it is not the best area. I shifted over to the east side and see deer on pretty much every sit.
Let the area lead you on that path. I like to offer things not offered in my area...and you always have a clover/chicory (with a dash of peas or oats) as the "easy" planting once soil is good to go. Properly maintained clover/chicory plots can last anywhere from 3-5 years before declining noticeably.
Small plot are awesome . some of the finest bucks are harvested on small lots of land . I f you have the food supplytokeep them from traveling to other properties you will definetly have a produceablefuture . keep your does in check and cameras on the food plot and they will .come
I'll be honest depending on the surrounding acreage sometimes the best thing to do with a small parcel is to focus on making bedding areas. Afterall, deer spend the most time during the day in places they feel safe..nothing safer than a thick area...just a thought as well. It's possible to do both with as little as 5 acres.
The right 2 ac plot can stack up to any chunk of ground. You have to learn how to enter and exit it as well as when and not to hunt it thats when having lots of ground helps out by keeping those special plots fresh.
I currently hunt a 9acre woodlot and a 14 acre prairie-type area with pines and only a few hardwoods.... This was my first year hunting it and I get a decent amount of pictures every two weeks. I saw mostly does all year and there is a little group of about 6/7 does that always come around. A few monster bucks showed up, passed by the camera, and were never to be seen again. From this years experience, it is all about entrance and exit. I am in a heavy ag area, so these woodlots are mere islands surrounded by fields. If the deer are not in the near vacinity when I get there, they probably won't be. Now this might change with you, maybe your wood section is connected to some awesome nearby property. I used a climber this year... and that was what screwed me. Setting up the climber, and climbing up the tree makes noise and the deer get spooked, even if you quiet, the deer can hear it. These properties are only 1000' by 300' or so, they can hear everything; the crunch of the leaves, the snap of a twig, the door on your car shut... Everything matters. I did not shoot a deer this year, next year I will strictly hunt out of a hang-on or a ladder stand, they are quieter. Also, I will only hunt PM. I feel I enter quieter in daylight when I can see where I am walking. After one year I already know multiple things that I will change to get better next year. Good luck.
Yea you can own 10000 acres of death valley, but i dont think you'll see much. Quality, not quantity. Best of luck.
Chopayne, thats the truth. Small tracts can be great esp. when on a creek/river bottom or any great land, woodlots not surrounded by much can be a different story. Trail cams. If they have a lot of pics or deer activity focus on that, food food food. if theres a food source and a bed area nearby, they will come eventually. just put in the hours and there will be opportunities.
