Ya never know

[huntingfool43]

Untill ya give it a shot. About 5 years ago I was getting tired of the deer avoiding my property so I had a guy come in and cut about 40 trees out to open up the canopy and get some under growth and create some brush for the critters. Well it helped a little but still need to do more so last spring I got a local farmer to plant 5 and half acres of corn. All I can say is I am surprized at the results. I took a walk tonight to see if anything was using the stubble and there were tracks everwhere. Normaly this time of year the property is void of tracks. The deer, rabbits and turkeys have all been eating on the corn left behind. I talked the farmer into leaving the corn stand till after gun season and with the weather we had it was after the first of the year before he could pick it so there was lots of wind damage with lots of corn on the ground. Who knows, maybe this fall I will have a few deer hanging around full time instead of passing through. Next problem is tresspassers.

[NorthJeff]

Steve,

I've completed both habitat enhancement and food plot activities on the property and although changing the habitat helps a lot...a food plot, or the addition of high quality food sources, is a huge jumpstart to property success. If you can develop that 5 acres into a multi-seasonal plot designed to hold and attract deer all year long you can probably experience much higher results than you already do for the entire year. For example, a 5 acre field can be broken into thirds. The first year, you can plant 1/2 in a grain(wheat,rye,oats) in combination with clovers, and the other 1/2 in a brassica clover blend. By the following year you will have all clover, and in the late summer you can take your worst 1/3, and plant whatever annual/perennial blend works best for you. Each year you re-plant an alternating 1/3 of the plot so that while perennials such as clover and chicory may always be your base, when entering hunting season you will have 1/3 in a high attractant annual/perennial blend, 1/3 in a 1 year old perennial blend, and 1/3 in a 2 year old great stand of perennial. For an added twist you can cultipack brassicas into the field in spring to the field planted the late summer prior and you can experience and excellant brassica crop growing within that stand of clover for the year, which can further diversify your planting.

Why do all this? Well, you can offer a significant amount of attraction and nutrition on that 5 acres, for just about an entire year. Corn will give you great hunting season attraction, and additional cover, but it certainly isn't a year round food source.

Anyway you go though....the experience with the "magic" of a high quality food source can not be underestimated, and you certainly experienced just that! Sounds like you'll really be enjoying that property in the coming years...congrats!