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What is the most important aspect of growing and holding mature bucks on a property?

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MObowhunter10

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Let's hear your thoughts on what the most important aspect to growing and holding mature bucks on a decent sized piece of ground (400-1,000 acres) is. I know previously listening to Mark Drury, I would say minimum intrusion and low pressure on the property would be the most helpful aspect to keeping bucks on your land, but after listening to Lee lakosky, who takes a different approach and says that riding UTV's through the fields on a consistent basis doesn't bother the deer and they learn to adjust to it, leaves me thinking somewhat differently.
 
To truly keep mature bucks on a piece of ground, it really must have everything they need. Food, water and cover. Even with all that though it still depends on what the surrounding properties have available I would think.

I would agree with Lee though that vehicular intrusion whether it be tractor, ATV or pickup probably doesn't affect the deer too badly so long as it's not being abused or used in a way that purposely scares the deer. I've seen and heard many times how normal AG processes don't scare deer.
 
MObowhunter10 said:
Let's hear your thoughts on what the most important aspect to growing and holding mature bucks on a decent sized piece of ground (400-1,000 acres) is. I know previously listening to Mark Drury, I would say minimum intrusion and low pressure on the property would be the most helpful aspect to keeping bucks on your land, but after listening to Lee lakosky, who takes a different approach and says that riding UTV's through the fields on a consistent basis doesn't bother the deer and they learn to adjust to it, leaves me thinking somewhat differently.
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I know it sounds weird, but deer, and other game too, are much more tolerant of a tractor than an ATV and both of those are MUCH more tolerated than a man walking around on his feet. Also, if you maintain a consistent pace or rhythm on the tractor and stay in the open fields, etc, deer will often remain bedded very close by...as in 10-50 yards of a field edge.

To answer your question though...IMO,

1. Thick cover...that does not receive much foot traffic.
2. Good neighbors, who think and hunt and similarly.
3. Don't shoot them when they are 1, 2 and 3 years old. Seems pretty basic, I know, but over the years I have really developed an understanding as to the strong tendency of deer to be basic homebodies over their lifetime. If you are shooting many young bucks, you are shooting your future trophies.
 
Lots of factors but I'll respond to the pressure piece as I think that is most important. (I think a mature buck would live in a 5 acre woodlot behind Walmart if know one EVER went in there)

Lee's "pressure" is not pressure at all. His entire timber is basically a sanctuary.

I heard a good analogy years ago that I liked (not mine)

Think of human scent as a cigarette butt.

You pull in your driveway and there is a smoldering butt near the curb (Ag field to a whitetail). You don't think much of it.

You get out of your truck and walk on the porch and see the same smoldering butt. (transition area to a whitetail). You get a little nervous and wonder what is going on.

You walk into your house and see the same butt in your house (bedding to a whitetail).
You say what the eff is going on and grab a gun and are on high alert looking for someone.

Same scent. 3 different places. Huge difference in the reaction you get.

Obviously the bigger the property, the easier it is to control pressure. Both by you and neighbors on the edges.
 
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I agree, neighbors,,intrusions,food,cover. I try to do this on my little 40. There are thick areas on my land I only venture into once a year. I of coarse walk a lot to and from my food plots. Also have hunting stands near them. Is some what impossible to get to them in Nov without walking where deer walk. I have found though, time after time, deer seem to tolerate my foot traffic to my stands. I think they are used to me there throughout the Summer. Don't fear my maintaining my plots. I do however make sure while I am sitting my scent is blowing away from them as much as possible. Very challenging on a small acreage. Love sick Nov also bends things to my favor. The only time I hunt.
 
Imo holding a deer on a particular property means giving him a better environment than what he can get next door. On a large property that is much easier to do since it will encompass a larger portion of a bucks home range. In order of importance, i would say pressure, cover, does, water, food. Bucks will travel a long way at night to feed. Unpressured bedding cover is the best thing a property can have IMO. Driving around in fields will not have much effect, especially on a big farm
 
I have a "large" portion of timber I won't walk in, ever. Exception is tsi work in late winter. Ideally I'd love 85% cover and 15% food roughly. I want variety of cover... Cedar thickets, big timber, overgrown crp. IMO- food must be there year round.... Clover & alfalfa in spring and all the tsi & browse food known to man. Then food lasting (say A grain) til almost spring. South facing bedding, lots of areas bucks never get messed with and hunted "too hard or wrong" too often. " Smart hunting" keeps bucks there Messy hunting runs old bucks out FAST. Including being in timber way too much during off season or checking cams too often, u name it. Low pressure year round is my tactic & my opinion. Aside from farm work & outter areas I can goof off in, I leave the deer alone. But- this all has to sit on top of a foundation of amazing habitat & varieties of food. Then mixed with laying off the trigger on younger great gen bucks and killing old bully bucks. Adding all that together is a big task to see with consistency if that's what a guy wants. I love it. Ain't easy. Then, even if all that works out.... Now u gotta see this old smart dude in daylight in bow range. Youch- it's all harder than folks realize.

*Forgot to mention a HUGE impact on deer.... Entrance and exits - ACCESS.... I'm talking both general activities year round and during hunting. For example.... I only walk my fence lines or swoop way around cover with my travel. I don't take 20 different routes to locations, I try and take the same trails at all time and leave the rest of the areas untraveled. Hunting certain areas from certain directions based on winds, etc. Whether I'm farming, plots or hunting, I always try and walk in the areas that are hidden from cover & food and the total outskirts of the land. Hard to explain over writing BUT it's something, IMO, I really think out hard and stick to. I have certain areas on my farm that are awesome BUT - I only hunt them a few days during the best times and I have a FEW EXCEPTIONS where I don't hunt them period because it's simply impossible and I do more harm than good. I hunt more outskirts of those areas and do all I can for habitat changes to pull em out of those impossible areas a little more. I guess the ACCESS thing is something I'll label with "PRESSURE". You go walking through a mature bucks bedding area 5-6 times & he feels threatened, I just think it's game over. Do it enough, I literally think folks can run those bucks outta there. They will seek and find areas they do not get disturbed.
 
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Sligh1 said:
... Then food lasting (say A grain) til almost spring. ...
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Skip's comment above caused me to recall something...last year was the first year that I ever planted corn and while I am still a big believer in the Dbltree rotation, I was very, very pleased with how well the corn worked. Deer were in that standing corn late last summer using it as cover and as recently as this past weekend there were still numerous deer, turkey, wood ducks, raccoons, etc, using that cornfield actively.

This is even after it has been planted to beans for this year! There is still solid, ample waste grain present and even though there is fresh green browse everywhere and clover and whatnot to beat the band...that spend cornfield is still pulling deer from all over.

I was hopeful that I could that field to say late February or even early March...but it is still working on June 1st.
 
Man, 400-1000 acres is a huge property to me! I would be in heaven if I had that much ground to try to hold deer on. Same as others pretty much; but good bedding cover close to food would be #1 for me. I like thick cedar/mixed timber best for bedding. Low hunting/intrusion pressure is up there as well.
You can create the perfect deer Mecca to hold them, but there always seem to be those rogue monsters that just pass through, instead of sticking around.
 
I've had a "small piece" I've owned for many years. I don't hunt it a ton but great example of trying to hold deer, it's a heck of a lot smaller than my other farms, by a lot. I access it only on edges and keep food basically in center or away from the "trouble makers" (simply guys who shoot everything that moves or we just do things different - so trouble makers maybe isn't a fair term but you know what I'm saying - "blast everything & anything"). I never touch interior of farm, ever. It's small and there's a mature buck on it every single year, without failure. We kill a mature buck every year on it and actually sometimes a couple more there. They use this small piece as sanctuary and they get pushed into it. Once they cross the fence, they realize they have trouble in some cases. They are smart so keep my little place home (or they get killed if not or learn fast). food in center with 2 plots, I only hunt edges & access from all the edges depending on wind (it's a perfect rectangle), has water, super nasty thick stuff & tons of it, varieties of food and no people mess with them if they stay in it. It works on small properties but for sure have to be really careful. I know I could ruin that farm fast if I hunted it all the time in the center of it and didn't carefully hunt it like I've learned to do. Works. Keeps "most" the bucks safe, seem to make it. The ones that aren't fast enough or sitting at wrong spot during a deer drive on neighbors are not so lucky though.
 
I saw a study where they set up Coyote proof fencing in small acreages like 20 to 40 acres and the deer quickly learn where the coyotes aren't and start to bed in that area. No different with human intrusion.
 
Establishing a sanctuary and have food all year long. That's my strategy.

I also keep upgrading the cover. I've planted more trees than I can count, which does pay off over time.
 
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