large track of land question

[muddy]

say you have about 1500 acres to play with. you're a farmer and run your normal corn and beans and alfalfa rotations with CRP mixed in throughout. what would your plans be for growing the bucks bigger with mineral supplements and green fields? what are the top 5 "green field" attractants that you would recommend and how big of plots?? granted, passing on the 3-4 1/2 year olds would do that also.

 

[203ntyp]

Muddy, even though I grew up on farms I'm not a farmer by any means. I am in on a lease in Illinois for the 4th year now. That property consist of 800 acres & is surounded by large CRP areas & some large tracks of timber. No one hunts there except for the farmers son & son-in-law. Managing the deer herd was always done by letting the 3 1/2 year olds walk & mange the does. We are working with the farmer to improve the buck qualtiy even more by paying him to plant some clover & alfalfa, there are other choices for food plots but they need extra care & only last a couple of years before needing reseeding. The number one factor in getting larger buck when it comes to food source is protein rich suculent plants which they prefer over anything else. Deer are like humans, they like a variety of food but do become selective depending on whats available. Mineral suppliments are not necessary if the ground is rich in minerals such as it is in Iowa, Illinois, etc. If you do plant food plots keep them at least two acres in size if possible or the deer will never give it a chance to reach it's potential. As we all know the other factors are age & genetics. Try to plant something with at least 18% protein & they will come!

 

[bjkpharmd]

Muddy,
First thing- find that farmer & marry his daughter. Otherwise, I wouldn't do anything for food in that setup unless I wanted to have a couple acres of winter wheat or rye. I'd try to make sure that there were some oaks planted some where and a pond. Mainly though I'd make sure that some provision was made for cover. Everything you described already is the "fuel" to grow big bucks, you just need the security for them.