Mo-Ape
Member
I’m in the process of a farm swap, and I’m buying a top-end hunting farm in Missouri. I know the manager of the farm for the past 10-years and he harvested multiple B&C bucks and always had multiple booners to chase each season.
Not only is there an amazing age structure of bucks, there’s a high quantity of deer. He said he would typically 40-50 during late season hunts. I’ve been out three times and have seen no less than 20 deer each time and a large covey of quail each trip.
The farm is 160 acres - 40 tillable, 100 junky hickory-mixed timber & 20 acres of old field habitat and is surrounded by thousands of acres of agriculture. He treated most of the cover as sanctuary and would typically only hunt the food.
Besides a ‘green’ foodplot and leaving 10-acres of grain, nothing habitat-wise has been done for over 10-years, probably closer to 50.
The dilemma:
Being obsessed with habitat management, I’m struggling with charging in there with a saw, fire, etc. I know the work will only enhance what’s already there and provide exponential food/cover down the line, but on one hand why ‘touch what has been working’?
Sorry for the long post and posing a question that I already know the answer to, I’d just love to hear your thoughts. My past three farms it has been more of a “build it and they will come” scenario and much less of a turn key play, at least as far as deer management is concerned.
Here’s an aerial, thanks:
Not only is there an amazing age structure of bucks, there’s a high quantity of deer. He said he would typically 40-50 during late season hunts. I’ve been out three times and have seen no less than 20 deer each time and a large covey of quail each trip.
The farm is 160 acres - 40 tillable, 100 junky hickory-mixed timber & 20 acres of old field habitat and is surrounded by thousands of acres of agriculture. He treated most of the cover as sanctuary and would typically only hunt the food.
Besides a ‘green’ foodplot and leaving 10-acres of grain, nothing habitat-wise has been done for over 10-years, probably closer to 50.
The dilemma:
Being obsessed with habitat management, I’m struggling with charging in there with a saw, fire, etc. I know the work will only enhance what’s already there and provide exponential food/cover down the line, but on one hand why ‘touch what has been working’?
Sorry for the long post and posing a question that I already know the answer to, I’d just love to hear your thoughts. My past three farms it has been more of a “build it and they will come” scenario and much less of a turn key play, at least as far as deer management is concerned.
Here’s an aerial, thanks:
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