And folks say you can't manage small tracts for older age bucks

Triple C

Senior Member
Got a txt from my son that he was picking up grandson's buck he got this past Thanksgiving. Told him to send me pics when he put it on the wall at the farm.

Bought my place in 2011. Just under 300 acres. A lot smaller than most hunting clubs. Killed our 1st buck in 2012. Didn't kill a buck in 2016/2017. Kids get to shoot what they want. Beyond that, we do our best to pass on all bucks less than 3 yrs old. Lose quite a few to the neighborhood each year but manage to always have a decent number of nice bucks that make it thru the season.

If you like hunting mature bucks and have been told it's a waste of time on less than a 1000 acres then take heart. You can do it. All it takes is a little trigger control.

Here's a pic of 7 of the 10 bucks that have been taken on our place since 2012. Grandson's deer from last November is bottom right.
Wall of deer.JPG
 

spencer12

Senior Member
I personally never gave into the hype that "You cannot manage a free range herd with less than a bajillion acres." I think with your 300 acres you've obviously proved that is not true.

I believe that creating valuable habitat is one of the most overlooked factors of those trying to manage deer on their property. I have a small chunk of my grandfathers old farm that was split up after he passed away and given to my mother. It is only 20 acres and is basically a land island surrounded by ag fields and big timber tracks about 1/4-1/2 mile around it in all directions. I have worked relentlessly improving natural forage, habitat, cover, and fawning habitat on that 20 acres. I may not be able to directly influence the genetics but I am able to draw deer and more specifically mature bucks to this property year after year. I've killed two of my largest bucks off this 20 acre block. Both of those two deer bedded there at least 6 months out of the year for years. There was one buck that I probably had 5,000 pictures of for 4 straight years on 20 acres. He bedded there from February to October every year. I was never able to kill him.
 

Jim Boyd

Senior Member
Well done!!!!
 

Triple C

Senior Member
Thanks guys! I've read many times that we don't have genetics here in GA and that it's pointless to manage anything less than a substantial amount of land for mature bucks. My property is not in ag rich territory. It's in Oglethorpe County which is dominated by loblolly pine stands with the occasional cattle farm here and there and HEAVY hunting pressure. (I do love Oglethorpe County. Good government n good folks). About 55% to 60% of property was planted in loblolly prior to me purchasing it. It was once owned by a timber company.

Whether you lease or own, if you can create great doe habitat and pass on the young bucks then you gonna have some nice bucks using your place in no time. We've shot about the same amount of doe(s), or maybe 1 or 2 less than bucks since 2012. It's pretty cool to sit in a stand during the chase phase and see multiple bucks and lots of em chasing doe(s). We make sure we don't kill too many doe(s) and always have a food source they want to use year round. Then we watch a lot of bucks chase em all around from the end of October thru November. Back in the 80s, bout all we saw was doe after doe after doe and then the occasional buck. Today, I think GA deer hunting in the piedmont area is as good as it's ever been.

To Spencer's point...even with 20 acres, create great doe habitat with food and cover and you gonna have bucks come November.

Different strokes for different folks. For those that could care less about mature bucks I say carry on! I have never given a second thought to what the neighborhood decides to shoot. Their business and not mine. But for any of you guys that think GA can't produce older class bucks on small tracts, it can and does on a regular basis. You just gotta be willing to pass on those 1.5 and 2.5 yr olds to get em to at least 3 yrs old. We gonna try and start passing on the 3 yr olds and see if we can get a few really mature bucks. They are truly a majestic animal.
 

brownceluse

Senior Member
Post number 5 says it all. To me it’s more about what’s happening around you. If you and your neighbors are doing it right it just icing on the cake. There’s no reason to go to the Midwest for bone. We have everything we need here especially in the piedmont. Nothing wrong with those that do go the Midwest I’m one of them. Genetics, minimum pressure, food and cover are a recipe for success everywhere!
 

uturn

Senior Member
Sweetness!

I agree with all of the above...and did anyone mention location location location!!

You can't manage what ain't there!

Congratulations to you and your family...must feel like a slice of heaven especially if you love whitetailin!!
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
I personally never gave into the hype that "You cannot manage a free range herd with less than a bajillion acres." I think with your 300 acres you've obviously proved that is not true.

I believe that creating valuable habitat is one of the most overlooked factors of those trying to manage deer on their property. I have a small chunk of my grandfathers old farm that was split up after he passed away and given to my mother. It is only 20 acres and is basically a land island surrounded by ag fields and big timber tracks about 1/4-1/2 mile around it in all directions. I have worked relentlessly improving natural forage, habitat, cover, and fawning habitat on that 20 acres. I may not be able to directly influence the genetics but I am able to draw deer and more specifically mature bucks to this property year after year. I've killed two of my largest bucks off this 20 acre block. Both of those two deer bedded there at least 6 months out of the year for years. There was one buck that I probably had 5,000 pictures of for 4 straight years on 20 acres. He bedded there from February to October every year. I was never able to kill him.
Two of the best spots I've ever hunted in my life were 15 acres and 10 acres. Both were thick wooded creek bottom tracts surrounded by ag fields. Natural funnels with bedding areas built in to boot.
 

Thunder Head

Gone but not forgotten
We just had this discussion at our annual Deer club meeting. I'm convinced 3 of the 6 bucks we shot last year were 2 year olds. I didn't try to get the rules changed. I did get everyone to agree to turn in there jawbones so we could get an age on what were shooting.
 

Triple C

Senior Member
Thanks for all the comments guys! As some pointed out, the neighborhood does make a difference. I'm surrounded by large landowners and don't have folks camped out all along the property line shooting deer. Just what I would consider normal hunting pressure for this part of the state and for the size tracts around us. Closest neighbor is 1/2 mile away and they don't even border the property. Prolly wouldn't have had the success we've had if we had a bunch of land lots lining up on our borders. We do all we can to create great habitat and like many of you, very selective on the number of doe we shoot, not to mention the bucks.
 

Lukikus2

Senior Member
Sweetness!

I agree with all of the above...and did anyone mention location location location!!

You can't manage what ain't there!

Congratulations to you and your family...must feel like a slice of heaven especially if you love whitetailin!!

I had a 2800 acre track. I killed 95% of them within a 300 acre circle. Where the herd of does wanted to be. Went months seeing nothing and all the sudden they were there. Walked endless miles and never found a deer track for 5 years when I first started. Saw some of the prettiest country ever. I lived a little bit of that heaven also. :cheers:
 

Mark K

Banned
Well technically you can’t manage smaller tracts for older age bucks. All you can do is provide them the necessities for life and a refuge to escape to.
The only way small acreage works is if everyone around is doing the exact same thing. Yes big bucks will be killed, but they’re killed on WMA’s every year too. If your neighbors are brown it’s down type then it won’t matter what you do, because every two or three year old you pass, they will shoot.
 

godogs57

Senior Member
Two of the best spots I've ever hunted in my life were 15 acres and 10 acres. Both were thick wooded creek bottom tracts surrounded by ag fields. Natural funnels with bedding areas built in to boot.

Yep! One of my very best spots when I lived in the mountains between Rome and Chattanooga was 26 acres, but it was the right 26 acres. Bedding areas along a creek bottom loaded with a variety of food sources.

By the way, “ just under 300 acres” ain’t small. Congrats on some nice kills there CCC.
 

Thunder Head

Gone but not forgotten
300 acres is considered small in regard's to a deers range. Most studys prove a bucks range encompasses approx. 2,000 acres. Even though he spends most of his life in small core ares.
 
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