How can I attract more deer to the 80 acre property I hunt in Georgia?
Filed under: Hunting Tactics
I’m currently hunting on an 80-acre property in Georgia that has plenty of dense cover and water but limited quality browse for deer (e.g., Chinese privet). The deer seem to just wander through the property but rarely stay on the property for long periods of time. Additionally, there are oaks on the property but if they don’t produce one year then deer appear to spend even less time on the property. What suggestions would you give to improve the property in hopes of keeping deer on the land for longer periods of time? I’ve considered opening up the canopy by using hinge-cuts and establishing small hidey hole food plots. My only concern with the food plots is that deer will hammer the plots due to limited browse on the property (and it appears on adjacent properties–open timber). I would greatly appreciate any insight that you may have on making this property more attractive to deer.
Best regards,
Andy
Andy,
Deer often have a random pattern in areas where quality food isn’t available. Deer seek quality food, cover and water daily. If these resources are generic within their home range deer can be very tough to pattern.
I’m not a huge hinge cutting fan. The limbs of hinge cut trees typically grow out of reach of deer within a year or two in Georgia and simply become a mess of humans and not that attractive for deer.
I’d rather you put your energy into developing small plots, even if they are only planted with cool season blends during the hunting season. It sounds like these plots would certainly attract deer! You might consider using a Hot Zone fence to protect the forage until you are ready to hunt!
Enjoy creation,
grant
December 10, 2015
