How do I attract bucks and keep them on my property?

By Grant Woods,

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Question
How do I attract bucks and keep them on my property? We have a 700 acre row crop and hard wood farm near Sedalia, MO, but our property is split up in a hundred acres here, and a couple hundred acres there and so on. Causing the deer, primarily the bucks, to more frequently travel onto neighboring farms.

Tim,

Most bucks have a home range size larger than 200 acres.  In general the better the quality of habitat the smaller a buck’s home range will be.  Good quality habitat includes preferred sources of food, cover, and water in close proximity to each other.  In addition, deer strongly prefer areas they don’t associate with danger.  Deer, especially mature bucks, spend most of the daylight hours in cover.  You’ll want to insure the best cover in the neighborhood is on your farms and that deer don’t associate those areas with danger.

Once the ag crops are harvested, deer will seek the best remaining food sources.  You might consider living some soybeans or corn standing or establish  some food plots to serve as the preferred food source in the neighborhood once the crops have been harvested on neighboring properties.  

Enjoy creation,

grant