How Important are Deer Sanctuaries?
Filed under: Ask Grant, Deer Management, Habitat Management
We have been managing our property of 200 acres for 11 years now. We purchased an old farm and turned it into a little white-tailed deer paradise. We also built our dream home on the land. We practice antler restrictions, food plots, timber stand/habitat improvement and an aggressive doe harvest program. We have an ideal layout on our land. We created a 50 acre sanctuary in the middle of the property which is surrounded by several food plots, hardwoods and thickets. We stand hunt only, and never hunt in the sanctuary. We like to put little hunting pressure on our deer. After reading through my deer logs, it seems now that 80% of deer movement revolves around this sanctuary. I was wondering if you have a sanctuary set up on your land, and if you do, what are some of the benefits you have seen?
I am a HUGE fan of your show Dr. Grant!!
Thank You,
Brian
Brian,
Sounds like you have a very successful deer and habitat management program! Like you, I’ve created sanctuaries at The Proving Grounds and commonly design them on land we manage for clients. Deer readily adapt to using these areas, especially if there aren’t other sanctuaries within their home range. Sometimes it’s tough to convince hunters not to disturb a portion of their hunting turf. However, as you have experienced, not disturbing a portion of the land you have to hunt makes patterning deer on the remaining portion of the property much easier! Thanks for sharing your observations!!
Growing Deer together,
Grant
