I just purchased land that hasn't been hunted in 10 years or so. The Land is heavily wooded on three sides, like a giant U shape, with the opening facing a 40 acre field. I know the deer are there as I ran right upon a buck last night in the UTV.

Here are my questions (I apologize if they are dumb, I am new to setting up land)

1- Should I mow inside the opening of the U ? Land is overgrown with thickets and grass is 3' tall.
2- Is it too late to setup a feeder and do I mow where the feeder will be set? (I have feeder, and salt block, attractants)
3- Should I setup the ground blind now?

Season Opens Oct 1st, so only one month... thanks for any advice anyone can offer.

You're going to get a lot of different answers but here you go.

1- Up to you don't know why you would mow unless you like it to be mowed.
2- Never too late. Is you're feeder going to be in the open area? If so I would mow around the feeder 3 foot tall grass is hard to see through.
3- You'll get many different answers on this but I say yes.

I would mow a 12-15' wide path between the U and woods. That will give the deer a travel route they will use. I would setup a feeder and blind at the same time. I would mow an area down around the feeder where the corn will hit. I would mow an shooting lane from the blind to the feeder. Depending on how thick and tall the 40 acres are I might would move a couple of shooting lanes into it from the blind. Mowing or shredding now will not effect the deer that much and their curiosity will have them in those mowed areas after dark when you are done.

What they said depending on depth of grass. I would try to leave the thick growth on the tree line alone of its woody brush (undergrowth)this year if it were me. They probably graze the tree line and are accustomed to it. A couple ft out as STX said would work great.

Sooner you can get it out, the better.

Yes if you have no cattle mow it and set everything up ASAP do it all in the same day if possable for you. If you cant do it all in the same day put you bli d in your desired spot and mow later.

I mowed a few feet out from the treeline along the perimeter, I mowed one strip which is 6' wide.

I set the feeder in the middle of the U opening and mowed a circle around it where the feed would land.

I mowed several strips from the feeder to the perimeter path, sorta like spokes on a wheel, connecting the center ceded to the perimeter path. I tried to make the spoke paths stay near good tall cover.

I setup the blind and added grass and branches to the exterior of it, and one of the spokes goes from the blind to the feeder.

I mounted 2 cams on the feeder, 1 cam on the perimeter path, and 2 cams on an existing trail coming into the area.

..,hope I got it right!!!!!

Sounds like you got the work done, now just let it ferment May want to think about a food plot for next fall in that field too.

1-yes
2-no( but I've found in Oklahoma corn protein mix is best)
3- yes- one last thing to worry about setting up( since you own the land I'd make a cattle panel blind, works better IMO

Exactly what I would of done

I can't wait to see those pics!!! Good luck

You might think about setting up two blinds to take advantage of the wind. If you're hunting bow and gun, a lot of the times in October the wind will be from the south. In the winter months from the north.

I would definitely do the strip mowing,I used to hunt a brushy field on a friends property and deer would come and go all the time during the day.Then the friend came in and mowed the whole thing down and the deer quit using it during daylight hours.You might consider using some Big&J at the feeder site to speed up the deer finding your feeder.They can smell it long distance.It wont last long though,bucks at one of my feeders ate a block in a week.

I used two types of feed mixed together in the feeder. One that a local guy recommended (pellet type with attractant) and some deer/turkey corn from WalMart. Then I put out some molasses type attractant into/over a mineral cube that had a hollowed out top. I also sprinked a powder/granulated attractant around in some areas.

I don't know what the heck Im doing...but Im trying to get the best possible situation in a short period of time before Oct 1st.

Any idea how long before the deer will pattern to or hit the feeder. Last night had no action on any of the trail cams (well, except one cam which took nearly 2,000 photos in less than three hours before the SD card was full - nothing on the photos but weird airborne looking items, like streaks of light). I adjusted the camera and reset it.

The night before I did this work I ran into a buck about 15 yards away at dusk. We stared at each other for a minute or so and he bolted, and numerous deer are seen out here, so I know the deer are here.

I would set the feeder closer to the wood line not the middle of the 40 acres......make it more comfortable for a mature buck to come out. I'd set up a few blinds to cover various wind directions and cut around the feeder plus a few shooting lanes. An elevated stand or two (even a hand on tree stand)in the wood line might not be a bad idea either..shooting downward you would be able to see into the grass somewhat.

BTW, why aren't you also thinking about how to hunt the woods? Don't overlook that opportunity.

Good luck.

Thanks Tony, the feeder is 30 yards from the woodline and the blind is in the woodline. I only have one blind to work with and budget doesn't really allow for much more. The way the land lays, I set the blind in the center bottom of the U shape and the feeder is 30 yds due east of the blind. Sun will hit me in the eyes in the AM no doubt, but north and south winds are okay Id think.

The woods are very very dense. Havent had an opportunity to push into them yet. Maybe next season and can get something going in there!

well...I checked the cams and nothing. I realized it has been so hot and there is no nearby water source... Soooo....I added a 40 gallon water tank out there by the feeder, and added another couple of mineral licks, some apples and a peanut butter mount.

Along the trails I made I put deer corn and cut up apples leading into the feeder area.

hope im not overdoing this (is that even possible to put out too much???)...any thoughts?

Give it more time. Also, you should consider staying out of the area on a daily or even weekly basis. Maybe check your cams and feeder a week or two before Oct 1, but I definitely wouldnt be checking cams every day. JMO. With everything you put out I would bet on pigs first, sounds like you gave them an all you can eat.
Sounds like a nice place, post some pictures if you got em!

I duno if 40 gal of water in a black container out in the sun will last a whole week??? I want to keep the water full.

You think if I stay on my UTV and just dump buckets into the container it would leave too much scent or be too much disturbance? Maybe once every 3 days refill the water I was thinking...

I got a couple questions 1 how big is this field? Where is it located? Reason I ask is I hunt in east texas and have for years and have had very litte luck with feeders at all. I find corn thrown in the lanes of spokes by hand or from a 4 wheeler work best for ME. If I were in east texas I would not bother with a feeder. Also I have found the spokes you speak of work best for me if the center of the spokes is my blind not the feeder. You will see deer walking up and down the spokes then duck in and come out on another one. this is how I set mine up and corn the spokes or roads mine or 30 ft wide and as long a 600 yards. that gives me a lot of time to see a deer before he can detect me. I also feed everyday so the deer are used to my smell and sound heck they will come out while Im there. good luck and don't forget the most important thing. You cant be doing it wrong if your having fun!!! Buddy

He has a point. In the years I hunted E. Texas ( I know youre in OK), the only feeders I had luck with was tube feeders strapped to a tree filled with a protein/corn mix. I'd be willing to bet alot, if not all, went to raccoons. Do you know anything about the hunting around you (neighbors, tract size, food plots, feeders, privately owned/public)? If you can set up on a travel lane to/from feeding or bedding areas I think you will have better luck rather than trying to draw them in. Seemed to work out better for me in dense woods.
Identify natural browse and use google earth to your advantage, see if you can identify any food, water or potential bedding areas and travel corridors.

Well, the land is sort of odd shaped... Here's the best description I can give:

There are 15 acres and the U shaped opening is in the center of the 15 acres and the opening of the "U" is about 3-4 acres I'd guess... but then there is 40 acres of mostly field directly across from the opening of the "U".

Also, this land is located in rural NE Oklahoma. I have seen lottsa deer in this area. I have ran up on them, they are around the road and get caught in the fences from time to time. I have also seen wild turkey out here, bobcats, and of course coons. I have not seen any pigs.

I have no water source near this area. I actually have no idea where the nearest water source even is...but I can tell you it is a ways away for sure. That is confusing me a bit as I know deer are in the area, but I don't know where they are getting water.

For what its worth I have hunted on a place that had the only sizable water tank around and not once did I see deer utilizing it, at least in daylight hours.

IMO, I would think the more you can be out there and have a presence the better. Deer get used to people and utv's and won' think anything of your presence after a while. If I were close enough to be able to pop out there a couple of times a week to fill a water trough, that's where I would be.

As far as everything else, it sounds to me like you are heading down the right path. Main thing is to be in the woods and have fun with it. Shooting a deer is just a perk. I would like to see some pictures of your set up!!! For the feeding that you have been doing...there are a lot of people on here that go with just corn, but like you, I like to try out other things and see what they like. I think you have to be really extreme to "over do it" when it comes to trying out new food sources. If you have the capability, you should look into a food plot next year!

Congrats on the new place, good luck, and enjoy!!!

You said the land is in NE Oklahoma. I hunted in those parts almost all my life until i moved to dallas. Your right, lots of nice body bucks especially the closer you push to kansas / missouri border. Whereabouts are you at. I can give you some pretty good ideas on what to do. Grew up in bartlesville but hunted north of copan as well as just north of vinita.

I'm in no-mans-land Between Muskogee and Tulsa. Rural wagoner county.

I checked all 5 cams yesterday - nothing but black birds and a coon eating peanut butter. Water is still completely full, apples still on ground along with all the corn and pellets.