New purchase, 400 acres in Oklahoma (Carter county with good water and rain) with good mix of hardwoods, oaks, some pecan, and about 35% pasture to 55% woods with a nice 32 acre lake and few other tanks to make up
The difference.

Previous owner had at least four plots and three protein feeders with pens. Plots range in size from half acre to acre in size and two are co-located with feeders, one plot is low land and could flood so no feeder there and another plot is next to a tank with no feeder.

Wondering if the addition of protein feeders would be a significant benefit over simply doing plots in the spring/summer and fall. Also, would you add multiple feeders to each feed station (corn broadcast and protein or two protein or some other combination)? Finally, would you suggest any other areas to consider for feeders/plots based on these pics of the place (topo is gentle rolling west to east until you hit the middle forested are where it drops about 100 feet down to the lake, then on the north side where the forest splits and a feeder is located it rises back up about 50-75 feet again before dropping down in the creek bottom and rising up again to hit the north east pasture which is pretty flat).

Close up:


A little further zoomed out:



Lots of green right now, rain has been good. Lots of acorns on the ground in the fall and winter. Don't know anything about pecan crop.

Forgot to mention that we will be building a barn/living quarters in the southern open pasture along the south side of the road close to the tree line there. We will cut some trees and have a decent view of the lake from there.

We will probably put at least a corn feeder in that same pasture mainly for entertainment, but if hogs hammer it we will have some fun with them too.

So, you are going to have two feeders and how many plots? I like to locate my food plots on the interior of my property. With just 400 acres, I'm not sure you need more than 4 plots and wouldn't do anything really large. We did some big plots last year and are going smaller and more of them this year.

That lake is fantastic.

I would only do a couple of protein feeders in the interior to see if it will help create an environment that deer want to live around...gives them more reason to stay.....

A protein feeder in the woods a little SW of the pond in the NW corner might be good. Plots are a great idea when they produce, feeders, if you can keep them filled give a consistent level of protein and mineral.

Congratulations on your purchase looks like a great place!

I think you could feed all the deer on that place with 2 protein feeders, as centrally located as possible, one in the Southwest area, one towards the Northeast. Get 1,000 pound feeders. Big feed ports at the bottom so they don't get clogged when the feed gets wet from rain