Advice Please

I hunt on a small (200 acres) piece of property in D'hanis, about an hour west of San Antonio. It is my grandmothers place and gets a TON of pressure since all of her neighbors hunt/have hunters as well. My question is, with it being so small, and there being so much hunting pressure, is there anything I can do to tips the odds in my favor?

I try and ask my grandma to go "in the back" as little as possible during the season, always park far away from my blinds, practice scent control, things like that. But are there any other tricks I can try and utilize? Thanks in advance

Are you the only one that hunts the 200 acres? If so and there are no other livestock on the property plant a food plot. If you can at least put an acre of wheat, oats, peas or whatever works best in your area, that will draw and hold them fairly close.

Next best thing is to make sure you have a feeder throwing corn or other?
If I am not seeing many deer at my food plot or feeder, I put alfalfa around the edges of where I am hunting and those sweet blocks in my feeder pen.

Hope that helps and good luck

Thank you. My Dad and I hunt it together and there are cattle, but they are fenced off to the front of the property during deer season. I planted some oats a few years back in the back but the deer seemed to go right over them and to the feeders.

Which answers that question, yes we run four feeders. But I am definitely going to give the alfalfa and sweet blocks a try. Thanks again

Check this section out, it is right above the deer hunting, lot of good info on there,

Food Plots, Proteins, Minerals, Feed and Corn (13 viewing)

My place is smaller than neighboring properties, but I put VERY little pressure on it, provide lots of cover, and good food. My goal, and maybe will work for you, is to give the deer every reason to stay close. Once the rut starts though, all bets off as bucks will be chasing all over the county.

And therein lies the key. Make that 200 acres a haven for the deer being scared off by the neighbors. During hunting season. You could easily have 4 stands, positioned for different winds. Hunt the wind and you won't have to worry about scent control.

If you can afford a few tons/year of protein, I'd buy a timed protein feeder and place it in the middle of your 200ac. Or by the closest source of free water. Run a corn feeder at each of your 4 stands from now 'til the end of deer season. Give them a ton of protein in January and another two tons from the time they begin growing their antlers around May.

Back to pressure. You can't hunt that size plot morning and evening over a few days straight and not educate all the resident deer. If it's during the rut, you may get lucky on a big deer outside his home range. I wouldn't hunt it more than 3-4 times per week (one hunt/day am or pm) and never from the same stand twice in a row.
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No driving around at night.

That's the best advice I can offer and I wish you the best.

p.s.-if you're not a dry land farmer, food plots can be the best bang for the buck in the fall. Summer plots require a high fence until they're established.

I wouldn't worry about Grandma. Somehow, deer seem to know the difference.

hunt the perimeter and try to avoid driving through the middle of the property. Bow hunt only or as much as possible.

set your feeders to go off at night say 10pm or 5am. that way deer hitting them at night will be bedded on your place.

Hunting the perimeter and walking it after a good rain will teach your where you may be losing your deer or where they are coming from. thats useful knowledge cause you can watch it and see whats working to retain your deer. I guess the obvious keep the cover and have food and water for them. good luck

Appreciate the advice everybody!

I also suggest having a road feeder attached to whatever vehicle you are driving around on. Use it and the deer might start to associate you driving around as snack time.

When we drive into one particular big open field, we drive along the edge of it, nearest the brushline, and we throw corn from the truck's road feeder there. The deer seem to come to the since it is nearest the protection of the edge of the brush/woods. If we threw it out in the middle of the field they would be a little more timid in coming to get that corn. I see more deer hitting the permitter of that big field than I did when we had a feeder in the field. It has turning into a great spot to see deer.


**get some game trail cameras and move them around each month to find out where deer are moving and where they are entering and leaving your property and hunting areas.

Food plot. The end