Managing Small Properties

Many folks feel that any effort to manage their small hunting properties is time wasted simply because the minute a buck crosses the property line, they are likely to be shot by the neighbor! Without a doubt, small properties have their challenges when it comes to managing the wildlife, but don’t let that stop you. Think of your management efforts as a percentage of your total acreage, even small improvements can make a big difference when performed on small properties. For example, a one acre food plot and enhancing a ten acre bedding area can make a huge difference on a fifty acre property, but those same two improvements aren’t as likely to have near the impact on a one thousand acre property.

Realistic expectations is also a must when managing small properties, so don’t expect every buck to spend all or even most of his time on your property, it’s simply not in their nature. Focus your improvement efforts on projects that will encourage bucks to spend as much of their daylight hours on your property as possible. Leaving after dark and returning to your property before daylight drastically decreases the chances of a neighbor harvesting that buck, so providing the necessities is a must, but you also need to try and cater to a bucks wants along with those needs. Bedding cover with nearby food sources that receive little to no human intrusion is a great place to start. The key is to provide bucks with the perceived feeling of safety and security while on your property. That means low impact hunting strategies, and designating as much of your property to be a sanctuary as feasible possible.

One thing that I have focused on this past year is collaborating and sharing information with neighboring hunters and property owners in the area. By no means is it an official co-op, and there are no agreed on restrictions, but it does have it’s benefits.

Many hunters are very secretive and tight lipped when it comes to information, but if you are able to start sharing and working together, you have an opportunity to have a greater impact than going it alone. Take my situation for example. I own and control 55 acres, but as a group, the hunters and property owners in the area are able to influence the management efforts on closer to 1,000 acres. This group/collaboration is just in its infancy stages right now, but my hopes are that we can improve the overall deer herd and hunting in the area.

Sure, not all hunters are going to have the same goals, but even if half of the people in the group have similar management goals, you’re better off than going it alone. The biggest challenge is trying to get everyone to change their mindset of hunting essentially being a competition between one another, and getting everyone to understand and buy in to the benefits of the group and the big picture! Sharing trail camera pictures and working together to age bucks is a good starting point. If you do try this approach, I would suggest that you be very careful on how you approach other hunters and their management styles. We all have different goals, for some hunting is simply a means of putting meat in the freezer, to others it’s all about antler score. Try not to push your management style onto others, because it may not be a good fit for them and their goals. Instead, make it about learning and try to find common ground.

Regardless of your approach or method to managing small acres, keep an open mind, have realistic expectations, and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.