Trophy Deer, From the Ground Up!
So, you’ve decided to take the plunge. You’ve had about all you can stand of the rat race on public land with its sea of orange on opening day. Or maybe you want to be able to scout and select a particular buck to focus your entire hunting efforts on without interference from unknown parties. Owning your own hunting parcel is the first step. What I’d like to do is help you prepare for the process of buying hunting land, from some procedural things to tips on finding an area with trophy potential.
Before you plunk down a check for a hunting parcel you’d be wise to do some pretty serious soul-searching. Questions you need to ask yourself must include: how much can I afford to spend (be honest with yourself to prevent a big disappointment in the near future), what are my priorities (deer hunting, turkey hunting, small game, waterfowl), is suitability for building necessary or even desirable, how far am I willing to drive to get to my hunting spot (be realistic or you’ll surely regret it later), is the rest of the family supportive of this investment and what is the timeframe for acquisition.
Get all your ducks in a row.
Nothing is more likely to cause a stumble than the financing issue. If you have the entire purchase price in cash then truly, “money is not a problem.” But for the rest of the world money is ALWAYS a problem. Meet with your lender and have them tell you what they’ll lend you (contingent on appropriate appraised value) and stay within that budget. Shopping for larger or more expensive properties is certain to cause heartache for all parties involved. Lenders may give you a letter stating your pre-approval for financing subject to appraisal. This puts you in a stronger bargaining position and dramatically increases your chance of closing your deal because you don’t have to sit with your fingers crossed, wondering if the bank will lend you money.
If you are single you are free to do whatever your finances allow. If you are not single, it would be prudent to have a summit meeting to determine the political expediency of a hunting land purchase. I’ve seen some pretty long faces that got all worked up over a potential hunting parcel prior to garnering support on the home front!
Not all parcels of hunting land are created equal.
Once you’ve answered these questions you can begin a search for a particular size and type of property in a specific region. Because you’re reading an article on trophy deer I’ll assume you want reasonable likelihood of trophy deer. That being the case you need to do a little detective work. Start by looking in statistical compilations of past deer harvest and seasons. Look particularly for hunter densities, percentage of bucks harvested relative to age (too many yearling bucks harvested reduces trophy potential), actual numbers of bucks harvested that are 31/2 or older, number of antlerless permits granted and amount of public land within that management unit. You can find much of this information in Wisconsin from the Department of Natural Resources. Some very useful data is gathered at registration stations each season that tell you a lot about age and gender ratios of deer in a given area. Many other states’ game departments have similar programs. There are also some annual deer hunting publications that have statistical data that can help you in narrowing down your focus to a trophy hotspot.
Remember that by the time a particular region is being written up in all the magazines, the secret is out and land values go up and hunter pressure goes right up with it! You may discover some “sleeper” areas, by doing a bit of your own research, where hunting pressure is low and land values are still relatively inexpensive. You’ll have a great feeling of satisfaction when you find an area of light hunting pressure and fair land prices because the quality of your hunting and investment will be greatly enhanced. You may even get to benefit from significant appreciation in equity over the time you own your land, if you buy it shrewdly. One caveat though, if you find something that has all you want, don’t risk losing it over small details or a small price difference if you can afford it. I’ve heard a million sad tales that go “I coulda bought that piece x years ago for half that price.” You want to be the guy that everybody envies for sage wisdom and foresight; not another sad story of missed opportunity.
Use all your resources.
You may decide to look for a property that is “for sale, by owner.” Sometimes this can keep costs down (no commission added in to the sale price) and allows you to negotiate directly. Remember that is a knife that cuts both ways. Doing your own direct negotiation can be intense. Be sure to have the assistance of legal counsel to protect your rights and ensure that you have a binding agreement and valid legal title.
Buying a property that is listed with a broker can be a very positive experience if you find a broker that understands what you want and doesn’t drag you out to look at every parcel of land they have listed, always telling you it is “great hunting”. One clue is that if the broker is not willing to physically walk the property with you, they may not be such a good resource for buying a specific type of trophy deer hunting land. I’ve had brokers that sent me a description sheet and told me to “have at it”. They wouldn’t even leave the office, let alone hike the property and show the hunting potential. Finding a broker who is a passionate hunter can make a huge difference in the quality of the information provided. A serious hunter/broker will be able to back up claims of “great hunting” with physical evidence and statistics and will likely be having as much or more fun than you on property showings. A knowledgeable hunter/broker will tell you what is appropriate dress (gore tex, briar pants, hiking boots, waders, compass, GPS?) for each parcel you go see. You’ll know a hunting broker when they treat your showings as scouting trips, rather than drudgery that soils their slacks and loafers. Fact is, a hunting broker is more likely to be wearing boots and jeans!
You may want to get topographic maps of the properties you’ll be considering. One good source is the DeLorme Mapping Company Atlas and Gazetteer series. They include back roads and contour elevations so you can get an idea of terrain, open vs. wooded cover, water bodies including marshes. This way you can concentrate on properties that have features you want. Try to line up several property options. Be sure to look at several so you have some idea of comparable features and values but don’t make a career out of looking at land. There are a lot of folks out there who are ready to pull the trigger on a land purchase. Too much delay on your part and you may be a day late and a dollar short.
Real estate laws vary by state so be sure to have a solid understanding of who the broker is working for (who’s paying their commission) and what their obligations are to all parties to the transaction. Choose to work with a broker that makes you comfortable.
Get it off the market.
When you’ve found that property that is within your price range and contains your high priority characteristics, get it bought. If the parcel is a good one, someone will probably be right behind you. Demand for recreation/hunting land is at an all time high. Many nice parcels are being sold word-of-mouth, never even reaching the market. So if you have made a thorough search and found a satisfactory match don’t risk losing it by delay.
Again, whatever mode you choose to complete the transaction, be sure you are legally protected and that proper disclosure of property conditions has been made. Brokers are professionals that can smooth this process. Many attorneys will also assist in real estate transactions. Surprises in real estate deals tend to be unhappy things. Take the time and spend the money to be sure your deal is sound.
Assuming you’ve been successful in closing your deal you are now free to begin managing your trophy deer parcel.
Trophy deer management, large scale or small.
Whether you’ve just bought 40 acres or 400 acres you can take several steps to make your property more desirable to the local deer population than the land around you.
Deer yearn for that perfect combination of security cover, food and water. Given these three conditions and assuming you don’t chase them out, deer will tend to stay in close proximity to their primary food source. In fact a radio-collared deer study in Alabama over a ten-year period found that deer spent nearly 95% of their time within a half-mile of their food source. These deer were not subject to hunting pressure or predators and had all their needs met so they just hung out most of the year. You can probably guess that the 5% of the time they wandered was during the rut. Understand that this was done in controlled conditions and you can’t reasonably expect your deer to be so sedentary but it demonstrates that the reason deer have ranges of several square miles is because most cover fails to provide for all their needs. They require miles of cover instead of acres of cover to adequately provide enough food, water and security cover. This should be your clue as to what improvements you need to make to your property.
If you parcel is heavily wooded with good ground cover then you’ll want to be sure to provide food on a year ‘round basis. If they have to leave to find food during the fall and early winter they are more likely to be harvested by someone other than you.
If you have a water source on your parcel you are way ahead of the game. If not, don’t despair, get creative. My hunting buddy dug in a plastic “kiddie” pool and hauled barrels of water to keep deer from leaving his land and venturing to a creek on nearby public hunting land. Instead of growing big bucks for the guys on public land, he has been able to actually pull deer from the public ground to the “safety” of his land. He now enjoys some pretty good deer hunting on a relatively small parcel. All’s fair in love, war and deer hunting...
If your land is open and park-like you may want to investigate some forest management programs or possibly do some logging yourself. Opening the canopy will spur new undergrowth, which will create both security cover and succulent browse for deer. The same friend with the man-made waterhole cut down a bunch of trees in an area and just left them where they fell. The resulting tangle was a snarly mess of blackberry brambles and criss-crossed, felled trees and not surprisingly a preferred bedding and security area for local deer.
Setting the table.
The keys to a growing trophy bucks and a healthier deer herd overall are age, genetics and nutrition. With proper harvest practices you can influence the age makeup of your herd. Genetics are beyond your control in wild deer other than your decision to buy land in an area with proven superior genetics. The good news is that you can have a dramatic influence on the quality of your deer herd through nutrition. The levels of protein and carbohydrate, coupled with the best forms of specific minerals, result in bigger antlers, better reproductive success and more vigorous health in general.
First of all, you must understand that a deer has varying nutritional needs at different times of the year. The naturally occurring food sources, while sustaining the herd in all but the most severe circumstances, are not able to maximize the genetic potential of deer. This is where you come in!
Bucks and does will require higher levels of protein during the period of February through August, though for different reasons. Protein levels of at least 20% are required for optimum antler development in bucks and for reproductive needs in the doe population (pregnancy, lactation). Providing the necessary 20% protein diet can be accomplished in a couple ways. In winter months, you can place pelleted protein feeds (be sure to check WDNR regulations for your area before placing feeds or mineral supplements) for deer and in spring you can plant perennial food plots with a mix of clovers and rape plants.
Site preparation is important in developing lush food plots. Determine proper soil pH for the seeds you are planting and apply lime if the soil is too acidic. Fertilizer is also important in getting the most out of your food plot. Use potash for clovers as this will encourage good growth in the clovers but will not benefit the competing grasses/weeds. If your food plot grows knee deep then you’ll want to mow it to spur new growth that will be more palatable to the deer, have better protein and digestibility.
The other nutritional need during the Feb-Aug timeframe is minerals. Chelated forms of minerals will be retained in the deer’s body rather than passing through to become expensive fertilizer. Chelation bonds the minerals to the protein molecule, which the deer’s body can absorb, unlike non-chelated forms of minerals that have very low digestibility. Spend the extra money to get granular mineral in chelated form! (Again, even mineral supplement use is regulated by the WDNR so be sure to check the local regulations before using them!)
Fall and winter bring a whole different set of nutritional needs for bucks and does. Energy, in the form of carbohydrates, is now a priority. Corn is a good source of energy but a lousy source of protein (usually only 8-9%) so providing corn during the fall and early winter is ok but don’t overdo it. Too much corn in a deer’s diet can cause metabolic acidosis which weakens and ultimately can kill deer. I prefer to see a mix of corn food plots, soy bean plots and some fall-planted annuals like rape, turnip and rye. This combination will meet all the needs of your deer herd through the stressful rut and rigorous winter months.
Again, understanding the seasonal variations of deer nutrition will help you in knowing what to provide and when to provide it. I’m always happy to help so if you have specific questions give me a call!
Deer season never closes.
Once you join the ranks of hunting landowners you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that deer season never closes. There is always something to be done to make your land more attractive to local deer and you’ll no doubt enjoy the additional days afield in all seasons. You may not be shooting deer year ‘round but you definitely can be improving the chances of shooting the buck of your dreams when the hunting season opens!
