the full pdf article here. - Drop

THINK Small &
Go Big
By Jason R. Snavely
How to Grow
and Hold
Big Bucks
on Small
Properties
A well-planned food-plot
program that provides
preferred food sources to
deer throughout the year
is key to growing and
holding mature bucks on
small properties.
CHARLES ALSHEIMER PHOTO
L
et’s face it; the average hunter doesn’t hunt on
1,200 acres of unpressured property. Most
of us are confned within a couple hundred
acres or less! As a private wildlife consultant, my frst 10 years in business (2002-2012)
taught me about “the norm” in deer management across
the whitetail’s range. After a decade of on-the-ground
consulting, I’ve identifed how to grow and hold bucks
into maturity on small acreage. I’ve learned when to
push the envelope and question mainstream deer-management philosophies (and oftentimes common sense).
Without this knowledge and experience, I get fred. That
motivates me to dispel myths and operate outside the
box, as long as expectations are reasonable.
In 2006, I decided it was time to purchase my own
“typical” deer property and walk in my clients’ shoes.
So, I bought 95 acres in the heavily hunted state of Pennsylvania. I’ve since purchased other properties and currently own and manage two. Traveling to client properties around the country, I’ve seen hundreds of scenarios
with all sorts of different setups and situations, and the
jury is no longer out as far as I’m concerned; most big,
mature bucks are eventually killed on smaller acreage. I
know because I ask.
I rarely hear clients bragging about feeding and holding a particular buck as he cruised through the various
age classes only to be killed at 6 1⁄2 years of age by the
neighbor. Instead, the desired end result is to adorn
the trophy room with a timeline of small-acreage success stories, topped off with bone. If most big bucks
are ultimately killed on small acreage, why shouldn’t
your hunting property be the next Pope and Youngproducing parcel? Well, I’m here to tell you it can be!
100
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Commitment Equals Success
My property acquisition in 2006
allowed me to more intensively
research food-plot products and
aggressive techniques geared toward growing and holding mature
bucks on average-sized properties in
the Northeast. At the time, real estate
auctions were gaining popularity in
my area of Pennsylvania, and I immediately became a regular bidder.
While intensively seeking the
RIGHT property for my little project,
I kept the successes and failures of my
clients in mind. I examined the land
ownership patterns of my clients —
everything from tract size and shape
to habitat composition and proximity
to population centers. I dug through
the record books for my region of the
state and pinpointed local hotspots
that seemed to consistently produce
top-end bucks for the area. I closely
followed reported mature buck harvests right down to the fne details
of what types of habitats they were
produced in and killed on and how
large (or small) the property was. I
questioned whether bordering state
land, packed with high hunter densities during the deer season, was an
asset or a liability. The search became
an obsession and remains a popular
service I offer my clients today. In
short, I covered all my bases but ultimately bought because I fell in love
with the view and location!
After watching clients make mistakes and struggle under certain
scenarios but thrive under others, I
quickly learned to identify common
pitfalls. The commonality among
those who were successful was rarely a function of how big their hunting properties were. Instead, it was
how badly they wanted to improve
their hunting success. Success is
measured by commitment, not acreage!
The following is a review of the
successes and failures I’ve experienced while pouring every bit of
deer-management knowledge I have
into my 95-acre Drop-Tine Farms;
my personal deer dirt. Although I
could write a book on the reasons
for small-acreage management success, the common theme involves
food management. More specifcally,
planting the right food plot plants at
the right time allows you to attract
and hold more bucks in a given area.
High-quality, year-round food plot
programs tailored specifcally for
deer have revolutionized deer management on small acreage. I’ve been
completely amazed with the number
of mature bucks I’ve been able to
produce, attract and hold on my 95
acres. To help you do the same, I’ve
broken my system down into fve
phases.
Phase 1: Border Patrol
First and foremost, you must clearly identify and protect your borders!
As hunters, we must all obey game
laws. However, not all legal harvest
guidelines jibe with your specifc
hunting goals. This is where you transition from hunter to manager. Likewise, your neighbor’s goals may not
align with yours. As a result, it’s important to post, patrol and prosecute.
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THINK small &
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Immediately after closing on my
property, I identifed my property
lines and erected customized posted
signs with my contact information,
leaving no excuse for anyone to be
on my land without permission. I
then halted agricultural production
on vulnerable and exposed areas of
the property and further sought to
insulate myself by planting screening vegetation along the borders. Finally, I installed solid gates and barriers on all access roads.
Even with all that, it was ultimately necessary to let others know I am
serious by prosecuting poachers and
trespassers. There’s nothing more
frustrating than exercising restraint
in harvesting young bucks only to
have a trespasser reap the rewards
of your investment into that animal.
My frst trespasser prosecution was
like the stupid criminal stories you
hear about on the radio. After fnding his trail camera on my property, I
discovered two mug shots of my offender on the SD card. That was an
easy case for the State Police!
Posting and protecting your property
boundaries are keys to a successful
small-acreage management program.
When author Jason Snavely discovered
a trespasser’s scouting camera on his
land, he removed the camera and left a
very clear message for its owner.
Phase 2: Stock the Buffet
Develop a starting point by planning infrastructure such as roads
for food-plot equipment and access
routes to and from your stands. Figure out how deer move through the
property and use the various types
of existing habitat. Then focus your
management efforts on enhancing these areas by establishing food
plots.
I could never have achieved consistent success on my 95-acre property without timing my food plots to
produce during key times of the year.
There are two primary periods you
should plan around. Warm-season
annuals such as corn and soybeans
are key components of a year-round
food plot program, as they hold and
imprint deer to your property during a critical scouting period.
Yes, most bucks exhibit a major
dietary shift, and ultimately an activity shift, toward the end of the
growing season; however, a buck’s
world revolves around the urge to
feed and breed. Why not give them
all they want to maximize the attractiveness of your small hunting property? When managing small acreage,
we’re playing a game of odds by try-
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THINK small &
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ing to maximize the amount of time
a buck spends on your property.
Research projects using GPS collars
have shown us time and time again
that when the pressure is on, bucks
prefer to play the game with home
feld advantage.
Toward the end of the growing
season, roughly six to eight weeks
before the opening of early archery
season, cool-season annuals become
a crucial component. It’s this time of
the year that I fnd most deer hunters are not quite thinking about deer
season but are more focused on vacations, summertime chores and bass
fshing. While these are great activities, the success of your upcoming
hunting season is a function of how
active you are with preparing your
cool-season food plots. Early to midAugust always fnds me spraying
and planting everything from forage rape and turnips to cereal grains
such as oats and rye.
My hunting plots of brassicas, oats,
winter peas and forage soybeans
have been vital to attracting does and
bucks. Many bucks that have been
highly visible frequenting large roadside soybean felds shift to my latematuring forage soybeans and newly
germinating cool-season crops. We’ve
all watched a buck feed in these large
agricultural felds during late summer, insisting we’ve nailed his travel pattern, only to be disappointed
when he disappears a couple weeks
before opening day. The truth is, you
lost him to someone like me; someone
who has planned to fll a nutritional
void at the RIGHT TIME!
A perfect example of this is a buck
I call Blade. I’ve gotten to know
Blade and his unique travels over the
years. In fact, I’ve seen him from the
stand more than a dozen times over
the course of four years. That’s right;
he’s 5 ½ or 6 ½ years old. During the
2012 growing season, a local farmer
friend showed me pictures of a great
buck he captured on his trail camera
in his soybeans. His face displayed
shock when I explained this buck’s
name is Blade and added that he
has been around for several years. In
This series of photos highlights the progression of Blade, one of many mature
bucks Jason Snavely has been able to
grow and hold on his 95-acre farm. This
photo shows Blade on Valentine’s Day,
2010, just a month after the close of
2009 hunting season.
This photo shows Blade in velvet during
July 2010.
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THINK small &
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fact, I had a shed from when he was
a 2-year-old, as well as his matching
set of sheds from when he was 3 ½.
My friend’s excitement was obvious
as he described his hunting strategy
for when the bow season opened. I
made a prediction to him that day;
one that involved Blade on my turf
come bow season.
Since the goal with my property
is to continually push the envelope
and determine just how far I can go
with holding mature bucks, I actually
passed Blade during the bow opener
when he was 4 ½ years old. You’re
right; I wouldn’t believe you either if
you were telling this story. This buckharvest strategy is not typical on small
acreage and generally not advised; This photo shows Blade during the late
however, I view my lessons as profes- archery season in December 2011.
sional development. My clients pay
me for that. I believe the starting point
Blade in July 2012. At this point, he was
at least 5 years old and really starting to
pack on the mass in his antlers.
for most small-acreage managers is to
set a minimum harvest age for bucks
at 3 ½ years old. Those who know me
believe me when I say I passed a 15yard, slam-dunk bow shot because
I’m committed to proving conventional wisdom wrong. More bucks slip
past legal hunters than we realize, and
the survival rate accelerates as they
mature. Notice I said “legal” hunters,
because I frmly believe poaching is a
bigger problem than most are willing
to accept. These criminals are robbing
our resources and undermining our
management efforts.
Phase 3: No Risk, No Reward
Passing up young bucks works.
It’s time we let go of the antiquated
and misguided philosophy that “the
neighbors” will kill every buck you
restrain from harvesting. It’s simply
not true. Sure, some will die. But
most won’t. I’m happy to report that
more and more bowhunters tell me
at seminars and in my travels that
they have committed to passing all
bucks younger than 3 ½. I support
that goal wholeheartedly, even on
small acreage.
If the story of Blade seems like an
exception, I’ll throw another one at
you. If I had more space in this article, I’d throw a dozen more out there
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for any naysayers. Bumpers got
his name as a respectable 3 ½-yearold 8-pointeer with bumps for G4s.
At 4 ½, Bumpers developed 3- and
4-inch G4s. I know, because we found
the matched sheds. If you don’t
think he’s loyal to this management
program, ask yourself how many
times you have found matching sets
of sheds from the same buck at 3 ½
and 4 ½. At 5 ½, Bumpers absolutely
exploded and I estimated him in the
low 160s as a clean 10-pointer with
an incredible frame. At 6 ½, I never
saw Bumpers but continue to be optimistic, as AWOL stints are normal
for old warriors such as Bumpers.
Even if Bumpers was shot at 6 ½
by a happy hunter, I learned plenty from that buck, much of which
continues to provide valuable information for clients who want to
Bumpers was a respectable 8-point
buck at 3 1⁄2 years old but had absolutely
exploded by 5 1⁄2. By providing plenty
of food on a year-round basis, author
Jason Snavely was able to hold the buck
on his 95-acre farm for much of three
seasons.
consistently harvest mature bucks. I
followed that buck with near radiotelemetry accuracy by glassing the
neighborhood, monitoring his movements with trail cameras, fnding his
sheds, observing him from the stand
and talking to neighbors and farmers
about his movements. The bottom
line is that yet another mature buck
spent enough time on my small tract
to present harvest opportunities.
Phase 4: Assess and Adapt
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This step doesn’t require much
text. However, it’s vitally important
for continued success. Regularly review what’s working and what’s not
working and take action to correct
what’s not working. I record (and insist my clients do as well) every deer
observation from all of my sits. Over
time, my observation rates improved
both in total number of deer and in
number of “shooter” bucks observed
from the stand. Yours should too,
and if it doesn’t, you need to stop
and fgure out why.
Phase 5: Free Your Mind
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Throughout this process (and it is
a never-ending process), you must
keep an open mind and learn from
experience. I always question conventional wisdom and try to think
outside the box. One example relates
to doe harvest. I’m a proponent of
Quality Deer Management, and I
had plenty of big-game management
courses in college. I fully understand
the relationships between deer densities and deer quality and health. I
also believe most hunters now understand that deer numbers must be
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