On the afternoon of Nov. 2, 2023, Russell Colvin of Dubach saw the elements of his dream reach fruition when a heavy-antlered 9-point buck stepped behind the scope of his Winchester .270 short mag. A squeeze of the trigger dropped the 217-pounder that scored 150 4/8 inches of antler mass.
Colvin’s dream didn’t happen overnight. Having purchased a 27-acre plot of land in Union Parish the year prior, he started planning how he could turn this average piece of property into something that would attract deer, especially big bucks. It took much planning and lots of sweat equity for the land to become what he hoped it would ultimately be.
Colvin shared some points, tips and valuable information that should help any deer hunter with similar goals to realize the same success.
What deer need
- Deer need three things to survive — food, water and shelter. Where I live in the piney woods of north Louisiana, food is a limiting factor for 99 percent of the properties. For small properties, you have to give the deer reason to want or to need to be on your property.
- My 27 acres had been clear cut and left to regenerate naturally. Basically it offered nothing for deer. So I hired a dozer operator to clear 5 acres of food plot. Surrounded by pine plantations, my property suddenly transformed into an attractive area after I planted the 5 acres in wheat/oats/rye mix.
- I learned that the number one thing a mature buck seeks is an area where he feels safe. Avoiding pressure is even more critical on a small plot. Therefore, when planning a food plot, stand location and access trail, knowing the surrounding landscape and where deer are most likely to bed and travel is important in allowing your access around such areas to avoid detection.
Stand location
- A mistake some hunters make is placing their stand location on the edge of a food plot. If possible, I prefer to have my stand location 1 to 15 yards off the plot in the woods. This small change makes a world of difference in accessing your stand undetected.
- My favorite setup when creating a new food plot is to push a windrow of brush on the side of the plot where your access is from and to place your stand behind the brush. This allows you to enter and exit the stand without spooking deer, even if they are on the food plot.
- Choose good mapping software. I use the onX software all year along.
- If possible, the best access to a property is from the east or south. This allows for undetected access with either a west or north wind, which are prevailing wind directions in fall and winter.
Timing
- Use a cell camera to monitor activity and STAY OUT until a deer is killable. This means the buck is either daylighting, a cold front is moving through or the rut is going on.
- You can’t kill a nice buck from your couch, but you’re far more likely to mess up an area by hunting at the wrong time.
- If possible, I like to have a couple of stands that I can hunt if I just want to go hunting and see deer or maybe kill a doe. However, I avoid locations like the plague where a mature buck is known to frequent until one of the three — he’s coming out in daylight, a cold front is approaching or the rut is kicking in — takes place.
Create bottlenecks
- Create funnels or pinch points in locations that suit you. The idea is to make deer do what you want them to do. One thing I did was to build a fence across the width of the food plot where deer normally enter and exit the plot. I left a gap 15 feet or so wide and every deer that enters the plot across that portion walks through that gap.
- You can also hinge-cut small trees in a straight line to form a barrier for deer to walk around.
- A long-term addition to a property is to plant fruit trees. Last winter, my family and I planted persimmon and chestnut trees on the edge of the food plot opposite my stand from where I access. Once they mature, they will provide yet another attraction for deer on the property.
In summary, Colvin believes that small parcels can offer big opportunities.
“Whether hunting mature bucks or just wanting a piece of land to own and manage yourself, small parcels offer opportunities to the every-day person,” he said.