RE: Atv or small tractor?
Like several others in here, I have both and use them in tandem. My tractor is too big for for my "home" use because my yard is not that large. I use a Massey-Ferguson 42 hp out at my 100 acre hunting area and a small atv here at my home to plow snow in the winter. The rest of the yearthe atvis out at the hunting property used as a utility machine to help with all aspects of the property maintenance and food plot preparation. So my suggestion would be to work towards a goal of having both.
My tractor is an old (1986) diesel that I bought at an auction after years and years of saving and looking. At 42 hp it is big enough to do most jobs, but not too big to maneuver through the woods etc. It alsocame witha 1 yard bucket that is handy for a lot of things. But, the other tractor 3 point hitch attachments are what have really made it worth its weight in gold for food plot preparation. I found a very good used 20 foot boom sprayer that hooks on the 3 point hitch. That takes care of spraying in no time. ThenI bought a 6 foot wide,3 point plow that covers the tractor tracks and that plow was the best thing that ever happened to food plot preparation. It turns unmanageable, virgin topsoil into powder in a single run. I can do a 2 acre food plot in about an hour (sandy loam, but not clay). After tilling I then use the atv with a drag harrow to level it out and then seed followed by the drag harrow and, whallahhhhh, it is complete. I am now saving up for a cultipacker which I believe will help with my germination on certain plantings.
In summary, my suggestion would be to have a goal and work towards that goal over a period of years. With an unlimited budget it would be nice to just go out and buy, buy, buy. But that is just not possible for most people. So, maybe start with the atv because that gives you the most versatility and work up to the tractor later as financial resources become available. But I definitely believe that for food plot preparation, you can't beat a tractor. Good luck!