Hey Jim, sounds like we have very similiar plans. Starting over Christmas my dad and I our beginning to do some real management work on the family property. We have plans for timberstand improvment, food plots, water, amonst other things. There are alot of poplar/aspen/ironwood that need to be thinned out. A couple of years ago we began selectively opening small areas of the woods up to allow sunlight to hit the forest floor and I am so amazed at the number of young oak trees that have sprouted and taken off just with the addition of light. We have the same approach as you with wanting to manage for multiple species, not just deer. One think we have been very succesful with is dropping the large mature poplar trees. If you kill them rather than letting them die on their own and provide the floor with sulight, the amount of root suckering that takes place is amazing. These thick little stands of poplar are great for the grouse. This year we are going to be planting all the logging roads in clover for the deer but grouse love the clover too. Its only 80 acres right now, but I tell you, it is so much fun planning and acting and then seeing the results.

We know how we want to improve the timber and habitat but the food plots are a different story as there are so many options and you dont want to be wasting money. I;m n the process now of looking at what the many companies offer and reading reviews on their products.There are beans, corn and alfalfa all over so we want to plant things that are different and the deer can only find here.

One of the neatest ideas I have read so far is about creating your very own sheltered watering holes. I have read about guys having success burying a kiddie pool (the 6 foot wide kind) in some sort of drainage so it naturally fills up with water, and hold water giving the deer and other a small, secure place to drink. Apparently the scummy, stagnant water is not a deterrent to them.

Good luck to you and share any ideas you have.