Hoshman, Welcome to the board!! Not sure if I will be able to help you out or not. I have 20 acres in a very rural area that is heavily hunted and also quite sadly poached all year long. I've been here for a little over 6 years now and after the first year many of the big bucks hole up here for some some reason, along with quite a few does.

My theory on this is that I started planting food plots in different places every year. I put out salt licks twice a year, and corn is available all year long....except I cut back on that in the late Spring and Summer. The acreage is mostly Oak, Beech, Hickory, several Paw Paw trees, Honeysuckle, Greenbrier, Wild Grapes.....and a couple of Pine thickets. They have a fresh water source that the prior owner put up.....an old iron smelting pot that is spring fed and has fresh water running into it all year long.
I have the property posted due to past poaching problems, usually patrol the property on a yearly basis which locals know so they stay off. Word has it that If your not invited and I catch you on my acreage.....you might dance a lil jig prior to leaving at a rather fast rate.

I am that way because several years back I had twin 10 pts here. Took videos of them as they grew up and at 3 yrs old they were both awesome to behold. A neighbor got one of them on adjacent acreage, and I found the other on the ridge top.....shot 5 times and decapitated!!
[] The meat was just left to rot by the @#*&***^%$$## that did this. Boy, What a trophy to be proud of hanging on their wall.....friggin pathetic excuse for a human being. [:@][:@][:@]

Anyway.....Keeping people off the acreage, right right combination of what they want, terrain, and natural habitat available makes a major difference. It has worked for me....perhaps it may work for you too. Good Luck to you, and Happy Hunting this coming season.