A Honeycutt

Newbie here. I just bought my own land for bow hunting. I've been looking for the right place for 5 years and finally found the place for me. It is located in SE Okla. not a big place but I believe it has big potential. The property I bought is 86 acres. About 40% big timber. I am surrounded by heavy blocks of big timer that has no hunting. Nearest land under cultivation Is 5 miles in all directions. I'm hoping with proper food plot development I can pull in a good amount of deer. My plans are to put in several food plots totaling 20 or so acres. The first few years I plan to use several different crops to find out what seems to work the best in the area. Soil samples will be done this week. Tomorrow I will be purchasing a 47 HP tractor with loader, brush hog, 2 bottom plow, disc, box blade and brush hog and start preparing the ground. Corn feeders are on order. I only bow hunt so mostly will be small plots with one larger plot of about 10 acres to take some of the pressure off the smaller plots. There are several timber meadow of 1/2 acre in size that I will plant and the main plot that will be 10 acres or so but can be up to 20 acres. The way the timber and meadows are located I will able to hunt plots and feeders no matter which direction the wind is blowing. I have admired the property for 25 years and finally a for sale sign went up a few weeks ago. I had a contract on it within hours. The closest huntable land is over 5 miles so I will be able to manage for quality mature deer. With the exception of harvesting doe and bucks that do not show potential I will harvest only mature bucks. 4 1/2-5 1/2 year old bucks. I hunt another ranch 8 miles away that we take 1-2 bucks in the 160-170 class so every year so we have good genetics in the area. I will be living on the ranch in a couple years so,I will have the time and $ to make the most of it. This has been a life long dream that is finally coming true. If you haven't been able to tell I'm like a kid with a new toy.There is one smallnpond on the property and alive creek. Dozer will be there soon to put in 2 ponds about 3 acres each. Also a small pond on the live creek that will be used for irrigation as needed. Sorry about rambling on so much.

fastetti

Sounds like you found one of the greatest spots on earth! I can't see how it could get any better with no neighbors to worry about shooting your smaller bucks. Plus, with the big timber and even water, you should be set! Have you starting running any cameras at all? If so, that would probably be the first thing I would do. I hunt the midwest mostly and you probably have a lot different environment than us. I really like clover for food plots. It's pretty universal, lasts through droughts and we seem to get 5 years on a good planting. We do smaller plots as well, seldom over an acre but we do have a good amount of ag on our land so the deer get most of their food from that.

Congrats on the great piece of land, hopefully as time goes by I'll find something like that in Illinois!