Do deer travel much to find new food sources?
 

So I’m about to purchase my first piece of land for hunting in Wisconsin and the current property I am looking at has minimal deer sign but seems to have potential as the previous owners didn’t seem to manage the land much for deer. So my question is that as I plant a food plot or two and new soft mast trees and other attractants for deer, how likely would a new herd or buck move into my property?

Depends on what's available. If food is limited in the area, or limited at certain times of year, then they will go looking for it. If it's plentiful they have no reason to.

If your property is surrounded by food then focus on making your property desirable for bedding areas.

-Jake

They will travel as far as they have to to find the food that they want.

In my opinion, it is a long-term project, expecting quick results is being overly optimistic, Deer need certain trace elements in their diet, they normally get them from eating forage on soils with these trace elements. They will move onto land with their deficiencies in mind (nose).
Other than that planting good winter forage will draw them in. If there is good cover around they will likely stick around all year. Planting tall perennials will give them bedding areas.
Mineral licks especially designed for Deer will draw them in from great distances. Part of the reason a Deers nose is so good is to find needed trace elements.
I plant winter Rape and there is always Deer around. Then replant summer Rape in the same plot for cover and forage in the fall. The Deer kill, I mean absolutely go nuts over the winter Rape after the first frost, not much survives the winter.
Like mentioned once the Deer are there and they have cover and forage not much reason for them to wander much. I've had Doe live their entire lives in the same square half-mile. Buck are most likely to wander during the rut, but if you have a good Doe residency your neighbor's Bucks are likely to wander onto your land.
Much of my lease is farmland, a lot of choices for feed. But I've watched them skip over likely fields and move onto fields far from cover, the only reason I can think of for this is the mineral content of the fields they favor.

my 2 ceents is this
IF you plant food better than what is about your area, you will soon have a LOT of deer and other critters on your land
if your land has food when others DON"T have food, you will have lots of critters on your land
30+ yrs of planting food plots for hunting, shown me this time and time again
deer all thew time wander about there area in search of food, and or just to explore things from time to time, as younger bucks search out there own home ranges
deer are always on the move, MOST however stick with the main herd or sorts and stay where proven food is reliable as is safety and such!
which brings me to this

T remember if your land has poor cover deer and other things will EAT your food plot at NIGHT, same goes if you have a LOT of pressure or human presence on your land, animals learn to pattern YOU, and will eat your good foods when your not there!

SO< when planning any future land improvements, keep in mind how you will be accessing them and using them, to reap the best rewards

so, even if you have the same foods as others, the answer then IMO< comes down to cover safety issue's on WHEN they will eat your food, and stay on your land or stay where they are.

the trick again, is plant foods better than neighbors, or build land to make eating on your food safer as also in having better places to bed and stay safe closer to the food!

deer are much better at pattering hunters , than I think most hunters are at patterning them! LOL