Micro-Manage Deer
You Can Hunt Successfully On Small Acreages
 Editor’s Note: "A 60-acre lease can provide all the land you and your friends need to bowhunt or gu n hunt successfully - if the lease is the right 60 acres," says Jim Crumley of Roanoke, Virginia, founder of Trebark camouflage. "If plenty of deer are passing through the property, and if you can shoot accurately for at least 20 yards in every direction, then all the land you need to take white-tailed deer consistently is about 40-square yards."
Jim Crumley manages small plots of land near where he lives that produce plenty of bucks each season for him, his family and his friends. Although Crumley doesn't have an enormous amount of land, he intensively manages his property toproduce the most quality bucks possible. Crumley learned this deer-management system years ago when he only had enough money to lease 60 acres of hunting land. Crumley worked closely with a state biologist, who determined that theabundance of food and the number of deer using his 60 acres meant that Crumley and his family could harvest from six to 10 bucks each year without negatively impacting the herd.
"If you're not able to enlist the help of a wildlife biologist, you can use what I consider  the Best-Guess Philosophy to predict approximately how many deer you can harvest off  a small collection of land," Crumley comments. "Before deer season begins, scout your lease, and count the number of deer coming into your green fields late in the afternoon or at night. Assume that you'll only spot about half of the deer on your property when you count the deer. For instance, if you consistently see 15 deer on a green field, you can make an educated guess that roughly 30 deer live on your land. I've discovered that hunters can bag about one-third of the deer on a well-kept lease each season without adversely affecting the resources. My family and I always plan to take no more than 10 animals a season off 60 acres. However, remember, this technique is not an exact or a scientific way to decide how many animals to harvest from your magic 60 acres." Crumley has proved the effectiveness of micro-managing deer - even on an extremely-small hunting lease. Let's look at some micro-management techniques this week that will increase the number and the size of bucks you can take off a small piece of property.
Tomorrow: Keep the Deer at Home
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