There seems to be a growing trend among private landowners utilizing various methods to improve habit, thereby bringing in and holding more deer on their property. Now there's even consultants available to assist landowners. For example, I've heard great things about this outfit. Interesting stuff.
https://epicwhitetailhabit.wixsite.com/epicwhitetailhabitat
As baiting bans continue to spread, I think more people will focus on habitat improvement...beyond just food plots. I'm always looking for ways to improve my property.

Helped my friend go over his 200 acre track and we cut down a lot of junk trees and a bunch of buckeyes a few years ago, it made incredible bedding area and a lot of new browse. We are going up to our 800 acre property in illinios next month and going to prep some ground and put in a few food plots which I've never done, but this place has 260 acres of crp so no more bedding is needed. Its fun to try to make better habitat and actually watch it work

I live in an agricultural area so food is everywhere thick bedding cover is the secret to big bucks imho. Food can help but I'll take the thick nasty cover that you can't walk through for holding big bucks all day long. Specially where there's a lot of hunting pressure.

Been doing it for years.
Not for more deer nessisaraly, but it's just plain fUN!

I prefer good bedding over foodplots.

We are always planning or working on habitat improvement on our hunting property. Think about access when placing stands.

X2

Yup. Combine that with a small huntable food source close by that they feel concealed in. Like shooting fish in a barrel! LOL

A little no-plow and scratching up a few acres can be done rather easy!

I do this for a living. I am not JUST a consultant. Consultants are everywhere. I create a comprehensive management plan based upon the landowners’ goals and then implement the plan. I provide a comprehensive service to maximize the potential of the land.

I do wildlife habitat improvement, management of recreational lands timberlands wetlands lakes ponds, predator management trapping, and nuisance wild animal trapping.

I manage land for people by designing food plots, supplemental feeding, mineral sites, farming operations, elevated blinds, tree planting, tree removal, land clearing, timber stand improvement, design and build bedding, nesting, resting, staging, and sanctuary cover. I plant orchards for food. I plant oak forests for mast. I plant other trees for other reasons. I oversee contractors on job sites, and work with landowners making myself invaluable to manage their operations. Map the deer runs. Trail camera surveys of the deer.

I have all necessary equipment to do the work and if necessary stay at a customer’s property. Sometimes I stay there until a project is complete, sometimes I stay through the week and come home on weekends, other times I come home daily. It depends on distance and what else I have going on. And it depends if I am working other jobs at the same time. I may have traps to check elsewhere first.

However, if the job pays enough, I will not stack other jobs on top.

My cousin Ryan owns a wildlife habitat improvement company. I enjoy hearing advice on improvements I can make to my land. He made a lot of improvements to my aunts property. It's interesting to see what a person can do to their land. I've noticed the improvement 1st hand @ my aunts land.
Today Ryan bagged this dandy there during the opener of Wi's bow season. Some improvements are worth a persons time/effort.


AJE
https://m.facebook.com/EpicWhitetailHabitat/

FOOD PLOTS

gotta have the brush and cover to hold them when the pressure is on. Switch grass and thick undergrowth. Mature bucks will seek the thickest cover when pressure is on.. If your property has thick cover along with the food plots. The big deer will be residents.

I love the switchgrass idea. Where's a good place to buy switch grass seed?

Fertilizing the oaks and honeysuckle appears to help us

Honeysuckle here is an invasive. Instead of fertilizer, we give it herbicide.

But I've heard fertilizing mature oaks around your stand can improve acorns.

I have seen more people destroy property than improve it. I used to believe in order to have quantity and quality of deer that food plots were a necessity. When I asked the manager of the plantation why he doesn’t plant food plots he told me to jump in the Ranger and he would show me why. Now remember I’m in SW Georgia in plantation country (Quail Management). Pines are planted, thinned, and select cut continuously. Thinning opens up the forest floor and select cutting opens it even more to natural browse. Too look out across this you wonder what exactly is out there to draw in deer and keep them healthy. Well, that day I learned. Ragweed, Partridge Pea, American Beauty Berry, Black Berries, Green Briar, etc...I was told to look them up and talk to a biologist, which I did. Most people will mow and plow up fields of this browse to plant a food plot that doesn’t last or even make in some years. And when you throw in a Summer of rain like we had this year, Wiregrass is tall enough to hide a standing fawn. I’ve always heard if you manage for quail everything else prospers, I now believe that and even our State WMA’s are starting this practice. Add trapping almost 365 days a year and you have an awesome piece of Gods Country for all your game.

Yes and great places to trap, I trap about 700 acres 1 guy is very particular and runs camera's all year and sends me the pictures when he has cats and coyotes on the camera, I called him a couple years ago when I caught a couple guys tress passing, he has pretty much given me run of the place, I don't know of anyone else that he let's on his property

Your local farm coop here can order different types of seeds. The big bucks love bedding out in the stuff.

I agree a person needs to be cautious not to damage their property. Once I checked out the improvements on my aunts property, I noticed some of the techniques that do work. It was interesting to see some of the ways deer take a liking to good habitat.

My brother and I at the encouraging of our father started purchasing land in 1984. We now have over 700 acres of recreational land primarily some agriculture. We have developed this land to hold and produce whitetails. Our logging roads were placed as fire breaks. Our food plots placed inside the property to draw and hold deer inside and kill plots at staging locations before field entry. Food plots are created with rotational food to be valuable throughout the year, benefiting year round health and growth, soil test, fertilize, and lime. We manage and fertilize hard mast and soft mast trees as well as pruning. Timber management has varied dependent on location and species. Still needing to maximize value of the timber. We have created thermal cover, summer and winter. Rotational logging and clear cut areas for cover and browse. Tree planting of specific species. We logged when we were young so had timber knowledge. (edit) Water holes also important. We have had various people ask to walk our property, (some experts ;-) and always ask how did you develop what you have. It is simple you don't need a specialist. Read, study, listen. Go to seminars, take it all in, sort it out. I realize not everyone is able or willing, to take the time to put in the work required of a project like this but it can be done. Yes we have made mistakes but it all works out eventually. But man every time you let a spike to 150" buck walk and shoot a dandy yourself or the younger generation gets one, or mom -shes 82 now, it is worth it and makes us smile. Additionally we never show our deer, lots of green eyed monsters, remember that also.