Editor’s Note: Our society teaches that more is better, so therefore your odds should be better to take a nice buck if you have more land to hunt. But in many sections of the U.S., we’re hunting deer that may be smarter and more than aware of what’s happening in the woods than the hunters are. More deer hunters today are proving the validity of the old adage, “Less is more,” especially when hunting big bucks. Most hunters search for large tracts of land to hunt, thinking that the more property they have to hunt, the more and the bigger bucks they can take. But if you intensively manage small sections of land or hunt at lodges offering small places to hunt, you often can take more and larger bucks than those who hunt sizeable tracts.

To effectively manage small plots for big bucks and be able to take deer at shorter distances, you need to:

* have an abundance of high-quality food that’s easily accessible to the deer all year.

* always hunt with the wind in your favor.

* make the does feel comfortable on that small plot of land. Then they’ll raise the next crop of bucks on your property and attract bucks expanding their territories during the rut to your land.

* give the young bucks enough time to grow to maturity and put on the heavy antlers you’re striving to obtain in your herd.

* reduce the number of does each year on that small tract to keep the numbers down to have enough food available for all the deer you’re attracting.

* hunt your small plots selectively, keeping in mind that the less time you spend there, the more likely that the bucks will show-up during daylight hours.

* hunt these 40-60 or less acre hunting sites during the rut rather than the food supply, when the does will pull-in more bucks to the property.

With the cost of hunting lands and hunting leases continuing to increase, many hunters have chosen the small-plot option for growing and hunting deer, instead of thinking they’ll spot and take deer at great distances. Hunters can take more big bucks on several small sections of land than they can on one large piece of property, if the hunters intensively manage those tracts to hold big bucks. As more large tracts of private lands are being leased by fewer hunters, to have your own slice of deer hunting paradise, search for 50-60 acre tracts that you can lease at reasonable prices and modify with some of these ideas.

To learn more information on women hunting, check out John E. Phillips’ book, “Outdoor Women’s Hall of Fame” (https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Womens-Hall-Fame-Premier-ebook/dp/B0771VP16V), available in Kindle and print versions. To receive your free book on “How to Make Venison Jerky,” https://www.dropbox.com/sh/itouigq8uvrh8u1/AADtiETp26LJ3uWNq__ioKrGa?dl=0.