I had access to a vey small plot this year about 4 acres planted two pretty small food plots in spring and put up trail cam. Had all kinds of does and a couple shooter bucks all the way up to a week befor gun season. Put up a ground blind for my girlfriend who is the owner of the land. A week befor gun season the neighbor ran the bean field at the top,of the hill and all deer sighn disappeared we only had two picturs for all of Gus season both around 3 am.She was very disappointed to say the least. If she wants to hunt here next year anyone have suggestions on how to keep the deer in this area after the crops are gone it's all woods so big food plots arnt really an option. Got a 60 acre cow pastur on one side and a large track of woods on the other that no one hunts to our knowledge but permission was denied. So we're stuck on her 3 acres if she wants to hunt there thanks

I planted soybeans then broadcast turnips, rape, fertilizer and groundhog radish between the rows in mid August, then broadcast winter wheat in mid Sept. Deer feed daily and still do. h.h.

Myself I would of had blind up well before week before season for one thing. For turkey it would not matter but it deer take a while to get use to it. What do you mean neighbor ran the beanfield at top of hill?

Is that Madison as in Jefferson Co. your in?

Were the deer actively feeding in your plots and abandoned them? Or were they just passing through from the adjacent woods to the beans?

Do you actually have 4 acres that could be put into plot? That is a real good sized plot and could be very effective at drawing in deer.

I would do a big chunk of soybeans planted in spring to leave stand, a big chunk of purple top turnips, and the borders and divider strip in white clover. That will be a regular deer buffet.

If there have not been food plots in the area it may take a couple seasons to "train' your local deer to use them. Don't be surprised if you don't see much use first year. A real cold snap helps, and plots don't really get effective till you've been consistently having that food available for 3-4 years.

Be very cautious about hunting plots very much or you will run the deer off and/or force them to only use the plots after dark. Only hunt them occassionally when the wind is right. Three or four days in a row sitting over a plot will educate the deer to stay away.

Create cover and bedding areas for safety. Hinge cut some trees and make some thick small patches so deer will use it as a safety zone. Stay out until you know conditions are perfect. Make sure your blind is very well brushed in to the extreme when placed in the woods, on that small of a property, and only hunt out of one direction of the blind to minimize movement. Deer may still feed in the cut field but 3 acres of woods will either be used for a travel corridor or a periodic bedding area. Good luck!

I have a similar property that I hunt on in Owen county. The landowner had the 5 acre patch logged a couple years ago and we have maintained trails that run through it. We have not put out any food plots although we are considering it for next year. The areas we don't maintain are thick and grown up to give the deer cover. We have created a small watering hole in the middle of the property which has drawn many deer in over the past couple years. This 5 acre patch acts as a funnel for the deer between 2 big wooded areas. I have stands placed in easy to get to areas and we put minimal pressure on it and only hunt each stand when we have a desirable wind. I have other areas I hunt with much more room to spread out in but could easily fill my freezer at this 5 acre spot every year. This small plot has become one of my favorite places to hunt every year!!

I think I was a travel coradore to the bean field as for the property itself it's very narrow and has a creek running through it its very clean with very little underbrush and tall timber the blind my have been a factor it was up only a week befor season was doing some research and thinking maybe oats but it's all timber so idk if anything will grow

That's a tough one then. If you can get them feeding in your plot, they may not abandon it but I suspect they have something better to eat somewhere else. It is very easy to run deer off 4 acres.

I have a similar 20 acre plot that gets burned out fast if the deer know I am there. It is a transition path from food to bed. I usually save it for the kids or if I need a deer or two.

Are they used to human movement on the property? I'd set up a permanent blind. Make sure you don't walk on their trails and don't let them see you get in the blind. Cut a path and rake away the leaves. Don't use a light to get into it. Mind the wind. You might set up a couple blinds for different winds. Creek bottoms are notorious for making otherwise dependable winds very swirly. Stay on top if you can.