How to start?

[ctom87]

Hypothetical scenario -

You have 1,500 acres near San Angelo leased for the year split between 3 people. Four deer were taken the year prior, pretty much untouched outside of a few weekends. The terrain is rocky with rolling hills. All feeders and blinds have been removed - you must start from the ground up. Deer population is healthy, no bruisers, and only one buck is 130+ that's been on a game cam. You've only been there 2 days but saw 30+ hogs, 4 bucks, 1 shooter, 1 spike, 2 doe, 14 turkey.

What is your game plan from April 1 through October 1? What is your game plan during the season? What are your 3-5 year goals?

If this is too vague, my apologies. Will answer any questions that I can that would help.

[Chad74]

Ride the property and look at aerial maps and figure out where to put your stands and feeders.

[TacticalCowboy]

Kill hogs

[ACbob]

If you can, start protein now. Make sure there is permanent water (hogs/turkey indicates yes), and look into getting on MLD program.

[rtarcher]

Ride the property and look at aerial maps and figure out where to put your stands and feeders.

This! Figure where your best spots for stands are going to be. Shoot hogs.
Start the protein and feed program. Find water sources. Once stands are where they need to be, monitor activity with game cams.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Livestock? If so, put up pens and feeders at random locations to get a feeding program started. Hunt/kill all the hogs you can, every chance you can. Hunt the turkeys too to keep them in check.

[bowhntrmatt]

This! Figure where your best spots for stands are going to be. Shoot hogs.
Start the protein and feed program. Find water sources. Once stands are where they need to be, monitor activity with game cams.

This. Use the hogs as a reason to sit in stands once you set them up for trial and error. You don’t want opening morning to be the time you find out that the sun is right in your eyes or a bush is in the way.
Try to set everything up ASAP so the deer get used to it and you can minimize activity on the property when deer season starts approaching.

[ctom87]

Livestock? If so, put up pens and feeders at random locations to get a feeding program started. Hunt/kill all the hogs you can, every chance you can. Hunt the turkeys too to keep them in check.

No livestock. The only other activity on the land is a small quarry... Not sure how often it is utilized. I haven't seen any signs of recent activity.

[SaltwaterSlick]

No livestock. The only other activity on the land is a small quarry... Not sure how often it is utilized. I haven't seen any signs of recent activity.

Well, if you have quick access to the place, then just spend as much time as you can scouting and observing game movements. Corn the roads every time you're there, put out protein stations. If the hogs hit those, put 'em in pens. Could be a real nice place if the surrounding properties are well managed too. With only 1500 acres, you will be limited in how much you can really "manage" it unless neighbors are management minded too...

[TheHammer]

Any corn feeders already spinning? If not, the first thing I would do is start feeding something!
As far as 3-5 year plan, I’d start getting an idea of your herd come August to see what you’re working with. I would base everything that you do off what the herd looks like. Maybe even a helicopter survey. Did the previous hunters provide any trail camera pictures?

[Hoss163]

Ride property . Look at all fences including any cross fences on the place . Set up closes to the trails that are most noticeable on the cross fences and a hundred yards are so off of the boundary crossing. Look at google earth of your place and the surrounding properties. Look for any pinch points on that google earth and try to set stands up on those places . Next feed feed and feed some more make sure there is some good places for water . If not make some good watering stations near your feed ..

[Hoss163]

For the three to five year plan Keep feeding and feeding all year .Shoot Only MATURE BUCKS as far as the bucks go and take a note of how many does you have had the first few years and harvest the does according to the doe count you have keep up with in the first two years . Buck doe ratio can get out of hand Quick in parts of that area so keep the doe count in check .. I don’t know what part of Angelo you are in but parts of that area can grow some giant bucks . So I can’t stress enough to let them get of age and I mean all the bucks get of age. You don’t know what they are truly going to be until I say at least 5.5 and even 6.5 on the really good bucks .

[Hart8]

I'd set up my stands,and cottonseed feeders.Coyote hunt as much as I could.Shoot a few doe's the first season.

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[cj7zrcool]

Ride property . Look at all fences including any cross fences on the place . Set up closes to the trails that are most noticeable on the cross fences and a hundred yards are so off of the boundary crossing. Look at google earth of your place and the surrounding properties. Look for any pinch points on that google earth and try to set stands up on those places . Next feed feed and feed some more make sure there is some good places for water . If not make some good watering stations near your feed ..

This would be exactly what I would do. Spend a lot of time on Google Earth looking for likely set sites (pinch points, trails leading to/from bedding areas, water, etc) then put boots on the ground to check everything out. Turkey season is a great time to shed hunt as well. Sounds potentially like a great place.

As equally important, find like-minded leasemates that you can trust to follow the rules and do the right things that aren't necessarily "rules". Good luck!

[brokeno]

Hog proof deer pens and feed cotton seed or protein. Google earth is a great way to see the area. Find out your buck to doe ratio from either game surveys or from your local biologist.