In 60 years of putting a lot of time in the woods (30-40 days a year) , reading hunting magazines from cover to cover during that time, there were only 2 writers that were relatable to my experiences and your were one of them. Thank you so much for your total honesty and one of the REAL ones.

I'm 63 and could not agree more with you Bill.....I wish more people understood what the "joy of Hunting" really means, at least to us old guys..LOL

Spot on, Bill! The Joy of Hunting! It’s what brought us all into the outdoor lifestyle. I wish everyone could feel that draw and get back to that if they are being pulled elsewhere by the self imposed pressure. In the end, nobody truly cares about our own experiences, successes like we do. I sure appreciate and enjoy following yours.

Thanks Bill, i was curious about this myself. I figured there were probably more deer than it appeared. Im always learning.

Well said, Bill. I have the utmost respect for you, and as you said, it's your farm. Experiment. Learn. And most of all, have the kind of experience and fun you want to have. You've at least earned that right. Blessings to you.

So well said, thank you for being one of us, with the same mind set. What a great opportunity for you to test out your theory and yet you take us along for the ride. Thank you for sharing and doing so.

I have faith in you Bill. I watch a lot of youtube and people in comments sometimes just make me scratch my head.

This video is exactly why you are one of the only hunting channels I watch on here. We appreciate you Bill! When you said anyone could do what you did on those other farms I just about spit out my coffee laughing. You're the man!

As a landowner, I enjoy seeing the process of building and managing a property more than most big buck hunting videos.

Reminds me of one year I couldn't find a target buck. Seemed like everything I had was immature. Didn't even have a cull to go after. I held out hope that a big buck would show up but by late December I knew it was pretty much over. With 3 weeks of archery season left I decided to go after does. We have too many anyway, and I felt like it was more of a management responsibility, so away I went. By seasons end, January 15th, I had arrowed 6 does and ended up having one of the funnest most memorable seasons I ever had, not to mention lots of meat for the freezer. Shooting does, especially the older ones if you can, is a great and necessary management tool for the hunter, and will help manifest your big buck management results even sooner as the newer better genetics are overturned sooner and more efficiently. Hunters in the know take a doe. Great video Bill!

IMO this, on so many levels, might be the best video you have ever put out for us! Thank you

Love the fact you said you know that anyone could have harvested big deer based on where you were hunting. I absolutely agree. I had the same experience.

I gotta say I can't relate to the private farm thing, just a south central MN bowhunting public grinder with average-at-best success on pressured grounds. But, THANK YOU for the "Always Dream Big" thing you do. I take it to heart and will watch each vid throughout just to hear it, even though nothing else is helpful. That last line is. Thanks again.

I agree 100% with what you said it's about the challenge and a lot of people forget the enjoyment of just being out on a hunt. I think it'll be great to see what you turn your property into and by keeping a log of before and after really helps a lot of us out that are NOT super educated in Property Management. Thanks as always

Just so much deer hunting knowledge and experience. Really look forward to Bills point of view on any deer hunting subject

A couple of things that stand out to me are 1) You should hunt and manage your property the way you want 2) It seems to be nearly impossible to reduce a deer population once it gets ahead of you. Good video and clear explanation. Best of luck with your habitat improvements, Bill.

Well... heres my two cents. As someone who hunts public and doesnt have that opportunity to manage my deer herd, based on what you've done in the past.. and knowing people like Grant Woods, I'm betting on you'll succeed at what you're trying to do. Whether others agree or disagree with you, its awesome to have a piece of property where you can do what you want and succeed or fail, but you are the one who gets to decide that by implementing your own plan. I'm glad to be able to follow along. Thanks for giving us thar opportunity.

Well spoken my friend. It’s refreshing to hear someone say they might be wrong who knows but they’re going to try something anyway, much respect.

You are spot on with your analysis and plan. I have hunted deer and studied them for more than 50 years. With respect to herd density, once a deer herd gets out of balance it is almost impossible to rebalance it without totally screwing it up. Stay with your plan. I know you will. I for one, am with you. Thanks again

Well said! I appreciate the honesty and self evaluation.

I'm 60 years old live in Alabama.. and have bow hunted only with traditional equipment since 1986.. I do use a rifle in many cases to shoot the requirements of antlerless deer by our biologist... I hunted some of Alabama's best management properties as a guide and mgr of deer herds... And my friend you couldn't have said it any better.. I commend you on your experiences and knowledge.. I will say this from years of experience of deer management.. You are correct in your information.. Also it has to have some challenges.. Thank you sir

Good explanation Bill, hope you keep having fun so you stick around for us to enjoy learning!!

Well said Bill! As a hunting celebrity I am pleased to hear you admit that you hunted great properties in southern Iowa and that the average good deer hunter could’ve done what you did there.

Always people with less knowledge of whitetails, will voice their opinions. Thank you Bill for all you do. Especially your faith in God.

Bill, I have a similar situation to yours on my in-laws farm in Mississippi. We have 400 acres but a very low density of deer. I don't mind it because usually we have very nice makeup of mature bucks running around. We don't have the habitat to have a high density of deer, but what we do normally have are several really nice mature bucks.

When you show those bucks near the end of the video goodness my heart jumps. I wish you nothing but the best luck on this new learning experience remember dream big.

Doe Patrol is a must in some situations .

Looking forward to watching your results Bill ! I believe you're on the right track 😊 And it is your land and your experiment I'm betting that you're right !

Thanks Bill always learning from you. ENJOY ALL YOUR VIDEOS.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Bill. I’ve definitely changed my way of thinking about hunting

God bless you and family you, have helped me and a ton of other hunters become wiser in the woods.

Another great video. I’m still looking forward to see how the acorns you spread come up. Grant woods is definitely a great connection for what you are trying to accomplish.

Spot on! I’ve watched you since I was a little kid and have immense respect for you and your wisdom.

You're always inspirational thank you

High density is great for one major thing IMO - producing a show where every sit is action packed and the viewers get to see deer. Its the sad reality and it sets unreal expectations. NJ has completely changed the last 2-3 years after our major EHD in 2021. You'll get the sits where you see nothing and sometimes several in a row. In 2020 I could sit and see 5-10 deer every time no matter the location. The deer were stressed. They could destroy a 30ac bean field in the summer before opening day. It made for great velvet filming and scouting.

Interesting. I struggled with that decision this year. New property with a good buck population, but barely any does. I let all the bucks go, knowing some would be killed by neighbors and the rest would hopefully make it to another age class. I felt guilty shooting a doe but I wanted meat, I wanted to experience a successful hunt and try out a new weapon as well. My conscious decision was that in stead of pumping off a decent buck, which can be hard to replace, does are like weeds sometimes. I did hold off on my other doe tags as I didn't want to end the deer herd and make an unrecoverable error. I like you am experimenting with a new type of challenge. I have never owned a property where I would see and get pictures of bucks constantly and actually be surprised to see a doe. Thanks for the update.

Makes total sense to me Bill, with high density you have to worry about disease, putting too much stress on the resources, inviting in predators, and I think makes it harder to rattle or grunt bucks in because there are so many does. I hope it works out for you , and I think it will!

Thanks for this great in depth explanation Bill. It makes sense to me, looking forward to the upcoming years to watch and learn from the process and outcome.

Best episode of the ‘23-24 season.

I totally agree. For the first time in my life I got permission to hunt an overpopulated farm in southern Illinois. Saw some really big bucks but with so many deer you can’t hardly hunt anywhere on that farm without spooking deer.

Good show! Just about the only one I watch anymore . Definitely the most real.

Your IQ is upper level. Thanks for breaking it down. I hunt in in an area with very very low deer numbers. Friends ask me to hunt on their land to see 15 per day. I decline saying that one buck i get gives me so much satisfaction knowing i did something most other people couldnt or wouldnt.

I love what your doing Bill.congrats and best of luck my friend.

Thanks for your wisdom again. I’ve always said managing hunters is harder than managing deer. This is especially true on public land. Some years I have lots of hunters in one area, and a couple years later not as many. On public land people move around when they are not seeing deer. Here in MI the deer population changes yearly, but I don’t believe it’s because a lot more deer are harvested but rather the hunting pressure moves the deer more to private land where the antlerless deer are save.

Your thoughts regarding hunting only come with age. I only know this because I am about the same age and hunting experience. It has been left long ago where my season was determined by the size of the buck I was able to harvest. Hunting is so much more and every year that I am able to get out into my woods is incredibly successful.

Well said!

All the best. Trail cams can only gather so much information. My son & I were concerned about harvesting too many doe on a property I manage because we were only seeing a "few" mature doe on camera. We had many small buck(spikes & forks) and 2 decent shooter buck. But in late season and post season we started seeing small herds of doe and fawn. The buck all but disappeared. There are more deer in the area than we originally thought.

Good stuff Bill and wish you as well as Team Winke the best into the future ! Keep up the great work!

I'm a huge believer in the fewer does you have, the more bucks and mature bucks you will have. 10 years ago I would have said you were crazy if you told me that. My property has proved that to me over the past 5-6 years. I have fewer does on my land and way more bucks and more bucks over 3 years old than ever before

Dream Big brother 🙏

At least you're trying to what's best for the herd and the farm. Most hunters don't have to deal with such decisions, and really don't take the time to understand that location and density have a huge impact on the overall hunting... off-season decisions matter! Good luck Bill with your farm there!

I respect that you decided to move off the easy spots and are trying to create a challenge, I'm sure it's not easy all the time but it's very interesting, I think you're on the right track, let's just hope ehd and cwd don't stimy your plans, I hate seeing those mature giants dead from a dang nat, but if it holds off and you can get some help with your quotas your gonna be in the game in a few years, can't wait to see how this plays out, you can bet your ass I'll be watching all the way! As always your a beast and an inspiration!

Thanks for your video Bill. I enjoy your content. For a different perspective, I hunt a property with a very low deer density due to over harvest and lots of CWD. It’s 18000 acres of private property well managed. Here’s the problem. More than half the hunts are goose eggs. If you do see a deer, it’s one or two. That’s the average for the entire club of 50 hunters. So it’s not just me. It becomes difficult to sit for 4-5 hours knowing you likely won’t see a deer. Best of luck!

Great video Bill, ya I highly respect Grant Woods with his management advice as well

What you are saying makes perfect sense Bill. The other way to effect that is to reduce food also! BUt I get that can be a issue also. Great video, and explanation of your goals Bill. We have been doing this in Wisconsin on my property also. My place is smaller but that being said it is harder with neighbors that seem to think more deer is better. Good luck and looking forward to seeing your project over the next few years. Keep having fun hunting Bill that is the most important part.

Great episode!

Enjoying something that is a challenge is a good thing. Gives u a sense of accomplishment. My family started out in my area in central MN from a man fighting as a union soldier who was killed in the Civil War. His widow was a Porter & she was gifted 500 acres of ag land in central MN. She brought many family members with her & 2 brothers that weren't farmers left to start up a boot business called Redwing Boots in SE MN. One generation later a nephew joined them. He was my Grandfathers father. About 20 yrs ago when both my grandparents were gone the local deer population went from 20 deer per square mile to 30 due to no hunting from urban intrusion. The next 4 yrs I counted 45 road kills in a 1 mile stretch of road. Thus is probably something u don't have in northern Iowa . But as whitetails do the following years there was very little roadkill as the deer adapted. So the population is now back to around 30. Within 5 miles of my 🏠 there is 4 albino deer & one of them is a doe with antlers. It's funny & sad @ the same time. She is in a doe family group but she knows when a doe is in heat & will react to it. But a doe w/o a uterus is no more than tits on a boar. A balanced herd gives less poor young bucks & a better age structure. ➕️ less deer that r pigeon-holed into areas where in-breeding exists. Kissing cousins that breed is never a good thing.😮

I appreciate your honesty. I often wondered living and hunting in a place like Iowa would it be satisfying.

question... when you say shooting doe.. are you meaning mature doe only...and not her fawns? are you already assuming the fawns will be dispersing 4-20 miles away with all the dispersal studies out there with the hope that the fawns dispersing into your turf next spring from out of the areas does not exceed the fawns leaving your area... so with that, the macro neighborhood herd reduction measures matter and Im wondering if for every mature doe we are taking should we be taking at least one fawn doe as well...but I would love to hear your thoughts on dispersal and shooting at least some of the fawns in the fall...

Always appreciate your expertise on this topic Bill, have followed you for a long time. This time I'm gonna say I don't agree not that it matters and I'm not trying to be the right. I understand your premise where your currently at, however I think you would see a drastic change if you don't shoot your does especially the neighborhood your in. Just my 2 cents Bill but I always love your content and the way you think. Build up your doe population this year and do a comparison about this same time next year, have a feeling you will see a lot bigger healthier deer numbers and maturity within 2 years

Great topic Bill : i am 67 going on 68 , Still bow hunting because The hunt an pursuit is the Challange. We used to hunt scrapes an rub lines back in the day no cameras no way to know what the buck looked like till he came by or we got a look at him once or twice from afar. Thats hunting not shooting.

Bill, I’m dreaming big that you can make that property hunt the way you want it to. 👍🏻

Hey Bill- I must say that the latter part of your video resonated with me. Hunting deer must be a true challenge or it quickly loses its flavor. If a lesser number of deer contributes to the challenge then that’s a worthy goal. Ironically, most hunters today strive to achieve high numbers of deer at all costs. Your example and efforts to the contrary set a much different tone-keep it up! Milo

Spot on. Thanks for the great info!

Great content. Looking forward to habitat improvement vids. I use to hunt near the Ranch. Beautiful area. We always thought there were monster bucks everywhere in there. Interesting to find out that wasn’t the case. Keep up the great work.

I think you are 100% spot on with your video. If hunters want to properly manage a property to grow big bucks population control is paramount. More access to high quality nutrition and less stress will help grow bigger healthier deer.

Here in Michigan, the general rule of thumb is that in the spring, before green up, if you look at the browse pressure, and more than 50% of the accessible branches are nipped off by deer, we shoot does. In the past 5 years, we have enough hunting pressure from the neighbors, we haven't had to shoot any.

I remember Mr Richard when we came up and hunted Sedan.. we met for a steak dinner .. really nice person.

There are alot of moving parts for sure and everyone has a different agenda on what they want. If you have 10 mature does on a farm and you shoot 5 of them you have 5 left, but those 5 will mostly likey have twin fawns so those 5 deer turn into 15 deer. So they populate quick. You are right too, as we age, I am 53 and I have evolved as a hunter and it is about enjoying nature and being in the woods, it is not about killing anything. Too much is put into antler worshipers and buck shaming these days. I do it my way and don't worry about what Joe smo or Sally smuck does. I have nothing but Love and respect for you Bill.

I totally agree. This is why I stop hunting a group lease. They hunted easy and I hunted back in the woods. I got lucky last season and got a nice buck that I would have let walk on a property I was managing. They needed to take out more doe but didn't.

I think what you said makes a lot of sense! I’ve noticed similar trends in relation to deer population vs antler size. 2012 was a bad EHD year for us here in Kansas as well. As the population was recovering in the following years, the hunting was stellar. We’ve been in a terrible drought for the past few years, giving us a touch of EHD. As a result, our deer numbers are down a bit. I’m in a part of southeast Kansas that generally has very high deer densities (“borderline too many”, as you alluded to on your southern Iowa farm). This year, we were fortunate to take three bucks over 160” on our family ranch. One being a 192” stud. We also do a good deal of doe management as well. I definitely think that a lower density, more groceries, less stressful environment helps bucks to express their full potential. Why do you think your NE Iowa farm has lower deer densities than Monroe County? That country looks like it ought to be lousy with deer!

Appreciate the honesty. Surely killing does before they are bred and afterwards factors into the math. More does in nov. Means more bucks looking for them and more fights and injuries etc. I'm 71 now and never managed a herd, always a public land guy. I remember here in Pa seeing 100 deer spotting at night was no big deal. Gun hunters seeing 70-100 deer opening day was common. Maybe 3-4 were spikes. When timbering became the norm so did posting and leasing. Deer had places to hide. Today the big woods are very low density populated. Camps have 5 guys hunting maybe see6-10 deer for the first 3 days, but kill two 3-4 yr olds. Always changing is the hunting world, always changing is the age of the hunters. Long drags were satisfying in my youth, now I better have the coroner's number in my phone. Thanks for the truth Bill.

Had same issue not seeing deer last MN gun season. Saw 2 running full gallop on day 2 of 7 days that was about it.

100% spot on Bill.

awesome video enjoyed following along thru the season !! i think we make hunting too complicated now days . keep up the good work

The answer is very simple. “Because I want to”.

Love your video. I hunt to harvest game. I can't eat horns. I have a degree in wildlife fisheries. I'll always take a doe. When I rabbit hunt I will not pass up a rabbit for a bigger one so taking any deer is part of my hunting. It's all about buck to doe ratios. I hunt for the meat and the harvest of game. Where I live there have been 74 road kill deer in a 10 mile span in one month. Deer that have went in the freezer. I support what your doing

Bowhunting ends here in my spot in Wisconsin on January 31st. We had like 17 inches of snow pound us a week ago. I bowhunted yesterday and I have so many trees broken laying on the ground. I seen 19 doe during my sit I think their yarded up by me eating the buds off these busted up trees. I didn't realize I had that many doe. Maybe it's time for me to start taking sum.

This is an excellent breakdown of a controversial topic.

I did population control on several pieces of property back in the early 2000's for 5 years. I was shooting 3 dozen does (+ or -) plus a couple bucks a season. It's like you said Bill, it's not real challenging/hunting, it's just shooting. It's fun at first then becomes literal work and you also get to buy a lot of arrows/broadheads. It does make you a great game shot though. Now I prefer my hunting to be more relaxed, really that's the whole reason we do it.

It’s just the horse sense of the guy that gets you.

Great video Bill. I know I killed better quality mature bucks on a low density deer herd then I did on a high density herd on the same farm over the years. Saw fewer bucks but killed much better bucks with more mass. Good luck I’ll enjoy seeing your journey.

You like the challenge? Do what you've done in the past w a Trad Bow. See how excited you will be then.

I think this situation sheds light on the importance of the property itself. This property will never be like the one that Bill sold. Since Covid property management has taken off and while the premise seems great, I can't think of one video/source that has created an area to harvest big mature deer more than another known producing farm in the general area. Lots of ideas on property improvement but IMO it only improves the sightings and potential for harvest not really the genetic/qualities of animals taken. The quote about a challenge is interesting to me. I think if a challenge is the goal maybe try and not hunt food and hunt the woods more. Nothing is more difficult than a deer having multiple options of cover to approach. As far as shooting does, I really don't think it matters one way or another. Mother nature takes care of a lot with overpopulation and she also allows a lot to live if resources are available. I wouldn't be surprised if you see a lot of twins and triplets next year after harvesting those does. I also question the draw with food sources to condense the population into a certain farm which may skew the numbers a bit as the population may even out with dispersal on green this spring. What I do like about the idea is you are increasing the available resources for the selective mouths you want to feed. And then the uncontrollables neighbors, ehd, predation, etc...Can't wait to see the results. Good luck!

Controlling population of deer. So many variables but to many people think they know how but Mother Nature is the big factor. What I’ve noticed is the neighbors that just leave their dogs running around and don’t care about the people that want to hunt. The farm with the sudan grass I mentioned my son walked out in the field and he said there was green stubble in it but the deer were keeping it grazed down ✌🏻👍🇺🇸

Always dream big

Great video

Amen on your discussion and comments on population control. I agree 100%. Most people do not understand the need for doe management and the benefits.

You now have much more food on the property and seems to be plenty of cover but I don't know I've seen much water?

True gentleman

Will be very interesting to see how it works out? Only having 50 acres bordered on 2 sides by a landowner who lets anyone hunt I let them shoot doe. I do have a feeder behind the house where I consistently see 6-8 doe and fawns. I almost went out and killed a doe but just couldn’t do it. Haven’t killed one for probably 16 years? Totally different situation from yours being in 1 buck state(Ohio) and bucks don’t actually live on my property but come in about the start of bow season from neighboring crop lands.

I think that’s right on track shooting doe, in my area I’ve never had a high density of deer, at the same time the bucks mostly only get to 3.5 , just hardly ever see 4.5 year old or older deer.i think where I am in Michigan the culture is get your buck at all costs. I’ve shot very few doe over the last 10 years, I’ve seen growth but not drastic changes. Should I shoot more doe? Seems like less doe makes for more buck on the landscape. Interesting concept and one I’ve heard over and over.

nice set of sheds on him...wow

I don’t shoot resident does. However, any coming from neighboring properties are DOA. If I don’t have does, I’m not going to have bucks during the rut. How many sits did you produced zero deer? Pressure in your presence or tracking and dragging out deer. It looks like access might be a problem too?🤷🏻‍♂️

I agree with your Strategy. Health Of the herd. Health of the habitat. Less chance inferior genes get passed on. And alot more buck movement looking for does

With hunting neighbors, its highly likely that you will need to keep your herd density a little higher to make sure you have the bucks you want.

"I did it my way" said the Man

Insane guy sees 57 bucks in one sit and here I am in Michigan lucky to see 1 buck In a sit

What is the acreage of your farm? What is the acreage of the contiguous parcels, making sure to add an adjoining parcel if a contiguous one is very small? Of this total acreage, how many mature (4 1/2 yo) can have a home range? What does the recent MSU buck movement study tell you about these bucks?

It seems like you’re experiencing what most of your followers have been experiencing for years. It kind of puts a little grin on our faces to see you struggle in this place. But I also understand that this doesn’t necessarily bother you. Because you have matured into an old buck yourself and now realize it’s not about what other people think, it’s about what you have come to see as the true nature of the hunt. World records and 200 inch deer are not the true hunt. It’s knowing an old weathered buck , maybe for years or maybe just discovered, and putting the time in to harvest him the right way. We all have wanted that and some of us have gotten that, but at our age now hunting becomes something more. I think any ways. Lol