“Farm for Deer” and Add Value to Land

Adding intensive food plots to smaller recreational land parcels can increase the number of game by as much as 10-fold and make a recreational property much more salable in today’s slower land market, said David Morris, founder of Tecomate Wildlife Systems and star of “The Bucks of Tecomate television show,” at the recent REALTORS® Land Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

Morris, who pioneered the concept of growing agricultural crops to provide the majority of nutrition to wildlife, said that by following intensive feeding practices, recreational land owners can turn” land that has marginal value into something special.”  Feeding can also improve the native habitat since it won’t be decimated by wildlife. The practice is particularly beneficial to smaller tracts of land, which might not otherwise support a sizable wildlife population.

Morris pointed out that by food plots, he doesn’t mean that “one-quarter acre of oats in the winter.” Instead, he advocated planting many acres in protein-rich crops such as clover or soybeans. That type planting is what produces “the magic” of larger size and weight in game animals, he says.

In today’s slow market, plantings that produce more and better game can differentiate a property and get it sold. “If you’re hunting and have the choice of several 14-point bucks and one 17-point, which one are you going to shoot?,” he asked by way of illustration. He also pointed out that it’s not necessary to improve land to its utmost to attract buyers. Instead, he advised owners to make some small, cosmetic changes that demonstrate the possibilities of the land and then show prospective buyers a management plan of ways to enhance the land further.