Sorry it took so long to get to this thread, but I have been working 14-16 hours a day.
The first thing I would do is get my soil tests done. Having your soil in good condition will allow you to have better tasting more nutritious food on your place and to get more forage per acre. Something that is especially important for those small plots that will receive heavy browsing pressure.
I like sectioning off food plots into smaller plots because sometimes a small isolated plot can make a mature buck feel comfortable enough to come out during daylight to stage (assuming it is relatively close to his bed). Plus sectioning gives a place for other deer to hang out to feed without getting harassed and driven out of the area from other more dominant deer. Out of sight is out of mind.
I forgot to put in the blue lines Dan did for screening cover, but for screening you could use Switch grass and/or staggered rows of dense shrubs which could include mast producing shrubs. For a quick screen you can use Egyptian Wheat, but it has been my experience that it doesn't hold up well to heavy wet snow. If you plant it use the heaviest planting rate for maximum stand ability. One of these days I might try it mixed with sunflowers to help hold up the Egyptian wheat. The deer don't seem to bother the sunflowers around here very much so they should stay around to get the job done.
I think Dan's idea of a tiny clover patch to the SE is a good one, but I chose Crimson Trail mainly because of the variety it has such as clover, chicory, sweet rye, etc, but Pure clover will work too. If I knew the property I may switch where I plant each mix or I may not use some mixes depending on the soil type. For a tasty early season draw beans could be broadcast in early August right into the Clover or Awesome Antlers just before a few rainy days and it should sprout. If you want to plant all beans I normally recommend planting at least two acres to keep the deer from wiping them out, but since there will be some nearby they might make it OK. I you want beans for winter then plant in the spring when the farmers in your area plant them and plant as many as you can.
The WSG's for the bedding area(s) could be Switch grass or a combination like Switch and Indian grass. Screening cover may also be able to be used to connect two points to create a travel corridor in some situations.
I would also consider planting low maintenance mast trees and shrubs in openings on the property like Chinese Chestnuts. You can also plant Hazelnuts outside of what will be the future drip line of a couple chestnut trees to end up with a nice doe bedding area in the future. Both are fast growing, produce in a short time and have nuts hitting the ground in September for early season hunting.
Putting this farm into CRP sure would make it a great honey hole that would also pay the owner. It would give you both more bedding area's and food plots. Being an election year there is money for people wanting to enroll in CRP and last I heard they are paying good. Plus it's ten years guaranteed money. Just something to think about.
Call your local state university extension office. If you don't have one check with your local co-op. They will either do it or know who dose.
