Food Plots

Just got permission to hunt my cousins 27 acres. the land looks pretty nice but he has not had any luck the 2 years he has hunted it. its in the annandale area so kind of close to alot of farms, and there is an apple orchard across the street.. He right now has nothing but woods on the land and its not really well groomed.. my question is do i take the time/money to do food plots with the apple orchard right across the street and so many corn farms around?? I was thinking clover and chicory to give them some variety.. is this a waste of time??? would i be better served cutting lanes across the property and thinning out the trees or planting food plots on the outside and leaving the heavy cover??? I am also not apposed to trying to create a bedding area with some tall grass, but id like to scout the surronding properties a little more first to see what they have for bedding… ANY ADVISE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thanks Kevin

One thing I would do is, check to see where the nearest water source is. Water is something they need all year round and if you have the water the deer will at least be traveling through your property. Your water hole doesn’t have to be huge either, something as simple as cutting a plastic 55 gallon barrel in half and burrying it. Just make your property more appealing than the one on the other side of the fence. It sounds like your property is fairly thick, and if that is the case, you have a good bedding spot for them. Now you’d have a place to sleep and a place to drink. If that is where they start and end their day it is ok if they go across the road to eat. The first thing I would do is get some water on the property.