Habitat Podcast

404: How He Designed 80 Acres In Michigan So That Bucks Never Leave (Virtual Property Tour) with

September 25, 2026·43 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Habitat Podcast #404 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Cory Franceus and Chad Fike! We discuss: -Chad goes from years of small bucks to big Michigan deer after three trips to Tony LaPratt's boot camp. -Cory reads an 80-acre Big Rapids-area rectangle by what surrounds it: ag, cattle and a block of wet cover. -Chad splits two wide-open fields that blew deer out every hunt into about ten plots across six acres. -A rifle blind on the hill by the house covers the whole bottom field without anyone walking through it. -The landowner's wife hunts a blind 40 yards off a seasonal road where a bear sleeps on the step. -Chad row-thins two pine stands north to south for sunlight and leaves a 10-12 foot scrape perimeter. -Cory keeps any autumn olive that holds a bed, rub or scrape and would spray the rest of them. -Cory's nightclub analogy explains why one big open field sends a mature buck off your property. -The Marriott blind has power, two heaters and a Wi-Fi booster, so the owner takes Zoom calls from it. -The owner dug the farm's two ponds on an excavator at age 11 and swore he'd buy the place one day. And So Much More! Tour the property: https://premierfarmrealtygroup.com/listings/land-for-sale/7147-e-6-mile-rd-big-rapids-newaygo-county-mi-80-available/  Chapters: 0:00 Cold open: the farm you couldn't hunt without spooking deer 2:20 From small bucks to Tony LaPratt's boot camp 5:23 Reading the 80 acres by what surrounds it 8:15 Breaking up two open fields and placing the blinds 11:47 Thinning the pines, a scrape perimeter and autumn olives 17:29 The blind 75 yards behind the house 19:31 The nightclub analogy for food plots 21:52 Ten plots in six acres and still seeing bucks late season 24:01 The Marriott blind: heat, Wi-Fi and Zoom calls 25:49 Escape routes and a hinge-cut buffer on the west line 29:19 He dug these ponds at 11 and bought the farm 30:50 The buildings, the timber and the deer numbers 35:44 The listing, a big 10 and coyote control Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line  Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/  PATREON - Patreon - Habitat Podcast Brand new HP Patreon for those who want to support the Habitat Podcast. Good luck this Fall and if you have a question yourself, just email us @ info@habitatpodcast.com  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patreon - Habitat Podcast Latitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: https://bit.ly/hplatitude  Stealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHP  Midwest Lifestyle Properties - https://bit.ly/3OeFhrm  Vitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - https://bit.ly/vitalizeseed  Down Burst Seeders - https://bit.ly/downburstseeders  10% code: HP10 Morse Nursery - http://bit.ly/MorseTrees  10% off w/code: HABITAT10 Packer Maxx - http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX  $25 off with code: HPC25 First Lite - https://bit.ly/3EDbG6P  LAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: LAND PLANS Leave us a review for a FREE DECAL - https://apple.co/2uhoqOO  Morse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – info@habitatpodcast.com  Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg  Email us: info@habitatpodcast.com  habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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