July 13, 2025 - Jesse Staab: New Pond for the Deer

We’re back at it here in Missouri on my farm, and today’s mission was all about habitat improvement. We’re putting in a brand-new pond and setting the stage for a killer setup this fall.

Right next to the pond, we’ve got plans to install a Redneck blind that’ll be perfect for a south wind. I’ll be accessing it from the house, mulching in a trail through the timber and across the creek. That should keep the deer undisturbed and make for a clean entry and exit.

Most of the deer bed right in the center of this farm, so I’m building the hunt around that knowledge. We just finished spraying a green plot that’s about an acre and a half—should be ready to plant around August 1st. There’s also a great little corner right here with a shingle oak that’s already got a community scrape. I’ll be freshening that up soon and hanging a Stealth Cam over both the scrape and the new water hole to monitor activity.

This is actually our second pond of the day, and it’s only 10:45 AM—we’re rolling. Still have some spraying and mowing left to do, plus four more cameras to hang. I’m trying to build a solid inventory on this place. I’ve seen some good tracks, and we’re in a strong neighborhood, so hopefully we’ll get a shot at a mature buck this season.

Lord willing, we’ll have a five or six-year-old deer to chase this fall. We’ll see how it shakes out.

— Jesse Staab