Whitetail News Vol. 17.2

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HALL OFFAMERS JOIN

FORCESRay Scott and

Dr. Wayne Hanna are Taking Food Plots

and Deer Nutrition to Unprecedented

LevelsPage 6

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8 Bust ’Em in Brassicas Brassicas provide great deer attrac-tion when the temperatures fall. By Brad Herndon

6 Hall of Famers JoinForces Ray Scott and Dr. Wayne Hanna aretaking food plots and deer nutri-tion to unprecedented levels..

20 Consider the Strengthsand Weaknesses of Two-Season Plantings Two-season plantings at the samefood-plot location each year canhave merit — but only if conditionsare right.By Charles Alsheimer

27 Imperial ExtremeHandles Dry Conditions

30 With Land and People—Relationships Are BuiltWith TimeThe one equitable commodity thateach of us share is in the amountof time we are allotted on a dailybasis. The disparity is how wechoose to spend that time.By R.G. Bernier

33 Imperial Winter-GreensDraws ’Em In When It’sCold

34 Postage-Stamp FoodPlotsNo tractor? No fields? No problem!With modest hand tools, you canplant tiny food plots that will holddeer in your area and detour deertraffic past your standBy Joe Byers

39 Pure Attraction Revisited Imperial Whitetail Pure Attraction aone-two punch for the early andlate hunting seasons.By Jon Cooner, Institute Director ofSpecial Projects

44 Never Say Die Losing streak ends when patiencepays off for determined hunterBy Mike Ziebell

52 Farming for QualityWhitetails A couple’s deer managementobsession in Kentucky pays off.By Kathy Butt

56 The Ruminant Stomach Understanding the digestivesystem of a deer can help in thelayout and design of a food plots.By Matt Harper

62 Winter Nutrition GapsProviding nutrition over the wintercan help grow larger antlers.By Bill Winke

68 Hunt of a Lifetime: First Hunt is Special forEveryone By Jeffrey Lampe

70 Secret Spot ComesThrough for TennesseeHunter By Chad Jones, with his brother,Ben

78 Food Plots Sure Workfor Me in Illinois By Danny Wahl

80 Imperial Winter-Greensand a Big WisconsinBuckBy Brad Rucks

84 Set Solid Goals toIncrease HuntingSuccess By Scott Bestul

88 The Final Gift The child’s best friend and huntingpartner was his grandfather. Andhe knew of no more fitting atribute to the Old Man than …By Tom Fegely

93 Florida Hunter ShootsFirst Buck Over FoodPlot By Al Moore

In This Issue…F E A T U R E SIn This Issue…F E A T U R E S

4 WHITETAIL NEWS / Vol. 17, No. 2 www.whitetailinstitute.com

5 A Message fromRay ScottWelcome Dr. Wayne Hanna as our newagronomist and director of forageresearch.

14 Turning Dirt Part III: Discs and Tillers for Food-PlotTractorsBy Mark Trudeau, Institute NationalSales Manager

26 Ask Big JonBy Jon Cooner, Institute Director ofSpecial Projects

28 Field Tester’s Reports

40 How I Do ItBy Jim Casada

50 Weed Doctor: ManagingPerennial Weeds By Carroll Johnson III, Ph.D.

60 Whitetail Institute RecordBook Bucks

74 Deer Nutrition NotesCutting Edge is revolutionary becauseit is the first and only product line toaddress the changing nutritionalneeds of whitetails.By Matt Harper

92 Some Great Hunters withTheir First Deer

In This Issue…D E P A R T M E N T S

A recipe for success0

More tractor advicePage 14

In This Issue…D E P A R T M E N T S

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• Plant protein and mineral content increasesup to 30% providing more nutrition for bet-ter quality deer and antler growth

• Traditional plantings of wheat, rye andoats are especially improved

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A M E SS A G E F R O M R AY S C OT TFounder and President Whitetail Institute of North America

Sadness and Pride Mark the Season

Around this time of year you can always tell hunting

season is just around the corner. The phones light

up non-stop as whitetail managers across the

country make serious plans for planting, plot maintenance

and supplements.

As usual our best-organized field testers stay supplied

with product and keep our consultants busy with questions

and requests for detailed product information as well as

advice and how-tos to create the best nutritional environ-

ment possible for their deer population. By the way, our

guys really know their stuff, and no question is too trivial.

As many of you know, it has been a very eventful year

for us at headquarters with the death of our much-loved

agronomist (and creator of Imperial Whitetail Clover) Dr.

Wiley Johnson and the arrival of his successor Dr. Wayne

Hanna, who picked up the baton. I’m proud to say thanks to

Dr. Hanna and our great staff, we did not miss a beat —

something that would make Doc very proud.

Speaking of pride, I am proud to announce the success-

ful launch of one of Dr. Johnson’s projects — Imperial

Whitetail PURE ATTRACTION. This unique forage blend pro-

vides a “one-two” punch as Jon Cooner describes on page

39, offering outstanding deer attraction first in the early sea-

son, and then the late season. The new formula establishes

quickly and provides the attraction of extremely high sugar

content that deer absolutely love. We told you about Pure

Attraction in our last issue and you can find that information

on our website, www.whitetailinstitute.com, under the

Whitetail News link.

If you have any questions at all, please contact our con-

sultants. They’re here to serve you, so don’t hesitate to call.

And as our field testers know and the most of the hunting

community is finding out — Whitetail Institute products and

Whitetail Institute customer service is second to none. W

Ray Scott

Whitetail InstituteOFFICERS AND STAFF

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT:RAY SCOTT

Vice President of Operations .........................Wilson Scott

Vice President............................................................Steve Scott

Operations Manager: ....................................William Cousins

Agronomist & Director of

Forage Research...........................Wayne Hanna, Ph.D.

Nutrition Director....................................................Brent Camp

Deer Nutrition Specialist.....................................Matt Harper

National Sales Manager...................................Mark Trudeau

Wildlife Biologist....................................................Justin Moore

Director of Special Projects...............................Jon Cooner

Whitetail News Senior Editor....................Bart Landsverk

Whitetail News Managing Editor...................Brian Lovett

Contributing Writers ...Charles Alsheimer, Tom Fegely,

Jim Casada, Brad Herndon, John Ozoga, Bill Winke,

Monte Burch, R.G. Bernier, Bill Marchel, Judd Cooney,

Michael Veine, Steve Bartylla , Dr. Carroll Johnson, III

Product Consultants .............Jon Cooner, Brandon Self,

John White, J.B. Smith

Dealer/Distributor Sales......................................John Buhay,

Greg Aston, Jon Cooner, Shawn Lind

Accounting & Logistics ....................................Steffani Hood

Office Manager................................................Dawn McGough

Internet Customer Service Manager .............Mary Jones

Shipping Manager .................................................Marlin Swain

Copy Editor ................................................................Susan Scott

Advertising Director........Wade Atchley, Atchley Media

MOULTRIE CAMERA AD

Ray Scott is well-known to anyone involved in outdoorsports. The number of awards Ray has received for his out-standing contributions is too long to list here. Suffice it tosay that in each of the last four decades, Ray has receivednumerous awards recognizing the significance of hisimpact on the outdoor world, and he has been inductedinto no fewer than six Halls of Fame in various segments ofthe outdoor industry. One of Ray’s most treasured honors ishaving been named by Field & Stream magazine as one ofthe twenty persons who have had the greatest influence on

outdoor sports in the last century. The entire deer-nutrition and food-plot industries trace

their origins back to two things: Ray’s unique vision, and hisability to turn that vision into practical reality. It all startedwith Ray’s idea that forage varieties could be specificallyengineered for deer and made available to hunters andmanagers everywhere to help them improve the quality ofthe deer they hunt. Ray turned that vision into practicalreality when he founded the Whitetail Institute of NorthAmerica in 1988 and offered the hunting world the first for-

age product ever developed specifically for whitetail deer,Imperial Whitetail Clover.

The depth and breadth of Ray’s contributions to deerhunting are unquestionable. The records of the Boone andCrockett Club and those of the Pope & Young Club showthat hunters today are 500% more likely to harvest arecord-book buck than they were before Ray founded theWhitetail Institute and started the whole food-plot anddeer-nutrition industries.

Field Testers who are regular readers of Whitetail


“The Hall of Fame.” The mere term immediately suggests a universal

purpose, regardless of profession: to acknowledge the contributions of those

few practitioners whose entire careers have been of such rare influence that

they deserve that profession’s highest accolades. The Whitetail Institute is extremely

fortunate to have two such industry leaders as team members: Hall-of-Famers Ray Scott

and Dr. Wayne Hanna.

Hall-of-FamersJoin Forces

RAY SCOTT DR. WAYNE HANNA

News magazine are well-aware of the substantial contributions of Dr. Wiley Johnson, theInstitute’s former Director of Plant Breeding and Forage Research. Dr. Johnson was con-sidered an international authority on the science of clover breeding, and he was the cre-ator of Advantage and Insight clovers, two proprietary perennial clover varieties includ-ed in the Imperial Whitetail Clover blend.

With the passing of Dr. Johnson last year, the Institute undertook an exhaustivesearch for the most highly qualified scientist available to take up the reins as Director ofPlant Breeding and Forage Research for the Institute. When the dust settled, one namestood at the top of the list: Dr. Wayne Hanna.

Like Ray Scott, Dr. Hanna is a Hall-of-Famer, a leader of his own industry. Inductedinto the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Hall of Fame in2006, Dr. Hanna’s contributions to agriculture and agricultural research are exceptionallyimpressive.

Over the course of his 35-year career, Dr. Hanna has developed plant varieties withmore vigor, disease resistance and drought resistance that previously available cultivars.He is renowned for his vital work on gene transfer in pearl millet, and he is recognized forhis truly ground-breaking research on plant cloning directed towards producing crop cul-tivars that retain superior characteristics and hybrid vigor. The plant varieties Dr. Hannadeveloped produce higher yields for less cost, and their impact has been massive, affect-ing the very economies of a broad range of international industries.

Perhaps, though, the U.S. Department of Agriculture summed up Dr. Hannah’s con-tributions best when it made the following observation in his Hall-of-Fame inductionnotice: “He has improved the very ground we walk on.”

The Whitetail Institute and its products are different, and the reasons are easily iden-tified. These include the Institute’s absolute commitment to providing only the highest-quality, most heavily researched products possible and then backing them up with thor-oughly dedicated customer service. But the main reason is something more fundamen-tal. It is the source of this commitment: a Hall-of-Fame level of performance.

What is a Hall-of-Fame level of performance? It’s delivering winning results over thelong term by consistently performing at the top of extraordinary abilities. Let’s look at thekey components.

The first is extraordinary ability, which is often referred to in human context as “tal-ent.” Regardless of whether you’re talking about Dale Earnhardt, Wilma Rudolph, JoeMontana or Michael Jordan, all Hall-of-Famers in any profession possess “talent” — theysimply possess the ability to perform at a level far beyond others in the same endeavor.As a company, the Whitetail Institute is without equal in its ability to perform at Hall-of-Fame levels. The Institute’s “talent” includes scientists and consultants with numerouscollege and post-graduate degrees and over 300 years of combined knowledge andexperience in deer-research, plant genetics, agronomy, agriculture, weed science, herbi-cides, wildlife habitat and small-ruminant nutrition.

But talented people don’t reach the Hall of Fame on talent alone. Talent can only beturned into winning results through the second component: a tireless work ethic — thedrive to exploit one’s talent through maximum effort, day after day, year after year, with-out lapse, even during the off-season. This uncommon character trait is also part of theInstitute’s personality as a company, starting with its leader, Ray Scott, who has oftenbeen heard to say, “Anyone can sell something to a person one time. The only way tobuild a company that will prosper over the long run, though, is to develop customer loy-alty. The only way to do that is to offer only the highest quality products possible, andback them up with top-notch customer service, and do it every single time a customerturns to you.”

The third is results. Regardless of industry, Hall-of-Famers are winners — repeat win-ners, and over the long term. The Whitetail Institute and its products certainly meet thatrequirement. The Whitetail Institute is the oldest food-plot and deer-nutrition companyin the world. Over 1,000,000 acres have been planted in its forage blends, and its busi-ness has grown every single year since it was founded. And what’s perhaps most amaz-ing is that the Institute has done it without diversifying away from its core business intosuch sidelines as clothing, land brokerage and hunting supplies as others in the industryhave had to do. This is clear proof that the Institute continues to succeed in building thecustomer loyalty Ray spoke of and attracting new field testers to Imperial Whitetail prod-ucts.

The fourth is the standard by which Hall-of-Famers measure their own performance:they measure it against their own abilities, not against external standards. Why do theydo that? They have to in order to get an accurate assessment of their own performancebecause their abilities (their standards) exceed those of others against whom they com-pete.

The Institute also measures its own performance by its own abilities, and not by com-paring its performance to other companies or their products. This is not true of the food-plot industry as a whole; Imperial Whitetail forage blends have always been, and remainto this day, the standards by which the performance of all other forage blends in theindustry are measured.

This defines everything the Whitetail Institute of North America does. It is how theWhitetail Institute was created by its founder, Ray Scott, and so it is a matter of heritage.It is the essence of the Institute’s very personality, of who they are and what drives them.It is what sets the company and its products apart.

It is a Hall-of-Fame approach. W


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Bust 'Em In BrassicasBucks and Brassicas:

Like Money In The BankBy Brad Herndon

Bust 'Em In BrassicasBucks and Brassicas:

Like Money In The BankBy Brad Herndon

Money is an inter-esting subject;one in which we

all have at least someinterest. The stock marketattracts attention becauseof the returns it can yield.For example, if you hadput $10,000 in theStandard & Poor 500Index Fund at the begin-ning of 2006, you wouldhave had $11,579 dollars atthe end of the year — areturn of 15.79 percent.

Money is an inter-esting subject;one in which we

all have at least someinterest. The stock marketattracts attention becauseof the returns it can yield.For example, if you hadput $10,000 in theStandard & Poor 500Index Fund at the begin-ning of 2006, you wouldhave had $11,579 dollars atthe end of the year — areturn of 15.79 percent.

Winter-Greens rule for big bucks when it comes to late-season hunting.


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On the down side, if you had invested $10,000 in thatfund at the beginning of 2002, you would have had only$7,790 at the end of the year; a decrease of 22.10 percent.Although that’s a great loss, at least you didn’t lose allyour money. In fact, it’s been proven that staying in themarket for the long haul always provides good returns.Your setback was only temporary.

WHAT’S THE STOCK MARKET GOT TO DO WITH DEERHUNTING?

That’s a good question. Although some of you read-ing this article might be retired, most of you are still work-ing and saving for retirement. Certainly none of you are socareless as to invest in something that would risk yourhard-earned money. Sure, you might try some higher-riskinvestments, but overall, you’ll put your money in some-thing with a good payback without high risk.

The same strategies should be used for deer hunting.Most deer hunters invest money in their sport by leasingor buying land. On top of that, part of their income mightbe spent on equipment, seed, fertilizer, lime and weed-control products to provide nutritious food plots. Theseare good investments. Whitetails are sleek and fat, and thenutritious plots crank out bucks with dandy racks.However, danger is lurking, and it can bankrupt you whenit comes to killing trophy whitetails.

THE BEST FOOD SOURCE WINS

Although most deer hunters use a variety of productsin their food plots, Imperial Whitetail Clover is the cropused most often. That makes sense because an ImperialWhitetail Clover plot can last for several years, and it pro-vides unsurpassed nutrition for months. Other commonlyused products include Alfa-Rack, Extreme and ImperialChicory Plus.

All of these are fine products, but each has adrawback: When the temperatures drop out of sight,and snow starts to accumulate, each of these hasdiminished ability to produce forage. In addition, theforage they produce is difficult to reach if the snowdepth is substantial. During this time —usuallyNovember or December, depending on the region —deer will seek a more accessible food source.

Sadly, a more accessible food source is often avail-able, and it can come in various forms. Another deerhunter who has more accessible food plots might put histag on a great buck you've spent years growing. Or per-haps because of weather, Farmer Frank hasn’t harvestedfields of corn or soybeans. Deer pour into these high-ener-gy food sources, and the guys who have permission tohunt Farmer Frank’s land will be mighty happy when yourtrophy whitetails show up.

Actually, because I can’t plant food plots on someproperty I lease, I have twice paid farmers to leave cornand soybeans in the field. I just pay for an acre or so, andthe cost isn’t too high for my pocketbook. The results havebeen outstanding.

For example, in one field where the farmer left stand-ing corn, I sat on stand and watched deer come off thehillside of an adjoining property. Many deer walked acrossa picked field that was littered with ears of corn and cameright to my standing corn. They did so because six inchesof snow covered the fields, and my standing corn was easypickins. I killed a dandy 10-pointer during the late-Januaryarchery season at that spot, and an even bigger 10-point-er was with the deer I shot.

Standing soybeans will attract deer in a similar fash-ion during November, December and January. Obviously,with normal food-plot plantings, the money you've invest-

Before the frosts hit, Winter-Greens will show little use. After the frosts come, your plot will look like a mowing machine hit it.

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ed in growing trophy bucks is in a high-risk situation. I’mnot a financial advisor, but I'd like to share a low-risk, high-return deer investment strategy that will result in bigbucks—the kind you're after.

INVEST IN WINTER-GREENS FOR BIG BUCK RETURNS

Winter-Greens, from the Whitetail Institute of NorthAmerica, was introduced in 2006. Much field testing wasconducted before it was brought to market. Fall 2006marked the first time the product became availablenationwide. The results have been impressive.

Winter-Greens is a brassica blend designed to attractdeer in November, December and January. As noted,bucks were often pulled away by more accessible foodplots on adjacent land, or nearby unpicked corn or soy-bean fields. If you plant Winter-Greens, that's no longertrue.

Brassicas grow and produce lush vegetation, makingyou wonder why deer don't eat them when they're small.Interestingly, this works out perfectly when it comes tokilling deer — especially big bucks. When the first frost ortwo hits, the starches in Winter-Greens turn to sugar, andthat's when whitetails start tearing them up. Dependingon the region, this can occur from October to December.In that situation, Winter-Greens is an incredible deerattractant during the rut or post-rut, which are top timesto kill mature bucks.

I was curious how Winter-Greens fared in variousregions. First, I talked to Matthew Royal of NorthCarolina.

“I got my Winter-Greens out late, but I did everythingright regarding soil test, fertilizer and lime,” he said.“Within six weeks, the forage must have been 18 incheshigh, and then an early frost hit. That’s when the deer lit-erally mowed the Winter-Greens down. I killed mature 8-and 10-point bucks out of the plot before they eradicated


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the forage. I’ll definitely be planting even more of themagain.”

Later, I discussed Winter-Greens with LarryWoodward, host of Outdoors In The Heartland TV show.His plots were planted on each side of the MississippiRiver in Illinois and Missouri.

“We had a very dry fall in our area last year,” he said.“We kept waiting for rain, but it never came, so finally, wewere forced to plant our plots the second week ofSeptember, which is a little late. On the Missouri side, weplanted Winter-Greens in some low spots. Since it was dry,and we were planting an annual forage, we decided to gowith this location because it is rich ground.

“We did everything right. That meant we had to putquantities of lime and fertilizer on our side plots in Illinois,where the soil had a low pH. After we planted them, I wasgone out of state hunting for three weeks. When Ireturned, every plot was a carpet of green because wehad some timely rains.

“Bob Richardson, my co-host in Outdoors In TheHeartland, killed a 185-inch-gross buck out of one Missouriplot of Winter-Greens in late season at 2:30 p.m. He alsokilled a dandy 150-plus-inch 10-pointer out of one of ourIllinois plots, and I killed a 175-inch-gross buck off to theside of one of the Illinois plots. Winter-Greens certainlyworked for us.”

WHAT ABOUT POOR SOILS?

All soils are not created equal. In upper Michigan,where Curt Krajniak planted his Winter-Greens, he mustconstantly battle poor soils and low pH. It can take a lot oftime to get the pH to an acceptable number. In addition,brief growing seasons are the norm in the UpperPeninsula, and a “northerner” can blow in at any time infall. Still, Krajniak had an interesting season.

“It’s a struggle to grow great food plots in the UP cli-

mate and soil conditions," he said. "I’m sure my Winter-Greens weren’t as tall and impressive as those found in thefertile farm belt of the Midwest or even in southernMichigan. We really have to pour the lime and fertilizer toour soils.”

Still, things worked out.“I shouldn’t complain,” Krajniak said. “I killed a 135-

inch 9-pointer out of one of the plots, and that’s thebiggest buck I’ve ever killed in northern Michigan.”

INVEST WISELY

However, some folks are still making mistakes withfarming food plots properly.

Although a Winter-Greens plot in north-central Illinoiswill probably be much better than one in a scrubby hilltopin Kentucky. If they are planted the same, the plot inKentucky can still attract the best deer in the area frommid-November and later, if done correctly. That means


Putting out the welcome mat for deer is as easy as pouring from a jug.

Deer are so attracted by the smell and drawn to the taste of Magnet

Mix that they will come from miles around – and keep coming back.

Just shake and pour (no mixing required) and wait for the deer to

show up. Just seconds of preparation provides gallons of attraction.

The Whitetail Institute

239 Whitetail Trail / Pintlala, AL 36043

800-688-3030www.whitetailinstitute.com

Because of Magnet Mix’s incredible attractiveness, some states may consider it bait.Remember to check your local game laws before hunting over Magnet Mix.

Research = Results.

n Helpful Hints To Maintain Your Winter-Greens Food Plot >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

There are some ways to tell if you're using an incorrect amount of fertilizer or the wrong fertilizer on your Winter-

Greens food plot.

If you notice stunted leaves, or leaves that are light rust or purple, you have a fertilizer problem. Though it might

be difficult to see, there might also be a corduroying of the leaves.

You should also be careful about planting the same crop in the same plot year after year. That can result in a prod-

uct such as Winter-Greens getting a fungus. Plow your plot at least one month before planting, and let it sit and air

out. This will clean the soil of most bacteria and diseases.

If you lime and fertilize correctly but the plant wilts, your plants have some type of root disease. This can be con-

firmed by pulling up the plant and looking at it very closely. If the roots are soft and mushy, the root is diseased. You

might also notice white splotches on the roots.

Because Winter-Greens are eaten by the deer in late seasons, it helps keep the deer healthy during the critical

post-rut period — especially bucks that are run down by the rigors of the rut. A healthy buck going into the next antler-

growing season means a higher-scoring deer next fall.

— Brad Herndon

investing time, money and hard work.With clovers and alfalfa products, you need little or

no nitrogen because they produce their own nitrogen.Because so many deer managers plant these excellentproducts, they are used to buying fertilizer with little or nonitrogen. For example, if no soil test has been done,Whitetail Institute recommends using 6-24-24 fertilizer. Italso says Imperial Whitetail Clover does best in moist soil.

Deer managers have become so accustomed toplanting this type of product that many want to "do it likethey did before" because it always worked. However,Winter-Greens has different needs. Winter-Greens doeswell in various soils, but it excels in well-drained soils. Italso needs nitrogen (N, the first number on a fertilizerbag) phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Those are thesecond and third numbers.

Each product is important to a successful food plot.Nitrogen produces green, upward growth. At 14 incheshigh, Winter-Greens leaves will stand above a 10-inchsnow. Six inches of foliage won’t be as easy for whitetailsto reach. Phosphorus is devoted to root growth and flowerand fruit production, and the last number, potassium, is anoverall building block that benefits all parts of the plant.An easy way to remember what nitrogen, phosphorus andpotassium do is to say "up, down, all around."

The general fertilizer requirements Whitetail Instituterecommends for Winter-Greens are 400 pounds of 20-20-20 per acre. However, it’s best to take a soil test and getthe exact fertilizer requirements.

Winter-Greens does best at a pH of 7. It will still growa good crop with a pH of 6.0, but a soil test will tell youhow much lime to apply to attain a 7.0 pH. Lime is relative-ly cheap and a great investment for your dollar.

DETERMINE PLOT SIZE

A big mistake some managers make is not determin-ing exact plot size. Guessing at plot size is inaccurate,resulting in applications of too little or too much lime, fer-tilizer and seed. You can step off or use a tape measure toobtain plot dimensions, but a laser range-finder is hard tobeat. A square acre contains 43,560 square feet and isabout 209 by 209 feet.

If you want to kick the forage growth up a notch,food-plot guru William Cousins at Whitetail Institute rec-ommends letting the plot grow for three or four weeks. Atthat point, go back in on a dry day, and apply 100 poundsper acre of 34-0-0. That extra shot of fertilizer will sendthe Winter-Greens toward the sky rapidly.

Last, remember the importance of food-plot location.

Obviously, plots should be kept out of sight of roads. Theyshould also be where prevailing wind directions can beused in your favor. The plot should be as close as possibleto thick cover.

If you're hunting hilly land, plots on higher hills workbest. If you place your plots in hollows, you will constant-ly be dealing with switching wind directions, and deer willpick you off regularly.

When hunting food plots, you don’t have to use a treestand. Ground blinds work great. In fact, we leave threeground blinds out year-round, and people are amazedthat one of them is in an open Conservation ReserveProgram field at the edge of a food plot. However,because the blind is there year-round, deer pay no atten-tion to it. With the right wind, we slip over a slight rise inthe field that hides the food plot from the road, and we'regood to go.

We’ve killed a lot of deer out of that plot. On Dec. 23,the last day of Indiana’s 2006 muzzleloader season, mysister, Margy Pogue, killed a deer out of the plot, and herhusband, Jim, killed his second-best buck ever out ofanother plot about a half-mile away.

By investing your time, work and money in Winter-Greens, you will get a great return on your deer huntinginvestment, year after year. W

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T U R N I N G D I R TBy Mark Trudeau, Agriculture Expert

Part Three: Discs and Tillers for Food-Plot Tractors

In this series of articles, The Whitetail Institute’sagricultural expert, Mark Trudeau, passes along hisdecades of real-world experience in farming and relat-ed matters to our Field Testers. In the first segment of“Turning Dirt,” Mark provided his insight to help first-time tractor buyers shop for the right tractors to fittheir needs. In our last issue, Mark discussed plows,when they should and should not be used, and gave hisinsight into how to choose a plow to perform a partic-ular job. If you missed the earlier segments or if youwould like to review them, they are available on line atwww.whitetailinstitute.com under the “Whitetail News”link.

In this segment, Mark discusses two types ofground-turning implements which can be used for ini-tial ground breaking in some cases and for final soilintermediate seedbed preparation after plowing. Inlater segments, Mark will discuss other tractor imple-ments for doing food-plot work.

Ithis segment of “Turning Dirt!”, we will cover twoimplements that can be used to do initial ground-breaking in some cases and that will further prepare

the surface of the soil after plowing. These are disc

implements (or just “discs” as I’ll refer to them here tosave space) and tillers.

WHEN DISKING OR TILLING IS NOT A GOOD IDEA

First, let me repeat a warning I mentioned in our lastsegment, which dealt with plows. Ground tillage,whether with plows, discs, tillers or any other ground-working tools, is not appropriate in all circumstances.Always be aware of what any tillage operation will do tothe soil. If you are in an area with a very thin layer of topsoil over a deep layer of sand, for instance, do not disc orotherwise work the soil. If you do, you will likely mix thetop soil with the sand, destroying the top soil. Instead,consider planting Imperial No Plow or Secret Spot, twohigh-quality annual forage blends specifically designedby the Institute for no-till planting.

FUNCTIONS OF DISCS AND TILLERS IN SEEDBEDPREPARATION

If you are planting in soil that is appropriate fortillage, disking and tilling are great alternative options forsmoothing plowed ground and, in some cases, evendoing initial ground breaking. Whether you plow first or

not, you’ll still need a disc or tiller to perform intermedi-ate soil preparation before final smoothing with a culti-packer or drag and prior to seeding. There are severalreasons.

Disking or Tilling After Plowing: Discs and tillersgenerally have two functions in preparing a seedbed inground that has been plowed. Those are intermediatesmoothing of the seedbed prior to planting, and incor-porating lime into the soil to raise soil pH.

Plows tend to leave the seedbed in rough condi-tion, with big chunks of soil and deep cracks on the sur-face. Imperial perennials grow optimally if planted in asmooth seedbed. As we will discuss, the seedbedshould be finally smoothed prior to planting with a cul-tipacker or drag. Discs and tillers can remove the largestchunks and cracks left by plowing, thereby preparingthe seedbed for final smoothing prior to seeding.

Optimum soil pH for growing Imperial Clover is 6.5or higher. Fallow ground will almost always have lowersoil pH (be more acidic) than 6.5. To raise your soil pHto optimum levels, you will need to incorporate lime intothe soil by disking or tilling. That’s because lime worksin particle-to-particle contact with the soil, meaningthat a piece of lime has to physically touch a piece ofdirt to neutralize its pH. Discs and tillers are optimumimplements for thoroughly incorporating lime.

You may ask, “If I have a plow, why can’t I just useit to incorporate lime instead of using a disc or tiller?”There are several reasons.

First, the lime must be mixed into the top few inch-es where the plant’s main root systems are. Some plows,for instance moldboard plows, invert soil as a columnand so won’t mix the lime and soil thoroughly to provideoptimum particle-to-particle contact.

Second, plows can also incorporate lime deeperthan you need it, thereby costing you money you didn’tneed to spend. Consider that the soil in the top fewinches of an acre weighs something like 2,000,000pounds. That’s why lime recommendations are oftenexpressed in tons per acre — it takes a LOT of lime totouch so many dirt particles. If you try to mix lime inwith your plow, you’ll likely dig deeper than you need to.That means more dirt particles and therefore more limeyou’ll need to add to get the same effect.

Third, remember that the more deeply you turn thesoil, the more dormant weed and grass seeds you willbring to the surface, where they will receive the mois-ture, air and sunlight they need to germinate and grow.That means more grass and weeds you’ll have to con-trol.

So, again, till only as deeply as you need to, andincorporate lime with a disc or tiller, not a plow.

Initial Groundbreaking with a Disc or Tiller: In somecases, you can dispense with plowing and do both yourinitial and intermediate ground tillage with a disc ortiller. For example, most disc and tiller blades will easilyreach into the soil deeply enough to prepare an opti-mum seedbed for Imperial Whitetail Clover.

TYPES OF DISCS AND TILLERS

There are basically three types of discs. These areGround tillage, whether with plows, discs, tillers or any other ground working tools, is not appropriate in all circumstances. Alwaysbe aware of what any tillage operation will do to the soil.

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offset discs, agricultural discs and finishing discs. Thebest option for food plot work is a finishing disc, butlet’s look at each one so you’ll know what they arewhen you see them.

Offset Discs: Offset discs, also referred to as“bush-and-bog discs,” are not suitable for food plotwork with smaller tractors because they’re way tooheavy. They also leave the ground in too rough con-dition. Offset discs have very heavy frames, and theirblades are deeply concave, set wide apart and oflarge diameter to aid in cutting heavy fescue and thetough, woody plants and heavier debris found in set-aside fields. These mount to the tractor’s drawbar.

More appropriate to commercial operations, off-set discs are usually controlled with the tractor’shydraulics and their own hydraulics, and they aresupported by tandem wheels because of theirweight. Although their blades are usually adjustablefor angle, the adjustment is not one easily made inthe field.

Agricultural Discs: Also sometimes called“heavy discs,” agricultural discs have smaller blades(usually about 28”), closer blade spacing (about 9-12”) and can have with either serrated (notched) orsmooth blades. However, agricultural discs, like offsetdiscs, aren’t suitable for most food plot workbecause they generally require tractors with 100 Hpor more to pull, which is well beyond the range ofmost tractors in the food-plot-tractor category.

Finishing Discs: Finishing discs are much bettersuited to food-plot work with smaller tractors. Theirblades are usually spaced about seven inches apart,and changing blade angle on finishing discs is vastlyeasier in the field than when changing blade angle onan offset or agricultural disc. This is very importantfor reasons I’ll discuss below. Also, models are avail-able with either drawbar or three-point-hitch attach-ment.

Tillers: Tillers are becoming a very popularseedbed-preparation tool. They can be a greatoption as a one-step tool for turning fallow fields thatare covered with light vegetation such as grass (e.g.not woody briars or debris). In such cases, a tiller cando as good a job as can be done with a plow fol-lowed by a disc, but there are potential drawbacks.

On the positive side, tillers require less horse-power to effectively operate — a 30-40 horsepowertractor will easily handle a four-foot tiller. Also, alltillers are three-point-hitch mounted and PTO driven.

However, there are a couple of potential disad-vantages to tillers. First, they can cause the seedbedto be overly fluffy or loose. Seedbeds which are over-ly fluffy must be cultipacked to optimally firm the soilprior to seeding Imperial perennials. Second, tillerscan actually compact the soil below the reach of thetiller’s tines, making it more difficult for deeper-root-ed forages such as Imperial Chicory Plus, Alfa-RackPlus, “Chic” Magnet or Extreme to penetrate the soilwith their roots.

Speed is a crucial factor when tilling—if you aregoing into an undisturbed field, you should not tillfaster than 1-1.5 miles per hour. Attempting to oper-ate the tiller faster will keep it from cutting properlyand cause it to start tossing out chunks instead ofblending the soil.

TERMINOLOGY

Discs are commonly described in three ways: bygangs, inches and feet.

Gangs: To understand what disc gangs are,you’ll need to know the basics of how finishing discsare constructed. It all starts with the disc blades,

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which are the concave, disk-shaped tools that dig intothe soil. Multiple blades are mounted in fixed positionsevenly spaced along a shaft. Each shaft with its bladesattached is referred to as a “gang”.

On finishing discs, two gangs are mounted end-to-end to make one row of blades all the way across theimplement. Some discs have two rows — a second set oftwo gangs set end-to-end behind the first. Even so, each

individual shaft with discs is referred to as a “gang.” For example, if you had to have a mechanic replace

a bearing in your disc and you told him to “replace theoutside bearing on the left rear gang,” he’d know thatyou have a disc with two rows of blades (four gangstotal), and that he will need to remove the left gang ofthe back row to replace the bearing.

Inches: The distance between each blade mountedon a shaft is described in inches. For example, theblades on a “9-inch disc” are set at nine-inch intervals.The size of this interval directly affects how smooth theimplement is capable of leaving the ground after it pass-es—the closer the blades are to each other, thesmoother the soil can be finished with the implement.

Feet: The overall width of the implement as meas-ured from the outermost blade on one side to the out-ermost blade on the other is expressed in feet. Forexample, a “7-foot disc” measures seven feet betweenthe outermost blades on a gang. This is how the over-all size of disc implements is described in conversation,which is important in getting a general feeling for howmuch horsepower it will take to pull it.

SETTING BLADE ANGLE AND FRONTIMPLEMENT HEIGHT

To get the most out of your finishing disc, you needto understand how to adjust two things: the angle of itsblades and the height of its front end.

Blade Angle: “Blade angle” refers to how far awayfrom the direction of the tractor’s travel the edges of theblades point. When the blades are set with “no angle,”the edges of the blades point directly ahead, in thesame direction as the tractor’s direction of travel. Whenblade angle is “added,” the edges of the blades will

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point either left or right of the tractor’s direction oftravel. Let’s look at how the adjustment is made.

First, recall what we said earlier — that finishingdiscs have one or two rows of blades all the wayacross the implement, and that each row consists oftwo gangs. One end of each gang is connected to afixed bearing in the implement’s frame. The otherend is connected to an adjustable mechanism in theframe. Depending on how the disc is designed, thisadjustment may be an arm in the center of the disc,or a bracket, and the adjustment can automaticallychange the angle on the whole row of discs at once,or change them only for one gang at a time.

When the pin is pulled out and the arm or brack-et is slid forward or backward, it takes one end of thegang with it. When the desired angle is achieved, youjust drop the pin back through the arm or bracketand through the appropriate adjustment hole in theframe.

Blade angle determines how aggressively theblades mix the soil. When the blades are set straightahead so that their edges point directly in line withthe direction of the tractor’s movement, they will cutdeeply but not mix the soil as much. The more angleyou add to the blades, the more aggressively theblades will cut and blend the soil.

Setting Front Implement Height: Leveling orlowering the front height of a disc is accomplished inone of two ways, depending on the system theimplement uses to attach to the tractor. Three-point-hitch discs attach to a tractor in three places — oneach of the tractor’s two lift arms and by a top link.To adjust front implement height on a three-point-hitch disc, the top link, which resembles a turnbuck-le, is moved in or out. Discs that attach to a tractor’sdrawbar usually have a simple hand crank to adjustthe front height of the implement.

HOW DO I USE MY DISC FOR SPECIFICFUNCTIONS?

It would take a book, and actually probably sev-eral of them, to describe all the ins-and-outs of howto use a disc properly. Accordingly, I won’t even try tocover all the bases here, but I did want to pass alonga few tips on how to get the most out of your newdisc.

First, I want to mention something that you doNOT want to do with a disc — turn the tractor withthe disc still in the ground. Doing so puts tremendousstrain on your equipment and can quickly break discblades or worse. Instead of turning with the disc inthe ground, lift the disc when you reach the end of apass, turn around, and lower the disc back into theground when you start your next pass. And no, thiswon’t keep you from working the corners of an ovalplot; at worst it will just require you to back up to “cutthe corners” of the plot.

Now, let’s talk about how to use your disc for ini-tial groundbreaking (to break ground that hasn’tbeen plowed first). You’ll want your disc to cut asaggressively as possible for initial groundbreaking, soyou’ll need to adjust both blade angle and implementangle. A wide blade angle disturbs the soil the most,so add as much blade angle as you can. Front imple-ment height affects how deeply the implement willcut the soil. The lower the front of the implement rel-ative to the back, the more “down pressure” you addto the discs (or to the front discs on a two-row imple-ment).

During your first two passes, you should findthat the disc is really tearing up the ground, but notvery deeply. Once you have made a few passes and

the surface, including grass roots and other vegetablematter, are pretty well chewed up, you can start toreduce blade angle and to level front implement heightback out. The reduced blade angle will allow the discs tocut deeper and mix what you chewed up in your initialpasses with lower layers of soil.

Now let’s turn to intermediate disking operations—those that come after initial groundbreaking with a plowor disc and before final smoothing with a drag or culti-packer before seeding.

In most cases, you should start with a moderateblade angle and implement level. Disc only to the depthneeded and no more for the reasons I mentioned earli-er. Instead of disking too deeply, it’s usually a better ideato disc more often. Every time you turn the soil, you’llprobably bring up dormant weed and grass seeds.Disking every two weeks to a month during the springand summer before you plant can substantially reducethe infestation by bringing most of these seeds to thesurface where they will germinate and then be killedwhen you disc again. The more often you disc, the ear-lier you’ll probably notice a reduction in surface infesta-tion. And what’s more, spacing your diskings out likethat can even help minimize loss of soil moisture. Again,be sure to disc to the same depth each time.

Repeatedly disking your seedbed can create highpoints, or “crowns” and low points, or “divots” in theseedbed if you don’t do it correctly. There are a numberof ways to avoid these problems.

One way to avoid creating crowns or divots andleave your seedbed as smooth as the implement canmake it, is to change directions or set the blades at a dif-ferent angle for each pass.

Another way is by “offset disking” or “double cut-ting.” To offset disc, add angle to the blades and makea shallow first pass. The blades on the right half of theimplement should be angled off to the right and the leftblades to the left at the greatest angle possible. Then,move the tractor over only one-half the implement’swidth for the next pass. That way, the soil you just cutwith the blades angled one way will be cut again withthe blades angled the other way. The resulting surfacewill be optimum for final smoothing with a drag or cul-tipacker before seeding,

If you end up with crowns or divots anyway, thereare a couple of ways to remove them. One way with adrawbar-mounted disc is by “floating the disc.” Set theblades at a slight angle, and raise the implement so thatit just disturbs the surface of the soil deeply enough toremove the tractor’s tire tracks. If you are just deepenough to remove the tire tracks, you are deep enoughto remove crowns and divots from the surface. Anotherway to remove crown and divots is by “feathering” theseedbed by raising the front of the implement higherthan the rear.

OPTIONAL FEATURES

Scrapers are an optional item for finishing discs, and

let me tell you, they are worth their weight in gold. If youhave ever turned ground that is sticky, for instance, withhigh clay content, you’ll know that discs can clog upvery quickly. Scrapers knock the soil off the blades asthe implement works. [PHOTOS]

Another great option is outriggers, or “furrowfillers” as they are sometimes called. Discs sometimescut a deep furrow on the outside edges as they arepulled. This can be greatly reduced by outriggers, whichessentially are devices with smaller disc blades on themthat clamp to the outside of the rear disc gangs. If youadd outriggers to a disc implement you already have,remember to add them to the outside of the rear gangs,not the front.

TRACTOR HORSEPOWER

As we discussed in our last segment concerningplows, the biggest variable that will control how large animplement your tractor should try to pull is the tractor’s“engine horsepower”. In our first segment, we men-tioned that tractors in the 40-50 engine-horsepowerrange are usually optimum for food plot work, in thatthey can provide the 18-20 horsepower it takes to pulleach plowing assembly on a two-bottom plow. A trac-tor delivering this much horsepower should be easilyable to pull a six-foot disc, but check the owner’s man-ual or confirm that with the tractor’s manufacturer firstif you aren’t sure.

Let me also repeat a caution I gave in an earliersegment: avoid the temptation to get an implement solarge that your tractor has to continually operate atpeak output to pull it, because such constant, repetitivestrain will prematurely age your tractor.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON DISCS

One tip that can help your tractor’s (and other)hydraulic systems last as long as possible is to take theload off them when you are finished working. Justbefore you turn your tractor off, lower the implement tothe ground or other hard surface so that your hydraulicswon’t have to continue to bear the load of supporting it.Do this with any hydraulically-operated attachment.

The last item I want to mention is the most impor-tant of all, and I can sum it up with one word: GREASE!Grease, grease and MORE grease! Your disc imple-ment will have grease fittings. Use them, and use themoften.

In fact, that’s true of any equipment, but it’s espe-cially true with disc implements. You should grease theimplement before AND AFTER every single use.Greasing before ensures that its parts will move freely.Greasing afterwards removes any moisture or dirt thatmay have collected in the bearings while the imple-ment was being used. Replacing bearings and shaftsis extremely expensive. The good news is that it can beavoided just by greasing the implement before andafter each use. This is especially true with a disc.

CONCLUSION

A 4- to 7-foot disc implement is suitable for mostfood-plot applications. If possible, try to get an imple-ment that has two gangs in each row of discs so thatyou can adjust blade angle for the broadest range ofapplications. Most tractors in the food-plot family pro-vide the 30-40 engine horsepower necessary to pull at4-to 7-foot disc implement. Before buying a disc or tiller,though, be sure to consult the owner’s manual thatcame with your tractor or get confirmation from themanufacturer that your tractor will easily handle theimplement you are considering buying. W

Two-bottom mouldboard plow.

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As an alternative to a disk, a tiller can have some advantagesand some disadvantages.

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Consider Strengthsand Weaknesses of

TWO-SEASONPLANTINGS

By Charles J. Alsheimer

There is no end to theinformation beingstreamed to hunters and

landowners nowadays. It seemslike not a day passes in which anew “must-do” or “must-have”is pitched to food-plotpractitioners. One conceptthat is getting a lot of press isthe concept of two-seasonplantings.

Actually, the idea of offeringtwo-season plantings has beenaround for a long time. Havinggrown up on a potato farm, Ican vouch that my dad andgranddad practiced this everyyear. However, in our family’scase, it was from a cash-cropstandpoint rather than one tobenefit wildlife.

For those who think interms of planting food plotsand forages for wildlife, thethought of two plantings at thesame food-plot location eachyear can have merit — but onlyif conditions are right.Determining if two-seasonplantings are right for yourequires careful analysis.

WHAT IS IT?

Without going into great detail, two-season plantingsis nothing more than offering wildlife two crops at the samefood plot in a year. Two-season plantings require a springplanting of forage that grows fast and provides deer withhigh nutrition for a brief period before being plowed underin late summer to allow for a late-summer/early-fall plant-ing. Though two-season plantings can work, it requiresproper forage selection and growing conditions.

STRENGTHS OF TWO-SEASON PLANTINGS

Variety: One of the big benefits of two-season plant-


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ings is the ability to offer whitetails a greater variety of for-ages that can provide high nutrition when deer need itmost.

For example, a product such as Whitetail Institute’sImperial Power Plant (an annual) can be used by whitetails

within three weeks of planting. The peas, beans, lab-lab andsorghum in the blend offer bucks and does a high level ofnutrition during the antler-growing and lactating months.Because this blend is an annual, it grows quickly and canproduce a significant tonnage of plant material in its first

few months of growth. After the hot days of summer arrive and plants

become stressed, the spring planting can be replaced by afall planting, such as Whitetail Institute’s Pure Attraction (anannual), which does extremely well when planted in lateJuly to early August. The oats, winter peas and brassicaseeds in this blend sprout quickly and offer foragesrequired by deer from late summer into winter.

Clean the table: Another benefit of a two-seasonplanting is the ability to clean the table at a food plot. If theproper preparation steps are followed, spraying the plotwith a weed killer like Roundup kills any weeds that mightcompete with the blend being planted.

Drought insurance: Summer is a very stressful time forwhitetails and their habitat. Heat and drought can wreakhavoc on animals and plants. In areas that commonly havedry conditions during July and early August, two-seasonplantings can be very beneficial. In such locations, timing iscritical. It’s important to get the first crop planted earlyenough to provide maximum nutrition and tonnage beforethe drought period arrives and stresses the plants. After thedry time arrives, it's time to prep the plot and plant the sec-ond crop so that when moisture returns, the new crop isready to grow. In these kinds of situations, a two-seasonplanting is like having drought insurance for food plots.

WEAKNESSES OF TWO SEASON PLANTINGS

Dead space: One of the greatest weaknesses of a two-season planting is there's a period when the food plot sim-ply has no plants for deer to feed on. Even during the best-case scenario, there will be at least 30 days (15 in spring and15 in fall) when the planted seeds are germinating and tyingto grow, offering nothing for deer to eat. Usually this lapseis much more than 30 days.

Fifteen days might not seem like much time, but witha spring planting, it's critical that deer have lush new


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Annual two-season plantings like this brassica plot can provide whitetails with excellent late nutrition.

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growth as soon as spring green-up arrives. Unfortunately,when a crop has to be planted each spring at green-uptime, there is a period when the plot has nothing to offer.

So, not having usable forage in a food plot for deer touse for 30-plus days can be a huge issue, especially northof the 40th latitude, where the growing season is muchbriefer than southern locations.

Overgrazing: Another weakness of a two-seasonplanting is the danger of the food plot’s forage being over-grazed by whitetails. When plants first burst from the

ground, they are very vulnerable, trying to grow and sur-vive. It's a critical period for the plant.

Most two-season forages are annuals, which grow fora season before dying. Annuals grow more plant and lessroot system than perennials, so they can be more suscepti-ble to stress when they are overgrazed. Couple that withthe fact that deer prefer new growth (a hallmark of annu-als), and you have an accident waiting to happen whenthere are too many deer feeding in a food plot with tendernew sprouts. Perennial food plots, such as Imperial

Whitetail Clover, can develop an extensive root system, soit tends to be much more graze-tolerant than annual for-ages.

Cost: This can be a biggie, especially if you have to hiresomeone to plant your food plots. On average, I’ve found itcosts me $125 to $250 per acre to do my food plots, andthat doesn’t include the cost of equipment — just seed, fer-tilizer, lime and fuel. Planting food plots isn’t cheap, and itcan get downright expensive if you factor in your time andthe cost of equipment.

Consequently, if you are thinking of doing two-seasonplantings, look long and hard at the cost factor. In mostcases, it will be more than double the cost of perennialplantings.

A BETTER IDEA

The biggest bang for your buck — and the health ofyour deer — is derived by offering a continual, highly nutri-tious variety of forages. The best way to ensure that is byhaving most food-plot offerings planted in perennials,which last more than one year. When perennials make upmost of your food-plot offerings, there is rarely a time dur-ing months without snow when deer won't have the foodthey need.

On properties where more than six or seven acres offood plots can be planted, I recommend planting 75 per-cent perennials and 25 percent annuals. If that is too large,the bulk of the food plots — 80 percent or more — shouldbe planted into perennials, with the balance being annuals.This mix of perennials to annuals ensures a continuousoffering of forages whitetails require for antler growth andphysical health.

Because perennials can often last two to five years,they are far more cost effective than annuals. Of course,their longevity depends on proper food-plot maintenancefrom year to year.


Getting big bucks with big racks takes an exceptionallynutritious forage, and that can be hard to grow in hilly areaswith lighter soils. Alfa-Rack Plus solves this problem. Theextensive root structure of Alfa-Rack Plus allows you togrow this high-protein forage in areas that might other-wise be inhospitable to the foods deer like best. Alfa-RackPlus includes our special blend of alfalfas, chicory, andImperial Whitetail Clover. When the buck you are after isKing of the Hill, make sure the hill is planted in Alfa-Rack Plus.

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The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail Hope Hull, AL 36043wwwwww..wwhhiitteettaaiilliinnssttiittuuttee..ccoomm

Research = Results.

Two-season plantings allow for high nutrition plots, some of which are drought resistant.

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THE BEST OF THE BEST

Through continuing research at my whitetail researchfacility (see my article “The Cat’s Out of the Bag,” inWhitetail News, Vol. 14, No. 1 at www.whitetail-institute.com) our deer have shown what they prefer forforages during months without snow.

PERENNIALS

Imperial Clover: When it comes to preferred deer food,nothing trumps Imperial Clover. If you have heavy soil andthat holds moisture, whitetails will prefer it over other for-ages 75 percent of the time. During the prime growing sea-son, protein levels of 30 percent or more can be expectedfrom Imperial Clover. For best results, the pH levels of thesoil should be 6.5-7.0.

Imperial Chicory Plus: This blend of Imperial Cloverand chicory is a high-octane forage. Chicory has beenreferred to as “clover on steroids.” The chicory seed in thisblend gives whitetails an extra kick for meeting their nutri-tional needs because chicory plants can transfer mineralsfrom the soil much more efficiently than many forages. Forbest results, the pH levels of the soil should be 6.2 to 7. Ifthese soil needs can be met, protein levels of 30 percent ormore can be expected during the prime growing season.

Imperial Alfa-Rack: Alfalfa is tough to beat as a pre-ferred deer forage. For Alfa-Rack to shine, soils should bewell drained and have a pH level exceeding 6.5. If these con-ditions can be met, protein levels of more than 25 percentcan be expected.

Imperial Alfa-Rack Plus: This blended formula ofImperial Clover, chicory and X9 alfalfa is very popularthroughout the whitetail’s range. The extensive root struc-ture of this blend lets you grow this high-protein forage inareas that might otherwise be inhospitable to the foodsdeer like best. Designed for well-drained soils, this blendcan provide protein levels up to 30 percent.

Imperial Extreme: Many refer to Extreme as a magicalblend because it can thrive in soils with pH levels as low as5.4. In addition, it provides protein levels that exceed 35percent and will grow in country that receives as little as 15inches of rainfall a year.

ANNUALS

Imperial Winter-Greens: Winter-Greens is one of the

most effective late-season food plot forages you can plant.This annual grows more than 15 inches tall; is broad-leafed,so it provides great tonnage; and provides protein levelsexceeding 30 percent. Because the plants don’t reach thelevels deer prefer most until November and December, thisblend is a great choice if you want to ensure your deer haveadequate nutrition when warm-season forages have beendepleted.

Imperial PowerPlant: When it comes to a warm-seasonannual, PowerPlant is tough to beat. With proper planting,it comes up rapidly, and its blend of peas, beans, lab-laband sorghum offer whitetails a variety of forages with pro-tein levels exceeding 25 percent. For best results, soil pHlevels should be 6.0 or better.

Pure Attraction: This is a great fall annual. Its customblend of oats, winter peas and brassica make it a popular

choice for feeding and hunting food plots. The deer ham-mer the oats and peas in the early season and pound thebrassicas in the late season. It’s a great one-two punch. Itoffers tonnage as well as 25 percent or more protein levels.As with most other blends, Pure Attraction performs bestwhen soil pH levels exceed 6.0.

WHAT MATTERS MOST

When it comes to food-plot decisions, it’s alwaysimportant to put the whitetail’s needs first. Always strive toensure your deer have a continual stream of highly nutri-tious food so all their food requirements are met all thetime. Though two-season plantings are popular and canwork, they generally fall short when compared to a well-thought-out perennial program. W

Two-season plantings allow you to “clean the table” andtill food plots twice a year. The weakness of this is that itis costly.

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• “CHIC” MAGNET provides deer with a highly attractive and nutri-tious food source even during the heat and low rainfall of latesummer and early fall.

• “CHIC” MAGNET can be planted in the spring or fall in most areas

• “CHIC” MAGNET can last up to three years with a single planting

• “CHIC” MAGNET can tolerate a broad variety of soil types, from moist tomoderately drained

• “CHIC” MAGNET can be planted alone, overseeded into existing forages toprovide additional attraction and drought resistance or mixed with otherseeds prior to planting.

• “CHIC” MAGNET attracts, holds and grows bigger bucks!

Whitetail Institute • 239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043 • CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-688-3030

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A S K B I G J O NBy Jon Cooner, Institute Director of Special Projects

Common Questions — Straightforward Answers

QDo you have to use as much pelletized lime as youwould agricultural lime to raise soil pH the same

amount?

AOpinions vary on whether you must use the sameamount of pelletized lime as it would take to equiv-

alently raise soil pH with bulk agricultural lime, but theexperts we have consulted suggest that one may use aweight of pelletized lime that is at least 70-75 percent ofwhat the bulk lime recommendation would be to get thesame effect.

The key to understanding this is knowing that limeworks to raise soil pH by particle-to-particle contact; aparticle of lime must touch a particle of soil to neutral-ize it. The “fineness” of lime is expressed in "screen size",which just means the fineness of the mesh the lime par-ticles will pass through. The finer the lime grains in apound of lime, the more individual grains there are, andthe more grains there are, the more dirt particles theywill touch and neutralize (If you work the lime into thesoil properly and thoroughly).

Remember that the pellets in pelletized lime arenot all lime. They are much smaller lime particles rolledup into little clay balls so that they will go through a

broadcast spreader. The actual pieces of lime that are inthe balls are actually of smaller screen size than the limeparticles in granular bulk lime. What that means is thatthere are more “pieces” of actual lime in pelletized limethan there are in an equivalent weight of the morecoarsely-ground agricultural, or bulk lime.

That brings me to a tip about using pelletized limethat you are planning to disk in. Remember that I saidthe pellet consists of lots of little lime particles rolled upinto clay balls? Try taking one of the pellets and leavingit on your driveway overnight. Overnight, the ball willbreak down, and in the morning you will find a little pileof powdered lime where you left the pellet. In the sameway, it is a great idea to broadcast pelletized lime oneafternoon, but wait until the next morning to disk it in.That way, you are disking in the separate lime particles,not the whole pellet, and with vigorous "stirring" withyour disk, you will get better particle-to-particle contact.

The key to raising soil pH with either bulk or pel-letized lime is to work it into the soil thoroughly. As Ioften heard the former Director of Plant Breeding for theInstitute, Dr. Johnson, say, “Lime pretty much stayswhere you put it. You HAVE to disk it in thoroughly if you

are going to raise soil pH.” So, when you disk in yourlime don’t just make one pass. Instead, think about mak-ing pancakes: if you put pancake mix in a bowl and thenthe water, and make only pass around the bowl with thespoon, most of the water will not reach the mix.However, if you stir vigorously and in multiple directions,the mix will be much better. Same thing with lime—thebetter you disk in, the more particle-to-particle contactyou will achieve with the soil.

Personally, when I want to lime a new plot site, Istart six months before I intend to plant and disk in theamount of bulk lime required by my soil test. Then, I add800 — 1,000 pounds of pelletized lime right on top ofthe soil when I plant. By doing it this way, I get the topfour to six inches of soil up to proper pH by the time Iplant, and the additional pelletized lime on top gives anextra pH kick to the surface of the soil where the seedwill be germinating. Then each year, I top-dress the plotwith 800-1000 pounds of pelletized lime just to main-tain soil pH at the surface.

An article discussing lime is available on-line at thefollowing web page: http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/-info/news/nov05/11.html. W


Imperial Whitetail Extreme…Try it, Partner

If you’re a fan of old western movies, you’ll recognizethis scene. It’s 1882. White dust covers the cowboy’sboots and jeans as he walks into a Texas town, saddle

slung over his shoulder. His horse died of thirst 10 miles ago,and as he walks slowly toward a horse-watering trough infront of the saloon, he squints into the setting sun, his lipscaked and dry. As he reaches the trough, he sets the saddledown atop a tumbleweed that has lodged itself against thetrough and plunges his head into the fetid water. Oncerefreshed, he walks on to the edge of town where a muleawaits with head hung low. The cowboy reaches for thereins and urges the mule onward as it pulls a plow, prepar-ing the soil for a fall planting of Imperial Whitetail Extreme.

Well, maybe the last act is not in any western movieI’ve ever seen. But these days, it could be. Imperial WhitetailExtreme is a truly revolutionary new perennial forage blenddesigned to grow in lower pH soils and tolerate annual rain-fall levels half that required for other perennial deer forageblends.

But Extreme is not designed just for inhospitable con-ditions. Many Field Testers plant Extreme in well-drainedsoils in areas that receive abundant rainfall and reportincredible results. For instance, lots of Field Testers in areasof higher rainfall, who already have Imperial WhitetailClover or another Institute perennial food plot, plantExtreme to give their deer variety. This would not be the

case unless they found Extreme as attractive to deer asother Imperial perennial blends.

That’s truly amazing when you consider that in manycases, the more drought tolerant a plant is, the less palat-able it is to deer. Extreme is a huge departure from that sit-uation. The primary component of Extreme is Persist, anevergreen forb whose leaves mimic a clover shape, but witha serrated edge. If you have a plot of Extreme growing,here’s a test I urge you to take: pull the top inch or so outof a Persist plant and taste it. You’ll find that it tastes verysimilar to cucumber or watermelon. Since most natural for-ages on which deer feed taste very bitter to humans, youcan just imagine how attractive Persist is to deer.

In addition to the Persist forb, Extreme contains WINA-100 Brand perennial forage chicory, another departure fromtraditional deer plantings. Unlike other chicories, WINA-100brand perennial forage chicory is less waxy and leatherythan other chicories and so outperforms other chicories bya huge margin in side-by-side tests.

So, if you are in an area of North America that receivesas little at 15 inches per year in annual rainfall, even on a sea-sonal basis, or if you are in a lighter, well-drained soil thatwon’t hold lime well enough to raise your soil pH to opti-mum levels (6.5-7.5), consider Imperial Whitetail Extreme.Lots of new Field Testers in Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho andother states west of the Mississippi River that receive lower

rainfall have found Extreme a solid performer in conditionspreviously considered impossible to sustain perennial plotsfor deer. Field Testers from Pennsylvania, East Texas andeverywhere in between continue to rave about its tough-ness and how much their deer love it. W

Extreme conditions call for extreme measures. And Imperial Whitetail Extreme is powerful enough to overcome the worst your property has to offer.Thanks to Extreme, dry, hot locations and soil with low pH no longer prohibit growing a successful perennial crop. Extreme requires only 15 inches ofrainfall a year, is both heat and cold tolerant, and will grow well in pH levels as low as 5.4. Extreme is ideal for challenging growing conditions, but will also do great when conditions are kinder. An extreme response to extreme conditions.

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n What you need to knowabout Imperial WhitetailExtreme >>>>>>>>>

• Can thrive in low pH soils(5.4 to 7.5)

• Easy to establish• Produces quality forage

in extremely dry condi-tions

• Can last up to fiveyears withoutreplanting

• Can produce inlower rainfall areas(as little as 15 inches)


Customers do the talking about Institute products…Customers do the talking about Institute products…Bill McMorris – Illinois

We could use a vast number of adjectives about howmuch our deer herd that surrounds our farm here in CentralIllinois has improved since we first began planting productsoffered by the Whitetail Institute, but none of them would

compare with a photo.They say a picture isworth a thousand words.We currently have 5Imperial Whitetail Cloverfood plots on our farmand with the approachingspring, we will add anoth-er additional 6 acres intoour program. We continu-ally manage the foodplots with fertilizer andherbicides when the soilsample calls for nutrients and the weed control is required.The second bridge that is to be crossed is field preparationprior to seeding allowing good seed to soil contact with thesmall seeds. If you don’t own a specialty drill (Great Plains,or other name brand) which will allow you to plant theseeds to the exact depth (no deeper than 1/4 inch) andpack the seed row as it goes across the field, then the nextbest tool is a cultipacker which you should use prior toseeding the ground to allow you excellent seed to soil con-tact. When we can’t get the drill into an area, we use a cul-tipacker. The method we use is to roll the ground prior toseeding, seed it in two different directions (using 1/2 of therecommended seeding rate for the acreage to be coveredin each direction) then bring the cultipacker back intoaction and roll the seed in just carrying the wheels of theequipment over the ground as not to get the seed to deep.Here in Central Illinois we prepare our food plots in the Fallthen return in the early Spring (weather permitting) andplant. Enough about us…just look at the photos.

Orval Shewry and Steve Northcutt - IowaThe most deer

activity we see on allour plots is in ImperialWhitetail Clover. It isthe favored huntingspot among allfriends. We are seeingmore and larger deerin antler size andweight. This 8 pointwas shot over anImperial WhitetailClover plot last year.We have seen 6-7

bucks that are at least as large as this one. Proper nutritionand deer management are starting to pay off. I can’t waitfor next year.

Jim Gettinger – KansasI own approximately 200 acres in southeastern Kansas.

The farm is made up mostly of small fields and woods witha creek running through the middle of it. Excellent area forwildlife. I have a couple of small fields to which I have addedone two acre and one 4 acre Imperial Clover plots. I havealso located 30-06 Mineral licks about 50 yards off thefields back in the trees. I have been using Imperial Productsfor about 10 years now. As many of the smaller farmsaround me quit planting crops, the Imperial helps to keep

the deer in good shape, and helps to keep them in the area.The buck in the photo was taken on the edge of one of theImperial Clover fields on opening day of firearms season. Hewas herding a bunch of does. I was at opposite end of theclover field about 200 yards away, and I might not of got-ten a shot, but the does could not resist coming to the faredge of the field for a quick bite, and they pulled the buckwith them. He is a ten point and green scores around 145with a 20 inch inside spread. I missed a larger buck with mybow earlier this year when I misjudged the distance and justbarely clipped the under belly, and saw at least one otherbuck of similar size but too far away during bow season.The Imperial Clover draws the does in and where the doesare the bucks seem to follow. I have taken what I considera good buck off the property at least every other year. Mybest buck is a beautiful ten point hanging over my fireplacethat scores around 165. Due to work and family require-ments I don’t have as much time to hunt as I would like, andhaving the Imperial Clover helps me to maximize mychances during my limited hunting time. I also enjoy read-ing Whitetail News and hearing about the successes of oth-ers. Keep up the good work.

Nathan Zeroth – MinnesotaSince I have been using Alfa-Rack I have been seeing

more deer everyyear. Last year Ishot a nice 10point 3-1/2 yearold. This year Ishot a nice 3-1/2year old 8 point.(See photo)

I really likethis product I planto seed 3 morefood plots nextspring. Thank youfor the bucksWhitetail Institute.

Richard Cook – MississippiFirst plot I

planted wasImperial WhitetailClover. And evenafter 4 years I wasstill seeing bigbucks eating inthis food plot.Mississippi had anextremely dry falllast year howevermy plot withExtreme did verywell. I killed thisnice 11 point onthe plot.

Todd Yoder – VirginiaMy name is Todd A. Yoder from the beautiful State

of Virginia. I tried the Imperial Whitetail Clover about 6years ago for the first time. To be completely honest withyou, I put your seed against another brand of clover mix. Ipersonally thought there could be no difference in cloverseed. I thought clover seed is clover seed. Ok, I was wrong!The deer literally walked through the X brand of clover seedto get the Imperial Whitetail Clover. It made me a believer.

For the last 6 years I have dedicated myself, along withmy dad’s help, to planting food plots. The results have beenmore than impressing. First, before I go any further in this

letter, I want toexplain that Idon’t own ahuge ranch ort r e m e n d o u samount of acres.The Lord hasblessed me witha 100-acre farm,80% is woodedand 20% is till-able. There areprivate ownedfarms all aroundme with plentyof hunting pres-sure. Even

though there is a lot of hunting pressure, I feel I have beenmore than successful in managing deer. My proof, I reallyenjoy climbingup in the treestand through-out the summerand early fallwith my videocamera and get-ting footage ofthe deer that areon the farm.

The footagethat I have takenin the last fiveyears has beenreally cool. Eachyear I see moreand more bucks,and larger andlarger bucks. Four years ago I videotaped 15 bucks, 10 were8 pointers and up (ear tip or larger). One particular buck


Institute products…Institute products…was estimated in the 160’s.

In the 2006 spring turkey season, I planted some moreof your Imperial Whitetail Clover, with some Alfa-Rack andChicory PLUS. This seed was planted in the third week ofApril and my dad went down to the farm on June 17 and18th. The Imperial Whitetail Clover, Alfa-Rack and ChicoryPLUS were 10 to 12 inches high already (we had some goodrain and at the right time too). My dad videotaped 12 bucks,8 bucks at one time eating in the Imperial Whitetail Clover,Alfa-Rack and Chicory PLUS. There were several goodbucks and one fantastic buck already; it was hard to getfootage of the bucks, because they had their heads buriedin the Imperial Whitetail Clover, Alfa-Rack and ChicoryPLUS. It was amazing to see these deer focus on this foodplot and the amount of bucks we are seeing already. Also,we have been seeing a lot more turkey too; my wife and Ishot a double this spring. She had never been huntingbefore and was 7 months pregnant. It will be one of mymemorable hunts ever!

Thank you for your product and for what it has done tohelp me manage our farm. Enclosed is a picture of my wifeand me on our turkey hunt this year and a picture of a buckI killed. God bless!

Brad Brown – MissouriImperial Whitetail Clover is an amazing product. The

hunting on our property has done a 180° flip. The propertyis in Central Missouri and is only 40 acres in size so we

needed something to draw the deer in and keep them com-ing back for more. Imperial Whitetail Clover was the answer.Enclosed are 3 pictures. One of our food plot and 2 more ofdeer from the past two seasons. The wide 8 pointer dressedout at 245 pounds. That body size is very rare for this farsouth of the Missouri River. Thank You.

Hank Hammond – GeorgiaAttached please find pics of our bucks shot last year in

Lee County, GA. My two bucks, taken in successive days,weighed 260 and 265 pounds on the hoof. Our son Zacktook a nice 7 pointer that weighed 210 pounds as well.While our lease has established plots of Imperial Whitetailclover that draw many deer, this year our bucks were alltaken from plots of Extreme. We like the Extreme becauseour sandy soil can really work on food plots during extend-

ed periods of drought...theExtreme always hangstough during those periods,still providing forage for ourdeer long after the dry conditions have killed off competi-tor's plots or caused them to become dormant. This isimportant to us, as it seems the drought periods can, anddo, usually come during the traditional summertime periodof antler growth, when good nutrition is badly needed. TheExtreme is a great product to use in cases where soil ph andfertility or weather conditions might be a limiting factor. Wehad excellent growth all year, regardless of rainfall, temper-ature extremes or grazing pressure. All deer that we sawwere all very healthy and we firmly believe it is because ofour intensive food plot program that emphasizes WhitetailInstitute products! Thanks again.

Brian Hack – New YorkWe bought an old farm

5 years ago and turned itinto our own private pre-serve. We planted ImperialWhitetail Clover andExtreme 2 years ago."Extreme" is an amazingproduct. Soil conditions donot have to be perfect, andman does that stuff grow. Itseems like the more they eatthat stuff, the better itgrows!! The deer on our 140 acres have benefited from thecombo of Imperial Whitetail Clover and Extreme. My plotsare drawing and holding more deer every season. I’veenclosed a photo of a 139 inch buck I took this past year.

Eric Duncan – ArkansasI’ve been using

Alfa-Rack for a fewyears. There arealways a lot of deerand turkey signs inthe plots. This buckwas taken on a trailleading to an Alfa-Rack plot. He wasapproximately 50yards from the plotwhen I shot him.

John Ireland – New YorkWe have always had a

large deer herd, but sinceplanting Imperial WhitetailClover the deer are healthi-er. They have heavier bod-ies and more antler mass.The buck in the photo wasshot on Imperial WhitetailClover plot checking does.I’ve also enclosed two pho-tos of my Imperial WhitetailClover plot this pastFebruary.

John Sumner, M.D. – AlabamaThis 130+-

class whitetailwas taken bymy son, Williamabout 75 yardsfrom a 3 yearold ImperialClover patch.As you can seethe clover help-ed grow a nicehigh rack.

Richard Woody – OhioI have 52 acres in Southeast Ohio mostly rolling fields

and only 18 acres of woods. Before using your products Ivery seldom saw a deer, 1 or 2 and not much sign. After thefirst 3 acres of Imperial Whitetail Clover was planted by thenext gun sea-son I had 31deer in theW h i t e t a i lClover and 6deer were har-vested in 3days. The nextspring I decid-ed to plant 3more acres. Inearly summer I

(Continued on page 72)


“An almost perfect relationship with

his father was the earthly root of all his

wisdom. From his own father, he said, he

learned that fatherhood must be at the

core of the universe. He was thus prepared

in an unusual way to teach that religion

in which the relation of father

and son is of all relations the

most central.”

— C.S. Lewis

With Land and People—

RelationshipsAre Built

With TimeBy R.G. Bernier

Photos by the Author

The one equitable commodity that each ofus share is in the amount of time we areallotted on a daily basis. The disparity is

found in how we choose to spend that time. Likemoney, where some elect to frivolously fritteraway their monetary holdings in order to satisfyimmediate gratification, others will prudentlyinvest their assets into commodities that willeventually mature and bring them a return on theinvestment. Essentially, the choices we make inlife become the dividends of tomorrow.

Make no mistake about it—developing meaningful relationships requires energy, self-lessness, consideration and the time necessary for them to blossom. Serving as a very realand credible example to this is the relationship I share with my wife. Despite the fact that itwas love at first sight when I first met Sharon, we really didn’t know a lot about each other.Through the dating and engagement period we began to learn and understand certaincharacter qualities that both of us possessed. Once the ‘I Do’s’ were pronounced on thatblissful day, our investment into the relationship didn’t end there. Although the ‘stars andinfatuated sensations’ have long since been overshadowed by reality, time has given us theability to nurture and build a lasting, happy and prosperous marriage.

Through that union we were blessed with two children—a son and daughter. When itcomes to hunting, I have had the parental pleasure to teach and instruct our son aboutfirearms, the whitetail and the strategies required to succeed. I was with him when he shothis first deer; and believe me, there is no greater feeling in the world than watching your sonperform flawlessly when aiming at such an unpredictable target. Perhaps that is whyArchibald Rutledge penned the following words with regards to his own boys: “A dad likesto accomplish things in the woods, but I guess he gets more real pleasure out of having hissons accomplish what he knows is not so easy to do.”

Throughout the maturation process, a relationship was being forged between my sonand me. Today, Dwight is a full-grown man, and because of the time and dedication that wasinvested into his childhood, our relationship has evolved from a parental overseer into aclose-knit bond. He is my hunting partner and one of my closest confidants. You see, in myopinion, the worth of a life is to invest it into something that will outlast it. Whether or notI ever shoot a world-record whitetail is irrelevant when stacked up to the value of relation-ships. While a record-book buck may bring temporary pleasure, it cannot compete with thelasting satisfaction that solid relationships engender.

Think for a moment about some of the people you have chosen to be your friends andask yourself why they are special enough to hold such a significant position in your life.Unlike family members, you specifically solicited these folks for distinct reasons. Initially,something about the individual’s character, compatibility or similar interests drew you tothem; but whatever the impetus was that formed the friendship, time is the foremost ingre-dient necessary to strengthen and enrich the relationship.

THE LAND

Kinships are certainly not just relegated to human interactions. We have, as entrustedstewards of this planet, a relationship with the land as well. After all, everything we consumeoriginates in some way from the land, be it the food that we eat, the energy we burn, or thematerials utilized to craft our dwellings and right down to the very water that serves to alle-viate our thirst.

Over time, forest practices and land use has changed dramatically. Some of thesechanges have benefited whitetails immeasurably while others have had a negative impact.For instance, early in the 1900s when settlers began pushing further into the country to farmthe land, parts of the forest were cut in order to clear fields for growing crops. This trans-formation accomplished two favorable necessities for the whitetail deer: it opened up theforest canopy, which in turn promoted new growth and it provided large field openingswhich whitetails gravitate to as edge animals. Realizing it or not, these early farmers werecreating an environment highly suitable for the resident deer. One might say they were theearly pioneers in the food plot business.

Then, in the 1930s the Federal Government began a buyout program called theBankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act. This governmental program paid the farmers fair-marketvalue for their farms and relocated the families to various locations. It wasn’t long before theforest began to reclaim what was once cleared and the whitetails’ meal ticket diminished


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with each passing year. Were it not for the logging industry,which has fed the consumers’ great need for paper andbuilding supplies, whitetail numbers may well have contin-ued to decline. It should be clear by now that regardless ofwhy the forest is disturbed, be it for raw timber, plantingfood sources or for a dwelling, the whitetail almost alwaysbenefits from the by-product of this clearing.

In the late 1980s the Whitetail Institute came on thescene and began promoting what hunters and landownersperceived as a new concept in land use. In reality, theWhitetail Institute was reintroducing what our ancestorshad accomplished unaware. Whitetail Institute foundersand researchers realized that to build herd densities andpromote optimum growth potential for individual deer, cer-tain vital ingredients had to be introduced. Chunks of forestonce again began being cleared and replaced by gardens.Only this time, these food plots were built to entice thepalates of deer and other wildlife.

Throughout the course of time the way deer are man-aged has also changed. In many instances, whitetails are nolonger controlled strictly for their best interest but rather for cultural carrying capacity. In other words, managers

now attempt to keep population levels tolerable to thosefolks living within a specific geographic location or wildlifemanagement district. The dynamics of our whitetail herdshave changed dramatically. Deer population numbers thatwere once severely diminished have now exploded. Baglimits have increased with hunters being encouraged toharvest greater amounts of female deer. Antler restrictionshave been imposed in a number of states to help generatea more balanced age structure amongst the buck popula-tion. All of these modern day management plans take timeto flourish and will ultimately benefit the land, the hunterand the whitetail deer that inhabits that environment.

SATISFACTION

Personal gratification is the reward for those who havemade a legitimate effort in managing resources entrustedto them. If you are of the belief that only monetary remu-neration can satisfy calloused hands, a sweaty brow orfatigued muscles, more than likely you’ve never investedthe time or toil into an enterprise where patience and hardwork can produce results. Although the customer of a fin-ished product can derive great joy from the completedcommodity, no one other than the manufacturer can fullyappreciate the sacrifice it took to produce it.

Today, adept hunters are meticulously managing theirland in an effort to stimulate regeneration and provideunlimited food choices to the resident wildlife. Through thisendeavor, they are producing quality whitetails. To thecasual observer it would appear that the individual hunterwho plants food plots and selectively harvests trees on hisproperty can only be doing so for the opportunity to shootbetter deer. That is true perhaps, at least initially. But asmore time and effort is devoted to this labor of love, theentrepreneurial steward often gains as much satisfactionfrom managing as he does from hunting this same piece ofreal estate. And because of his stewardship, birds, bunnies,turkeys and a whole host of other animals profit from thelandscaping changes. They have at their disposal easilyobtained food that would not ordinarily be available, as wellas newly created habitat suitable for permanent residency.

What the non-hunter cannot see, nor even envision, iswhy a guy in a sweat-soaked shirt with dirty hands leaningagainst his tractor at the end of a long, hot day would go tothis effort with nothing of monetary remuneration to showfor it. But, as the orange ball begins to descend on thewestern horizon, the content land owner, who is sipping atall glass of ice tea smiles inwardly as he watches the firstof many whitetails emerge from the forest to dine on thecultivated clover. That, my friend, is more than enough pay-ment to compensate a man who has his priorities fixed onsomething more than tangible objects.

THE RESULTS

Think with me for a moment and ask yourself, what inlife has had more of a direct—impact, something that wasgiven to you as a gift, or an accomplishment realized onlythrough determination, hard work and dedication?Although a gift is certainly an appreciable gesture of some-one’s good will, it still cost the recipient nothing. It has oftenbeen said by many a prudent parent in raising their chil-dren, “If you work for something, you will value it far morethan if it were given to you.” Although this may initiallyseem harsh to a youngster who has been accustomed togetting everything provided for them from mom and dad,the reality of the lesson is they learn to appreciate theresults of their labor.

By the very nature of the process, building relation-ships requires time and energy. Despite the obvious physi-cal and financial investment of cutting trees, plowing soil,planting seed, watering, fertilizing, and weeding, it quicklybecomes a labor of love that gratifies the very core of theland manager directly linking him with that plot of groundand the wildlife that inhabits it. W


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Once again Research=Results at the Whitetail Institute. We areproud to introduce, Imperial Whitetail Winter-Greens, our newannual brassica blend designed specifically for late season foodplot sources and hunting opportunities. Winter-Greens blendof brassica is extremely attractive, and during tests waspreferred 4 to 1 over other brassica products. Winter-Greensstands tall and stays green, even in the coldest winter weather. The colder it gets the more sweet and attractive it becomeswhich creates perfect food plots for late season hunting. Sothis year plant our highly drought resistant Winter-Greens andgive your deer a valuable source of nutrients for the winter season.

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Winter-Greens has been out for less than a year,and already the results are impressive. As wefound during product testing and development,

Winter-Greens is by far the most attractive brassica blendavailable on the market today — bar none.

Brassicas aren’t new to the Whitetail Institute. Westarted testing available brassica varieties in the 1980s,before they were even introduced as a forage product inthe U.S. During our initial testing, we found what mosthunters now know — that traditional brassicas offer a goodfood source for deer during the cold months of winter afterthe first hard frost of fall sweetens them. For that reason,we have used brassicas in a limited capacity, as a timing ele-ment in our second longest-running product, Imperial No-Plow.

Since the backbone of the Whitetail Institute isresearch and development, this effort has combinedsuperbly with our brassica testing. Because we are sofocused on research, we are regularly able to identify anddevelop revolutionary blends. That’s especially true in thecase of Imperial Winter-Greens.

In independent field-test studies, we found again andagain that deer preferred Imperial Winter-Greens four-to-one over other brassica products. And, frankly, that ratio isconservative — often, deer exhibited a much higher prefer-ence.

Winter-Greens stands tall even during the snowywinter months in the North. Although heaviest usage isafter the first hard frost of fall, studies have also shownthat deer feed heavily on Winter-Greens even earlier. Inmy own experience, I planted Winter-Greens on my leasehere in Alabama and found that deer absolutely loved it.Inside my exclusion cages, the Winter-Greens was a foottall, and outside the deer kept it mowed low — and thiswas in September, when temperatures in central Alabamaare still 70 degrees or higher.

The reason forthe huge success ofWinter-Greens is inthe nature of the bras-sicas it offers. Theseare exceptionallysweet hybrid brassicaswith vegetable genet-ic bases. The result is ahuge increase inpalatability over exist-ing brassica products.

Winter-Greenshas only been avail-able to the publicsince last summer.

Even so, the results are overwhelming. Winter-Greens issimply the most attractive brassica blend ever to hit themarket. I urge you to plant Winter-Greens beside any otherbrassica product, with the other product next to the woodsand Winter-Greens out farther in the field. Then, watchwhat your deer do, and let us know. I strongly believe thatyou will find what we have found in our testing, and whatField Testers have reported to us — that Winter-Greens isthe most attractive brassica product on the market, and bya very wide margin. W

Imperial Winter-Greens…Cornering the Brassica Market!

n What you need toknow about ImperialWinter-Greens >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

• Preferred 4-to-1 over other brassica-based food plots

• Winter-Greens gets tastier with winter Weather

It’s PureAttraction!

New Blend Provides One-Two Punch

By Jon Cooner. Institute Director of Special Projects

If you’re looking for an annual planting that will establishquickly and deliver a one-two punch for the early andlate hunting seasons, look no further than the Whitetail

Institute’s newest forage product, Imperial Pure Attraction. When our Field Testers asked us to develop a fall for-

age blend that would provide rapid growth, attraction andabundant forage in both the early and late seasons, wewere listening. After exhaustive research, development andtesting, the Institute is proud to offer its newest forageblend, Imperial Whitetail Pure Attraction for the one—twopunch of early and late season.

The first punch of Pure Attraction is its early seasonplants, which establish and grow very quickly. Theseinclude WINA Winter Peas and the Institute’s incrediblenew WINA-Brand Forage Oats. These early season vari-eties also offer extremely high sugar content. Our CertifiedResearch Stations from Florida to Saskatchewan have con-sistently reported that WINA oats outperform all other oatproducts on the market – bar none!

Later in the fall, when temperatures drop and naturalfood sources become scarce, Pure Attraction’s secondpunch, Whitetail Institute forage brassicas, provide anincredibly attractive, winter-hardy food source that keepsfood plots productive throughout the fall and winter.

And even though WINA Oats are intended to provideexceptional early season attraction, our researchers havereported that they are also unmatched in graze tolerance,surviving heavy grazing through the late winter as well.

As soon as Pure Attraction hit the market this summer,it started flying off the shelves. Our distributors and deal-ers have reported strong sales, and this trend has been mir-rored in our in-house sales. While we are extremely grate-ful for the loyalty our Field Testers continue to show us, weare not hugely surprised by the immediate success of PureAttraction. That’s because our Field Testers would not buyour products if they did not know one thing – that WhitetailInstitute products work, and they work because theWhitetail Institute will not release a new product until it hasproven through rigorous testing that it will satisfy its harsh-est critics – the Whitetail Institute itself.

As it does before releasing any product, the WhitetailInstitute exhaustively researched, developed and tested the

Pure Attraction blend before it was announced. Our devel-opment efforts started in-house, and when the test blendwas nearly finalized, testing moved to the Institute’sCertified Research Stations, which number over 100 andstretch from Florida to Saskatchewan. These researchersreported what we expected – that the New Pure Attractionblend outperformed every comparable blend on the mar-ket.

From the far north to the deep south, our CertifiedResearch Stations reported uniformly superb results withthe new Pure Attraction blend. Here are just a few of thecomments we received during testing:

In Maine, a Certified Research Station reported, “PureAttraction is awesome. The blend seemed to click with mysoil and the deer. Another great product!” And in Michigan,a Certified Researcher reported, “The deer ate the PureAttraction to the dirt.The WINA-Brand oatsand winter peas cameup first and then thebrassica. The deer hitthe WINA-Brand oatsand winter peas first. Asof November 18th, bothplots had been grazedlow, but the plants werestill green.”

The same resultswere observed in thecentral U.S. A MissouriCertified Researcherreported that the newPure Attraction blendwas “among the mostattractive he had everplanted,” and in Virginiathe result was the same.“The Pure Attractionblend is extremely win-ter-hardy and lastedthrough the winter. Itreally grew well the

whole time too—even though it was heavily grazed, it con-tinued to provide food for the deer during the cold weath-er.”

In fact, these spectacular results were observed acrossthe U.S., even in the deep south where an Alabama CertifiedResearch Station reported similarly impressive findings.“The deer completely mowed the Pure Attraction plotdown. Even so, it continued to provide forage and grewwell all through the winter. Deer were in the plot everynight.”

The Institute’s Certified Research Stations includesome of the most experienced forage and habitat special-ists available. Once such researcher, renowned expert KenEastman of Wildlife Habitat Consultants in Vermont, gavethe new Pure Attraction blend a number-one rating. “In ourexperience in testing a broad range of oat products cur-rently available on the market, it is our belief that deerheavily prefer the oats in Pure Attraction over all other oatproducts we have ever tested. Even the turkeys ate theWINA Brand oats before they seeded out, which they didnot do with the other oat products. Pure Attraction is goingto blow all existing oat products right out the market.”

If you have been looking for a drought-tolerant annualblend that will establish quickly, offer the attractiveness ofhigh sugar content not only in the late season but also inthe early season, and keep going even with heavy grazing,Pure Attraction is the answer. Pure Attraction is designedfor fall planting during the same dates as the fall-plantingdates for Imperial perennials, and it is even easier to plantsince it does not require the sort of deeper ground tillagerequired for planting some perennial blends.

Optimum soil pH for Pure Attraction is 6.5 or higher,and if lime must be added to raise soil pH, it need be tilledonly into the first inch or two of soil. Also, smoothing theseedbed prior to planting Pure Attraction is not as criticalas it is with many perennial blends. Just leave the surfaceof the soil loose, and once you broadcast Pure Attraction,drag over the seed very lightly to seat it into the soil.

Fertilize Pure Attraction with 400 pounds of 17-17-17,20-20-20 or equivalent fertilizer per acre at planting. Ifpossible, also apply 100 pounds of high-nitrogen fertilizersuch as 33-0-0, 34-0-0 or equivalent 30-45 days afterplanting to boost forage growth even further.

You’ll be amazed at how quickly your deer will hit PureAttraction. And if you really want to be amazed, place awire exclusion cage in the plot when you plant. That willallow you to monitor how heavily the deer are grazing thePure Attraction by comparing the difference in the PureAttraction’s height inside and outside the cage. W


The foundation of Pure Attraction’s early-season attraction andnutrition are WINA-Brand oats which are winter-hardy and drought-resistant. Their high sugar content makes them exceptionally attrac-tive and palatable to deer. WINA-Brand Oats outperform all otherforage-oat products available. WINA-Brand forage brassicas are alsoincluded in Pure Attraction to provide abundant forage during thecoldest months of the winter.

Read the early reviews from all over the country:

• From Virginia: “The Pure Attraction blend is extremely winter-hardy and lastedthrough the winter. It really grew well the whole time too. Even though it washeavily grazed, it continued to provide food for the deer during the cold weather.”

• From Michigan: “The deer ate the Pure Attraction like crazy.The WINA-Brandoats and winter peas came up first and then the brassica.The deer hit the WINA-Brand oats and winter peas first. As of Nov. 18, both plots had been grazed low,but the plants were still green.”

• From Maine: “Pure Attraction is awesome.The blend seemed to click with mysoil and the deer. Another great product.”

• From Missouri: The Pure Attraction blend was “among the most attractive Ihave ever planted.”

• From Alabama: “Deer completely mowed the Pure Attraction plot down. Evenso, it continued to provide forage and grew well all through the winter. Deer werein the plot every night.”

• From Vermont: “In our experience in testing a broad range of oat products cur-rently available on the market, it is our belief that deer heavily prefer the oats inPure Attraction over all other oat products we have ever tested. ”

Plant Pure Attraction during the same dates as the fall-planting dates forImperial perennials. Since Pure Attraction does not require the sort of deeperground tillage required for planting some perennial blends, it is even easier toplant. Looking for a product that will establish quickly and giveyour deer the one-two punch of both early- and late-season attraction…? Give Pure Attraction a try!

The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail • Pintlala, AL 36043

1-800-688-3030www.whitetailinstitute.comResearch = Results ®

Postage-Stamp Food PlotsPostage-Stamp Food Plots

Sixteen-year-old Jesse Williams is all smiles as he walks to his first whitetail buck. Theauthor erected a two-man treestand 20 yards from a small Secret Spot patch, and abuck and six does walked to it during opening morning of the firearms season.Ironically, deer were still feeding on the vegetation in the late muzzleloading season.

Joe

Bye

rs


“Dad, will you takeme deer huntingwith you this

year?” my daughter asked. I hadwaited two decades to hearthat. Alex wasn’t against hunt-ing, but she had always declinedmy outdoor invitations, choos-ing activities with her school-mates. Now 25, she was anxiousto test the waters in the otherlove of my life and maybe justhang out with her dad.

After a few practice sessions at the range, the big dayarrived, and I was so nervous that I forgot to bring the rifle.As first light arrived, I was speeding back home and man-aged to return just after sunrise. I had selected the besttreestand in a location that was nearly sure-fire for a decentbuck. But despite my preparation, we saw only a few does.Sure, we had fun, but I really wanted to be with Alex when

she shot her first deer.This past fall, Alex’s son planned to visit during

Thanksgiving, which coincided with the first day of theMaryland firearms season. This time, I wasn’t takingchances. At the end of July, I had attended a workshop onwildlife forage at the North Country Whitetails TrainingCenter in New York, where I got the rundown on food plots.Of prime interest was a way to attract and hold deer in theremote section of my hunting-club property. A corn feederwas an option, but that raised other issues, and I wanted toexert a more natural influence.

The North Country facility included a new WhitetailInstitute product called Secret Spot, and my ears perked uplike a rutting buck hearing an estrous bleat.

“This seed is specially suited for out-of-the-way placeswhere you can’t get machinery and you want to lure deerto a specific spot,” said Neil Dougherty, co-owner of theproperty. “The Secret Spot also has a pH boost designedfor attracting and holding deer in small remote areas.”

FROM FOREST TO FIELD

I’m a member of the Washington County Sportsman’sAssociation, commonly known as Polecat Hollow, thanks toPolecat Hollow Road (honest!), which runs through theproperty. Like many clubs, each member has his sweetspot, and mine straddles a mountaintop that was heavilywooded until this past spring, when a timber company con-ducted a selective cut. Where there was once total oversto-ry, the sun soon poked through in small patches, and thelogging roads had loosened the soil in ways conducive forplanting.

On August 1, during the heat of summer, my buddyKeith Horn and I headed for the top of the mountain and

our first experiment with remote vegetation. Although I tieda small roto-tiller to the back of my truck, we learned thata couple of garden rakes and standard lawn seeder was allthe machinery we needed. Unfortunately, the timber har-vest had crushed my ladder stand, which overlooked asmall bench that was a frequent travel and bedding area fordeer. On the positive side, a level logging road had dis-turbed lots of mountain soil among the rocks.

Keith and I cleared debris by hand and then used thelawn seeder to fertilize the ground. We planted an area ofabout 4000 square feet. After fertilizing it, we ran the grassrake over the soil to cover the fertilizer pellets and thenseeded with Secret Spot. Next, we took turns walking overplaces where the seed was visible and “cultipacked” ourefforts like Italian peasants crushing grapes.

“I hope a flock of wild turkeys doesn’t find our patch,”my buddy said with a laugh. “At least not for a while.”

The archery deer season would begin Sept. 15, andwith a little moisture, the crop should have been just tastyenough to attract deer for opening day. That was the plan.But the next five weeks were dry as a bone. During theLabor Day weekend, I checked the patch and found little orno growth. August in the Mid-Atlantic states is often a

amp Food PlotsNo Tractor? No Fields?

No Problem!With modest hand tools, you can plant

tiny food plots that will hold deer in your area and detour deer traffic

past your stand

By Joe Byers

amp Food Plots

Standard yard tools will do wonders in the moun-tains. Hand tools such as seeders, and garden andleaf rakes, and a few power machines — like tillers,string trimmers and leaf blowers — can makequick work of any potential food plot.

Joe

Bye

rs


drought period, but we usually have a thunderstorm or two.Not this year.

SECRET SPOT, TAKE TWO

Things changed the first week of September. A tropi-cal storm worked up the coast and gave the region a fore-cast for abundant moisture. Second, I was invited to huntelk in Idaho in mid-September, which conflicted with thedeer opener. Because the drought had kept my Secret Spota secret, the choice was easy. However. I planted a secondpatch about 100 yards away. This time, I used a metal gar-den rake to rough the soil and planted two bags of seeds.

I traveled frequently in fall and checked the patchevery week or so. By Oct. 1, I was amazed that the originalsection had fully sprouted. Despite a month without rain,the seed germinated when growing conditions finallyarrived. My second patch grew very well yet never seemedto gain the height I'd hoped. The first Saturday of the earlymuzzleloader season, I realized why.

Although I had planted the deer patch for my grand-son, I couldn’t resist testing it a bit. I was in the stand earlythat day, but a dense fog rolled up the mountain and limit-ed visibility to less than 50 yards. Eventually, a spike buckand two does moved past the stand, walked to the SecretSpot and dropped their heads. An archer had mentionedseeing several good bucks near my stand, so I watched thecritters munch and go on their way. Soon, I spotted a doeheading up the mountain from the other side, which wasunusual. Apparently, the lower patch had attracted atten-tion. By 9 a.m., my cell phone rang with a family emergency,and I had to leave. Still, I'd learned the small patches wereattracting deer.

JESSE’S BIG CHANCE

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, my grandson, Jesse,


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Quad 4X4s are ideal for preparing and planting medium-sized plots, yet a food plot can be cultivated with sim-ple yard tools.

Joe

Bye

rs

and I snuggled into a treestand and watched theeastern sky begin to pale. Even though it was thethird week of November, the Secret Spot was still asgreen as ever, despite several killer frosts.Unfortunately, the plants were barely above groundbecause of intense feeding by deer — the catch-22of small food plots.

Three hundred yards down the ridge, a huntersat in a stand near a corn feeder. Typically, deerclimbed the eastern side of the mountain and wentsouth toward the feeder or north toward me. Leavesrustled in the darkness as the first group of deerpassed our stand. Having Jesse with me magnifiedthe excitement as we waited impatiently for daylight.

Early-morning hunting pressure in the easternfarmlands often push deer up the mountain. As day-light arrived, two bands of does moved quickly overthe ridgetop and down the other side. Soon, sevendeer breeched the horizon, moving slowly and feed-ing casually. Their erratic behavior indicated a buckwas among them. As the band came closer, theantlers of a 4-point buck became evident. Best, thesmall herd came directly toward us, and when thebuck stepped into an opening at 40 yards, Jessefired. Six deer bounded away, and my grandson’sfirst whitetail lay still in the leaves.

The antlers weren’t huge, but that mattered lit-tle. Jesse beamed with excitement, and I couldn’thave been more pleased. My experiment with SecretSpot was a resounding success. As we dragged thebuck down the mountain, we checked other smallopenings that will become feeding areas anotheryear.

Most hunts occur in hours or days. This one cul-minated almost four months of effort and created amemory that will last a lifetime. Perhaps next year,we can convince Alex to join us. W


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Chicory Plus is the latest in the WhitetailInstitute’s continuing effort to developproducts that are both nutritionally superiorand exceptionally attractive to deer.Chicory Plus contains the only chicorydeveloped especially for whitetail deer andit is blended with the number one clover inthe world, Imperial Whitetail Clover.Chicory Plus is designed to provide the highprotein of chicory with a more palatableand attractive texture than other chicoryvarieties. Chicory Plus is an excellentperennial for areas with heavier or moder-ately drained soils. It will provide you with3 to 5 years of high-protein forage from asingle planting. You can be sure that it isthe perfect blend for whitetail – the deerthink so, too.

n Big Success from Small Plots >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Perhaps it’s the Thomas Jefferson in our heritage, but I believe there is a bit of a farmer in each of us, and you’ll find

that the “work” in food plots soon becomes a favorite pastime. You don’t have to wait for opening day to check on yourcrop, and the anticipation of big dividends during the season makes the enjoyment that much greater.

I learned a lot from the North Country Whitetails seminar and personal experimentation. From those, here are some tipsfor big success from small plots.

• Pick a good hunting spot: Small plots are like convenience stores. Deer stop by for a bite or two and then continue tobedding or serious feeding areas. Consider traditional deer travel, prevailing winds and tree cover for a good stand position.When these conditions intersect with small clearings, logging roads or opening in the over-story, you have a good match.

• Use lawn tools: A power tiller can make quick work of loose soil but can be difficult to operate if your out-of-the-wayspot is rocky. Don’t overlook yard tools to make your planting more productive. String trimmers (or weed-whackers) willmake quick work of small seedlings, briars and tall weeds. Leaf blowers can do the same and will allow seeds to get into thesoil. Small spray bottles can deliver sprays and liquid fertilizer, but be sure to mark them clearly to avoid confusion.

• Look for existing plants: The soil I planted was very rocky and leaf covered, and I had to remove several rocks to accessthe soil. Removing existing vegetation is more work, yet it improves your prospects for success because you allow sufficientmoisture and sunlight for plants to grow. Pull the weeds, or spray them with Roundup or another glyphosate killer beforeyou plant.

• Take a soil sample: Learning the pH of your spot is like having all the letters on Wheel of Fortune. Why guess whenyou can know exactly how much lime and other chemicals your ground needs for top performance?

• Clarify your goals: Initially, I wanted to attract deer to my stand so my grandson would get a shot. That was success-ful. Now, however, I can’t wait for spring so I can plant several small plots to assist in antler growth and overall deer health.

Deciding which seeds to plant is as easy as reading the back of the package. Whitetail Institute seed packaging is veryinformative, and you can select the type of seed that best fits your soil conditions by reading the back of the package.

I’ll try another early-August planting of Secret Spot for the early archery season. I'll also plant Winter-Greens, which willbe most tasty to deer after it’s hit by frost. Ironically, this past winter, deer were still coming to the tiny Secret Spot plot dur-ing the late muzzleloading season.

To monitor growth and deer usage put a small circular wire fence in one of your plots to monitor plant growth so youcan see how much deer are eating.

Heads up: The Whitetail Institute recently introduced a new seed designed for quick action and maximum attraction.It’s called Pure Attraction and it’s a mixture of winter peas, brassica and high-sugar, winter hearty oats. Nearly a pop-up foodpatch, you can almost put this in the ground and climb into your stand.

H O W I D O I TBy Jim Casada

The Joy in Doing It Your Own Way

Today’s deer hunters live in a rapidly-changingworld. Thanks to a major economic shakeout inthe timber industry, which made timber compa-

nies sell hundreds of thousands of acres, hunters are dis-covering that long-established hunting clubs and leasessuddenly belong to a world they have lost. A hunt clubI’ve belonged to for years, which was founded longbefore I joined, ceased to exist this past year. It was a

victim of a struggling timber company that sold the landto a developer.

Despite their many faults, timber companies mustbe given full marks for their dealings with sportsmenthrough the years. They presented hunters with reason-able rates on leases, made vast amounts of hunting landavailable, and often took positive steps to assist withbasic wildlife management practices.

Folks who now own so much former timber com-pany land have not followed that approach. Banks,developers and land speculators seem more interestedin turning a fast buck than in fostering hunt-club tradi-tions. With rare exceptions, they have little appreciationfor — and less interest in — perpetuating what has beenan integral part of the American sporting scene for gen-erations.

As a hunting writer, I had seen those unfortunatedevelopments coming for some time. That was why, acouple of years ago, I said to my wife, “If I’m going tohave a guaranteed place to hunt in the years to come,and if we want the family tradition of closeness to theland and using game as an integral part of our diet tocontinue, we'd better think about trying to buy someland.”

That might seem a pretty dramatic departure forsomeone who was 60. Yet I wanted a place where Icould go when the mood hit me; where I wouldn’t feel Iwas wearing out my welcome by accepting invitationsto hunt too regularly, and where I could take my son-in-law or granddaughter without a second thought. Also,words from Will Rogers kept echoing through my mind:“Buy land. They ain’t making any more of it.”

The result was simple. My wife and I becamelandowners of a 93-acre tract, making monthly mort-gage payments at a time in life when most folks weren't.I haven’t regretted it for a moment, and the continuingprocess of deciding how to manage the land brings mea great deal of joy.

Let’s look at my management approaches.Hopefully, they will suggest some steps to folks in simi-lar situations.

STARTING OUT: ASSESSING THE LAND

My starting point is a logical one for anyone inter-ested in managing land for deer or other wildlife: I madea honest assessment of what I had, what I could affordand what my immediate and long-range goals were.

I walked the acreage carefully several times and didsome initial grunt work by marking property lines andclearing limbs and brush from all-terrain vehicle trails.That gave me a feel for established deer trails, beddingareas and prevailing winds.

I found that roughly 50 acres, all of which had beenclear cut five or six years earlier, constituted what onefriend termed a “hell hole.” That portion of the propertyhad not been replanted; a much better situation than ifit had been returned to rows of pines. It had grown upin whatever nature produced, including a mixture ofpines, briar thickets, honeysuckle vines, wild grapes andsweet gum saplings. I decided to leave everything basi-cally intact, though fortunately, the previous landowner— a deer hunter — had cleared four long, narrow stripsin the midst of this area for food plots. They had neverbeen planted, but the basis was there — maybe five orsix acres — and I liked the shapes and locations he hadchosen.

Otherwise, the thickets served several useful pur-poses. They provided an ideal bedding area for deer,offered appreciable browse where there was honey-

Spring is a fine time to hunt sheds, prepare new food plots, and fertilize existing ones such as this.

Jim

Cas

ada



suckle and blackberry briars, and promised useful softmast from wild grapes and the scattered persimmontrees in a few years. Part of my long-range plan involvedpaying special attention to the persimmon trees —mainly giving them a head start by keeping competingvegetation at bay with some manual cutting — and per-haps fertilizing especially lush honeysuckle patches. Thecover also is a safe haven for rabbits, a decent popula-tion of quail and fine nesting habitat for wild turkeys. Intime, as the trees grow, I’ll have to consider renewal ofthat extensive protected area through burning or othermeans, but that’s the better part of a decade down theroad.

Almost all of the remaining land is in mature hard-woods, with the acreage split more or less between bot-tomland along a small stream, a long narrow hollow witha tiny branch running through it, and some deep, roughgullies that likely trace back a half-century to over-farm-ing of cotton and significant erosion problems. The onlyother acreage is about a three-acre knoll — clearly anold homestead — grown up in broom sedge. For now, ithas been left alone, occasionally providing a place tocamp or picnic, and there’s a vague idea of using it tobuild a little camp house.

PROFESSIONAL (AND OTHER) HELP

If money were no object, I would have hired awildlife-management expert to provide me with adetailed overview of what should be done. Reality dic-tates otherwise, so I’ve done what everyone who ownsland and wants to manage it on a tight budget shoulddo. First, I’ve been shameless in picking the brains offolks with far more expertise, including some affluentfriends, along with acquaintances in the hunting indus-

In the South, late August or early September is a perfect time to plow a new food plot and get seeding done forfall.

Jim

Cas

ada


try. Most of my assistance, however, has come on twoother fronts, which anyone can take advantage of.

For folks willing to make a few phone calls to theircounty agent, Soil Conservation Service folks and othersin similar capacities, there is all sorts of literature andinformation for the asking. Likewise, a visit to your locallibrary can pay big benefits. Toss in some soil samplingto determine what's needed for fertilizer and lime, andyou know a good bit about what needs to be done.

The other resource comes through the pages of thispublication. Back issues of Whitetail News are a goldmine of information and available at www.whitetailinsti-tute.com. I also read internet sources. If you do a Googlesearch using a few terms such as “wildlife management,”“food plots,” “quality deer” and “managing deer herds,”you’ll find an astounding amount of information — someuseful, some not.

MAKING A PLAN

After a couple of months of assessment, study andwalking the land, I had a pretty good idea of what I

wanted to do. My concepts fell into three basic areas:Immediate or short-range plans, medium-range plansand long-range plans.

The early projects — where I am now — includeddetermining where I wanted food plots, getting theground prepared and planted, and placing permanentstands. I set a realistic budget — remember, I’m makingmonthly payments on the land — and have carefullystuck to it.

That budget didn’t include money for equipment,so I’m stuck with what I had from keeping a three-acreyard around my house in order, along with a bit of helpfrom the only person outside of my family to whomI've given access to the land. He has a tilling systemyou hook up to a four-wheeler, and that — along witha weed-eater, a fertilizer spreader, some hand tools, abig riding mower and a heavy-duty tiller I use for gar-dening — constitutes my equipment arsenal. My majorcash expenditures concentrate on fertilizer, lime, seedand tree seedlings.

The next step in the plan calls for creating a fewmore food plots and perhaps some additional trails.

n Predator Control >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>From the outset, predator control has been an integral part of doing things my way. I did a fair amount of trap-

ping as a youngster, and my land let me relive that through setting traps for raccoons and possums. I am also beginning to learn a bit about the use of snares, and rest assured, coyotes are shot on sight. Although it

doesn’t fall under predator control, I’ve even enjoyed making a few old-fashioned rabbit gums and positioning them atstrategic sites along well-used cottontail runs. Catching a rabbit gives me about as much pleasure as shooting a deer.

Basically, though, my ideas on predator control focus on helping my turkey population and perhaps, with coyotes,saving a fawn or two.

Manage right, with food plots strategically situatedand carefully cultivated, and deer like this are thereward.

Jim

Cas

ada

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n Keeping Track >>>>>>>>Perhaps it’s because I have something of a packrat

mentality, but I like to keep careful records. I’ve done soon my land from the outset.

These include a trapping log, listings of deer sight-ings, annual expenditures on stands and management,and a record of all game killed — not just deer, butsquirrels, rabbits, quail and woodcock. Through time,although it's too early, this information will tell me quitea bit about my progress and provide direction for thefuture.

That will mean hiring someone with a dozer and maybefollowing with some tractor work. I can get that on aswap-out deal with a friend. Clearing some inferiorsaplings in the hardwood understory and some shoot-ing lanes leading away from stands is also in the plan. Ialso want to plant a mixture of sawtooth oaks, Chinesechestnuts and persimmons along the quarter-mile ofgraded road that forms the property’s only vehicularaccess.

Later, during what my wife calls the “dreamstage,” I'd create two ponds, more food plots andsome type of simple two- or three-room huntingcabin. Experience has convinced me that if you havethe other ingredients — such as travel corridors andbedding areas — you can’t have too many properlyplanned and prepared food plots.

CARRYING OUT THE PLAN

Since the start, I've had a mind set focused on get-ting it right the first time. I haven’t cut any corners withlime and fertilizer, and I also have plenty of sweat equi-ty invested. Likewise, it's imperative that you use quali-ty seed when planting food plots. Imperial WhitetailClover meets my needs, and its proven track record hasmade it a logical choice. Cut cost corners as you can,but don’t do it with seed, fertilizer and lime.

Also, I've decided not to shoot any does in foodplots. I don’t have any hard, factual information to sup-port this decision, but I only shoot does at travel lanesand other areas away from food plots. I believe, espe-cially on tracts this small, that deer will only use foodplots at night if you hammer them where they feed. I’drather watch them and hope that a fine buck will ven-ture out to graze or chase a doe. That's the time toshoot over a food plot.

CONCLUSION

That’s pretty well where things stand, but I thinkit important to share one more critical thought. Nomatter your financial circumstances — and restassured, money doesn’t flow like water in the Casadahousehold — there is tremendous joy in doing it yourown way. Whether wildlife management involvessmall plots or land far beyond what I own, it's flat-outfun. Every time I set foot on the ground, run througha food plot with a tiller or see a doe with a fawn easeinto bedding areas, there’s a genuine thrill. So too arethose special occasions — lots of them, because mywife and I have written several cookbooks and relyheavily on venison in our diet — when we dine onmeat from a deer killed on the property. Such rewardsare the special province of folks with a close connec-tion to the land. For me, at least, doing it my way hasbeen supremely meaningful. I suspect it will be thesame for you. W

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Losing StreakEnds whenPatience Pays offfor DeterminedHunterBy Mike Ziebell

Have you ever noticed thatwhen someone tells youthey can almost guarantee

you will kill a deer on a hunt, it nevergoes that way? My hunting careerhas been pretty much one guaran-tee after another. I’d had severalclose friends tell me they could getme a whitetail buck, and after 19years of trying, I was still waiting.

I started hunting when I was 16. My uncle was a hunter,and he had bought a bow the previous year and was look-ing for someone to hunt with. I decided it looked easyenough, so I bought a bow, too. In my first four years ofbowhunting, I had two years of no luck and two years whenI shot a doe. Bowhunting was not as easy as I thought.

After I shot my second doe with a bow (I was 19), mysuccess went into hibernation. For the next 12 years, I couldonly dream about when my next deer would arrive. I wait-ed and waited. It was not like I did not have opportunitiesto hunt. My “streak” did open several doors to some greathunting land my friends had access too. I had been invitedon several “pity hunts.” My friends each thought they wouldbe the one to finally break the streak. Time after time wetried, and time after time, I proved I could ruin any piece ofhunting land.

Scientists decided to study why I brought on such badluck with hunting. I was asked by several publishing housesto write my memoirs. Well, not really, but I decided it mightbe good to share my story with everyone. If I could help atleast one hunter, my struggles would be worth it. Well, OK,that’s not true, either. To me, the whitetail buck was like themythical unicorn. You hear people talk about them, but Ihad never actually seen one on stand.

Now, some of you might think that I jinxed anyone Icame into contact with. I know some people I have huntedwith would probably agree. However, I learned this was nottrue. My wife had never bowhunted before she met me. Itaught her how to shoot a bow, and in the four years shehas hunted with a bow, she has shot two does and a buck.Well, I guess I must have passed what little good huntingluck I had to her. At least someone in our family could bringhome venison.

That brings me to this story. For the past five or sixyears, my friends at Whitetail Institute have invited me tohunt with them. Every year, I had to pass because of my

work schedule. Well, that and the fact I did not want to ruintheir hunting land with “the streak”. This past year, I decid-ed my luck might have changed, so I took them up on theoffer. We would hunt at Little River Plantation in Georgia.My friend Bart told me there would be a good chance ofseeing a really good buck on the property. He also told methat it would be a rifle hunt.

We arrived at the plantation late in the afternoon andhad just enough time to make sure our guns were stillsighted in. Then, we went to the lodge for dinner and set-tled in for the next morning. The lodge was an amazingplace — a hunter’s dream. The log-cabin feel and mount-ed bucks that adorned the walls were enough to get eventhe most seasoned hunter excited. We ate dinner andtalked about the next morning’s hunt. Then it was off tobed. Visions of whitetails danced in our heads — at leastin mine, anyway.

I saw deer during my first four hunts, but didn’t see theone I wanted to shoot. On my next hunt, I was in a towerstand nestled in a grove of pines. There was a small ImperialExtreme food plot to one side of the stand and a field onthe other. I had plenty of time to think about what I woulddo when that buck came out. As night approached, thehunt was shaping up to be yet another uneventful session.I was just getting ready to leave the stand when I noticed afigure walking out of the food plot to my right. I couldn’tbelieve it — it was a buck. I grabbed my binoculars to get abetter look. The buck knew what he was doing. No matterhow hard I tried, I could not see him clearly enough to becertain about his size. I put my binoculars down andgrabbed the gun. I turned the scope as low I could and triedagain to count the points.

The increasing darkness made it impossible to be sure,so I let him go.

I thought, “If you cannot tell for sure how big he is, youhave no right to pull the trigger.”


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I shared my story with the rest of the hunters at thelodge that night. I was disappointed, but again, homemadepie and sweet tea eased my troubled mind.

The next morning saw a heavy fog and light mist moveinto the area. The guides were scratching their heads, try-ing to find a good spot for me. I had a sneaking suspicionthey were feeling the pressure of the streak. They brokefrom their huddle and had a plan. I was going to sit in atower stand overlooking another Imperial Extreme foodplot. They were sure that would work.

My adventure actually began before I got to the stand.I was dropped off and told to follow the field road for about100 yards or so. On my right, I’d see an opening in the treesthat would be big enough to drive a truck down. The standwould be there on the left side. I followed the road andfound the opening but could not find the stand. I started towalk down the side of the food plot, and I knew that wasnot right. I turned around to walk back when I saw thetower plain as day. It had been on the right side. Oh well, noharm, no foul. I climbed up in the stand and settled in towait. I leaned the gun up against the side of the stand andthen waited for day to break.

As the light began to creep in, the layout of theImperial Extreme food plot began to emerge from the fog.The field was in the middle of a large forest. This was look-ing better and better all the time. I was sitting in the towerand I could not help but admire the beauty of the surround-ing landscape. This was really the first morning I had

stopped and looked around. All the other times, I had beentoo busy looking for that buck to come out and had reallymissed the view. I was admiring the scenic view when Iheard a loud thud.

What was that? My range-finder had fallen out of mypocket and landed on the floor of the stand. At thatmoment, I wondered if there was anything else I could doto ruin the hunt. I picked my range -finder up and put itback in my pocket. I decided to zip up my coat pocket tomake sure it did not try to escape again. About a half -hourlater, a small doe came out of the woods about 40 yardsaway on my left and fed across to the middle of the field.She then turned and walked away from me toward the endof the field. She cut the rest of the way across the area anddisappeared in the woods on my right. At least I didn’tscare all the deer off.

About 15 minutes later, the same doe appeared frommy right and fed into the field again. This time, she was atthe far end of the field and she was not alone. She had a bigmature doe with her. The does took their time and fed slow-ly across the food plot. The mature doe would stop occa-sionally and look into the woods behind her.

I was getting a little nervous. I could imagine that buckcoming out from the right side of the field and following thedoe. Nothing came out. As the does approached the leftside of the area, the younger doe turned and was feedingback toward me. I watched her come up the field, and Inoticed that the larger doe had stopped and was now look-

ing straight ahead of her into the woods to my left. Thenshe started wagging her tail and walked into the woods. Iwas sure I would not see her again. She reappeared in thefield after only 15 seconds, walked toward the middle of theplot and started eating again.

I realized there was a huge-bodied deer following herout of the woods. I could tell by my naked eye that it had tobe a buck. I raised my binoculars to get a look at him. Hisbody was huge compared to the two does in the field. Hiscoat was almost chocolate brown. I could not tell for surehow many points he had, but I could tell the distance fromhis right beam to his left beam was a long way apart.

It took me about a second to decide he was the one Iwanted. I put my binoculars down and raised the gun.Carefully taking aim, the buck appeared in the scope.Slowly and gently, I squeezed the trigger. The gun went off,and the buck did a small mule-kick and disappeared intothe woods to my right. The does followed the buck and dis-appeared. I was positive I had made a good shot, but Iwanted to make sure. I put the safety back on the gun andset it in the corner. That began the longest hour of my life.I wanted to make sure I did not spook the buck and pushhim farther into the woods. So I waited in the stand. I triedto replay the shot in my head. I also was working on worldpeace, quantum physics and whatever else I could think ofto keep my mind off my watch.

When the hour was up, I slowly climbed down from thestand to look for blood. I walked to the end of the field and

I realized there was a huge-bodied deer following her out of the woods. I could tell by my naked eye that it had to be a buck. I

raised my binoculars to get a look at him. His body was huge compared to the two does in the field. His coat was almost

chocolate brown. I could not tell for sure how many points he had, but I could tell the distance from his right beam to his left

beam was a long way apart… It took me about a second to decide he was the one I wanted.

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looked for any sign. I could not find any blood. I looked all over the end of the field and didnot see anything. All of a sudden, I saw a deer walking through the woods at the end of thefield. I thought I had just done what I had wanted to avoid. But the deer did not run. Itwalked away from me and out of sight.

I did not know for sure what it was, and with the lack of blood, my heart sank. I decid-ed I would walk to the right edge of the field and see if I could find anything. That is whenI found the blood. It looked like someone had dumped a can of paint out as they walked. Idecided to sit and wait for another half-hour, just in case the deer I had just seen was theone I hit. My heart was beating pretty hard in my chest. Just then, I heard something in thefield behind me. As I turned, there was a smaller buck standing no more then 30 yardsbehind me in the Imperial Extreme food plot. He quickly turned and trotted off into thewoods. This was already the most amazing hunt I had been on, but I had not found the buckyet.

After 30 minutes passed, I got up and started to track the buck. The blood trail wasreally heavy, and as I crested a small hill at the end of the field, I saw the tail of the buck. Istill had no idea of how big he really was. When I reached him, I could not believe my eyes.He was a 7-pointer. One of his brow tines had broken off.

That was not the amazing part. When I roughly measured his inside spread, I guessedit would be around 20 inches. His rack was dark brown, and he had very good mass. All Icould do was sit next to him and thank God for what he had just blessed me with. When theguide picked me up, I told him of my hunt, and we went to see the buck. One of the otherhunters riding with him told me he was not good at tracking deer, but even he could havefollowed that blood trail.

We followed the trail back into the field and found where I had hit him. I ranged fromthat spot back to the stand: 139 yards. The shot went right through the buck’s heart, and hewent only 40 yards before he died. When we got back to the plantation, we measured hisinside spread at 21 inches and rough-scored him at 135. This was without the missing browtine. Everyone there asked what I had done. Frankly, at that point, I was still not sure that ithad really happened. You always hear about a buck that is so wide that his rack sticks upabove the side of your pick-up. Well, to my surprise, I had my very own.

The old saying, “Good things come to those that wait” could not have been truer. Thiswas the first whitetail buck I had killed, and I will have to work hard to top it. I would like tothank my friends Wade Atchley and Bart Landsverk for not letting me say no to the huntagain. I am indebted to them for life. They gave me the most amazing moment in my hunt-ing career. I also want to thank my friends at the Whitetail Institute for their great food-plotproducts and for inviting me on the hunt. I am not ready to say the streak is dead, but I thinkit’s on the way out. W

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THE WEED DOCTORBy W. Carroll Johnson, III, Ph.D.

Managing Perennial Weeds in Food Plots

Worldwide, perennial weeds are among themost troublesome and costly weeds of agri-culture. In the book “The World’s Worst

Weeds — Distribution and Biology”, eight of the topeighteen weeds in the world are perennials. Closer tohome, troublesome weeds in each state are identifiedby Cooperative Extension Service specialists and manyof these are perennial weeds. Common examples ofperennial weeds are shown in Figure 1. Perennial weedsearn this dubious distinction by being difficult and cost-ly to control. This is certainly the case in food plots.Research has shown that successful perennial weedmanagement systems are an integration of periodictillage and systemic herbicides.

Tillage. Perennial weeds are difficult to control dueto vegetative structures that allow the weed to surviveduring dormancy. These vegetative structures includerhizomes, stolons, and tubers (Figure 2). Perennialweeds tend to thrive in reduced-tillage cropping sys-tems where the absence of periodic tillage allows thevegetative structures to become more robust, ensuringtheir survival to the next season. Successful control ofperennial weeds in food plots requires frequent andintense tillage that systematically weakens and depletesthe perenniating vegetative structures.

A convenient opportunity for intense tillage willoccur before food plot establishment, between plant-ings of annual forages, or when perennial plantings havepetered out. Regular and repeated tillage over a periodof several months weakens perennial weeds by cuttingthe vegetative structures into small pieces, disruptingtheir ability to re-establish. The results are progressivelydepleted carbohydrate reserves and desiccated vegeta-tive structures.

The tillage implements of choice are a disk harrow,power-tiller, and moldboard plow. The harrow andpower-tiller are the best implements to cut the vegeta-tive structures of perennial weeds into small pieces,while the moldboard plow is the best implement to bury

the vegetative structures. Tillage implements should beoperated in a manner that achieves the greatest degreeof aggressive soil disturbance. Thus, tractor operatedimplements tend to perform better than ATV operatedimplements.

Systemic herbicides. Systemic herbicides are readi-ly absorbed by weed foliage and translocated through-out the weed in the vascular system and accumulate inthe underground vegetative structures of perennialweeds. The systemic herbicide of choice for perennialweed control is glyphosate (Roundup® and genericbrands). A high rate of glyphosate is needed for suc-cessful perennial weed control, typically a 2% solutionof glyphosate concentrate in water (one gallonglyphosate in 50 gallons water). By all accounts, this isa costly herbicide application, but necessary for effec-tive control of perennial weeds. Glyphosate applied atlower rates may be effective on annual weeds, but inef-fective on perennials.

Another factor critical to successful control ofperennial weeds using glyphosate is application timing.The glyphosate label has an extensive list of perennialweeds controlled and detailed information on when toapply glyphosate. In general terms, perennial weedsreadily translocate photosynthates from leaves down-ward to the underground vegetative structures in theautumn in preparation for winter dormancy. As thesephotosynthates move downward, glyphosate alsomoves downward in the vascular system. Applyingglyphosate to perennial weeds at other times of the yearresults in inferior control since glyphosate is not readilytranslocated downward in the plant at those times dur-ing the growing season.

Another method to apply glyphosate to control tallperennial weeds is using a wiper-apparatus, commonlycalled a wick-bar. A wick-bar wipes a super-concentrat-ed solution of glyphosate on weeds substantially tallerthan the low-growing forage. This technique was origi-nally devised to control tall johnsongrass in cotton and

was widely used before selective postemergence herbi-cides were developed. Glyphosate applied with a wick-bar controls most tall weeds in forage plantings. Using awick-bar to apply glyphosate has been discussed indetail in earlier articles and you can read about wickbarsat www.whitetailinstitute.com/info/news/pastnews/.

Postemergence graminicides (Arrest®) provideselective control of perennial grasses. When Arrest® isused to selectively control perennial grasses, the level ofcontrol is generally less than what would be reasonablyexpected with glyphosate. However, the advantage ofArrest® is selectivity — no injury on legume forages.Arrest® should be applied at 2.25 to 3.75 pt./A to peren-nial grasses from six to 12 inches tall, with applicationsrepeated if regrowth occurs. This regime should berepeated the following season to control survivors orthose emerging from seed.

Throughout this discussion on managing perennialweeds, it should be clear there are no simple solutions.An integrated system of fallow tillage and herbicides isthe key. Honestly, while densities of perennial weeds canbe significantly reduced or suppressed, they will notcompletely disappear. Perennial weeds are too toughand control measures are too limited to expect com-plete control — regardless of the setting. I live in south-ern Georgia and my lawn is centipedegrass. Weed con-trol in centipedegrass is fairly simple, given the diversearray of herbicides available. However, I have a sporadicinfestation of a virginia buttonweed — a creeping peren-nial broadleaf weed. I have tried about every broadleafherbicide available and I cannot make any noticeableprogress in eliminating the weed from my lawn. I nowrealize that the best I can do is to keep the weed con-tained to one part of my yard and there will always be afew survivors. In other words, virginia buttonweed is aweed I manage — not fully control. That is the case formany of the perennial weeds found in food plots. You dothe best you can and accept a few survivors. W

Figure 1. Examples of a troublesome perennial weeds; (a.) johnsongrass, (b.) commonbermudagrass, (c.) greenbrier (Smilax), (d.) horsenettle.

Figure 2. Johnsongrass produces underground vegetative structures calledrhizomes that help the weed regenerate after dormancy and survive con-trol efforts. In addition, johnsongrass produces seed that help the weedsurvive and spread.


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FARMINGWHITETAILSFARMINGWHITETAILS


for Qualityfor Quality

Lately it seems almost every avid white-tail hunter has taken an interest ordeveloped an undying passion for

growing and hunting big whitetails, so per-haps our management program isn’t all thatdifferent from others you may have previous-ly read about in Whitetail News or variousother specialized whitetail management pub-lications. Managing our 365-acre Kentuckyfarm for both small and big game has defi-nitely become somewhat of an obsession forour entire family, and from the moment myhusband, Foster, first raised his hand at aKentucky land auction approximately tenyears ago and won the bid on 140 acres,we’ve become enthusiastically committed toturning our farm into a prime habitat forwildlife, and are especially interested ingrowing big whitetails.

It wasn’t long after buying our Kentucky farm atauction that Foster headed to the Natural ResourcesConservation Services office in Russellville, Ky. to inquireabout the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), acost-share program that provides both technical andfinancial assistance for up to 75 percent of the cost ofestablishing and improving fish and wildlife habitat onprivate lands. For almost ten years we’ve been involvedin the WHIP program, a program that has resulted in ahealthy population of Bobwhite quail and various smallgame animals, while at the same time beneficial to cre-ating habitat for whitetail deer and turkeys.

The previous owners of the property primarily usedtheir land for raising cattle and we learned we had agreat deal of work to do before we could establish foodplots. The property was a good mix of open pasturelands and hardwood timber, offering prime conditionsfor whitetail and turkey habitat. Foster launched fullforce into two very important missions — fescue eradi-cation and soil testing.

Once we had the fescue under control and the soilph in balance, it was time to turn the ground and createa variety of food plots. Fields were disked and plowed,then hours and hours of picking up rocks, more rocks,and yes, even more rocks. It’s a shame deer don’t like to

eat rocks! Once we had the food plots turned and fertil-ized, we planted Imperial Whitetail Clover and Alfa-Rackin our prime areas, along with a variety of other foodsources including corn, soybeans and winter peas. Andwhile it’s obvious whitetail prefer to include a variety offood sources in their diet, we’ve learned clover seems tobe high on their list of favorites, so we make certain ourImperial Clover and Alfa-Rack plots are lush and plenti-ful throughout the season, and it has definitely paid off.

It was last year during the Kentucky modern rifleseason I was successful in hanging my kill tag on adandy 10-point buck, one we had not seen before. Ouryoungest son, Chris, had been exclusively hunting anarea of the farm we refer to as the “lower 60” during thelate October archery season and had played fruit-bas-ket-turnover with three or four bucks, any of which hewould have been glad to have hanging on his wall athome. But he just could never seem to be in the rightstand at the right time. Chris is a freelance videographerand films each fall for Ted Jaycox and Ray Boone in theirKansas whitetail camp, so when Chris headed to Kansasearly in November for a three-week filming assignment,his dear ol’ mom decided to crawl into one of his favoritetreestands in hopes of filling her buck tag. Perhaps Iwould get lucky and connect on one of the bucks Chris

By Kathy ButtPhotos by the Author

Imperial Whitetail Clover changed deer nutrition forever. Now after years of painstaking research, the Whitetail Institute has addednewly developed Insight clover to our super-nutritious blend of clovers. Insight is genetically formulated specifically for whitetail deer.With the highest level of protein available, up to 35%, Imperial Whitetail Clover provides optimal nutrition throughout the year for the entire herd. Whether your deer are producing and feeding their young or building antlers, Imperial Whitetail Clover provides them with the nutrients they need to do it well.

And when the deer get what they need to maintain healthy herds and grow big healthy bucks with impressive racks, you increase your odds of bagging record-setting deer. For decades now, deer hunters all over North America have enjoyed the results of our innovative and aggressive approach to deer nutrition, and have planted over a million acres of Imperial Whitetail products. All those years of research continues to produce results – in the fields and in the record books.We do the research. You see the results.

Since it’s introduction in 1988, Imperial Whitetail Clover has become the standard by which other food plot products are judged.

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had been watching back in archery season?Unfortunately, the first few days of last year’s Kentucky

rifle season were unseasonably warm, meaning the deeractivity during daylight hours was practically non-existent.But....there was light at the end of the tunnel, as the localweather forecasters were predicting the approach of amajor cold front later in the week. Foster and I decided tohead home and wait for better hunting conditions.

That front was moving in much quicker than first antic-ipated, and although Foster couldn’t leave the taxidermyshop until Thursday evening, he encouraged me to go with-out him. He didn’t have to do too much persuading,because I knew from experience how a major cold frontcould get the deer up and moving, and I wanted to be therewhen it happened.

It was on the sixth day of the two-and-one-half-weekseason that our morning temperatures dipped down intothe teens, requiring me to dress for the extreme elements. Ipulled out the Hot Hands hand and toe warmers and lay-ered up so I could remain still on my stand that morning.And as the sun popped over the top of the trees, I was try-ing hard not to shiver from the cold and was remindingmyself that the colder temps were what I’d been prayingfor. It was 17 degrees, the wind was calm and I was watch-ing the steam pour out from under my fleece face maskwhen I heard the rustling of leaves behind my stand.

I slowly turned to look behind me and quickly spottedan impressive buck standing only 60 yards away andthought, “Whoa! “This is one buck I don’t think any of ushad seen before.” I slowly stood and turned around to geta better look while at the same time reaching for my rifle.

The buck was following three does that were headedfor the Imperial Clover plot out in front of my stand. I didn’twant to take any chances of letting this one get away, so Ididn’t take time to count points or wait for him to follow thedoes. I carefully eased my gun up to my shoulder and set-tled the crosshairs behind the buck’s shoulder. I’d already


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The author was successful in taking this mature 150-inch, 10-point buck on the family farm during Kentucky’s2005 modern rifle season. Kathy’s stand was situated on the edge of a lush food plot planted with ImperialWhitetail Clover.

seen enough to know this buck would score well, so Islipped the safety off, took a couple of deep breaths,exhaled, held my breath and squeezed the trigger on my7mm-08. The buck jumped high into the air and bolted outof sight, but I knew he hadn’t gone far when I heard himcrashing through the timber along the creek bank justbelow my stand. Then, it became very quiet.

I sat down to compose myself, waiting for the madrush of adrenaline to subside and glanced at my watch tocheck the time. It was 7 a.m. and the ground was covered

in a thick white frost and I couldn’t help but think back tohow unusually warm the weather had been on openingweekend and how drastically this change had affected thedeer activity.

My curiosity to get a closer look at my Kentucky buckwas kicking into overdrive, so I gathered my gear, unloadedmy rifle and used my pull rope to lower it to the ground,then climbed down out of my stand. I crossed the ditch andwalked 60 yards to where the buck had been standingwhen I shot, then walked to where the buck entered thewoods and easily spotted a generous blood trail which ledme to a beautiful 10-point buck lying next to the creek. Hehadn’t gone far at all! This buck was much larger than I’dfirst estimated him to be, but then of course, I didn’t have

long to seriously look him over before deciding to pull thetrigger. And there definitely wasn’t any ground shrinkagethis time!

I was hunting alone on the farm that morning andknew I could easily find someone to help me retrieve thebuck, but actually I was quite determined to do it on myown. So I field dressed the buck and headed back to thefarm house to do a little brainstorming. Of course, I calledFoster to tell him about my morning’s hunt and my hand-some trophy as soon as I got back to camp and I think hewas almost as excited as I was. I told him of my plan toretrieve my buck on my own, and quite honestly, I don’tbelieve he thought I would be able to get this buck out bymyself. He suggested I call our good friend, BuddyRainwaters to help me and although I knew Buddy wouldhave been glad to have helped me with my buck, I was real-ly determined to get it out on my own.

I decided to rig up a sled out of a big piece of metalsheeting to pull behind our ATV, but knew the most difficultpart of my plan would be to get the buck from the creek upto the opening where I could roll him over onto the sled.Actually, this wasn’t a problem at all. I took care of thisproblem by wrapping a rope around the base of the buck’santlers, then attached it to the ball hitch on the back of theATV, pulling up the slack on the rope until it lifted the buck’shead and antlers up off the ground, then, slowly dragged itout of the woods. Part A of my plan was accomplished andPart B was a piece of cake! With my buck loaded for his sledride, I ever so slowly pulled the sled back to our farm houseand was quite proud of myself for having taken such a nicebuck, yet I think even more so for having retrieved it with-out having had to call for help.

My 10-point buck field-dressed at a whopping 195 lbs.and had a net score of 150 inches, so there’s no doubt in mymind that providing a variety of food sources, creating theright habitat and managing our herd for quality is definite-ly paying off in big dividends. W


The author’s husband, Foster Butt, was also suc-cessful in tagging this handsome 10-point buck onthe family farm during the 2005 Kentucky rifleseason on a powerline planted with Chicory Plus.

I carefully eased my gun up to my shoulder and settled the crosshairs behind

the buck’s shoulder. I’d already seen enough toknow this buck would score well, so I slippedthe safety off, took a couple of deep breaths,exhaled, held my breath and squeezed the

trigger on my 7mm-08.

It was about 2:30 p.m. on a cool, calm late-October day.The oaks and the hickories were at peak color, and theleaf drop was at the perfect stage when just enough

leaves were on the ground while enough clung to thebranches, producing wonderful dimension and brilliance.

The pre-rut was underway, and bucks that had goneunseen for a year were starting to emerge. It was a glorioustime. You might think I was perched in my favorite tree-stand, but I was sitting through an agonizing lecture in astatistics class, listening to the professor drone on aboutthe x- and y-axis and some other nonsense. Honestly, I onlycaught every third or so sentence from the squat, balding,bespectacled man.

My attention was focused outside on the college com-mons, where there were some gorgeous old oaks alongwith not-so-old animal life.

“Mr. Harper, would you care to explain to me the basisof the statistical theory we have been discussing,” the pro-fessor said.

Busted. After the humiliation began to fade, I started to won-

der why I needed to know that junk. I was sure I'd never useit. Like most things I was sure about then, I learned later Iwas wrong. Statistics came in pretty handy later in life.Since college, I've learned knowledge is almost never wast-ed and can often be applied — if you know how to apply it.

In Part 1 of this series, we learned how a deer’s diges-tive system works by examining the integral parts of a rumi-nant system. From the mouth, through the four-chamberedstomach to the small intestine, we discovered the specifici-ty and efficiency of a ruminant animal. In Part 2, we zeroedin on the particulars of a deer’s ruminant system comparedto more commonly known ruminants, such as cattle. Weexamined the differences between small ruminants (deer)and large ruminants (cattle), and how even though both areruminants, they have distinct differences in nutrient and for-age-quality needs.

In Part 3, we'll put our knowledge into practice. We willevaluate how understanding a deer digestive system canhelp in the layout and design of a food plot and how thoseplots can be more effective. Also, from understanding thedifference between a small ruminant and large ruminant,we will determine what types of forages are best in foodplots.

USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE: FOOD-PLOT DESIGN

You might have heard that the best food-plot designsfor hunting are typically small and irregularly shaped. Thesize is dictated by the area between cover (that is, timber,

brush or any habitat that provides protection and seclu-sion). Likewise, the shape of the plot is dictated by cover, asthe field-edge line follows the cover-edge line. Of course,that can be manipulated if the land manager clears coverwith a saw or dozer. The general philosophy is that small,irregularly shaped plots will encourage more daylight feed-ing. Because this food plot design allows for maximumedge production (edge equals the area between two habi-tat types; in this case, cover and feeding), deer are morelikely to frequent these areas because deer are predomi-nantly edge dwellers. But why do deer prefer edges?

In Part 1, we discussed how deer ruminate. Ruminationis the process of bolus regurgitation and remastication offood in a pseudo digesta recycling system. A deer bites offfood and masticates the food by grinding it with its molars.The food particles then move down the esophagus,through the reticulum into the rumen. Inside the rumen,microbial colonies begin to break down these food parti-cles into compounds that can be digested. Other digestamove through the rumen and omasum into the abomasum,where gastric digestion occurs.

Those nutrients are considered bypass nutrientsbecause they bypass rumen fermentation. Aside fromfoods that are quickly digested through rumen fermenta-tion and those that bypass fermentation and move into theabomasum, there is another portion of food that is notcompletely digested. These form a bolus that's regurgitat-ed, chewed and swallowed. This is a cyclic process that letsthe deer get as much as possible out the food it consumes.Digestion efficiency is not the only attribute of the rumina-tion process. Another is that it gives deer a valuable protec-tion mechanism. Deer can fill their rumen quickly and thenreturn to protective cover to complete the digestionprocess through rumination. If you watch deer feed, theywill usually feed for a relatively brief period and then go tocover to ruminate.

One reason deer prefer edges is it lets them use rumi-

Whitetail Institute

By understanding the difference between a small ruminant and large ruminant, we can determine what types of forages are bestin food plots.

The Ruminant Stomach, Part 3

Putting YourKnowledge toPracticeBy Matt Harper, Institute Deer Nutrition Specialist


nation as a protective function. Planting small, irregular-shaped food plots maximizes edge habitat and thus maxi-mizes deer movement into the feeding area as they gothrough the feeding and rumination cycle.

Once, a guy asked me how to make deer use a plotless in daylight because he did not want to create a virtu-al killing field. Instead, he was looking for more of a feed-ing-type food plot. I told him to plant a large field in themiddle of a clearing, leaving at least 40 to 50 yards ofbare ground between cover and the food plot. He askedwhy. I told him deer would feel vulnerable in the bare areaand were less likely to feed in daylight and return to coverto ruminate. Rather, they would wait for darkness, moveto the food plot to feed and then probably bed down onthe spot and ruminate.

USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE: FORAGE SELECTION

A couple of years ago, I purchased a new all-terrainvehicle. It was the first time I had bought a new motorizedvehicle, and I was determined to take care of it. After break-ing in the motor, I went to an auto/cycle shop to get oil anda filter for a do-it-yourself oil change. I stared blankly at themyriad choices for oil and finally grabbed one because Ihad used the same basic type in my truck. (OK, I know thatsounds stupid, but I was a novice.)

A knowledgeable and slightly bemused sales guyasked what I was planning to do with the oil. I told him, andhe promptly began to spew out reasons why that was a baddecision, and then directed me to a product that wouldwork better. That's an example of how often people chooseproducts based on little more than familiarity. Working withpeople planting food plots, I see that often. They go to thelocal feed-and-seed store, look around and eventually buya bag of hay alfalfa, red hay clover or some type of pasturemix. They think if works well for cows, why wouldn’t it workwell for deer?

In Part 2, we examined the distinct differences

between large ruminants (cattle) and small ruminants(deer). Large ruminants have a larger rumen than smallruminants, and it supports exponentially larger populationsof microorganisms and has more surface area for digestion.Those factors let large ruminants efficiently use a wide vari-ety of vegetation, in terms of forage species variety andvariety of quality.

Deer, however, must be much more specific in the typeand quality of forages they consume. In general, cattle canuse almost all types of grasses, legumes and forbs, no mat-ter the maturity or characteristics of stems and leaves.Cattle can contently graze on foot-high grass and receiveexcellent nutrition. Further, cattle can efficiently digestalfalfa hay that was mowed and baled when the alfalfa wasmature and had predominately stems. Further, cattle cansurvive on stemmy, poor-quality hay and even corn-stoverbales.

In contrast, deer require and prefer forages that arevegetative, heavily leaved and with soft, low-lignin contentstems. That's because they lack the ability to digest low-quality forages, mature forages or plant types high in neu-tral detergent fiber, like most grasses.

Another distinction is the difference in nutrient needs.Deer generally have higher nutrient needs than cattle.That's especially true for protein and minerals. Whenchoosing a food-plot forage for deer, you must consider thepreviously mentioned important forage characteristics.First, you want to choose a forage that will stay vegetativefor as long as possible and produce little seed. That helpsmaintain a high level of attractiveness and digestibility.Second, you want to use a food-plot product that's high innutrients such as protein (protein levels are especiallyimportant in spring and summer).

Many “food-plot” blends consist of forage typesdesigned for cattle. Those forage types are designed togrow quickly and mature quickly for optimal cattle grazingor hay production. Those attributes work well for cattlebecause cattle can digest that type of forage. Further, cat-tle forages have adequate nutrients for cattle but are nor-mally far below the nutrient needs of deer. So just becausethe forage is good for cattle doesn't mean it will be goodfor deer.

If you want to have optimal attraction coupled withoptimal nutrition, you must select food-plot productsdesigned for deer. That philosophy is the main reason forthe success of the Whitetail Institute’s product line andtheir leadership position for 20 years. Here are a couple ofexamples:

Imperial Whitetail Clover was the result of a clovergenetics program to develop a clover variety with the char-acteristics needed by deer. Imperial Clover was designed tostay vegetative for a long period and produce little seed.Because Imperial Clover stays in a vegetative state indefi-nitely, it remains highly attractive and digestible. It was alsodesigned to have a very high level of protein. The result wasa clover that produces up to 35 percent protein everymonth. Compare that to other clovers. Many top out ataround 20 percent protein and only for a brief period.

Imperial Alfa-Rack Plus is based on a specific blend ofalfalfa varieties known as grazing alfalfas, which are bred tostay vegetative longer, have thinner stems and be heavierleafed. Compared to traditional alfalfa, which is bred tomature quickly and have a heavy stem, grazing alfalfasremain more attractive and higher in nutrients long afterhay-variety alfalfas are of little use to deer.

CONCLUSION

Acquiring knowledge about a subject can help youmake better decisions and choices. It also helps you under-stand why things work the way they do. As I said earlier,knowledge is never wasted — well, at least not most of thetime. I'm not sure when I'll need my knowledge of earlyAmerican folk writers, which I picked up in an English liter-ature class. Maybe on Jeopardy? W


Whitetail Institute

Deer must be very specific in the type and quality of for-ages they consume. In general, cattle can use almost alltypes of grasses, legumes and leaves. Deer require andprefer forges that are vegetative, heavily leafed and havehigh nutrition.


Victor Allen — IllinoisI have owned a

40 acre piece ofproperty for 5 years.In the five years I haveowned this property Ihave taken severaldoes, but haven’tseen over five shooter(120 class) bucks inthe five years. I plant-ed Whitetail Cloverand it really does well.This is the first fullyear of the food plot.I saw over 30 differ-ent bucks in or

around the food plot this year. I did take a 155 class buck(see photo) this year and saw three more as big or bigger.Thank you for a fantastic product. It was my first buck witha bow in over 13 years of hunting.

Mike Lutt — NebraskaUsing Imperial

Clover for food plotshas helped keepbucks in the area andnot get harvesteduntil they are in theirprime. Food plotshelp us to pattern thebucks and hold thedoes in the area mak-ing our success bet-ter each season.Enclosed is a pictureof a 130 class buck Itook off our land.

Tom Hall — OhioI started using Imperial Whitetail Clover in 1994 and I

have observed larger racked bucks each year. In additionI’ve used Imperial Alfa-Rack and Imperial No-Plow. Deer

sightings dur-ing huntingseason haveincreased ten-fold. However,what impress-es me themost is thehealth andquality of thedoes on ourproperty. Weharvested 160lb.-200 lb.does. I feelthat the num-ber of doeshas brought

neighboring bucks onto our land. The rut is so intense andexciting now. This year I saw six Pope & Young bucks in our40 acre woods. Turkeys too! I took a 142” Pope & Young ashe was leaving the Imperial Whitetail Clover field (seephoto).

Chad Coen — West VirginiaAfter using Whitetail products I started watching my

deer herd more closely. My second year after using these

products I saw a nice 8 point and passed on him that year.The following year I saw this buck feeding again on ImperialClover and 30-06 Mineral. I noticed this buck had started todevelop a 9th point. I passed on him again one more year.During the fourth year I didn’t see the buck and thought itgot killed. One month before the next season I saw him onanother part ofthe farm eatingI m p e r i a lW h i t e t a i lExtreme andshot him thatseason and hescored 157-7/16green score theonly deductionwas the 9thpoint andmaybe 1-1/2inches every-where else. So Iwas lucky tohave thechance at sucha fine animal.W h i t e t a i lI n s t i t u t eProducts reallywork and I willcontinue using them. I see heavier bodied deer and largerantlers. It is very rare to find big bucks in my area. But sinceI killed this buck we have taken many other great bucksincluding my best friend taking a 198-3/8 inch buck the firstday of rifle season. Sorry no photo of it. Thanks.

Tim Malay — WisconsinSince I planted your Imperial Whitetail Clover the

bucks just keep getting bigger, and things just keep getting

better. This was the smaller of the two bucks that I washunting. Thanks for helping me produce some nice bucks, Itook this 13-point 173-7/8 green gross score buck.

Jeff Bennett, Middle Fork Whitetail — IllinoisIt was the second day of shotgun season in Illinois

when I spotted this monster up wind chasing a doe righttowards me. He and an 8 pointer (probably in the 150range) came from the direction of an Imperial Whitetailfield. Here I am watching this world class whitetail comingmy way with the wind in my face. It was like a dream cometrue. I let him get to around 30 yards before I took him.

Dennis Noonan — New JerseyI planted

Imperial WhitetailClover five yearsago and there aremore deer, biggerdoes, and biggerantlered and bod-ied bucks. Photo 1was a deer thatwas 6-1/2 yearsold. He scored 163-1/8 Pope & Young.He was eatingImperial WhitetailClover for 3 years.

He was harvested inNew Jersey. Photo 2was a deer that scored177. He was 7-1/2 yearsold and had been eat-ing Whitetail Clover,No-Plow and CuttingEdge Nutritional Sup-plements. I am now alsoin the process of usingall your products in theAdirondacks, New York.

Ben Jones — TennesseeThe weather was perfect for an early fall evening bow

hunt. I had been sitting in my tree stand for a couple ofhours imagining a deer walking into one of my shootinglanes. You know how you sit there and think, "If he just stepsbehind this tree, I can draw on him." You have a lot of timeto think when you're sitting out there. Conditions weregood but I hadn't seen a thing, except about a million squir-rels. About 30 minutes before dusk, the woods lit up withaction. I was 100% tuned in to all of the sounds around me.You know how it is when you hear certain things and youjust know it’s a deer. Just then, a doe came through and wasobviously being pursued by a love struck buck. A few min-utes after the doe moved into my hunting area, I saw twosmall bucks, a spike and a 4 pointer. The spike made hismove on the doe but was rejected. I was really enjoying themuch needed deer action, even though there weren't any

Whitetail Institute RECORD-BOOK BUCKS…Whitetail Institute RECORD-BOOK BUCKS…OF NORTH AMERICA

Since 1988

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2


shooters in the bunch. The 3 deer moved on out of sightand I started to sit back down in my tree stand. All of thesudden, I heard some leaves rustling behind me. THERE HEWAS. My heart started beating out of my chest. I could hearmyself breathing and tried to close my mouth to muffle thesound. This was the biggest deer I'd ever seen in the woodsand he's coming right at me. To add to the drama, he has acompanion, another buck, just slightly smaller but still amonster. I'm still standing up because of the deer that justcame through. I can feel my knees shaking a little bit. I'mtrying as hard as I can to focus on standing still. I have twosmall Secret Spot food plots planted close to my tree standand I was just praying that the two bucks would come toone of them.

At this point, I'm trying to reel myself back in and focuson a possible shot. I still can't get my legs to stop shakingand now my hands are beginning to shake. The bigger buckis moving toward my food plot and things are happeningjust as I imagined them. I'm thinking about getting ready todraw but he is angled slightly away from me and still in aposition where he can bust me. I hear some noise in thewoods behind me. I slowly turn my head to look back andthere's another doe coming down the hill. "Not Now!!!," I'mthinking. The buck looks up to see where the noise is com-ing from and has to look right in my direction. I'm just dyingright now, thinking that he's going to see me. When thathappens, you swear that he's looking right at you. Luckily,he doesn't seem to be bothered by the doe. He puts hishead back down to eat and I draw. One more step to theright is all I need. He took that step and squared up for me.At that moment in time, I felt rock solid. I'm thinking tomyself. Look at your sites, not the rack. I squeezed the trig-ger on my release and watched my arrow disappear behindhis shoulder. What a rush!!!! It was perfect. I was almost sur-prised that I had made the shot. I knew then that I had him.Of course, hewas runningdown hill, a bighill too. I sat backdown in my treestand so I didn'tpass out. I could-n't believe whatjust happened.All I could thinkabout was get-ting to that deeras fast as I could.I knew I neededto wait a little bit,so I climbeddown from mytree and walkedback to thehouse to get mywife. I wanted her to be there with me when we found him.

This was the most incredible moment in bow huntingthat I've had the privilege to experience. My wife and Iwalked down the hill, following a fantastic blood trail. Heonly made it about 100 yards. I can't tell you how great I feltwhen I saw him laying there. I guess I don't have to. I thinkyou know what I mean. I started counting the points likethey do on those hunting shows. (I used to make fun ofthat). I just sat there and stared at my buck. That is mystory.

Rodney Woodfill — IndianaThere are crop fields around our property but it seems

like no matter what, you can count more deer in our two

acre plot of ImperialWhitetail Clover thanthe bean and cornfields. The two acreplot is very secludedand you can alwayscatch deer in it. I real-ly like the productsbecause they seem toreally keep the deer

around.Photo 1 shows a

134” 10-point I took.I took the 138”

buck in photo 2 ashe ran a doe acrossthe field with anoth-er real nice 8-pointtrailing behind

before he fell.In photo 3 is a

friend of mine, JasonHill, with a 145” 10-point he killed duringbow season. Thedeer was heading tothe Imperial Cloverfield early in theafternoon whenJason took him. Hehas a huge body forthis area.

David Lees — MissouriI started using Imperial Whitetail Clover in 1999. I had

moved from Ohio to Missouri and purchased thirty acres ofwoods and agricul-tural ground. I knewthat I wanted toplant Imperial White-tail Clover right offthe bat. However, Ithought that I didhave serious compe-tition with other foodsources. You see Imoved to one of themost fertile agricul-tural areas in thestate of Missouri. Ihad hundreds ofacres of soybeansand corn surround-ing my farm. I was even growing them.

My first hunt in Missouri was in 1998 and the bucks Isaw on my farm had small racks. Deer would move throughmy property but were not residents there. As soon as thefall of 1999 rolled around I was seeing more deer at alltimes. The clover that I planted that spring started keepingthem on my farm. I have harvested deer every year since1998, but this year having the clover has really paid off. InOctober I harvested a very nice ten point during archeryseason. See photo.

I know the Imperial Whitetail Clover for the last sixyears has been improving the quality and the quantity ofthe deer living and moving through my farm.

Jay Severson — WisconsinI started with a plot of Imperial Whitetail Clover about

the same time we started Q.D.M. in my area! The deer lovedthe WhitetailClover. The aver-age buck bodyweight was 125-130 lbs. I plantedmore WhitetailClover and someNo-Plow. Andwhen Alfa-Rackcame out- I plant-ed some of it too-this seed seemsto do a little bet-ter on my landbecause I’m insandy and well-drained soil. The deer love them all. I do believe thatWhitetail Institute products and Q.D.M. are helping.Average bucks are about 160lbs. body weight and I took mybest bow buck this fall 200lbs. 161-4/8 N.T. Pope & Young.We started with Imperial Clover ten years ago and ninebucks have been taken that score over 125. None weretaken before.

Ron Perrine — OhioEnclosed are

three photos ofbucks we havetaken over ourNo-Plow foodplots. All threescored in the130’s. Thanks. W

e RECORD-BOOK BUCKS…e RECORD-BOOK BUCKS…

Send Us Your Photos!Do you have a photo of a buck that qualifies for the Pope & Young,Boone & Crockett or your state record books that you took with thehelp of Imperial products? Send it to us and you might find it in theRecord Book Bucks section of the next issue of Whitetail News.Send your photo and a 3 to 4 paragraph story telling how you har-vested the deer and the role our products played to:

Whitetail News, Attn: Record Book Bucks239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043

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WINTERNUTRITIONGAPSBy Bill WinkePhotos by the Author


Winter-Greens provide a good food source fordeer well into fall and winter, when most perennialfood source have gone dormant.


This past summer,

a small group of

landowners in my

part of Iowa hired a

high-profile consulting

biologist to offer advice

on the best strategy for

managing whitetails on

their properties. They

invited me to the meet-

ing. It was a great

opportunity to learn and

ask questions in a real

case-study setting.

One of the problems with the properties was a lackof winter food. The farms commonly ran out of desirablefood sources in December, leaving only substandardgroceries for deer until spring green-up in early April.

During January, February and March, the farms —which encompass a large area — are void of high-quali-ty food. The obvious question arose: “How much effectdoes this three-month gap in nutrition have on the qual-ity of the antlers the bucks grow each year?”

The biologist said antlers actually grow from calci-um and phosphorous stored in the skeleton. It takes a lotof energy out of a buck to produce antlers. If that buckis not healthy, it must first rebuild its body from the rig-ors of winter before it can put maximum energy intoantler growth. In other words, the health and mainte-nance of the animal take priority over antler growth.

That’s when things got interesting. The biologistsaid that if a buck misses those three months of high-quality nutrition, his maximum antler size might be 20percent to 25 percent smaller. In other words, a 150-classbuck might have been a 180-class buck had he receivedbetter nutrition through life.

I don’t know if the biologist got everyone else’sattention, but he certainly got mine. When you are sit-ting in a tree stand and a buck is walking toward you,there is a big difference between a 150 and a 180-classbuck. The shock value of those 30 additional inches istangible. I love it. So maybe if you supply a high-qualitydiet for a buck’s entire life, it's conceivable that hisantlers will be 20 percent to 25 percent larger than if heeats only low-quality foods during those months.There's no doubt that healthy bucks tend to producemore sticker points, and sticker points add up fast.

In the end, a 150-class buck with poor winter nutri-tion could well have been a 180-plus-inch buck if he had

a consistently superior diet. If that's true, deer hunters focused on producing

quality bucks need to take winter nutrition gaps veryseriously. Especially the further north you are. More tothe point, we need to plug those gaps as quickly and aseffectively as possible.

SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WINTER FEED

I used to hunt a property where one member of thehunting party always disagreed with our budget to plantfood plots. Every year he would say, “That’s a hugewaste of money. These deer have a lot of fat in themwhen we field-dress them each fall. There is no way theyare going to starve during winter. We just don’t havedeer starving in this state. There is always plenty ofbrome grass for them to eat.”

Wow, I could write a book about all the problems inthat last paragraph. And you can imagine the handfulsof hair I pulled out when I had to butt heads with thisguy at our annual meetings. It was colorful, to be sure.It's also one of the main reasons I’m an ex-member ofthat hunting group.

I’ll start with the first point, about body fat. Yes,deer often have a lot of body fat going into winter, butthe does are generally the butterballs, not the bucks. It'scommon for a buck to run off most or all of his body fatduring the rut, leaving him with little in reserve.

More often than not, he goes into the winter in poorphysical condition. If it is a difficult winter, or if food is inshort supply, the stress will be a real problem. Winter-killamong mature bucks after a hard rut is common. Thosethat don’t die are certainly at a disadvantage.

During good conditions, a buck can still recover andregain enough stamina to carry him through the tough

months ahead. However, if conditions are adverse, he willexperience a setback in body condition. A buck-to-doeratio skewed heavily toward does also makes the situationworse. In that case, the bucks rut longer each year. A pro-longed rut uses up more of the buck’s precious energy,leaving him more vulnerable and less likely to grow his bestpossible antlers the next year.

I have spoken with several deer managers who havebreeding programs about this effect. If they leave a buckwith lots of does, he will grow a smaller rack the next year.However, if they put him with a small number of does orkeep him from breeding, his rack size doesn’t diminish —and that’s in a setting without food-related stress. Imaginehow much worse it will get if that buck has to scrounge forfood after two months of chasing does.

“I like to explain antler growth using an analogy,” saidMatt Harper, Whitetail Institute’s deer nutrition specialist.“Think of a cup that you are filling with water. When you fillthe cup, you are rebuilding the buck’s physical needs. It'sonly when the water runs over the top that the buck focus-es available resources on growing antlers. The fuller the cupis at the end of the winter, the sooner it will overflow inspring. The buck’s body can devote more of his daily ener-gy and food intake to growing antlers rather than upgrad-ing body maintenance.”

Let’s go back to my friend’s second erroneous point. Ifyou are trying to grow quality deer, including bucks thatreach their antler-growth potential, the critical standard isnot simply preventing starvation. The critical standard,using Harper’s analogy, is to produce bucks that have as fullof a cup as possible when spring green-up arrives. Anythingless is a compromise.

The final point revolves around the mistaken conceptthat deer can do just fine on the brome grass in mostConservation Reserve Program fields. I ran that one past afew biologists, and they just laughed. Brome grass is a dietdeer resort to when holding starvation at bay. It's not a food


Bow-hunter Patty McPherren took this great buck during the 2006 season. Deer like this are no accident. They are the productof great genetics, adequate age and superior year-round nutrition.

© 2007 Scent-Lok Technologies, a division of ALS Enterprises, Inc.

scent lok.com

Early season, and it’s still warm. You spot the buck you’ve

scouted for weeks. As he closes the distance, you feel the heat

and the nervous sweat more than ever. Relax; take the shot.

He doesn’t even know you are in his world.

You can thank Scent-Lok® gear for this close encounter.

�e more you sweat and the faster your heart pounds, the

more you need Scent-Lok technology. Let Scent-Lok

technology work to trap the human odors your game could

use against you.

GET CLOSE. GO UNDETECTED.

08127-SLOK-NSweat-WNews:Layout 1 4/19/07 11:27 AM Page 1

source that will bring bucks through the winter in optimumcondition. The cup will be far from full after a winter eatingbrome grass.

It should be clear that winter nutrition gaps are bad foryour deer and will directly affect the antler-growing poten-tial of bucks. Now, let's focus on how to plug those gaps.

PLUGGING THE WINTER NUTRITION GAPS

“Deer don’t really need near as much protein or miner-als during winter as they do during summer,” Harper said.“Their needs change with the season. What they really needduring winter is energy. That comes from carbohydratesand fats. Our solution to this need is Cutting Edge Sustain.We never intended that this product would replace the fivepounds of food that a deer generally eats in a day, but itdoes provide a serving size of four to eight ounces perhead. It is a supplement; think of it as an energy bar ratherthan a full meal.

“However, the Cutting Edge products fill a very specif-ic need during the winter: the need for increased energy tostay warm and ward off the rigors of the rut. The product isgranular. You can offer it in a bunk or pour it straight on theground.”

Imperial Winter-Greens is another Whitetail Instituteproduct that works well during late fall and winter. It staysgreen and lush well after other forage plants go dormant. Inthat way, it remains a viable food source when many thingsin the whitetail’s world have shriveled and dried to brownstalks.

I grew Winter-Greens this past year in an Iowa foodplot. Actually, I put the seed through a tough test. I had asoybean plot that didn’t materialize because the extremedrought we suffered for much of Summer 2006. In earlySeptember, there was a good rain in the forecast, so Ihand-broadcast Winter-Greens onto my soybean plot. Ichecked the plot often, and soon it was a lush green car-pet of brassicas. I’m sure the agronomists on the WhitetailInstitute staff are cringing right now, because broadcast-ing onto untilled ground is not a recommended methodfor planting this seed. However, it grew well — at least inthis case.

More important, deer loved them and benefited fromthem. The two-acre plot was in the middle of an alfalfa field,yet deer went out of their way to find and eat the Winter-Greens late that fall. They were hitting it hard even beforethe alfalfa withered.

THE MOST CRITICAL TIME

“The last six weeks before spring green-up is the timeof greatest stress for whitetails,” Harper said. “By then,much of the native forage and food plots have been eaten,but the new growth of spring has not yet begun to materi-alize. This also gets you into the third trimester of fawndevelopment — a time when two-thirds of total growthoccurs.

“If the doe suffers from stress at this time, it affects thehealth of the unborn fawn. This means the fawn will get offto a slower start. The health of the doe at the time ofbirthing also affects the amount of milk she produces andthat will also affect the health of the fawn.

Deer can’t recoup lost body condition if the stress lastsfor a prolonged period. For example, if a buck has low qual-ity nutrition for its first three years, it will not suddenly pro-duce a larger skeleton if it receives better nutrition at agefour. In other words, the maximum size of the antlers a buckproduces when he is four or five years old are not just theproduct of the prior year’s nutrition but rather the productof his lifetime of nutrition. That's why it is particularlyimportant to get fawns off on the right foot and keep themin fine shape through adulthood.

A PRACTICAL HUNTER’S VIEW OF WINTER FOOD PLOTS

Food plots are always important to the health of

This is not a sight you want to see much on your farm: deer pawing through snow to eat grass. Although grass will sustain deer,it's far from being an ideal food source.


deer, but they aren’t always the best places to shoot anice buck. In fact, during the peak of the rut, does willsometimes avoid food plots because bucks constantlyharass them there. Instead, they may hide out and lay lowuntil the rut passes, and then they emerge in full force.Bucks might still stop by a food plot during the rut to lookfor does, but they don’t use these areas as heavily at thattime.

On the other hand, food plots are awesome places toshoot deer — including big bucks — during the late sea-son. I'm always excited for the arrival of cold late-seasonhunting in December and January. I know deer will be pil-ing into my winter food sources, and will be more pre-dictable and vulnerable at that time than any other timeof the season, including the rut.

If deer aren’t hunted hard during the early portionsof the season, the late season is often the best time toshoot a trophy. But you can only shoot that trophy if youhave food sources deer desire. Go ahead and throw outall the biology and good reasons for supplying amplewinter food that Harper has suggested. There's a morecompelling reason to pile on the winter groceries. Froma selfish standpoint, these locations offer exceptionalhunting.

CONCLUSION

High-quality year-round food sources are very impor-tant. Deer need this resource to reach their potential forbody weight and antler development. Of the four seasons,especially the further north you are, winter offers themost challenge and stress for most deer. Many deer man-agers fail to provide adequate food at this time. Make aplan that includes plenty of highly nutritious, energy-richfoods in January, February and March, and you will berewarded with larger bucks each fall. W


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The late season is a great time to shoot a mature buck at a food source, such as the deer Scott Prucha shot in 2005. The key iscold weather, moderate to light hunting pressure, and a highly desirable food source. This is another important reason to plantfood plots that attract deer in winter.

Alec Brown is a 9-year-old fromnorthwestern

Missouri, and he's alwaysdreamed of hunting giantdeer with his father, Casey,and brother, 13-year-oldBryce. Many Missouri boysabout Alec’s age considertheir first buck hunt asone of life’s major events,and when it's successful,that brings some seriousbragging rights at school.I’m happy to say I sharedAlec’s very special firsthunt.

Actually, the experience exceeded my high expecta-tions, and I consider it one of the greatest hunts I've beenon. It's likely the hunt of a lifetime for Alec, but that's therest of the story.

After a spectacular turkey hunt in Florida, I hadreturned to my desk in central Missouri to open mail, andcatch up on phone calls and e-mails. Good friend and hunt-ing buddy Kevin Neal had left me an interesting message.He wanted to know if I could take a young man on his firstdeer hunt. Curious about why Kevin or the boy's fatherwouldn't do that, I returned the call.

I learned that the young hunter had been diagnosedwith one of the worst types of muscular dystrophy:Duchenne (pronounced doo-shane). He would likely diebefore age 12. Of course, I would take Alec hunting.

Kevin and all the Brown boys assumed the hunt wouldbe at my property near Columbia, Mo., but I wanted tomake it a really special weekend event. The Bighorn Lodgeis a 2,000-acre game ranch owned by the J.B. Hunt family,and it's one of the top whitetail destinations in the Midwest,with world-class facilities. Nestled in near Cassville in south-western Missouri, the Bighorn was where I wanted Alec toexperience his first hunt. I had recently begun working withBryan Hunt on quality deer management for the ranch, so Iasked for access to the ranch and its facilities for this spe-cial hunt. Thanks to the generosity of the Hunt family, Ireceived permission. As I was arranging things, Casey “Dad”Brown took young Alec to the local range to learn to shoothis new gun.

After great anticipation, Oct. 26 finally arrived. Theboys had talked of little else the previous week and had notslept the night before. They arrived at the lodge, and thehunt was on. The boys ran through the wide hallway of thelodge, admiring the huge collection of trophies and twobig-screen TVs at each end. Betty George had a fresh plateof warm cookies waiting, and the boys chowed down dur-ing their oohing and aahing. (Jim and Betty George work atthe lodge and provided outstanding meals and service

throughout the weekend.) After a quick tour, we went to the world-class shooting

range. Alec and Bryce fired a couple of rounds with perfectplacement. Confident in their shooting abilities, I handedthe boys their targets and decided we’d better fill out thepaperwork for the next day’s hunt.

Soon, however, I wondered if the hunt would happen.On our walk back from the shooting range, the boysnoticed a red Mountaineer RTV in the garage. The boyswould not let up on the vehicle for what seemed an eterni-ty.

“When are we going? When can we ride it? I wannaride it!”

They seemed to have lost all interest in hunting, butwhat young boys wouldn’t want an all-terrain go-kart ride?I agreed to take them after the morning hunt.

After promises of rides, completion of paperwork andsettling into suites, we had a decadent steak dinner. Wesunk into the leather furniture, surrounded by trophies, andbegan telling hunting stories.

After tucking in the boys, Casey returned, and the sto-ries continued for a bit until the rest of us couldn’t stand it.We realized there would never be a good time to press himabout his dying son, so I just asked.

Casey is a former Army Ranger sergeant major, deco-rated with a Distinguished Service Cross. He has a skullplate and some bullet holes. His training and service, heexplained, prepared him to control his destiny and protectothers. Alec’s condition did not let him do either. In frustra-tion, he asked how do you go into battle knowing you willbe defeated and that your son will die.

The next morning, we were up before the sun, expect-ing a spectacular hunt. Jim and Kevin took Bryce to a hunt-ing blind, while Casey, Alec, cameraman Ken Hicks and Iwent to another ScentTite blind. We wanted everything tobe perfect.

I began to teach Alec how to use the grunt call and rat-tle bag. After mastering my short tutorial, Alec was readyto call in some deer. About every 10 minutes, Alec rattledand grunted through the window of the blind. Severalyoung bucks and does visited the field, but no shooterbucks appeared. We ended the hunt with Alec more inter-ested in getting back to the lodge and riding the RTV.

The morning had turned cold and wet, and the ride

First Huntis Special for Everyone

By Jeffrey Lampe

Alec, Casey and Jeff enjoyed the hunt of a lifetime. Alec, age 9 at the time of the hunt, has one of the worst types of musculardystrophy: Duchenne. This didn’t prevent the young hunter from enjoying the great outdoors. Alec shot this beautiful buck thatscored 144 inches!


was a muddy adventure — perfect for most boys! Thescreaming and laughter in those 30 minutes stick in mymind like the mud on their faces.

That afternoon, Alec insisted that his brother join us soAlec could show him how to call deer. Who were we todeny him a simple request just because five of us — onelugging a camera — would be jammed into a 5-by-8 blind?

Further, we didn't explain that calling deer usuallydoesn’t include loud, excited whispers. When dusk settled,though, I had to intervene. Silence followed, and deer cameout to feed on the Extreme food plot. With the pre-rut on,a giant buck chased a doe behind the blind, never offeringus an opportunity to fire.

Excited to try his new skills in front of Bryce, Alecstood, opened the window and began to call. He had notfinished his first sequence when a large-bodied deerappeared at the edge of the brush.

“There he is!” Alec exclaimed.I glassed it, and it was a beautiful, mature buck. We

tried to get Alec into shooting position, but it proved diffi-cult.

Alec said, “I want Bryce to shoot him.” We were shocked, and Bryce was happy to oblige. I

told Bryce that the buck wasn’t going to stick around, andthat we were running out of light. We needed to shoot.Within a few seconds, Bryce shot the deer, which droppedalmost immediately.

Elated, we climbed from the blind, with Casey carryingAlec and Bryce following. I got the truck. When Iapproached the buck, the Brown boys had that “first-buckglow.” It’s one of my favorite sights, which is why I love totake people hunting. Bryce had shot a 13-point, 150-classbuck.

We went back to the lodge for another great dinnerand more telling of stories. Bryce had his story, which wasshared during and after dinner. The big-screen TV was notthe biggest attraction that night.

The next morning, two excited boys were more readythan ever to hit the field. It was at least 20 degrees cooler,and all the bundled-up hunters squeezed into the blind andcranked up the heater. The sun treated us to a great showat dawn, and there were several deer in the Extreme foodplot. Alec decided to call in another buck. During his sec-ond attempt, I saw a big 8-pointer; the one I hoped wouldbe Alec’s dream buck. I let everybody know it was a maturebuck and definitely a shooter.

Alec put down his call and readied his gun. The buckmade his way around the large white oak in the middle ofthe food plot and into range. Alec shakily said he was readyto shoot. With his father coaching him, he squeezed thetrigger, and the buck dropped at the edge of the food plot.

Casey and I dragged the deer back into the food plotand returned to the stand for Alec. His condition made itincredibly difficult for him to walk through the plot to histrophy, so his father and I got on each side to hold his handsand help him. After falling three times, he made it to thebuck and grabbed the perfectly symmetrical 144-inch rack.Emotions ran high as Alec admired the animal. We knew itwas a first — and likely last — experience.

Hopefully, Alec was thinking about what any other 9-year-old would be after killing a great first buck. He wouldhave bragging rights at school and now had his story to telloften to anyone who would listen.

We loaded the buck into the back of the truck andheaded for the skinning barn. On our way, we stopped toget the RTV. As we caped out the bucks, Alec and hisbrother drove around the barn. We listened to the soundsboys make while racing through mud and having the timesof their lives. The hunt was complete.

Every year, I try to take a first-timer on a hunt — prefer-ably a young hunting hopeful, but some first-timer no mat-ter their age. This hunt, however, was amazingly special.Any attempt to describe the importance of Alec’s first huntcan only sound trite compared to the reality of the experi-ence. It was truly the hunt of a lifetime. W


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61019_6.583x12.5_archer_ƒ.ai 1/29/07 2:15:40 PM

The weather was perfect for an early-fall eveningbow-hunt. I had been sitting in my treestand for acouple of hours, imagining a deer walking into one

of my shooting lanes. “If he just steps behind this tree, I candraw on him,” I thought. You have a lot of time to thinkwhen you’re sitting in a tree overlooking your food plots.

Conditions were good, but I had not seen anything —except about one million squirrels. About 30 minutesbefore dusk, however, the woods lit up with action. I was100 percent tuned in to the sounds around me. Do youknow how you hear something and know it’s a deer? Justthen, a doe came through, and she was obviously beingpursued by a love-struck buck. A few minutes later, I saw aspike and a 4-pointer.

The spike made his move on the doe but was rejected.The deer moved out of sight, and I started to sit back downin my stand. All of the sudden, I heard some leaves rustlingbehind me. There he was!

My heart started beating out of my chest. I heardmyself breathing and tried to close my mouth to muffle thesound. It was the biggest deer I’d ever seen in the woods,and he was coming right at me. To add to the drama, he hada companion—another buck slightly smaller, but still a mon-ster. I was already standing, and I could feel my knees shak-ing. I tried to focus on staying still. I have two Secret Spotfood plots planted close to my treestand, and I was prayingthe bucks would come to these.

I tried to reel myself back in and focus on a possibleshot. Still, I couldn’t get my legs to stop shaking, and thenmy hands started shaking as I held my Mathews bow. Thebigger buck was moving toward my Secret Spot food plot,just as I imagined. I thought about getting ready to draw,but the deer was angled slightly away from me and couldhave busted my movement.

Just then, I heard some noise in the woods behind me.I slowly turned my head to look back and saw another doecoming down the hill.

“Not now!” I thought. The buck looked up to see the source of the noise, and

I was sure he would see me. Luckily, he didn't seem both-ered by the doe. He put his head back down to eat in theSecret Spot food plot, which let me draw my bow. Onemore step to the right, and I'd have a perfect shot.

He took that step and squared up. At that moment, Ifelt rock solid.

“Look at your sights, not the rack,” I thought I squeezed the trigger on my release and watched my

arrow disappear behind his shoulder. What a rush! It was aperfect shot, and I was almost surprised I had made it. Iknew then that I had him.

Of course, the big buck ran down hill — a big hill. I satdown in my treestand so I didn’t pass out. I couldn’t believewhat just happened. I wanted to get to the deer as soon aspossible, but I knew I needed to wait a bit. I climbed downfrom my stand and walked back to the house to get mywife. I wanted her to be with me when I found the buck.

That was the most incredible moment I've experiencedin bowhunting. My wife and I walked down the hill, follow-ing a fantastic blood trail. The deer only made it about 100yards. I can’t tell you how great I felt when I saw him there.I guess I don’t have to. I think you know what I mean.

I started counting the points, just like they do on thehunting shows. I used to make fun of that. But at thatmoment, I just sat and stared at my buck. W

Ben Jones used two Secret Spot food plots near his treestand to bag this monster buck.

SECRET SPOTComes Through for Tennessee Hunter

By Chad Jones, with his brother, Ben


MOULTRIE FEEDERS AD


Customers do the talking about Institute products…Customers do the talking about Institute products…filmed 13 different bucks in the plots. Nine bucks at onetime. What a difference a Whitetail Clover plot will make.My son Michael harvested a massive 9 pointer that’s antlermass at the base measured 6” around and 5” aroundbetween the G-2 and 3 points. See photo. Two words myson Michael and I could sum up about the WhitetailInstitute (We Believe).

Anthony Franceschini – VirginiaEvery year the deer eat Imperial Whitetail Clover down

to the ground and it keeps coming back. I see deer almostevery day in greater numbers. This year I’ve seen much big-ger bucks. One evening 12 deer (5 bucks/7 does) came outwhile I was on stand. I harvested the biggest buck with mybow (see attached). Thank you Whitetail Institute.

James Houck – WisconsinImperial Whitetail Clover was the first Whitetail

Institute product I used. And I saw immediate results ofmore deer. I firstplanted PowerPlanttwo years ago. It gotup to five feet tallthis last year evenwith the drought.Deer love it, and sodo the pheasants.Enclosed are photosof three bucks takensince using theseproducts.

Corey Syverson – MinnesotaI’ve had food plots on my Northern Minnesota 80 acres

for almost 10 years. My food plots (from 1/2 acre to 3 acresin size) have varied from soybeans and winter wheat tomedium red clover and alfalfa. I’ve had good deer huntingmost years and some respectable bucks. I was always skep-tical with regards to Imperial Clover but in the summer of2004 I decided to work up my one 3-acre plot and plant

Imperial Whitetail Clover. I did the work with my HondaATV and the step by step instructions from the Institute.Two months later, WOW! Can you say “worth every penny”.The Imperial Clover was 14” tall and very dense. I clipped ittwice before fall and had a beautiful 10” plot when frost hitin September. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a food plotthat was so aggressively utilized by the deer. The whitetailshere absolutely love it, passing across the medium redclover to get to the Imperial. I had the best rifle season ever,seeing five 8 point bucks opening day. I think this is handsdown the best, most attractive to whitetails food plot thereis. Thank you Whitetail Institute. I’m also looking forward totrying Chicory PLUS in the nearby 2-acre plot next year.

Jeff Makowski – WisconsinWe took the time and planted the Imperial Whitetail

Clover right and then it began to take over with growth. It’sour second planting in 5 years and the deer and turkeyslove it. We’ve seen bigger bucks on the plot during the dayand more deer in general. We used No-Plow in areas on log-

ging roads and other spots that only had small areas toplant. The No-Plow comes up quickly and last through thewinter. Secret Spot is also great for even smaller areas. I’veenclosed two pictures.

Ric Redden– KentuckyI have tried several different clover products but the

deer and turkeys chose Imperial Whitetail Clover above allothers. If I had one food plot choice to make it would beImperial Whitetail Clover. I also have used Extreme with

great success for three years. It has held up quite well anddeer love it. I’ve enclosed a photo.

Alan Ludwig – MichiganWow! What can I say… I planted my first Imperial

Clover plot in the spring of 2001 and I have seen a big dif-ference in the body size and antler size of the bucks on mygrandmother’s farm. I have hunted on her farm since I wasold enough to bow hunt and had never seen anything over

a small eight point. Since 2001 I have seen and have trailpictures of bucks ten points or better. We not only see moredeer but we also see more bigger deer, I always look for-ward to the new season because I know that there are some“big boys” running around. It’s a great feeling to know thatthe hard work that I have put into my food plot makes a bigdifference in the health and antler size of the deer on thefarm. Thank you for such a great product!

P.S. here is a picture of one of the bucks that I was ableto get a picture of in my food plot.

Mark Wagner – LouisianaMy plots are 3

years old. I see moredeer feeding andthey stay feedinglonger. Before deerwould just browsethru for a short time.Now deer stay andeat. Here is a photoof Jason Wagnerwith a buck he tookthe year after weplanted ImperialWhitetail Clover.

Karl Dorshimer – MichiganThis is my fourth summer using Imperial Whitetail

Clover in Michigan. I live on 53 acres of woods next to stateland and even on the nearby private land hunting pressureis intense. I and the neighbors all have taken bucks over theyears but the racks and bodies were small. Most of the deertaken were 1-1/2year old 4 to 6pointers with occa-sional 2-1/2 to 3-1/2year old eight point-er. The racks aremostly typical witha foot or less ofspread and smallpoints a coupleinches long. Thedeer here have verysmall home rangesand don’t go far. Isee the same deer

(Continued from page 29)


ut Institute products…t Institute products…all the time and get to know them real well. After huntinghere since 1987 I was 100% convinced that we did not havethe genetics to produce trophy racks.

After I planted the Imperial Whitetail Clover I firstnoticed a lot of does feeding at dawn and dusk. I canobserve the plot from my house and keep a close watch onit. I also added a corn feeder for use in cold weather anddeep snow. I never saw a buck feeding during the day butat night I would shine a spotlight on the plot and see bucksfeeding way out away from the house. Our bucks arealmost 100% nocturnal from all the hunting pressure. Theyare rarely seen in daylight unless pushed by another hunteror following a doe in the rut. I saw a nice 8 point the firstseason but missed him with my shotgun. The next year Isaw him again and my hunting buddy got a shot at him butmissed too. Last year after opening week when things hadquieted down I snuck into the woods and sat tight. It wasgetting dark and a buck came through following a doe andyearling. I made a great shot and when I walked up to himI recognized him as the 8 point but I was shocked by thesize of his rack (20”) and body (240 lbs)!!!

I was completely wrong that our genetics could notproduce big bucks. My big buck was able to stay on myland and grow old due to the food sources, cover, water,does and a couple of missed shots. However old age alonedid not grow my buck into a trophy. I and the neighborshave taken a few older bucks over the last 20 years butnone had the antlers and body like mine. The ImperialWhitetail Clover held the does and this buck on my landand gave him the nutrition to grow a big body and a superrack.

Thanks for helping me get my first “Wall Hanger” dur-ing my 30th deer hunting season.

Leon Bowman – PennsylvaniaI am especially pleased with the Alfa-Rack because it

seems to grow real well on our land and the deer love it.Since we clear cut our 20 acres of woodland and put in

your products, we are seeing more and larger deer. Wehave a total of 350 acres and plan to plant some smallerplots and trails in the future. I have included a picture of thedeer my nephew shot this year and me holding what webelieve to be the sheds of the same deer found lastFebruary in an Alfa-Rack field. By the way, the taxidermistgreen scored the buck at a gross score of 140.

Neil Dusek – TexasMy family and close friends have been leasing from

1000 to 2000 acres in East Texas for nearly 40 years. Thefist 25 years the bucks that were taken averaged about110lbs. field dressed. Since we began using ImperialWhitetail Clover in 1992 we have seen a significant increasein the body and antler size of the bucks we harvest, withfield dressing in the 150-160 lb range. Over the years ofusing food plots, we have experimented with 2 or 3 otherbrands of clovers and legumes but have always gone back

to Imperial Whitetail Clover. Nothing attracts and holds thedeer like Imperial. We have taken several bucks in the 140class range and I harvested this 14 point non-typical thatgrossed 167.

Bruce Temple – OklahomaI planted No-Plow in Central Oklahoma and it did real

well. I have also used 30-06 Mineral. It draws the deer in. Ihave a hole 2feet round 12inches deep.Opening day ofgun season Itook my 9 yearold son on hisfirst buck hunt.Our hunt wasover by 10 a.m.from out ofnowhere a 19point 165 2/8buck was run-ning right toour 30-06 spot.I stopped himat 50 yards andAustin shot. He

went about 30 yards. Best day of hunting yet!

David Beloin – Vermont

Here is a picture of the biggest deer that I shot off myImperial Whitetail Clover food plot. It was killed on a lateseason muzzleloader hunt. He was digging through thesnow for the clover in Northern Vermont.

Jeff Cruse – MissouriWhen I purchased my 78 acre farm, I wondered what I

could do to increase the deer sightings on my place. I pur-chased seed from the local farm supply but had very littlesuccess holding deer. I was a little skeptical at first but in

2003, after tryingother clover prod-ucts, I thought Iwould try planting1/4 acre of ImperialWhitetail Clover ina field near an oldfarm house thatwe have convertedinto a shootinghouse for my wifeto hunt out of.(She started riflehunting 3 yearsago when I firstput the clover plotout and is reallyenjoying it. It’sgreat when yourcompanion startsenjoying some ofthe same inter-ests.) The shooting house turned out to be perfect place totake kids on there first hunts. My daughter and nephewboth harvested there first deer there that fall. During thelatter part of muzzleloader season I harvested a doe. In2004, I increased the size of the clover plot to 1/2 acre. Ithen cleared 1/4 acre of timber in a funnel area near myhome, planted Imperial Alfa-Rack and built a small shooting

house. We started seeing more deer. My nephew harvestedan 8 point during youth season while hunting the clover.During rifle season, my daughter harvested a 7 point andmy wife harvested her first deer a 5 point both in the Alfa-Rack plot. 2005 was just as good. Early bow season start-ed with several sighting of smaller bucks & does. I harvest-ed my biggest bow kill to date October 28th a nice 10 pointin the clover plot. I tell teveryone food plots planted inImperial products is the key to your success. Thanks for agreat product. I’ve enclosed a few pictures. Who knowswhat we will see next year. W

Send Us Your Photos!Do you have a photo and/or story of a big buck, or a

small buck or doe that you took with the help of Imperialproducts? Send it to us and you might find it in the FieldTester section of the next issue of Whitetail News. Sendyour photo and a 3 to 4 paragraph story telling how youharvested the deer and the role our products played to:

Whitetail NewsAttn: Field Tester Response

239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043

D E E R N U T R I T I O N N OT E SBy Matt Harper, Institute Deer Nutrition Specialist

Cutting Edge Revisited: Supplement SystemTargets Nutrition Needs Season by Season

When my wife and I got married, she wasemployed at a large engineering companythat designed and produced equipment for

the meat-processing industry. The owner, a stately olderfellow, had an incredible mind for invention. Hedesigned the first hot-dog making machine, and eventoday, more than 90 percent of hot dogs producedworldwide go through one of his machines.

The hot-dog-making machine was not his only cre-ation, and the company's corporate office was a kind ofmuseum of the various items he had invented. My wifetook me on a tour of the offices one day, and when wecame to the museum area, I saw a machine that lookedsomewhat familiar.

Noticing my interest, my wife said, “That's thetreadmill he invented.” I read the date on the display,and it was far earlier than the treadmills that hadappeared in popular culture. As the story goes, the manand his wife enjoyed walking, but that wasn't always anoption during long Midwestern winters. So, he decidedto build something on which they could walk inside. Hedid, but everyone who looked at the machine said,“Who would pay for a machine that you walk on inside?You don’t go anywhere when you walk. All you have todo is just go outside and walk.” Consequently, he neverfiled a patent, and the rest is history. My wife’s employ-er was simply ahead of his time.

In 1999, the Whitetail Institute unveiled a break-through in deer nutrition called Cutting Edge NutritionSupplements. Since then, tens of thousands of deerhunters and managers have used Cutting Edge andhave seen the tremendous results it can produce.However, like many revolutionary products, it took timefor people to really understand its significance. CuttingEdge is achieving greater and greater awareness.

Cutting Edge was revolutionary because it was thefirst product line to address the changing nutritionalneeds of whitetails as they go through their yearly phys-iological cycle. Up until then, the only supplementsavailable to consumers were spring and summer miner-al products. Although these worked during the antler-growing season, the rest of the year was unaddressed.

Someone asked, “Why do deer back off mineralsupplements in late fall and winter?” Much researchdetermined one of the main answers: The nutritionalneeds of a deer herd change in late fall and winter. Thatdiscovery led to further investigation. Soon, researchersidentified three distinct times when nutritional needschange significantly enough that a specific nutritionalsupplement is needed. From that came Cutting EdgeInitiate, Cutting Edge Optimize and Cutting EdgeSustain.

WHAT IS CUTTING EDGE?

In simple terms, Cutting Edge nutritional supple-ments are designed for specific times. More accurately,they are designed for three specific physiological phas-es of a deer herd. During a year, the nutritional needs ofdeer change based on changes in their bodies.

Beginning in late fall and winter, deer go into sur-vival mode. In most parts of the country, food sources

are scarce, and deer exhibit a pseudo-hibernation char-acteristic as their food intake decreases and their metab-olism slows. At this time, energy is the most crucial partof a deer’s diet. Protein needs are at their lowest, as aremineral and vitamin requirements.

Deer need energy during late fall and winter tomaintain body condition, but it's often in short supply.After the rut, bucks have expended significant amountsof fat reserves. Energy is crucial for them at this time sothey can minimize body-weight loss. This is immediatelyimportant for survival and will affect antler growth thenext spring. Antler growth is secondary to body condi-tion, and a buck must regain lost weight in spring beforemore of the nutrients it consumes can go to antlergrowth.

Does also require extra energy in late fall and winterbecause they are in gestation. That is, they're pregnant.

Pregnant does must support themselves and haveenough quality nutrition to support one, two or eventhree fetuses.

Fawns, sometimes called yearlings, are also vulner-able at this time. They are still growing and don't havethe same fat-storing ability as mature deer. In fact, typ-ically the highest winter-death losses are mature breed-ing bucks and first-year fawns.

Deer can derive energy from several sources, butthe most efficient are carbohydrates and fats or oils. Interms of deer nutrition, carbohydrates can be brokendown into those derived from starch and those fromfiber or cellulose. A common starch carbohydratesource is grain (corn).

Although it's a good energy source, starch can beoverdone in the diet of a ruminant and must be bal-anced with fiber- and fat-derived energy. Overly-high

In 1999, the Whitetail Institute unveiled a breakthrough in deer nutrition called Cutting Edge Nutrition Supplements. However, likemany revolutionary products, it took time for people to really understand its significance.


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starch levels can cause digestive problems, such as lowpH in the rumen, which hampers microbial populationsneeded for proper rumen function.

As winter winds down just before spring, there is aperiod called the pre-green-up. This is likely the mostdifficult time nutritionally for deer. As spring approach-es, bucks begin to sprout new antler buds, and doesenter their final stages of gestation. These physiologicalstates spark a shift in nutritional needs. Protein needsincrease, as do mineral and vitamin needs. At the sametime, energy remains critical to maintain or regain bodyweight.

Unfortunately, in most of the country, this periodcoincides with the least amount of quality food. All thehard mast has been eaten, along with any waste fieldgrains. Most of the browse has also been consumed.Forages have not yet begun to regrow, leaving deer witha nutritional deficit. Nutritional stress at this time canstunt antler growth in the buck herd and cause pregnan-cy problems with does, such as reabsorbed or abortedfetuses. It can also cause lower birth weights in fawns.

In spring and summer, deer can usually find ade-quate energy in forages and browse. Also, proteinneeds, although still very high, can be met through high-protein food plots. Minerals and vitamins, on the otherhand, become increasingly important. Antlers are inpeak growth, and along with protein, bucks need lots ofvitamins and minerals to grow antlers. As mentioned,much of the protein needs can be met through foodplots. But rarely are adequate minerals and vitaminsavailable for optimal antler growth.

At that time, does are lactating. Again, protein isvital, but so are minerals and vitamins. This is importantfor the doe and more important for the fawns she is

feeding. Research has shown that the faster a buck fawngrows and the heavier it is as a yearling, the larger itsbody and antler size will be at maturity.

These areas are distinct, and each requires a specif-ic nutritional supplement. No one supplement can fulfillthe nutritional needs all year.

That's where Cutting Edge comes in. Here's adescription of each Cutting Edge product.

CUTTING EDGE SUSTAIN

Sustain is a highly-concentrated nutritional supple-ment used in late fall and winter. It is composed of pro-tein, buffering agents, minerals and vitamins, fiber-digesting aids, energy (fat and carbohydrates) andDevour, a taste- and scent-enhancing agent.

Of these components, energy is of the highest con-centration. The carbohydrates in Sustain are preciselybalanced with fiber- and starch-derived carbohydrates.Oil and fat are major energy contributors. Although pro-tein is not as critical in late fall and early winter, deerneed a certain amount, so it's part of the formulation.The same is true for minerals and vitamins. The starch-digesting aids are designed to improve the rumen’s abil-ity to digest all types of fiber, natural or supplemented.The buffer agents help maintain proper rumen pH andrumen microbial health, and Devour makes Sustain irre-sistible to deer. Sustain is not a complete feed, but a sup-plement. It's designed to supply lots of nutrients withsmall amounts of consumption. In other words, Sustain issimilar to an energy bar.

CUTTING EDGE INITIATE

Initiate is designed for late winter and early spring,

otherwise known as the pre-green-up period. It containslots of protein and energy, as well as Devour, bufferingagents and fiber-digesting aids. Initiate is similar toSustain in terms of nutrients and ingredient function,but its protein levels are much higher: 20 percent. Thisincrease in protein is needed for early antler growth andlate-gestation fetal development. Though protein ishigh, energy is also high, as deer still need it for body-weight maintenance and fetal growth. Mineral and vita-min levels are also higher in Initiate. Devour, bufferingagents and fiber-digesting aids perform the same func-tions as in Sustain.

CUTTING EDGE OPTIMIZE

Optimize is designed for spring and summer, dur-ing the height of antler growth and doe lactation. Theneed for supplemental minerals and vitamins comes tothe forefront at this time. The need for supplementalenergy decreases. Protein and energy requirementsremain high, but the need for supplementation decreas-es, especially if deer have access to high-protein foodplots. Minerals and vitamins become the emphasis ofsupplementation. Optimize contains all the macro min-erals needed by deer to maximize production. Theseminerals are formulated in specific amounts and ratios,and from specific sources to ensure high digestibility.Also included are vital vitamins A, D and E. Finally,Devour is added for maximum attraction.

WHEN TO USE THE CUTTING EDGE PRODUCTS

• Sustain: mid-fall through late winter• Initiate: Late winter until spring green-up• Optimize: spring green-up through mid-fall W


The Whitetail Institute is proud to offer the WHITETAILAGING PLAQUE. This interesting plaque displays the jawbone andteeth of the critical first eight years of a deer’s life. The displaymeasures 11 inches wide by 21 inches tall and is hand-made of quality pine, sealed and protected with speciallamination.

The unique aging device is being used by the bestdeer biologists in America. It is fascinating to view andinteresting enough to be displayed in your den, huntinglodge or camp.

If you have serious management interest in theprogress or decline of your deer herd, the WHITETAILAGING PLAQUE is an invaluable management tool.After a few hunting seasons of aging deer using thistechnique, you will actually be able to determine fairlyaccurately the age of your deer on the hoof.Jawbones and teeth reproductions represent deerfrom 1-1/2 years to 8-1/2 years old.

Remember, the only way to accurately agedeer is by the wear on the deer’s teeth. Our WHITE-TAIL AGING PLAQUE shows you everything youneed to know about these wear patterns and willhelp you make intelligent decisions about yourdeer management program. Every serious sports-man should have a WHITETAIL AGING PLAQUE.With it, you can determine the age of each deerharvested. With this knowledge you are onyour way to developing a deer manage-ment program that will lead to big-ger and better-quality deer.

Call now at 1-800-688-3030and order your

WHITETAIL AGING PLAQUE for yourself or your hunting club.

Call now at 1-800-688-3030and order your

WHITETAIL AGING PLAQUE for yourself or your hunting club.

$7495

+ $9.00 S/H

SOILTESTKITSWhitetail InstituteSoil testing is one of the most importantthings you can do to ensure the success ofyour plantings — of any kind. The Institute ispleased to now provide soil test kits and results forall Imperial products or any other type seeds. (Completeinstructions and all related information will come with kits.)Test results include pH, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).Fertilizer and lime recommendations for maximum performance fromyour plantings will be provided. The average turnaround time is 24-48 hours after ourlab receives the sample.

The charge for the kit and results is $9.95. If ordered alone, add $2.00 shippingand handling for unlimited number of kits. If ordered with other Imperial products thereis no shipping charge.

Please send ______ soil test kits at $9.95 each. Add $2.00 shipping and handlingfor each order regardless of number of kits desired. (There is NO shipping chargeif kit is ordered with other Imperial products.) Cost of kit includes test results.SHIP TO:Name _________________________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________ State ________Zip _____________

Phone _____________________Email _______________________________________

Payment: : o Check or Money Order enclosedCharge to: o MasterCard o Visa o Discover

Credit Card # ______________________________________ Exp. Date ____________

Signature ______________________________________________________________

Mail to: Whitetail Institute • 239 Whitetail Trail • Pintlala, AL 36043or CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-688-3030

Now availablethrough the

NEW YORK HUNTER MAKES MOST OF FOOD PLOTS AT AGE 73By Matthew Ward

At 73, Ralph Scalzo Sr.has been hunting thesame property for years.

His hunting land is an oldhilltop dairy farm, with thin,rocky soil, in the Susquehannahighlands of central New York.Through the years, a few nicetypical 8- and 10-pointers in the18-inch-wide range have beentaken there, but they werenothing like what would appearin Scalzo’s cross-hairs themorning of Nov. 21, 2006.

The Scalzos have owned the property since 1987. It’sabout 100 acres, half of which is hardwoods and the restbrush and pines. After commuting between their residenceand hunting land for eight years, the Scalzos made theproperty home in 1995. That let them spend more timeworking and developing the land for deer.

During the past two years, they have made manyimprovements, such as planting trees and food plots. Alongwith hundreds of white cedars, the Scalzos have plantedThe Whitetail Institute of North America’s Imperial No-Plowwith only ATVs and weed whackers.

“We killed the vegetation with Roundup, added limeand fertilizer, dragged the area with the ATV and an oldpiece of chain link fence and spread the seed,” Scalzo said.“The rest was like magic. The plot grew and the deer came.”

Scalzo’s favorite stand is a shooting tower at the endof a 10-acre swamp overlooking a No-plow plot. InDecember 2005, during the coldest day of the hunting sea-son, Scalzo filled his freezer with a fat spike buck comingfor an afternoon meal.

The first week of New York’s 2006 regular firearmsseason found Scalzo diligently at his post. A little after 8a.m., two does ran out of the swamp and through a field tothe woods on to his right. A few seconds later, a deer trot-ted toward Scalzo. At first, he thought it was a decent buck.The deer allowed him just enough time for one shot as itfollowed the doe. Scalzo took a quick but confident aimand fired. The buck gave no indication it was hit, but Scalzothought the shot had been true.

Scalzo radioed his son, who was posted at the far endof the swamp overlooking a scrapeline and a couple offreshly rubbed pine trees. A search yielded no blood, butthe younger Scalzo found the nontypical 11-pointer wedgedbetween two boulders in a hedgerow about 100 yards fromthe shot. When he grabbed the antlers to move the deer,they were covered in pine pitch.

“My first thought was, is this the ‘decent’ buck he shotat?’” Scalzo’s son said. “I felt the deer to make sure it wasstill warm.”

The buck had a 22-1/2-inch inside spread with a dou-ble brow tine on the right and triple on the left. Its estimat-ed age was 5-1/2 years.

Word of the monster spread quickly through the ruralcommunity, and many lifelong hunters came to see it. Theysaid they had never seen antlers like that in central NewYork.

In 2007, Scalzo plans to acquire a 5-acre meadow nextto his property. On the parcel, he plans to plant a 2-1/2-acreplot of the Whitetail Institute’s Imperial Extreme and exper-iment with a couple plots of Secret Spot too. W


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Iwant to start bysaying thanks to theWhitetail Institute

for great products. Ihave been a WhitetailInstitute customer forseveral years and havefive food plots withmainly ImperialWhitetail Clover andAlfa-Rack in them.

Danny Wahl shot this buck that scored 164-4/8 gross Pope and Young inches. He credits his Imperial WhitetailClover and Imperial Alfa-Rack food plots.

FOOD PLOTS SUREWORK FOR ME IN ILLINOISBy Danny Wahl


Dan

ny W

ahl

The first year, we planted in the fall and saw more deerthat season than we had ever seen before. Two bowhuntersshot three bucks and two does over those food plots in oneweekend. Since then, we have become more selectiveabout what we shoot and have seen some real monsters.

This past season, I was hunting in southwestern Illinoisand sitting in a stand I call the Honey Hole because that’swhat it is — a honey hole. I have only been able to hunt thestand five times in the past three years because of winddirection and lack of time in the woods, but during thosefive sits, I have taken three bucks. Two of those monsterbucks won a contest at work. The bedding area is next to acreek with a trail that leads to my food plot, which is plant-ed in Imperial Whitetail Clover.

One day in November during the last hour, which I callhappy hour, three does walked out of a bedding area andfollowed a trail angling away from me at about 80 yards. Acouple of minutes later, another deer followed them. Thetree canopy was a little heavy, and I couldn’t see the deer’srack, but the posture gave him away as a buck. I quicklyglassed him, and all I saw before he went behind somebrush were antlers and mass.

I thought it was a deer I had seen three days earlier: a10-pointer with the spread just between his ear tips. If giventhe chance, I would shoot that deer.

I grunted and called a few times and apparently, it was

working. The buck was heading for the trail that crossed thecreek and offered me a 10-yard shot I put on a nice 8-point-er the previous year. I was pumped.

But the buck didn’t read the script. After a whilethough, he offered a 30-yard shot to my left.

After the shot, the buck took off and stopped 25 yardsaway, looking around as if to say, “What was that?” Ithought I had missed. I started getting that sinking feelingwhen I saw him stagger. I started doing the bowhunter’sprayer: “Fall down. Please! Fall down!”

Then he fell. I almost jumped out of the tree withexcitement. But he stood up, and I thought I must have gut-shot him. However, he only staggered and slid into thecreek.

I started packing my gear and climbed down to gath-er my scent canisters. I immediately found my arrow. I wentto my pack and got my camera for a picture before it gotdark and then walked to my deer.

The first thing I saw was how massive his left mainbeam was. It had five points on the main beam, three largestickers at the base and another on the back side The buckhad another pair of stickers on that side with five typicalpoints, making him a typical 10-pointer with six nontypicalpoints.

I was shaking so bad that the pictures from my digitalcamera turned out blurry. Did I mention I get buck fever?I’m sure glad I didn't see all that before I shot.

The buck field-dressed at 205 pounds and scored 164-4/8 gross Pope and Young inches. I knew I was doing a full-body mount of this deer. W


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I was shaking so bad that

the pictures from my digital

camera turned out blurry.

Did I mention I get buck fever?

I’m sure glad I didn't see all

that before I shot.

Have you noticed the

power of a new food

plot? From my obser-

vation, deer hit new plots harder

than established plots. I cannot

explain it except that whitetails

are creatures of curiosity. I expe-

rienced firsthand the power of a

new plot this past fall. Deer start-

ed checking out the plot as soon

as the herbicide turned the vege-

tation brown. Then with each

step of creating the food plot,

more activity occurred.

I had decided to establish a new plot on the northwest-ern corner of the property so we would have a food sourceunder our control. My neighbor has a 40-acre field in frontof the plot, but he often harvests that field first because ifwe have a wet fall, it’s almost impossible to get the crops

off. I knew if the field were harvested early, deer activitywould shift to another part of the property, where the pre-vailing autumn winds wouldn’t be kind.

Right after I sprayed the vegetation for the first time,I hung a trail camera on what would be a new plot to see

Imperial Winter-Greensand a

BIG WISCONSIN BUCKBy Brad Rucks

Photos by the Author

Brad Rucks’ two main weapons last fall were Chicory Plus and Imperial Winter-Greens, two of the most recentintroductions from the Whitetail Institute.


how many deer were using the property. As the vegeta-tion began to die, the amount of deer activity increased.After my second application of herbicide, I had absolute-ly nothing growing, yet deer were constantly walkingthrough the plot. To my surprise, there was a mature 4-year-old supporting a main-frame 10-point rack withsome “junk,” I call sticker points. I named him “Brow Tine”because he had the longest eye guards I had ever seen ona deer at my place.

After the ground was worked up, even more bucksbegan to appear, including another mature 10-point. To sayI was excited would be an understatement. It was late Julywhen I planted a crop of Imperial Winter-Greens andImperial Chicory Plus. I wanted to use the Winter-Greens asa cover to let the other seed get established, and eventhough we didn’t have a lot of rainfall, the seed took off.Soon after the seeds started sprouting, I caught Brow Tineon film during daylight for the first time. I estimated him togross 155 to 160 inches.

The archery season in Wisconsin starts early inSeptember, and that buck was definitely using the newfood source. Better, I knew he always visited the property inthe morning. Every picture I had of him near or in the plotwas from 4:30 to 5:54 a.m. I figured he was bedded direct-ly south of the plot, where a thick cedar swamp started. Ihung a stand early in August and just had to wait for theseason and some north winds to arrive.

The best-laid plans often go afoul, and this wouldn’t beany different. Bow season arrived with extremely warmweather. I had no chance to hunt Brow Tine opening week-end, and it seemed that was the case whenever I couldhunt. In previous years, I probably would have become asscent-free as possible and took my chances, but knowingmy batting average was 0, I stayed out. As the weekendspassed, I had not caught the deer on film since earlyAugust, and I thought he had moved to a fall pattern.

That was about to change. The second weekend inOctober, rubs started popping up around the plot, and onewas promising. I’m six feet tall and 240 pounds, and thetree getting hit was as large as my thigh. I placed a cameraover the rub with hopes of catching the maker in action. Iswitched out flash cards one morning before work, and as Iwas checking the card, there he was. He sure looked a lotbigger than in the last photo.

I checked the weather for that Saturday, and it calledfor a north wind. Finally, I could take my chance. I remem-ber waking up at 4 a.m. taking a shower and heading to thespot, which is only a few minutes away. After I was there, Iput on my clothes and headed to the stand. I knew I had anhour of sitting in total darkness, but I had to beat him to thespot — or did I?

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Rucks had seen “Brow Tin” many times before hefinall arrowed the buck.



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YOUR RECIPE FOR HUNTING SUCCESS

Brad Rucks of Wisconsin shot this buck he called “Brow Tine” near his Imperial Winter-Greens food plot. The bruiser scored 166 Pope and Young.

As black transformed into gray, I saw a mature buckheaded my way. It wasn’t Brow Tine but another deer thatfrequented the area—a 3-year-old 8-pointer, with a G-2 thatwas bent downward like a drop time. That deer had a free

pass on my farm, so I elected to videotape him. As I movedforward to turn on my video camera, I heard an extremelyloud grunt. It’s only the second time in my life I’ve heardthat sound so loud.

There, only 18 yards away, was Brow Tine. I immediately went into hunter mode — or should I say

blunder mode? I forgot about the buck walking toward me,and in my haste to prepare for a shot, the other deer snort-ed and abruptly ran off. I got that sick feeling in the pit ofmy stomach and watched in horror as Brow Tine lungedforward, taking a trail that angled directly in front of me.But after 10 yards, he stopped offering me the perfect shot.In an instant, the arrow was gone, and the two-blade Ragebroadhead entered right behind the front shoulder. Thedeer bolted off, but after he was out of sight, I heard thetelltale crack and dead silence. I quickly climbed down,gathered my gear and headed to the truck.

After a quick 10-minute walk and drive home, I was atthe front door. My son, age six, stood peeking out the frontdoor. I had the trail-camera picture in my hand and gavehim a thumbs-up signal. I heard him screaming in the house,“Dad shot the big 10! Dad shot the big 10!” Soon after, I hadmy three children helping me track the buck, and it didn’ttake long to find him.

The woods exploded with screams and hugs, and tothis day I’m thankful none of my neighbors had picked thatmorning to hunt. There isn’t any doubt we made enoughnoise to make every deer in the county run for cover. Laterthat day, I gross-scored the deer at a bit more than 166Pope and Young inches, which made him the largest buckever taken on my property.

Even though my tags were filled, I continued to runcameras in the area and got multiple photos of maturebucks in the new plot. I had pictures of 26 bucks, of whichfive were three years old or older.

I also run cameras on my other plots, and even thoughothers are larger or even in better areas, I got more photosof mature bucks from the new plot. Granted, not all thingsare equal, but you can bet I’ll be establishing another newfood plot with Winter-Greens and Chicory PLUS on myproperty this season. W


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Do not plant in fall

Aug 1 - Sept 1

Coastal: Sept 1 - Oct 15Piedmont: Aug 15 - Oct 1Mountain Valleys:Aug 1 - Sept 15

Aug 10 - Sept 30

Sept 1 - Nov 1

North: Aug 1 - Sept 15South: Aug 15 - Oct 15

North: July 15 - Aug 20South: July 20 - Aug 25

Aug 1 - Aug 31

Aug 1 - Sept 15

Sept 15 - Nov 15

North: Sept 5 - Nov 15Central: Sept 15 - Nov 15

South: Sept 25 - Nov 15North: Aug 25 - Oct 15South: Sept 5 - Oct 30

North: Sept 5 - Oct 15Coastal: Sept 15 - Nov 15South: Sept 25 - Oct 15

Coastal: Sept 25 - Oct 15Piedmont: Sept 1 - Oct 5Mountain: Aug 25 - Oct 15

North: Sept 15 - Nov 15Central: Sept 15 - Nov 25South: Oct 5 - Nov 30

Aug 1 - Sept 1

Aug 20 - Sept 30

Rucks had pictures of 26 bucks, five of which are three years old or older.

Set SolidGoals toIncreaseHuntingSuccessBy Scott Bestul

Isat in a treestand tonight with little hopeof seeing a deer. Though December isamong my favorite months to find a

great buck, this year is different. Here inMinnesota, the temps are mild, and theground is bare. Whitetails — not just bucks— are in a post-rut funk, and without ourusual snow and cold, their motivation tofeed is near zero.

Still, I thought it was important to hunt today. Deerstands are where I always do my best thinking, and I’mready to wrap my brain around a topic that’s been hauntingme for some time now: What’s in store for next year?

I should state up front that I’m a goal-setter. My wife,Shari, teases me that when I’m not actually deer hunting,I’m dreaming about it. But the truth is, I don’t fantasizemuch. I do a lot of reflecting, analyzing and planning. Likeany deer hunter, I enjoy remembering past hunts and cele-brating any good decisions I’ve made. But I spend muchmore time pondering choices that didn’t turn out well andthen mapping a plan of action to correct them. Regardlessof how enjoyable or successful a hunting season has been,I’m continually looking for ways to make next year evenbetter. And the only concrete way I’ve found to make thathappen is to set goals for myself.

GOAL-SETTING BASICS

I first learned about goal-setting as an athlete, when Icompeted in high-school and collegiate track and cross-country as a distance runner. Later, as I coached athletes onboth levels, I came to learn the importance of setting andachieving goals. Invariably, I found the runners who werethe most content — as well as successful — were those whohad set clearly defined and attainable goals. These athleteshad taken a hard, honest look at how they were performing,set a reasonable goal for improving and then charted acourse of action to get there.

Conversely, athletes without goals were typically afrustrated bunch who complained frequently about theirperformance. When I asked why they were unhappy, they’doften mumble something vague about “wanting to run bet-ter.”

If I asked how they intended to achieve their success,they invariably had no answer, as if all they’d thought aboutwas stardom but little about how they planned to get there.Unless I could get such an athlete to set some goals, they

rarely improved, and their dissatisfaction persisted.What does goal-setting have to do with deer hunting?

Not much, I guess, if the hunter in question is content withevery aspect of their pursuit. But I’m willing to bet a dozenarrows that most of us want to get better at what we do.Whether you’re a beginning deer hunter just learning thesport or a veteran looking to take his game to the next level,I’d wager there are things you’d like to improve.

I’ve been deer hunting since 1972, and I can’t think ofone season when I didn’t have higher hopes than the yearI’d just completed. So eventually, drawing on my experienceas a competitive runner, I began setting goals for myself.One year, I wanted to do nothing more than improve myunderstanding of terrain funnels. The next, I focused onshooting better under pressure.

My new goal is to understand food plotting better.After a season of several failed attempts, I realized I need-ed to master soil preparation and planting techniques. Thispast summer, I wasted a lot of hard labor trying to growseeds that were doomed from the start — not from anyproduct failure, but because I was lazy or in a hurry. It won’thappen next year, I promise.

Naturally, there are some deer hunters for whom goal-setting isn’t appropriate. Some of us hunt solely for relax-ation, escape and the special solace that only the whitetailwoods can supply. These people view hunting as the oneplace where they can get away from the competition, hardwork and high expectations placed on them in otheraspects of their lives. To them I say only “outstanding!” andwish them the best.

But for many of us, hunting is a challenge, and thedesire to improve is strong. Of course we enjoy and appre-ciate the unique and therapeutic value of the deer woods.But we also want to get better at what we do, whether it’sgrowing a better food plot, understanding deer behaviorand movement, or simply shooting a bigger buck. I believegoal-setting is the most efficient means for getting there.With that in mind, here are some of things I’ve learned


about setting goals and how I apply those principles todeer hunting.

STEP 1: DEFINE GOALS

The best goals are those that are easily defined. Setyour goal in concrete language that can be clearly under-stood and simply measured. For example, an easily meas-ured goal is to get within bow range of more bucks duringa season. By keeping track of your in-range encounters in a

journal and comparing those numbers to those you loggedthe previous year, you can determine if you met your goal.Numbers don’t lie, and you can measure success or failureeasily.

Conversely, a poorly defined goal is vague and difficultto measure. Take, for example, a hypothetical goal to“become a good deer hunter.” Exactly what is meant bythat statement? Seeing lots of deer? Seeing more bucks?

Getting within shooting range of animals? Fooling atrophy? The list can go on forever.

Concrete goals let you log your results and seeprogress. When we meet a goal, we experience success andbecome inspired to do more goal setting and improve fur-ther.

STEP 2: CLIMB THE LADDER

In addition to being easily measured, the best goals areincremental. That means they start small and build on eachother, like a series of steps. For example, if a hunter owns atract of land and wants to improve the habitat or foodsources for deer, it’s unlikely he can achieve all he wants inone season. So instead of aiming for a total makeover, a

better plan would be to pick one specific change for thefirst year — such as improving bedding cover — anotherspecific change for the next season, a third plan for Yearthree and so on. Most of us don’t have the time or financialresources to accomplish all we want to in short order, whichmakes planning for a series of small successes during a longstretch a much more realistic — and satisfying — approach.

STEP 3: KEEP IT REAL

One of the toughest aspects of goal-setting is dealingwith reality. When I was coaching, I’d never discourage any-one from shooting for the stars, but I’d urge them to fly overa barn roof first. Setting a realistic goal requires that youtake a hard look at your time, experience, personal skill andproperty, and then set an attainable goal. For example, Ihave a buddy who set a goal to shoot a 200-inch non-typ-ical buck last fall. Obviously, that’s a tall order — if not atotal impossibility — for most hunters in most areas of theUnited States. But my friend is an outstanding deer hunter


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Goal-setting starts with dreaming.

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with about 40 Pope & Young-class bucks to his credit. He isalso the lucky owner of a big chunk of ground in southernIowa and has a job that lets him hunt almost every day ofthe season. Finally, Steve had spotted not one but threebucks during his summer glassing sessions that would flirtwith that rarified Boone & Crockett score. My buddy provedhe had set a reasonable goal in mid-October, when he shota huge buck that grossed 214 inches non-typical.

In contrast, my cousin Scott is an equally talented deerhunter who has access to a sizable chunk of Wisconsinproperty. However, he has much less lofty goals than Steve.As a building contractor, Scott cannot shut down work forthree months every year, which forces him into huntingmostly on weekends. In addition, the property Scott huntsis not as prime as Steve’s Iowa real estate. Whitetail bodyweights and antler growth are limited by poorer nutrition,and the property is hunted by other relatives, which meansbucks receive more pressure. Consequently, Scott is con-tent with shooting a solid P&Y-class buck every couple ofyears. Holding out for a beast that doesn’t exist would be afool’s game, and expecting to kill a trophy buck in a pres-sured area, with limited hunting time, would likely cause mycousin nothing more than frustration.

STEP 4: MAP THE COURSE

After you’ve set your goals, it’s time to decide how toreach them. I call this step creating a road map, becausereaching a goal is no different than traveling to a destina-tion. You’ll get there more quickly with some directions. Ofcourse, there are no handy atlases telling you how to figureout big bucks, grow better clover or shoot like a champunder pressure. So you’ll have to create and follow yourown map to success.

That isn’t easy, but just like setting your goals, I’vefound it’s best to keep the steps for reaching them as shortand concrete as possible. One way I do this is to reflect on

past failures, determine how I screwed up, and think of solidways to correct my mistakes. For example, this past sum-mer, I rushed to put in a brassica food plot and decided Ididn’t need to fertilize the field. The crop suffered, andwithin a month, I realized my mistake. So one of my goalsfor this year is as simple as taking the time to soil test andfollow with lime and fertilizer recommendations. It’s noth-ing earth-shattering, I’ll admit, but it’s a simple, concreteand easily followed goal toward better food plots.

In the past, I’ve written steps as simple as, “Spend twodays per week spring scouting,” “Get aerial photos of allhunting properties and study them,” or, “Spend one day perweek this summer at a 3-D shooting range.”

These small, simple steps comprise the sweat equitythat will help you achieve your larger, loftier goals.Remember, dreaming about where you want to go minus aplan of action is just that: dreaming.

STEP 5: APPRAISAL

At some point, you’ll need to sit down and assess yourprogress. As I noted earlier, I like to do this toward the endof the season, when I’m still excited about deer, but the tri-umphs and failures of the past year are still fresh in mymind. Which of my goals did I meet and why? I enjoy thisprocess immensely, as it gives me a chance to recall thosewonderful moments when everything came together and Imet a goal, whether it was as simple as hanging a treestand in the right spot or as important as getting a goodfriend an encounter with the best buck he’d ever seen.

And what of the failures? It sounds weird, but some-times, I enjoy thinking about them even more than my too-short highlight reel. For me, deer hunting is all about fun, soeven when I screw up, it’s not the end of the world. I’vealways enjoyed a challenge and there are few things morerewarding than taking a hard look at things I’ve donewrong, then deciding on the steps I need to take to correctthem. In some strange way, I treasure my failures, as theygive me one more reason to look forward to the next fall,when I’ll get the chance to become a little bit better atgrowing, managing and hunting whitetail deer.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Only three weeks of deer season remain as I write this.To be honest, I have little chance of killing a great buckunless we get the right weather, which doesn’t seem likely.Still, I’ll relish every chance I get to sit in a treestand, staringhopefully at a trail and praying one of the big bucks I’mhunting will walk down it. But while I’m waiting, I’ll bide timeby reflecting on the weeks that have slipped by me andmaking big plans for next year. Goal-setting should help meaccomplish some of my dreams, and I think it can help anyserious deer hunter willing to give it a try. W


Goals need to be tailored to each situation: thearea being hunted, the experience level of thehunter, the amount of time you have.

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Imperial Clover and 30-06 Mineral Supplements…are the Perfect Combo in Ohio

By Richard Randall

This was a great year of hunting for my family, espe-cially on our farm. My wife, Krissy, and I decided tomake a few changes to her stand placements. The

previous year, she had been taking care of our newborn son,Hunter, so we had to make some changes to get her backhunting. We noticed the paths deer took to and from feed-ing areas had usually been out of shooting range during pre-vious years, so we set up a ladder stand in the funnel alongthe route.

Of course, I had to check it for myself. I hunted thestand opening weekend and saw plenty of activity when 20deer fed in an Imperial Clover field. The morning of Oct. 29,2006, I decided to hunt the ladder stand because it wasclose. Plus, Krissy said she had seen a large buck chasing adoe there a few days earlier. Thirty minutes after settling intothe stand, I saw a monster deer walking up the edge of ourhayfield and woods, coming from the direction of theImperial Whitetail Clover plot. He was hammering trees withhis rack as he headed toward me. The buck turned onto atrail heading into the woods 80 yards away, and I blew twocontact grunts. The deer turned 180 degrees and resumedheading at me.

The buck’s rack seemed to get larger as he got closer,and I noticed a big forked brow tine on the right. Hestopped, facing me at 10 yards, and was looking right at me.The buck knew something was up, but he just couldn’t quitefigure out what. I remember thinking, “He’s onto me,” and Ithought it might not happen. Then, the buck turned and

walked out to 22 yards. He was quartering away slightly andput his head down for just a second. That was my opportu-nity, and I knew I wouldn’t get another. I rose up and drew atthe same time. After I saw the pin on the buck’s chest, I letthe arrow fly and watched it hit the deer’s vitals.

The big whitetail bucked like a wild horse, ran off fromwhere he’d come and then fell. He had only traveled 80yards before dying. When I believed he was down for good,I ran to the house and told my wife and oldest son. Theywere as excited as I was. Then, I called my buddies Tyler, Pauland Big Mike for help. After Tyler got there, we went back.When I walked up on the deer, I noticed the forked browtines on both sides, kickers off the base, mass throughoutthe tines and the makings of drop tines on each main beam.

Letting the buck live another year would have beeninteresting, but who could pass up this animal? He green-scored in the 150s, without the inside spread, with 15 score-able points. He weighed 215 pounds. The deer was the thirdPope & Young buck taken in four years of hunting usingWhitetail Institute products.

The next weekend, Krissy shot a buck with her bow at35 yards, and neighboring hunters saw it. They claimed itwas as big as the one I had shot a week earlier.Unfortunately, we couldn’t recover the big buck after sever-al miles of tracking. Still, it was P&Y quality.

The most rewarding part of fall was hunting with myson, Alex. The previous year, during the youth gun season,Alex shot a little 5-or 6-pointer, which we never recovered.

He kept trying. If anything else, hunting teaches persever-ance. In 2006, Alex was ready to go. We hunted a condostand on a one-acre Imperial Clover plot. During the secondday of the youth gun-hunt, he missed a doe at 45 yardstwice with his .410. He smiled and said, “At least I’m seeingdeer and getting to shoot. That’s more than a lot of kids get.”

We decided to try it one more time during the regulargun season. On opening morning, Nov. 27, we saw 13 deer,but all were out of range. Then, an 8-pointer stepped intothe food plot where the doe Alex missed a week earlier hadbeen.

I told Alex to make the shot count. He did, and the buckdropped in its tracks. Alex put his hand in the air and yelled,“Yes, he’s down.” The buck was far better than any of my firstbucks. We try to let young bucks walk, but a buck of thatsize for a 6-year-old is a trophy. Alex’s buck weighed 175pounds dressed. Needless to say, planting Imperial Cloverand providing 30-06 Plus Protein Mineral Supplement ismaking our herd healthier and bigger.

2006 proved to be one of the most memorable andrewarding experiences of my 24 years of hunting. I tookanother P&Y buck. My wife connected with a bruiser,although it wasn’t recovered, and that built her confidence.Best of all, Alex now has hunting fever more than ever, hav-ing killed his first deer.

With our youngest son, Hunter, growing quickly, maybehe will soon follow in his big brother’s shoes. W

THEFINALGIFTThe child's bestfriend and hunt-ing partner washis grandfather.And he knew ofno more fitting atribute to the OldMan than ...

By Tom Fegely

The Old Man paused

at the rim of the hill

to catch his breath

and rest his weary legs on a

fallen poplar, gazing back to

the snow-whitened hollow

where, minutes earlier, he’d

left his grandson Colton.

It was opening morning and pitch dark when the twoleft the house, and the rim of the far mountain now showeda tinge of orange; a perfect start to another buck season. Abonus was the shallow layer of snow that had fallen duringthe night.

With a good 200 yards left, the Old Man continued hisascent to yet another stand that had produced bucks anddoes through the years.

Colton had insisted that he wanted to relinquish thelower stand to his grandfather, but the Old Man refused,even though it was the best stand on the property; the samestand from which he’d shot numerous bucks. The kid hadtagged a doe there just after his 12th birthday but hadn’t yetcentered his scope on a buck. In fact, he hadn’t seen a buckin the woods during the past three seasons, and anticipationwas high as the kid tightly gripped the scoped Remington.32 pump-gun he'd received from his granddad the previousChristmas.

The Old Man lingered a bit longer than he’d planned,but age was taking its toll, and the previous summer’s heartsurgery had set him back even more. Though he was reluc-tant to admit it to anyone, he knew this might be his last sea-son in the deer woods. At the very least, he’d no longer beable to make the long climb to the mountaintop stand onthe high point of his 250-acre farm. But his biggest hopewas to be with Colton when the kid downed his first buck.

And the Old Man had a plan.“Maybe today,” he muttered as he continued his climb.

“Yup, maybe today.”

THE OUTPOST

Colton hadn’t really wanted his grandfather to climb tothe “Outpost” — a fat, sprawling oak atop the ridge wherethe Old Man had taken him when he was old enough to walk.That’s what they named it one golden autumn day nearly adecade earlier.

“The Outpost. I like that.” the Old Man told Colton.“That’s what it will be.” And so it was.

They had sat there and watched deer, foxes, squirrels,hawks, songbirds and anything else that happened to roamor fly by. It was also the place they visited after Colton’s par-ents had been killed in an automobile accident soon after heturned 6; a disaster that ripped the soul of the Old Man. He’dtried to explain death and other of life’s realities, but the kidwas too young to comprehend. Then again, the Old Man fig-ured, no one really understands or accepts death until laterin life. Most of the Old Man’s buddies were dead or sitting ina nursing home, and he understood and begrudginglyrefused to accept the inevitable. His farm and mountain landhad always been his first love.

“Never gonna put me in one of those danged prisons,”he sternly warned his wife, Josie, a couple of years before,after a visit with a friend confined to a nearby nursing facili-ty. “You’d have to tie me up and drag me.”

He’d mellowed a bit since that time, mainly because ofColton’s presence in the household. The Old Man and hiswife had taken the responsibility of caring for the youngsternine years earlier, ignoring the protests of his uncle, a NewYork city accountant, who wanted to adopt him.

“You can come out to the farm to see him anytime youwant,” was the Old Man’s final word. “But he sure as hell ain’tgonna grow up in no city.”

And he didn’t.

COUNTRY LESSONS

All things considered, everything had worked out well.Colton was a high school baseball ace, president of the

sophomore student council and well-liked and respected byhis friends. At home the Old Man required that he take someresponsibility around the farm. The bonus was that when thechores were done he could fish and hunt as much as hewanted. The farmland also held a trout stream and a muskratand duck swamp along with a couple hundred acres of fieldsand woodland inhabited by everything from grouse togroundhogs.

And deer. Lots of deer; which was reason enough for


Bra

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some newfound excitement on this cherished buck seasondebut.

THE OLD MAN’S PLAN

The Old Man arrived at his post well after first light, andthen nestled against the familiar tree where he’d spent manypleasant, and sometimes lonely, hours. Fifty yards out front,a well-beaten deer trail meandered over the rim of a hill intoa clump of hemlocks, through a small stand of pole beechand down the slope he'd just traipsed. Some 150 or so yardsdownhill, it straddled a bench and then wound directly tothe old hemlock where Colton was seated.

The Old Man had it all worked out. He knew from manyyears of hunting here that the trail would bring at least onebuck onto the hillside before noon. No matter if it waspushed off the far mountain by other hunters or came upfrom the swamp and cornfields below, it would probablypass within his grandson’s sights.

Below the ridge, Colton tensed his shoulders andinched his neck into the collar of his new orange-camouflagehunting coat. It was chilly on the shady side of the hill, andhe wouldn’t get relief from the sun for another hour or so.

Colton chuckled as he zipped up his new coat, thinkingabout the day he first showed it to the Old Man, who hadlaughed loudly when the kid brought it home; bought withsavings from his wood-cutting chores.

“Orange and camouflage, huh?” he’d exclaimed, hold-ing the garment at arm’s length for a once-over. “So youthink a deer’s not gonna see you in this thing?”

Like his hunting cronies, the Old Man had cursed themandatory wear of fluorescent when it became law. But sev-eral seasons earlier, his cousin’s son, wearing only an Armycoat and brown pants, had been shot. He wasn’t hurt badly;only a bit of flesh was taken from his leg. But another fewinches, and it could have been fatal.

Now the Old Man wasn't as adamant about wearing hisall-orange vest, although he still didn't like it. But he failed tocomprehend the fashion or function of the kid’s strange-looking garment, and the relentless teasing bounced backand forth between the two well into fall.

SEASON’S FIRST SIGHTINGS

It was nearly 8 a.m. when the Old Man saw the morn-ing’s first deer. Shots on the far mountain an hour earlier hadsignaled the beginning of the hunt, and he knew the deerwould gradually work their way across the old gravel roadthrough Nick's Valley, along Brewer’s Brook and up the hill towhere he was sitting.

Now they were here, cautiously working through thethicket in front of the Old Man.

He froze, pressing his back against the oak and movingonly his eyes to count the six forms stepping single filethrough the pole timber and across a narrow clearing, whichwas the remnant of an old skid trail. Clearly, the first five deerwere does, but the sixth lingered cautiously, waiting for theleaders to cross the opening before it rejoined them.

The Old Man’s rebuilt heart beat swiftly as he slowlyplaced the cross-hairs of his 4-power scope on the tight-racked 9-pointer, which he’d seen grazing in the cut corn afew days earlier. The buck cautiously stepped into the open-ing, paused next to a fallen tree and gazed at the Old Man,who stood stone still. It then dropped its head and sniffedthe trail of the does, which had already moved off the benchand down into the ravine.

The Old Man waited, not blinking an eye, as the buckquietly disappeared over the ridge. Now it was but a matterof time — a few minutes — for the pieces of the plan to fallinto place.

“Should be there soon,” he thought after five minutes,impatiently glancing at his watch. “Just hope they didn’tbreak off and go into Ben Freeman's swamp.”

Ben was a lifelong neighbor; a fellow farmer and hunter.The Old Man knew he’d be sitting on his favorite stump inthe hollow, probably puffing on his old pipe just as he’d done

every year for the past 30 or more. He knew the deer mightmake a turn and show up in Ben’s sights. Another 10 minutespassed as the Old Man grew restless.

COLTON’S HOPE

Colton was restless, too. He’d seen the does at day-break and three or more a brief while later. None of themwere spooked, as no other hunters were on the Old Man’sproperty, and the wind was in the kid’s face. They had movedby slowly, pausing occasionally to nip a bud or scratch anacorn from the snow. He’d scoped them all but couldn’t findas much as a spike.

Now things began to get interesting. The youngsterglimpsed the five does slowly feeding down the trail andnoted that the largest deer regularly looked back uphilltoward the thicket they’d passed through. The puzzlingthought of his granddad not shooting from his spot on theOutpost rushed through the kid’s mind, but the flick of a tailbrought attention back to the moment.

“If one’s looking back you can bet something’s follow-ing,” the Old Man had advised the kid one afternoon manyyears before as they sat at The Outpost watching whitetails.“Never move too early. Sit tight and be patient, and it willpay off. Don’t get trigger happy now.”

The kid hadn’t forgotten.Colton had thought seriously about demanding that his

grandfather stay at the lower stand and not go to theOutpost. But the Old Man took pride in his independence,and he wasn’t about to change plans he’d been setting forthe past couple of months.

Colton recalled how the Old Man had resisted havingthe heart operation, became cranky and insolent during hisrecovery period during summer, fighting his wife’s edict thathe sell the cows. When Ben offered to buy them, he cheeredup.

“At least they’ll stay in the neighborhood,” the Old Manhad joked, smiling at the prospect of not having to sell hissmall herd to a stranger.

At least twice a week, the Old Man took the rusty pick-up truck down the dirt road that connected the two farmsand helped Ben with the morning milking. It was his way ofhanging on to a life he’d loved.

Deer hunting was another way of clinging to his youth-fulness, although Colton knew that the old-timer's deerhunting time was slowly drawing to a close. His doctor hadtold him not to go overdo things and certainly wouldn’t haveapproved of his hike to the top of the steep hill — a path he'dfollowed countless times through the years.

But Doc was an old friend and die-hard hunter, too, andhe knew his advice would fall on deaf ears.

And it did.

THE FINAL GIFT

Colton’s pulse jumped and pounded in his temples as abuck suddenly stepped from a dip that had hidden its down-hill movement. It was still about 80 yards off, but he couldsee the antlers — five points on the right and four on the left— clearly through the scope. He counted them twice, know-ing that this was the buck his grandfather had told himabout. Colton’s shoulders began to quiver, and he could feela nervous twitch reaching through his hands.

“Stay calm,” he thought. “This is no time to fall apart.”The kid knew it was too soon to shoot, but he also knew

he couldn’t let the big buck move any farther down theslope.

He waited another few seconds, finally getting a clearview of the big corn-fed whitetail as it dropped its head tonibble grass next to a black stump. The kid squinted throughthe scope, centered the cross-hairs where he wanted them,and slowly squeezed the trigger.

The shot shattered the morning stillness, echoing offthe mountains and finally rolling away to the south. It wasthe sound the Old Man had been waiting to hear.

The woods filled with white flags; three of them break-

ing off toward Freeman's woods and another trio retracingits steps to the top of the hill.

Quickly, belying his age and arthritis-stiffened legs, theOld Man stood and hobbled to the overlook, where hehoped to see his grandson walking toward a fallen deer. He’dnot yet reached the vantage point when movement off tothe right caught his eye. Three deer, including the same buckhe’d seen earlier, were coming back up the slope.

“Damn!” he said aloud. “He missed.”Knowing the frightened deer wouldn’t again go back

down the hill, the Old Man raised his Winchester .30-.30,centered the moving deer in his sights and fired. The buckdropped in his tracks.

Colton and the Old Man arrived at the fallen deer aboutthe same time.

“Nice going Grandpa!” the kid shouted. “Still haven’tlost your shooting eye, have you?”

Colton went on to explain that he’d been too hasty withhis shot, and it had hit a rotted stump in the line of fire. He’dseen the bits of wood explode into the air, some actuallybouncing off the buck. Fortunately, the deer had run backup the hill to the Old Man.

“Well, at least one of us got him,” the Old Man mutteredmatter-of-factly.

But Colton could see the pride his grandfather stillshowed in his hunting and shooting prowess, especially attaking the handsome buck that rivaled only two other tro-phies he’d taken in his life.

Colton insisted on field-dressing the deer and draggingit to the bottom of the hill, while the Old Man walked aheadto get the pickup truck. Later, they met at the head of theswamp for the victory ride back to the farmhouse.

“Maybe you oughta get rid of that scope,” the Old Manteased at the supper table that night. “Better yet, give awaythat funny looking coat. You probably scared the daylightsout of that buck when he saw it.”

Colton only smiled and shook his head.

THE MAGIC OF MEMORIES

The next weekend, the youngster cleaned the skullplate, polished the antlers to the very tip of each of the ninetines, and hung it above the fireplace on a plaque he’d madein the school shop.

Colton again went through the season without gettinga buck but later added to the venison in the freezer with afat doe. The family ate well that winter, and the memorablehunt was analyzed many times as the Old Man and the kidsat by the fireplace in the kitchen. Usually, the discussionstarted when the kid or the Old Man would look up from thetable and gaze at the rack on the wall.

The Old Man died the next spring while Colton was inschool. The kid knew what had happened as soon as theteacher told him to take his books and report to the office.

A few weeks earlier, the Old Man had again been admit-ted to the hospital, but that time, his condition didn’timprove. Colton stopped by every day and talked aboutschool, hunting and the flock of gobblers roosting in thepines. It had comforted the Old Man to know he’d instilledoutdoor values in his grandson, and he looked forward tothe times Colton would stop by to talk.

On a mild January afternoon, Colton worked his way upthe hill to The Outpost. He sat for a long time, alone withmemories about his best friend who was father and grand-father. He would miss him, sure.

As sunlight slipped from the hollow, the kid zipped hiscamo-orange jacket and stood. He had one more stop tomake before heading home.

The woods looked much different in spring than it hadduring deer season. But Colton had no trouble finding theshattered stump; the ragged hole in its center still showingwhere his well-placed shot had done what it was supposedto do.

“There’ll be plenty more for me,” he whispered as hegazed into the late-day sky. “That one was yours, Grampa.W


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Justin Martin — AlabamaWe stay on the road hunting deer all season for our show

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My father and I have used Whitetail Institute productssince 1993. Alfa-Rackat first and WhitetailClover in 1998. Ourresults were immedi-ate seeing more andbigger deer. Ourproblem was a foodplot only accessibleby 4-wheeler or foot.The Ph balance waskilling us.

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This 10 point buck walked in at noon opening day. Prior tothat we had watched two-4 points, one large 6 point, one small8 point, many does and turkeys. They say a picture is worth athousand words. Cheyenne’s smile tells the rest. Not bad for abeginner.

Durrell Prahl — WisconsinWhen I moved to this 80 acre farm in 1997, the hunting

wasn’t the greatest. I didn’t see many deer and what I did seewere smallspikes, forks andthe occasionalsix-pointer. Afterdoing someresearch andreading articlesin magazines, Idecided to planta food plot usingI m p e r i a lWhitetail Clover.Almost immedi-ately I saw moredeer, thoughthey were stillsmall.

A year later I added 30-06 minerals and started seeingeven more deer and they were bigger. Now I have four food

plots, and two 30-06 mineral sites and the bucks are gettinghuge! I haven’t had the opportunity to harvest one of thesebrutes yet, but hopefully in the near future.

Enclosed is a picture of my step-sons first deer, a nice sizedoe and also a turkey. The turkeys love the food plots too.

Thanks for the great products and making our huntingmore memorable.

Greg Jeffers —Tennessee

Noticed ahuge difference inthe amount of deerwe see since plant-ing Imperial White-tail Clover bigger,healthier deer. Deeralways end up inthe clover. En-

closed are two bucksmy children got inone of our food plots.Jessica age 16 withher first buck. AndCaleb age 7 with hisfirst buck. W

Send Us Your Photos!Do you have a photo of a relative or friend who killed his 1st deer? Ifyou do, send it to us with a 3-5 paragraph story about the hunt andthe emotions involved with the hunter and mentor. You may find it inan upcoming issue of “Whitetail News.” Readers of the “WhitetailNews” love these stories. Send them to:

Whitetail News, Attn: First Deer239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043

The FutureOf Our Sport


My name is AlMoore, akaAlmoe. I’m 50

years old and I live in BayouGeorge just outside ofPanama City, Fla. I moved tothis area three years ago.Last year my friend, Bud,and I decided to start hunt-ing again with poor results:one doe.

This season I joined the Cat Creek SportsmanAssociation in Calhoun County and was determined to havea better hunting season. I read the Whitetail News, prac-ticed shooting and listened to a lot of the locals who havebeen hunting this area all of their lives.

I moved my spot into the pines, built a condo andplanted a food plot of Imperial Whitetail Clover and ChicoryPlus. I also planted a food plot in Imperial No-Plow at theend of the pines. All of the seeds grew well.

I will plant my entire plot next spring with one of thetwo of them, probably Chicory Plus. I also put trail camerasout. All the pictures from the camera showed lots of does,black bears and turkeys every day, but no bucks. Everyonesaid be patient, if you got does the bucks will be there.

On the opening day of archery season I sat all day butdidn’t see any bucks. At 5 p.m. a nice-size doe came outinto the food plot and, while eating, walked a straight lineto me. Every time she put her head down for another bite,I would make another move to get ready. When she wasabout 30 yards out, she put her head down for another bite.I drew my bow back, but that was a mistake because shewas facing right at me, and I didn’t have a good shot.

She continued to walk straight at me for another 10yards. I have a mechanical artificial heart valve, and when itis quiet you can hear it tick. It was so loud I thought she was

going to hear it, and my arms were starting to get tired. Butjust then she turned to the right and I put the arrow rightinto her heart. She only ran about 20 yards and dropped.

That was my first Florida deer with a bow. As the sea-

son went on I saw doe after doe and even had the same fivehen turkeys coming in to feed almost every day. I didn’twant to take another doe because I was told they will bringin the bucks.

It was a cold morning on Dec. 27, 2006 when I got inthe stand at 5:15 a.m. I sat all morning and saw two does. At10:30 a.m. I started packing up my gear to head for home. Ipicked up my thermos and noticed I had a cup of coffeeleft. Rather than leave in a hurry, I poured a cup, and as Isipped it, I looked out the corner of my eye. There at theend of the food plot stood a buck. The big buck was withtwo does about 110 yards from my stand.

I raised my .308 rifle and took a look. I stopped count-ing at six points and waited. I was hoping the buck wouldcome in a little closer, but he was trying to get frisky withone of the does. Luckily, she wanted nothing to do withhim; all she wanted to do was eat. I put the crosshairs on thebuck and shot.

The buck dropped in his tracks. That’s when “BuckFever” kicked in. I was so excited that I was shaking. Youshould have heard my heart valve ticking then. My friendsat the hunting club were right when they told me to bepatient when hunting big bucks.

After a few minutes and multiple cell phone calls to allmy friends, I walked out to the buck and that’s when Inoticed not only was it an 8-point, but one heck of an 8-point. It weighed 175 pounds with a Boone and Crocketmeasurement of 118-6/8. This was my first Florida buck.

I can’t wait to hunt my food plots next year. W

Al Moore proudly displays his first Florida buck he shot while using Chicory Plus, Imperial Clover and ImperialNo-Plow.


FLORIDA HUNTERSHOOTS FIRST BUCK

OVER FOOD PLOTBy Al Moore

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1. 2.

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(2-Blade shown)

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Whitetail News Vol. 17.2

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Transcript of Whitetail News Vol. 17.2