Whitetail News Vol 20.1

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TURNING CLOTHING INTO GEAR.

G E A R. U P.SITKA’S NEW FOREST SYSTEMS, BUILT FOR THE VERTICAL WORLD.

www.whitetailinstitute.com Vol. 20, No. 1 / WHITETAIL NEWS 3

Page 6

Page 10

Page 22

Page 64

Features5 Tall Tine T

ubers

By Whitetail Institute St

aff

New turnip forage for late-season attraction.

6 80-Acre Monarch

By Matt Harper

Imperial Whitetail products help lead hunter

to 188-inch Iowa giant.

10 Clover is King in Sm

all Plots

By Bill Winke

If you have limited acres to work with the

author says Imperial Clover is the best

choice.

14 Double-Cross


aff

Perennial performance with a cold-weather

kick.

16 Budget Plot Strate

gies

By Doug Howlett

You don’t have to break the bank to create

great plots and better hunting.

20 Acorn Obsession

By Tracy Breen

Acorn Obsession was designed for the

hunter who is short on time and wants to

attract deer and provide them with a quality

product that is healthy and tastes good.

22 Wounded Warriors

Follow-up

By Jon Cooner

Hunting provides unique “rehab” for

Wounded Warriors and Disabled Vets.

28 Don’t Tackle More

Than You

Can Handle

By Gerald Almy

34 Meet Some of the E

xperts

By Hollis Ayres

Up close and personal with some of the

experts at the Whitetail Institute

36 Antlers and Nu

tritional

Supplements — Ans

wers to

Your Questions


aff

42 Imperial Pure Attra

ction

Performance Early

, Late, and

In Between!


aff

44 The QDM Puzzle —

What is

Your Situation?

By Brad Herndon

52 A Step-By-Step

Guide to

Food Plots (Part 1)

By Jon Cooner

54 Hunting the Edge

By Joe Blake

56 Rethinking Doe Ha

rvest

By Scott Bestul

Is the pendulum swinging?

60 Why I Hunt

By Art Smith

63 Wisconsin Hunting

‘Geek’

Shoots Monster Bu

ck

By Dustin McAloon

64 Food Plots in the B

ig Woods

By Capt. Michael V

eine

Departments4 A Messag

e from Ray Scott

26 Field Testers Repo

rt

Stories and Photos

32 The Weed Do

ctor

By W. Carroll Johnson, I

II, Ph.D.

SLAY can help protect your food plots from

unwanted weeds.

35 Fall Planting Dates

Map

40 Record Book Buck

s

Stories and Photos

59 Winter-Greens Tall

Tine

Tubers Planting Da

tes

Map

62 Ask Big Jon

By Jon Cooner

72 First Deer… A True

Nikon Moment

In This Issue…

Cover photo by Charles J. Alsheimer

4 WHITETAIL NEWS / Vol. 20, No. 1 www.whitetailinstitute.com

Whitetail InstituteOFFICERS AND STAFF

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT:RAY SCOTT

Vice President of Operations.........................Wilson ScottVice President, Executive Editor.....................Steve ScottOperations Manager: ...................................William CousinsAgronomist & Director of

Forage Research...........................Wayne Hanna, Ph.D.National Sales Manager ..................................Mark TrudeauWildlife Biologist .....................Justin Moore, Frank DeeseDirector of Special Projects ..............................Jon CoonerWhitetail News Senior Editor ...................Bart LandsverkContributing Writers ..............................Charles Alsheimer,

Jim Casada, Brad Herndon, Bill Winke, R.G. Bernier,Bill Marchel, Michael Veine, Dr. Carroll Johnson, III,

Ted Nugent, Dean Weimer, David HartProduct Consultants.............Jon Cooner, Brandon Self,

John WhiteDealer/Distributor Sales ..........John Buhay, Greg AstonDealer/Distributor Analyst ............................Steffani HoodOffice Manager...............................................Dawn McGoughInternet Customer Service Manager.............Mary JonesInternet and Office Assistant...........................Teri HudsonShipping Manager ................................................Marlin SwainCopy Editor ...............................................................Susan ScottArt Director .........................................................George PudzisAdvertising Director........Wade Atchley, Atchley Media

A MESSAGE FROM RAY SCOTTFounder and President Whitetail Institute of North America

Live Human Voices

Ihave a pet peeve. And that is to call a companyand get a series of automated prompts that goon forever and then, when you think you’re final-

ly going to get a real live human being, you get avoicemail message.

My blood pressure goes up even thinking about it.Frankly, when that is my first impression of a com-

pany, I not only have a bad taste in my mouth, I maynever call back to do business. Nothing replaces a reallive voice coming from a real live human being withthe capacity to answer your questions and offer solu-tions to your problems.

I am convinced that the success of companies canrise and fall on customer service alone.

That’s why when I created the Whitetail Institute Iwas determined product quality and customer servicewould be the very foundation of the company.Actually, our “customer service” department compris-es the entire company. If the phone rings more than

twice, it’s the policy that someone picks up the callwhether it’s me or my sons Steve or Wilson Scott.

Our customer service/consultants are second tonone. I hope you take time to read Hollis Ayres articleon page 34 about these fine individuals. When youread their impressive bios you’ll understand why ourreputation for excellence is acknowledged throughoutthe deer nutrition/management world.

In addition, following all this talk about phone calls,we want you to know that our relationship with ourcustomers –you, our valued field testers—doesn’t endafter a phone call and a sale. It just begins!

Give us a call. W

Ray Scott

¤

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Say hello to the Whitetail Institute’s newest forageblend: Imperial Whitetail Tall Tine Tubers! TheWhitetail Institute can’t keep Tall Tine Tubers a

secret any longer. With its introduction, hunters andmanagers finally have a highly attractive, high-ton-nage, cold-hardy, turnip product available that isspecifically designed for deer. Tall Tine Tubers is pur-pose-built to provide two sources of food for white-tails, an extremely high-quality forage source as wellas tubers, starting in fall and especially through thedead of winter. And like other Whitetail Institute for-age products hunters and managers have come torely on, Tall Tine Tubers is the first and only turnipfood-plot product ever specifically developed fordeer food plots. First and foremost, Tall Tine Tubers isattractive to deer as soon as it begins to grow andincredibly attractive through the late fall and winter.As is the case with all Whitetail Institute forage prod-ucts, though, Tall Tine Tubers is more than just attrac-tive — much, much more.

Let’s look more at the two sources of food Tall TineTubers is specifically designed to provide: forage andtubers. The forage aspect of Tall Tine Tubers is anabundant, highly attractive food source for deerthroughout the winter in most parts of NorthAmerica. It remains available and attractive to deerduring the coldest months of the year, a time whenfew natural food sources for deer remain, and mostplanted forages are either exhausted or buried underthe snow. The tuber aspect of Tall Tine Tubers is anadditional food source that, like the forage aspect, isboth abundant and highly attractive. The bottom lineis that if you have been looking for a forage productthat will provide maximum performance for deer dur-ing the dead of winter, Tall Tine Tubers is definitelywhat you’ve been looking for.

Even though Tall Tine Tubers is specifically

designed to be a winter food source for deer, thatdoesn’t mean that winter is the only time it will drawand hold deer. Far from it.! Tall Tine Tubers is also easyto plant, establishes quickly, and starts performing ata high rate right out of the blocks, producing abun-dant tonnage in the early season. And when we sayTall Tine Tubers produces “tonnage,” we mean it. TallTine Tubers is specifically designed for heavy late-falland winter usage by whitetail deer, and it’s so pro-ductive that it can produce literally tons of highlyattractive food for deer during the fall and winter. Bynow, it’s no secret that when it comes to research,development and testing, no one goes to the effortthat the Whitetail Institute does. That’s true of allWhitetail Institute forage products, and Tall TineTubers is certainly no exception. The Institute’sresearch and development staff, Certified ResearchStations and free-range testers spent six years devel-oping and testing Tall Tine Tubers to ensure that itmeets the Institute’s quality and performance stan-dards, which remain unmatched in the industry.

Initial research and development of Tall Tine Tubersbegan with the Institute’s scientists, who painstaking-ly selected and tested a multitude of different turnipvarieties to determine which were the most highlypreferred by deer. Next, these specially selectedturnip varieties were combined in many differentratios as separate test blends, and testing started allover again to determine which blend best satisfiedthe Institute’s overall research and development goal:to develop a high-tonnage turnip product that wouldestablish quickly, grow rapidly, remain available as aforage and provide tubers as a food source for deereven during the dead of winter in most parts of NorthAmerica and, of course, most of all be exceptionallyattractive to deer.

Different formulations were initially tested at the

Institute until the list of candidate blends was nar-rowed to only the very best. These then went on forfurther testing at the Institute’s Certified ResearchStations across the U.S. and Canada, after which onlya few candidate blends remained.

And that’s when the testing really got tough. Only the best of the best were then chosen to go

on to one of the most difficult stages of WhitetailInstitute forage product development: real-worldtesting on wild, free-ranging whitetails all around inthe U.S. and Canada Whitetail Institute products canbe grown to ensure top performance as a whitetaildeer forage.

The Whitetail Institute is so serious about onlyoffering the finest forage products it can make, thateven after going to the huge expense, time and effortto research, develop and test new product candidatesall the way until the final stage, they won’t be releasedto the public unless they prove themselves top per-formers on free-ranging deer across North America.It’s as simple as that. A new product candidate can’tjust make it “to” the final stage of testing; it mustmake it all the way through the final stage, and it mustdo so with flying colors. If it doesn’t, it won’t bereleased. Period.

For the Institute’s existing customers, though,that’s really no surprise because that’s the same strictprocess by which all potential new Whitetail Instituteforage products are developed. And is all that effortworth it? Absolutely. Whitetail Institute customers allacross the U.S. and most of Canada have good reasonto expect nothing but the best, and that is what theywill get with Tall Tine Tubers. For more information orto order Tall Tine Tubers, call the Whitetail Institute’sin-house consultants at (800) 688-3030. W

LOCK AND LOAD AND GET DOWNWINDAll New from the Whitetail Institute!

TALL TINETUBERS

Hardy turnips provide two exceptional sources of food in the dead of winter


Iwas staring at a pair of pocket 7s thatwere starting to look pretty good sinceanother 7 had turned up on the flop. The

problem, however, is that Texas Hold ’Em hasnever been my game. So instead of usingsound reason, I threw my chips in on a ridicu-lously aggressive bet. I was playing with someold high-school buddies who get together afew nights each winter to play cards and talkhunting. I was busy concentrating on thecards, hoping I looked like I knew what I wasdoing, when a friend of mine said, “Hey Matt,you see that 200-incher over on your 80?” Ittook me a minute to process what he said. Iknow it sounds kind of paranoid, but normallyif someone says they’ve seen a good buck andanother asks where they’ve seen him, the nor-mal response is, “Out running in the field.”

An 80-AcreMonarch

Keeping an Iowa Monsteron a Small Farm

By Matt HarperPhotos by the Author



We just don’t talk specific until the deeris hanging in the shed. I turned and lookedat my buddy, and the look of disbelief andbewilderment in my eyes must have said itall.

He said, “Well it's all the talk in town.Haven’t you been seeing a bunch of trafficout that way?”

As a matter of fact, I had seen moreactivity than normal along the road thatborders my 80.

“Yea, he's a great big son-of-a-gun fromwhat I hear, wide and tall,” my friend said.

Truthfully, I hadn’t seen the buck, norhad I obtained a trail camera picture of adeer meeting that description. Apparently,the deer had been pushed onto my prop-erty during the gun season, and because I don’t gun-hunt that farm, he had taken up temporary residence.

The past few years, sportsman have increasinglyjoined the ranks of landowners as they have searchedout and purchased their own property to manage, huntand enjoy. Of course, buying land is not a cheapendeavor, as land prices have reacted to the demandfor recreational property. Where I live in southern Iowa,land prices have gone from as low as $300 per acre 15years ago to as high as $3,000 per acre today.Therefore, most of us can’t just go out and buy a largepiece of property and are forced to look for smallerparcels in the 40- to 120-acre range.

The question is whether you can effectively managedeer on a small property. I have heard options on bothextremes of this debate, from folks who say they cankeep deer on a 20-acre piece of land to those who say

it's impossible to manage deer unless you have thou-sands of acres. Like most debates that bring aboutpolar differences, I have found that the truth lies some-where in the middle.

Obviously, the more contiguous land you own ormanage, the better your odds are of keeping specificdeer on your property. But no matter the size of theproperty, you will always have borders — even if youown 2,000 acres. Bucks have been reported to travelfor several miles during the rut, so even a buck living inthe middle of 2,000 acres could possibly leave theproperty during the rut. This is especially true if yourland does not have a diversity of food and cover.

On the other side of the coin, you certainly cannotexpect a particular deer to stay on a smaller piece ofland for every minute of its entire life. So the goaltherefore becomes not to “keep” a buck on your prop-

erty but rather to create an overall envi-ronment on that small property thatencourages deer to spend as much timeon your property as possible.

So for example, you might not be able tokeep a buck on your farm 100 percent ofthe time, but proper management of yourland might result in him spending 75 per-cent of his time there as opposed to 25percent. The buck I mentioned at thebeginning of this article had been pushedonto my 80-acre farm during the previousgun season, and from there, it was my jobto create a nice-enough home where hewould prefer spending most of his time. Toaccomplish this, I focused on three majorareas: food, cover and human pressure.

COVER

Deer require cover for a multitude of reasons but thethree primary functions of cover are bedding, evadingpredators (including hunters) and protection from theelements. If your property has tons of food but littlecover, deer will inevitably leave your farm to bed, or ifpressured, will leave your farm to escape danger. Covercan come in many forms from tall switch grass towooded areas, but the most effective cover areas aresome of the nastiest, tangled messes of brush andbriers you have seen.

If the area is difficult for you to walk through, it isprobably a good cover area for deer. I was fortunatewhen I bought my 80. It was at the end of a 15-yearCRP contract, and was thick with red cedars and hedge

Imperial Winter-Greens was the late-season choice for Harper and the

giant buck.

Harper had trail camera photosof his giant.


Imperial Whitetail Clover was a big part ofkeeping the Iowa giant on “my 80.”.

trees that created a labyrinth of hidden bedding areasand trails. Plus the cedars make great protection fromthe elements during winter. I simply had to go in with adozer and clear areas for food plots. However, thisprocess was not done haphazardly. Of course, locationand shape of the plots were carefully planned, but Ialso made sure to keep good cover areas spread out onthe entire 80 acres. When trying to keep deer on asmaller property, it's vital to have cover spread evenlythroughout the farm to make is easier to hunt withoutcreating too much hunting pressure. If deer only bed inone area and you bust that area, you will likely drivethem completely off the farm for at least a period oftime. The other consideration was that I left two areason opposite ends of the property as sanctuaries anddid no clearing. They are only four to five acres in sizebut have been very effective.

If you do not have existing cover on your farm, thereare ways to create it. One option is to clear small areasof mature timber to promote primary and secondarygrowth. In a short period of time, these areas will growthick understory. The other option is to plant coverareas. This can be expensive and time consuming butalso effective. I prefer planting thick growing bushessuch as Russian or autumn olives. (In some states, cer-

tain bushes may be considered noxious weeds, somake sure to check with your local NRCS office beforeplanting.) Cedars are another good option for coverplantings. All of these grow quickly and result in goodcover. Yet another option is to plant tall, warm-seasongrasses such as switch grass or big bluestem. A combi-nation of tall, native grasses and bush/brush plantingswork very well. They should be planted in strips andnot necessarily interceded.

HUNTING PRESSURE AND ACCESS

Reduction of hunting pressure is important for keep-ing a deer in a specific area for any size property but itis paramount when it comes to small properties. Eightyacres is roughly a quarter-mile by a half-mile, so if youcontinually bump deer when entering or exiting yourstands, it is more than likely deer will move to a differ-ent property with less pressure, as they have just ashort ways to go to leave your farm. Careful planning offood plots, cover areas, sanctuaries and access roadsmust be considered along with how your stand loca-tion relates to the before-mentioned factors. Planningyour stand locations so that you can slip in and outwith the least likelihood of detection is crucial. Try

using dry creek beds, ravines, hedge rows the backside of ridges — anything that can keep you from beingeasily seen. Having stands for different wind directionsis equally important.

FOOD SOURCES

I saved this one for last, because many experts con-sider it the most important aspect of keeping deer ona smaller property. Although it’s crucial for deer tohave cover and not be pressured so they feel comfort-able on your property, even if they leave, they willreturn if you have food sources they desire more thana food source on a neighboring property. Where I livein Iowa, food sources abound, as the state is agricul-turally rich. Corn, soybeans, oats and hay fields areeverywhere, so the question arises: “How do you getthe deer to prefer the food on your property over thefield next door?”

The answer is really twofold. First you must choosefood sources that are highly attractive for long periodsof time, not just for short periods. Second, you need toplant a diverse offering of food sources that will pres-ent deer with attractive food sources no matter thetime of year.

The backbone of my food plot program has alwaysbeen perennial legumes. The reason for this is that theyoffer a highly attractive and highly nutritious foodsource for long periods throughout the year, allowingfor a consistent food supply. I have tried just abouteverything out there, but the two primary perenniallegumes I use are Imperial Whitetail Clover andImperial Alfa-Rack Plus.

The reason is fairly simple: They work the best.Because Imperial Clover contains varieties that havebeen genetically developed specifically for deer, thecharacteristics it exhibits give my perennial plots theadvantage over neighboring hay fields. For example,Imperial Clover stays vegetative for a long period,meaning that the forage stays highly attractive andnutritious far after the neighbors’ hay fields havematured and therefore are virtually ignored by the localdeer.

Alfa-Rack Plus has these same characteristics, as italso contains the clover varieties found in ImperialClover. It also contains a grazing alfalfa that is heavier-leaved and thinner-stemmed than hay variety alfalfa. Ihave alfalfa fields all around me, but my Alfa-Rack Plusfields will receive heavier and more consistent usagethan my neighbors’ alfalfa fields. I should mention thatI also use one other perennial from the WhitetailInstitute: Imperial Extreme. Though it is not a legume,the forbs in Extreme are equally attractive and nutrientrich, and they grow well in poorer quality soils that Ioften find in the cleared cedar areas. Additionally, allthe Imperial perennials are bred to be cold tolerant,green up quicker in spring and stay productive longerinto late fall than generic varieties, which furthers myability to keep deer on my property longer.

Food source preferences will change based on theweather and plant maturation. For example, when tem-peratures drop to freezing, perennials will go dormantwhich give them the ability to re-grow when soil tem-perature increase. During this time, deer will migrate toother food sources. To keep deer on my property Imake sure to plant various annuals to make sure anattractive food source is available on my farm year-round. Two of the plant types I use for this function aresmall grains (oats, wheat) and brassicas.

I have noticed that when temperatures fall to 20degrees to 40 degrees and remain there, deer willactively use a small grains mix such as Pure Attraction,which not only has small-grains but also contains bras-sicas. When temperatures drop consistently belowfreezing, brassicas become highly attractive. I haveused Imperial Winter-Greens as my brassica mix for thepast six years and have had tremendous results. I typi-cally like to plant brassicas around late July or earlyAugust to allow for enough warm summer days toachieve the desired growth.

Using combinations of perennial and annual plant-ings such as those described has been without ques-tion one of the key elements of keeping deer on myfarms. This has been proven by several years of trailcamera studies where I have been able to identify deerfeeding in the plots daily year after year.

Back to the infamous 200-inch deer that was seen inmy 80-acre woods. After I left the card game thatnight, I immediately ramped up my efforts to managethe property to ensure a buck like that would want tospend as much time on my farm as possible. I wasn’tsure he existed but, if he did, I sure as heck wanted himto call my 80 his new home.

I found out that my efforts were paying off when mytrail camera captured a ghostly image of a huge buckin early August. My trail camera caught him a couple ofmore times in late summer, and then I had an encounterwith him during my first day in the stand during bowseason. He was with a couple of other good bucks,each of which came well within range but would neverclear the tangle of brush that was in the only spot I didnot cut a shooting lane. I saw him again in earlyNovember on the edge of a food plot, but it was toodark to risk a shot.

Finally, on Nov. 12, while hunting a stand situated in atravel area between one of the sanctuaries and a foodplot, a doe busted out of sanctuary edge followedclosely by Mr. Big. She led him right past my stand, andI let the arrow fly when he was at 12 yards. Two hourslater, I was standing over the biggest buck I have har-vested to date. The monster buck scored a touch over188 Pope & Young inches gross.

Although I'm sure he did not spend all his time on my80, I know I was able to hold him there for more than ayear and that he spent most of his time there.Sometimes, the question of whether you can hold adeer on a small property can only be answered in yourown mind when you have a-hold of the antlers of thespecific monster buck you have been hunting.

In case you're wondering, my three 7’s did not carrythe day and I was beat by a sneaky flush. As it turnedout, however, the loss of the hand was well worth theinformation that I obtained that night. Even though Iwas already managing the property to attract andhold deer, I increased my efforts several fold andended up winning the hand I was playing with an Iowamonster. W



CLOVER IS KINGIN SMALLPLOTS

By Bill WinkePhotos by the Author

The author took this great buck ona small clover plot

back in 1997. That was his introduction to the benefits of

hunting these small, secluded plots.Since then he has taken many more bucks from small plots.

Imanaged a property in the Midwest

for nine years that had a very high

deer density. The farm had 96 dif-

ferent food plots — yep, that’s right. Try

planting all those during a one-week

window of dry weather! Fortunately,

some were planted to perennials and

some I was able to plant in late summer.

But, it was still a big project. As you can

imagine, those food plots came in every

shape and size. Most lay close to cover

while some were actually tucked right

into the timber. I learned some valuable

lessons on that farm: what kinds of food

plots work in areas with high deer den-

sities and what kind don’t work. I also

learned a few lessons during those nine

years about which food plot designs set

up best for hunting.

I no longer have a hand in that property, but insteadI spend the majority of my spare time managing myown ground. It is not nearly as big and doesn’t havenearly as many food plots (thank goodness). It is alsodifferent in that it has only a moderate deer density bycomparison. Yet, it is in the same rolling Midwesternfarmland so the size and shape of the food plots arevery similar. I took what I learned on the big farm andapplied it to my own parcel.

After 17 years of intense deer management, the lasthalf of which was done while spending my own hard-earned cash, I have come to a few conclusions. Youhave to think your way through the food plot game

carefully or you can easily throw away a lot of moneyand gain little in return.

A good friend of mine recently told me that he hadmade some mistakes on his food plot choices and thathe could just as well have burned his money. But Bradconceded that planting the food plots had been morefun than sitting around a bonfire made from crispBenjamin Franklins. The deer ate him out of house andhome at a time of the year when it did neither myfriend nor the deer any real good. It can happen — andwill happen — if you don’t consider the dynamics ofsmall plots and opportunistic deer.

This is the backdrop against which I am going topaint my “Clover is King” article. Our goal: effectivelyattracting and feeding deer in small spaces.

THE TYPICAL SCENARIO

Most food plots are small — an acre or two at themost. I have a number of plots that are well under oneacre. Landowners and deer managers usually don’thave big blocks of clean tillable earth to work with sothey make the best of what they have. That situation isvery common. In fact, when I am talking to groups ofhunters my number one question is: “I have one acre Ican put into a food plot; what should I plant?” Theanswer is nearly always the same: Imperial Clover orImperial Winter-Greens on half and Imperial Clover onthe other half. Any other option will bring on the “bon-fire of Benjies” syndrome.

Small plots are dynamite places to shoot a nice buckduring any part of the season. I have a couple of themnestled into the timber and they are killing fields — noquestion about it. When I want meat, those are the


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Clover can take heavy grazing pressure from deer and stillproduce exceptional tonnage of high-quality foragethroughout the spring, summer and fall.

places I go. I can count on them every year. In fact, mybest tree stand locations, especially for bowhunting,are overlooking plots of one acre or less.

Bucks visit these spots at all times of the day. Thefields are secluded enough that the bucks feel safe —one jump and they are back in the cover. My small,remote food plots become the hub for the local singlesscene and when a buck swaggers out into the smallplot at 10 a.m. before bedding down for a few hours, heusually ends up within bow range. He may then popright back out into the plot first thing in the afternoon

before eventually drifting off toward larger feedingareas nearby as evening sets in. These small plots areboth meeting places for the local deer and stagingareas used by bucks before they head out on theirevening search for does.

Outside of the rut, these small plots become the firstplace the nearby deer feed before heading towardlarger feeding areas after dark. In other words, yourchances of catching a nice buck on his feet in one ofthese plots during daylight are much better than catch-ing him in a larger plot in daylight.

But, these small plotsare only killing fields ifthere is still food inthem during the timeswhen you hunt them.That is the key. Itwouldn’t do to havesoybeans planted inthese plots if the deerdecimates the yummyyoung plants shortlyafter they ventured outof the ground. Samething goes for corn.

The ears would have a very hard time ever pollinatingand producing an ear when the deer can and will nipoff the silks in these isolated places at all times of theday.

Nope, there aren’t many crops that will stand up tothe yearlong demands of deer without giving up theghost like Imperial Clover. That is why all my small plotsare planted to clover.

CLOVER VS. BRASSICAS

Clover performs very well as a food plot for most ofthe year. It is easy to establish, has good resistance todeer grazing pressure and yields acceptable tonnage. Itis also high in what the deer need most for six monthsout of the year: protein. However, clover suffers bycomparison to other food plot options during late falland winter when it goes dormant and loses its ability todeliver what the deer really need at that time: energy— fats and carbohydrates. Protein will convert to ener-gy too, but not as readily as fats and carbohydrates.

So clover isn’t a one-stop shop, but it is a very impor-tant part of every food plot strategy. I feel that some-where around 25 percent of my total food plot acresneed to be Imperial Clover each year. Typically, I


If you want to see how hard your small plots are reallygetting hit by deer, put out an exclusion cage.

You will be surprised by the results.

Narrow clover plots are ideal because any buck entering such a plot during the rut will often walk the entire length of the plot, offering a close-range shot.


Putting out the welcome mat for deer is as easy as pouring from a jug. Deer are so attracted by thesmell and drawn to the taste of Magnet Mix thatthey will come from miles around — and keepcoming back. Just shake and pour (no mixingrequired) and wait for the deer to show up. Just seconds of preparation provides gallons of attraction.

Because of Magnet Mix’s incredible attractiveness, somestates may consider it bait. Remember to check yourlocal game laws before hunting over Magnet Mix.

The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043®

800-688-3030whitetailinstitute.com

Research = Results™

reserve the smaller food plots for Imperial Clover anduse the larger plots for grains that contribute the need-ed winter “energy.” As I have already stated, the smallplots are too vulnerable to support grain crops. Thedeer will pound them during the summer until there isnothing come fall. Remember the Benjie bonfire?

Imperial Clover, on the other hand, can endure thiskind of pressure and still continue to grow, feedingdeer all spring, summer and most of the fall. The onlygap in clover’s seasonal advantage occurs in the winter.This is of course in the North and Midwest where thewinters are cold and snow is deep.

As mentioned, grain crops are a great choice for win-ter food, but again, they simply won’t hold up throughthe summer if planted in small plots. For those whoonly have small plots, they have to either be contentwith clover or live with the fact that it is not the idealwinter food source, or they need to plant a portion oftheir plots in Winter-Greens, a very attractive brassicablend. I have planted Winter-Greens in my small plotsand they definitely pull deer during the deep winter. Infact, a portion of the plants in the blend are actuallymore attractive after a hard freeze or two. My deerselected out some of the plants in the mix during thelate summer, but they really hit it hard in December,after everything froze hard.

If you have small plots and want to plant just onething, go with Imperial Clover. If you want to supplysomething for the winter as well, split the plots up andplant half to Winter-Greens and half to clover. Becauseit is a bad practice to put brassicas on the same groundfor more than two years, it is wise to rotate the cloverand Winter-Greens every two years. The deer will loveyou for it. And you, in return, can shoot them.

LAYING OUT A SMALL PLOT

Usually we take what we get when trying to findopenings in the timber that are big enough to grow acrop. I have some odd-shaped plots as a result.However, when you have options (like a brushy, over-grown field that you plan to reclaim in part, or whenyou are constructing a small plot with a bulldozer) twofeatures make these plots produce a better crop andhunt more effectively.

First, I like plots that are narrow enough that I canshoot across them with a bow. Any buck that comesout and walks the distance of the plot — a routine eventduring the rut — will be in danger. However, unless I laythe plot out in an east-west direction, it will struggle toget enough sunlight to produce a good crop. So if youhave the option, look for spots where you can lay out anarrow east-west plot.

Second, if you plan to make your plots slightly larg-er — such as those approaching an acre, or more — lay-ing them out in an L-shape improves your ability tohunt them without being seen when you leave. Oneplot will hunt like two plots. By hunting in the legs ofthe L separately, you can slip in and out while the deerin the other side never know you are there. Thisspreads your pressure and keeps the entire plot freshlonger.

Further, when setting up the ultimate killing field,ridges work much better than valleys. When it comesto simply feeding deer, the valleys are great, but it isdodgy trying to hunt bottom fields because of swirlingwinds. Whenever possible, I like my scent to blow outover a valley or even toward a road or other obstacle (a

river or lake) where the deer are not likely to approach.This gives me a natural low-impact approach path anda stand where it is very hard for the deer to smell mewhen I am in the tree.

Most of my small plots came from natural openingsin the trees, but I have also made openings with thechainsaw, bulldozer and the skid loader. There isn’t a lotI can say about hiring a man with a D5 to push treesover. That is self-explanatory, but you may not havethought about simply laying down a few trees alongthe edges of your small plots to open the canopy,allowing more hours of sunlight to reach the ImperialClover. We did that on one of my plots last spring — anarrow plot that is 20 yards wide by 200 yards long.We lay back an additional 10 yards of hickory trees onboth sides, enough trees to open things up. In fact, thiseast-west plot now gets enough sunlight that it willproduce just as well as any of my other clover plots.

While you are at it, you may as well take a page fromthe playbook of a friend of mine. When Larry cuts treesalong his small plots to increase sunlight, he dropsthem parallel to the edge of the field in such a way asto create openings where they are advantageous to hisstand locations. The deer are much more likely to comeinto the plot through these gaps, right where he wantsthem. This small step can pay big dividends.

Small openings on ridges are awesome hunting plots— some of the best stands you will ever hunt. In fact,there are few things I like better than finding them, set-ting them up and hunting them. And when I polishthese diamonds in the rough, I do so by planting themto Imperial Clover. Nothing holds up better to deerpressure in a small plot than Imperial Clover. ImperialClover is king. W

DOUBLE-CROSSPerennialPerformanceWith a Cold-WeatherKick

By Institute Staff

Most hunters and managers are already awarethat Imperial Whitetail Clover is the No. 1 foodplot planting in the world. If you’ve wanted

the perennial performance of Imperial Whitetail Cloverplus the early tonnage and late-season availability ofthe Whitetail Institute’s annual brassicas, Double-Crossis your answer.

The perennial components of Double-Cross areAdvantage and Insight, the same perennial clovers thatare the backbone of Imperial Whitetail Clover.Advantage and Insight, are the only clovers ever specif-ically developed for deer — a big reason why ImperialWhitetail Clover remains the gold standard by which all

other forage blends are compared. These clover vari-eties are also only available in Whitetail Institute prod-ucts. Advantage and Insight were developed by Dr.Wiley Johnson, the Whitetail Institute’s first Director ofForage Research. Dr. Johnson started by carefullyselecting candidate clovers from Italy, the Middle Eastand the United States for use as breeding stock. Hethen cross bred these, discarded all but the best result-ing hybrids, and then repeated the process. One of thekeys to why Advantage and Insight work so well lies inthe goals Dr. Johnson used during this hybridizationprocess; goals that would make Imperial WhitetailClover the best clover product available for whitetaildeer food plots, including early seedling establishment,heat and drought tolerance, palatability and, of course,high nutritional content and attractiveness to deer.

Imperial Whitetail Clover was then tested in real-world situations on deer all across the United Statesand Canada. And when Whitetail Institute staffers saysthey “test under real-world conditions,” they mean it.Whitetail Institute testing is extremely rigorous.

Double-Cross adds to the already incredible per-formance of Advantage and Insight even further bycombining them with the Whitetail Institute’s annualbrassicas, which have proven themselves in otherWhitetail Institute forage blends, such as ImperialWhitetail Pure Attraction and Imperial WhitetailWinter-Greens. As a result, Double-Cross provides theperennial performance field testers have come toexpect from Imperial Whitetail Clover — the increasedearly tonnage and late-season availability of WhitetailInstitute brassicas — all in one planting.

Designed for planting in fall, Double-Cross establish-es and grows quickly, producing lots of tender, earlygrowth as the clovers emerge and provide deer with alush, palatable food source. The brassicas in Double-Cross include unique “lettuce types” — brassicas with avegetable genetic background that are extremelyattractive to deer.

When frosts arrive later in fall, an enzyme convertsstarches in the plants to sugars, making the brassicas inDouble-Cross even more attractive. Later, when colderweather sets in, the brassicas in Double-Cross stand tallin the snow, providing deer with lots of carbohydratesessential for energy production in winter.

As winter ends and spring approaches, natural foodsources are all but nonexistent, and what sources thereare usually aren’t very palatable to or easily digestedby deer. And it’s that time of year that nutrition is socritical.

After winter, the clovers in Double-Cross are the firstthing to green up, providing deer with the abundantprotein they need during this critical time when deerare trying to recover their winter health losses, does arepregnant and bucks are preparing to re-grow antlers.And when spring finally arrives, the perennial clovers inDouble-Cross continue to provide a tender, protein-richforage for does during their third trimester of pregnan-cy and bucks as they re-grow antlers.

Like all Imperial Whitetail products, Double-Cross isspecifically designed for deer. Double-Cross isdesigned to be planted in fall, and in soils that are loam,light clay or heavier. The perennial clovers in Double-Cross are designed to last for three to five years oreven longer with proper planting, maintenance andMother Nature’s cooperation.

One 4-pound bag of Double-Cross will plant up toone-half acre and, like other Imperial blends, it’s alsoavailable in larger sizes. It is a great option for folkswho have wished for a perennial blend with addedbenefits of a highly productive fall/winter annual all inthe same blend. Full planting instructions are availableon the Institute’s Web site, www.whitetailinstitute.com,and on the back of each Double-Cross product bag. Ifyou’d like additional information about Double-Cross,our in-house consultants are available to assist youfrom 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time, Monday throughFriday, at (800) 688-3030. W


YAMAHA AD


Ilook back at those wasted years and want to kickmyself. My dad and a hunting friend finally went intogether on a piece of land our families could call

our own. Only the owners and their sons would beallowed to come and go as they pleased. Through time,those sons — myself included — were able to buy intothe dream and help expand our holdings to nearly dou-ble the size.

Through the years, we had plenty of good hunts, but

it wasn’t until just eight or nine years ago that the qual-ity deer management philosophy settled over our col-lective minds. We knew the land held potential we had-n’t even begun to tap, and in a fit of determination, wedecided it was time to let the little bucks walk.

We also understood we had to do something toincrease the nutritional value of our land to grow andhold bigger deer. The problem was cash flow. To keepplanting costs down, we were satisfied initially withsimply sowing a few inexpensive bags of surplus soy-beans, corn or peas into open areas. However, we did-n’t really lime or fertilize, and the end product was whatyou would expect: poorly growing plants that did littleto attract deer. Those were the wasted years. For just alittle more money and effort, we could have madestrides that would have put our management goalsmuch farther along than where they currently sit —years ahead, in fact. That point became painfully obvi-ous to me after I began talking with Steve Scott, vicepresident of Whitetail Institute, for another assignmentI was working on, and he began offering ideas on how

Budget Plot StrategiesYou don’t have to break the

bank to create great plots andbetter hunting

By Doug HowlettPhotos by the Author

A fall plot planted with brassicas in an established fieldcame up as hoped thanks to an adequate pH in the soil.

This plot planted with the same seeds but in a recentlydozed clearing, had a poor pH and received lime in amountsnot significant enough to help the plants. As a result, the

money spent on this seed was wasted since the plants did sopoorly. A soil test could have made all the difference.

to get the most out of our limited land-managementbudget. His suggestions really helped my group’sefforts. In fact, what Scott had to say can help a lot ofland-managing sportsmen looking to minimize thecosts of maintaining quality food plots.

THE BEST $10 YOU CAN SPEND

One mistake we made for years was not testing soilsamples of our plots. Even though we decided to plantquality seed last year, we overlooked that one impor-tant detail, and there wasn’t time to get the informationback before we needed to put seed in the ground. Wesimply planted. It was a big mistake that would cost usmore in the end to try to fix.

Without a soil test, a hunter is simply flying blindwhen he begins planting. There is no way a person canknow what their soil needs in order to help plantsachieve their maximum potential without one. “The best way to save money is to spend ten dollars fora soil test on every field you intend to plant,” Scott said.“A soil test can be the difference between your bestfood plot ever and total failure.”

The results of a quality soil test can guide you inknowing how much and what type of fertilizer the fieldrequires, how much lime is needed and any other soilrequirements. For example, sometimes soil is low inpotassium, but phosphorous levels are fine. In thatcase, the sportsman would simply be wasting moneyby putting more phosphorous on the ground. In otherinstances, some soils might require a lot of lime tobring their pH up, while soils in other fields mightrequire much less.

Although quality seeds can cost a little more, the


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New or recently created plots oftenrequire significantly more lime to

prepare the soil for planting. A soil testis a must before dropping seed.

associated costs with planting — lime, fertilizer, herbi-cides, tractor, fuel and time — make seed look cheap.No need to pay for unnecessary things.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE LIME

So much emphasis is often placed on fertilizing, thatmost guys don’t even realize the most importantaspect of creating fertile soil is putting lime in theground. Most soils in the whitetail’s range are naturallyacidic. Lime helps transform those soils to a more neu-tral pH — a definite requirement for healthy plants.

Absent the benefit of a soil test when we beganplanting on our place, some of my fellow landownersspeculated that several of the quarter-acre plots wewere planting would be good with 100 pounds of limeto start. After observing that several of our plots werewoefully behind the curve just a couple of weeks afterplanting, we realized we had grossly underestimatedthe amount needed. If we were to benefit from ourefforts at all, some of the plots would have to bedisked, limed and replanted right away.

In speaking with good friend and Primos pro-stafferTommy Barham about the situation, he just smiled.Barham’s family has run a business in Capron, Va., forgenerations spreading lime among many other agricul-tural services. He explained that a rule of thumb for theamount of lime required to establish a newly createdfield is 4,000 pounds per acre the first year. Additionallime sometimes is needed in the next few years. Bythen, you’re soil should be pretty close to neutral.Planting existing fields generally requires as much lime.For that reason alone, it’s definitely worth the cost of asoil test so that money isn’t wasted on unnecessary

lime. And for that lime you do need, there isa pelletized variety and a powdered form.The latter is much less expensive — about aquarter of the cost of pelletized lime — so gothat route if possible.

When given the choice of having to spendlimited funds on lime vs. fertilizer, focus onmeeting your lime requirements first.Without it, you’re likely wasting money onfertilizer.

“You can put the best seeds out there withall the fertilizer you want, but if the soil has alow pH, it’s like going to a huge buffet withyour mouth wired shut,” Scott said. “It’s hardto overemphasize the importance of lime.”

FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS

One of the first things we did wrong whenwe first began planting is attempting tospread seed a little farther to cover all of theplots and fields on our property, or to buycheaper seed in order to plant all of the avail-able acres.

“A lot of guys make that mistake, believingit is more important to have every availablearea planted,” Scott said. “While you certain-ly want to take advantage of making openareas the best they can be, you have to berealistic about what you can do, either from a budgetor an equipment standpoint.

“If a guy has four acres available to plant and he isworking with a limited budget, he is much better offif he just plants one or two acres and plants them


Proper Plot Perspective

Got a limited budget for foodplots, but plan on finally buy-ing that new ATV this year or

adding a new rifle to the gun cabi-net? Steve Scott suggests yourethink your spending priorities.“Food plots are the one thing

that can truly improve the qualityof your hunt,” he said. And although a new rifle, truck,

camo or other high-dollar itemsare great to have and use and canmake hunting more enjoyable ormore beneficial, they don’t makethe deer actually show up or growlarger. “You can’t really cut too many

corners on lime, fertilizer and qual-ity seed,” Scott said. “But maybeyou can save some money by notbuying that new truck or some ofthose other items that you cansqueeze another season out of.” It’s just a matter of priorities.

Some of the places deer like best are not the places formaneuvering a tractor. With No-Plow, that’s not aproblem. If you can get in on a four-wheeler —

or even on foot — you can plant this highlyattractive, high-protein annual. Obviously, the more

ground preparation you do, the better, but No-Plowwill produce a good stand with only the prep you

can do with hand tools. Limited access andlimited time won’t limit the potential of No-Plow.

FREE Trial Offer! Offer 1 — only $9.95(shipping and handling)FREE all new DVD; FREE N0-Plow™

FREE Imperial Clover™; FREE Extreme™; FREE Alfa-Rack™ PLUS; FREE Chicory PLUS™

FREE Chic Magnet™; FREE Winter-Greens™

FREE Double-Cross™ (each sample plants 100 sq. ft.)


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The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail TrailPintlala, AL 36043®

right, rather than spreading his resources out over theentire four acres and doing everything haphazardly.”

GO SMALL

Along those same lines, if your property is criss-crossed with logging roads and small openings such asold log decks, focus on planting those areas beforeclearing out more forest or planting large fields. Suchareas are ideal for sportsmen on a budget or hunterswho simply lease a property and aren’t permitted tocreate additional open areas.

“Two guys can take a rototiller or a spiked rakeand/or some Round Up, go into these holes and withina half a day, can clear out enough sticks and expose thesoil sufficiently to plant a good plot with WhitetailInstitute’s Secret Spot or No-Plow seed mixes,” Scottsaid. A 10-pound bag of Secret Spot XL can plant morethan 10,000 square feet of ground. “If you’ve got acouple of spots that are 70 feet by 70 feet in size, youcan plant them both for less than $10 each in seedcost,” Scott said.

Secret Spot and No Plow varieties were createdspecifically for budget-conscious and time-constrainedsportsmen. They each have a mix of seeds created togrow in a variety of situations and soil types.

In many cases, these niche plots can actually bemore versatile stand sites than those on large openareas.

“You can catch both feeding deer and crossing deer,”Scott said. “A road or narrow type of field can be agood morning, as well as a good evening stand, where-as more open plots tend to be better in the evening.” W


You don’t have to own your own tractor to grow great food plots,but you do need to bust that soil up to ensure good seed-to-soilcontact when planting. If you don’t own the means to do thatyourself, pay a guy to work your plots and fields. It’s less expen-sive than renting or buying your own farming equipment, but can

make a big difference in your planting success.

CODE BLUE AD

Let’s face it: some diehard deer hunters weren’tborn with a green thumb. Many of us lack theability to grow the simplest plant. Many of us

don’t have the time to successfully grow vegetables orfood plots. For a food plot to be lush and green, lots oftime and effort must be invested. If you find yourselflacking the time it takes to properly plant and grow afood plot, consider providing the deer in your huntingarea with an alternative to bring them within bowrange of your favorite tree stand.

Whitetail Institute has the product you are lookingfor. It’s called Acorn Obsession. It is a super attractantfor deer that comes in a meal-type form, and it smellsand tastes like acorns. It’s no secret that deer loveacorns. Unlike food plots, which take a long time togrow, Acorn Obsession was designed for the hunterwho is short on time and wants to attract deer and pro-vide them with a quality product that is healthy andtastes good.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS

Many deer attractants have little if any nutritionalvalue. Acorn Obsession is much more than an attrac-tant.

“There is no question that shortly after deer findAcorn Obsession, they will regularly start coming there,which is the attractant part of the product, said SteveScott of the Whitetail Institute. "It has the strong smelland acorn flavor that deer love. Acorn Obsession hasmore than 25 ingredients that attract deer and benefitthem health-wise.” Acorn Obsession contains soy-beans, rice bran and many other things that deer loveand need to keep them healthy.

HIGH FAT AND PROTEIN CONTENT

Acorns are one of the whitetail’s favorite foods in fall. “Acorns have a high fat content and start to drop in

the fall,” Scott said. “Deer know they need to eat asmuch as possible in the fall and acorns are one of thethings they rely on to help prepare them for winter. Thefact that they are high in fat helps deer put on theweight.” Acorn Obsession has a high fat and proteincontent. In fact, Acorn Obsession contains 13 percentfat and 24 percent protein.

GREAT PRODUCT FOR COLD WEATHER HUNTERS

When hunters plant food plots, they usually plantdifferent food plots for different seasons. Some hunters

plant clover plots for spring, summer and fall con-sumption and brassica or similar plots for late fall andwinter consumption, so in fall when they are hunting,they have a great plot that attracts deer when thereisn’t much else to eat. It provides them with food whenthey need it most.

“Make no mistake, Acorn Obsession is an attractant

first," Scott said. "At the same time, however, it is agreat fall and winter product that helps deer make itthrough the cold, hard winter. During fall and winter,deer need to keep fat on their bodies and this will helpthem do that.”

Acorn Obsession can be fed at any time of year, butthe best time is during hunting season and winter. “This


DON’T HAVE AGREEN THUMB?

Try Acorn Obsession By Tracy Breen

Wh

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product was made to attract deer to a certain location like a tree stand or blind loca-tion," Scott said. "Once they find it, they will likely keep coming back, which is whata hunter wants a deer to do." The strong smell of Acorn Obsession will quickly attractdeer, and as long as the site is at least occasionally replenished with the product, deerwill likely keep coming back.

USE ACORN OBSESSION AS A MINERAL

“During spring and summer, our 30-06 Mineral is a great way to help does andbucks when they need minerals,” Scott said. “Anyone who has used minerals regu-larly will likely tell you that consumption usually drops in the fall because bucks anddoes don’t need the mineral as much when the weather cools.”

Many mineral products contain high levels of sodium that deer aren’t as attractedto as much during the later months. Hunters who plan to hunt near a mineral site infall need to have a back-up plan. Acorn Obsession is a great back-up plan. AcornObsession helps solve the mineral problem. If you don’t have time to plant food butwant to help deer year-round where you hunt, feed 30-06 Plus Protein or 30-06Mineral during spring and summer. When fall arrives, switch to Acorn Obsession. Oneof the major benefits of doing this is that for three-quarters of the year, deer will feednear your hunting location without smelling human odor or seeing humans. Whenhunting season arrives, deer are accustomed to feeding near your tree stand withoutany problem. If you want year-round activity near your favorite tree stand, provide amineral part of the year and Acorn Obsession during hunting season.

ACORN OBSESSION AND SCOUTING CAMERAS

I like combining a mineral like 30-06 part of the year and Acorn Obsession theother part of the year, because the feeding location is a great place to hang a scout-ing camera. If you have a large piece of property, having two or three feeding loca-tions going at the same time allows you to see what kinds of bucks you have on theproperty. Food plots are often large, and although hanging a scouting camera on afood plot can produce good pictures, getting great pictures can be difficult becausedeer can enter a food plot from a variety of directions. A small pile of AcornObsession can provide up-close and personal pictures of deer, because you can placethe pile anywhere you choose including right next to your scouting camera. I createsmall barricades that force the deer to eat closer to my camera. When the seasonopens, my tree stand can easily be placed nearby, creating a great shot opportunitywhere deer are used to feeding.

ACORN OBSESSION PRIMARILY ATTRACTS DEER

Acorn Obsession might sound advanced because it has some nutritional benefits,but the main goal of the product is to attract deer.

“We developed this product for hunters who don’t have the time or open areas forfood plots, to bring truckloads of feed into the woods or don’t have the money for afancy feeder,” Scott said. “With Acorn Obsession, the process involves dumping it onthe ground and hunting nearby. Keeping multiple feeding sites going is easily donewith this product. I suggest hunters replenish it occasionally throughout the season.If there are many deer in the area, they can quickly devour the product.”

LEGALITY OF THE PRODUCT

Acorn Obsession is a super attractant that cannot be used during hunting seasonin some states.

“Some states restrict baiting by allowing only a certain amount of bait, while oth-ers have completely outlawed it," Scott said. "Hunters who plan to hunt over AcornObsession should check local game laws before using the product." Many states thatdon’t allow baiting while hunting allow feeding before and after hunting season. Ifyour state falls into this category, you can use Acorn Obsession in conjunction with ascouting camera, or use it when feeding deer in winter. Acorn Obsession is an attrac-tant first and a nutritional product second. If you are looking for a way to put meatand antlers on the bodies of the deer in your area, consider using 30-06 minerals andCutting Edge products, which were designed as mineral and nutritional products thatare attractive to deer. Acorn Obsession was designed as an attractant that also hasnutritional benefits.

If you are short on time but want to see deer and potentially bag a trophy this fall,consider using Acorn Obsession. It will attract deer, and only requires the time it takesto rip open the six pound bag and pour it out. However, there are a few warnings onthe bag you should be aware of in advance. It is extremely habit forming and couldcause an overloaded freezer, high taxidermy bills and jealous hunting buddies. W


®

• High Protein levels (24%)• High Energy for fall and winter• Fortified with critical minerals and

vitamins• Includes Devour for quicker

attraction• Can be added to feed to

dramatically increase feedconsumption

The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail • Pintlala, AL 36043


When Bobby Clark returned stateside in 1974after serving as a Seabee in Vietnam, he did-n’t expect the reception he got. There was a

sign in the front yard of a home just outside the gatesof Naval Base San Diego: “Dogs, Cats and Sailors —Stay off the Lawn.” And later, as Clark made his wayhome, still in uniform, a young man asked him, “Howmany babies did you kill in Vietnam?” Does that makeyou as furious as it does me? I suspect it does. After all,if you’re reading Whitetail News, you’re probably anoutdoorsman, and we hunters and fisherman take dutyvery seriously and have a high regard for our militarymen and women.

And outdoorsmen also understand that merely rec-ognizing a duty is meaningless unless action is taken tofulfill it. The proof lies in the results of our conservation

efforts, which have filled the skies with waterfowl,returned redfish and songbirds to healthy populationsand improved the quality of deer.

Guys like Clark would probably put that a little dif-ferently. They’d probably say, “You can’t just talk the

talk. You’ve got to walk the walk.” America owed Clarkits thanks and its care when he came home fromVietnam, but he didn’t get either. If you’re like me,you’re ashamed and angry about that. We wish wecould go back in time and be standing on that dock inSan Diego to thank Clark and welcome him home whenhe disembarked. It’s too bad we can’t turn back theclock and do the right thing. Or can we?

The Fort Benning Program: This past year, theWhitetail Institute answered the call to try and fulfill ourduty to our wounded and disabled servicemen by pro-viding Whitetail Institute field testers a way to donateWhitetail Institute seed to a hunting program forwounded and disabled veterans at Fort Benning, Ga.The program, sponsored by the Wounded WarriorsProject and Paralyzed Veterans of America, providesdisabled servicemen the opportunity to hunt FortBenning’s 182,000 acres along the ChattahoocheeRiver in Alabama and Georgia. An earlier WhitetailNews article, “Hope, Renewal, Empowerment: Huntingand Wounded Warriors,” introduced Whitetail Institutefield testers to the many volunteers who run the pro-


Hunting Provides Unique “Rehab” for

Wounded Warriors andDisabled Vets

By Jon Cooner Photos by the Author

The Wounded Warriors Project andParalyzed Veterans of America

provide specialized equipment for disabledservicemen like Bobby Clark (VietnamVeteran, Navy Seabee) to hunt at Fort

Benning

SGT Michael Cummings(Iraq Veteran)

gram and is still available on our Web site: www.whitetailinstitue.com.What “Care” of our wounded warriors and disabled veterans really means: When

we think about what “care” means in the context of our wounded and disabled war-riors, the first things that usually come to mind are medical care and physical rehab.Certainly the first priority is to heal the body, but the mind and soul must also behealed, and the gift our nation’s wounded warriors and disabled servicemen havegiven us is so great that anything we can do to make their lives a little richer can havereal therapeutic benefit.

Just how great such therapeutic benefit can be is evident in Mark Clay’s descrip-tion of the effect the Fort Benning program has had in the life of his 94-year-oldfather in law, retired Army Lt. Col. Paul Liles. "Paul and I have always hunted togeth-er in the past, but he has not been able to hunt the way we did for years, and he hadnot shot a deer since 1991,” Clay said. “My son, Brian Clay, is an active duty nuclearengineer aboard the USS Harry S. Truman. When Brian was injured last year, the basetold him about the program at Fort Benning, and I accompanied Paul and Brian therefor a hunt. There we were — my 24-year-old son, my 93-year-old father-in-law, andme in the middle thinking, ‘This is just great!’ Paul took his first buck in 19 years, andit changed his entire demeanor. I know it added to his life. If you look at the picturesfrom the hunt, you can see it in his face.”

Clark also remembers how the Fort Benning program impacted Sgt. MichaelCumings, who had been wounded in Iraq. Cumings was able to take advantage of theFort Benning hunting program last year while waiting for his discharge papers tocome through after he was released from rehab at Fort Benning. Clark rememberswatching Sgt. Cumings interact with Bill Brickner, a fellow veteran and the program’sdirector, and Brent Widener, Fort Benning’s Fish and Wildlife biologist. Clark’s obser-vations of the program’s therapeutic effect mirror those of Clay.

“When I hunted at Fort Benning last year, there was another handicapped hunterthere who had been wounded in Iraq and had just finished rehab,” Clark said. “Thekid had to use a cane and a crutch, but he wasn’t dwelling on how severe his injurieswere. Instead, he glowed because someone had taken time out of his busy scheduleto help him get in a stand. The only way I can describe it was that his sense of grat-itude was just unsurpassed. He just couldn’t say ‘thank you’ enough.”

Sgt. Cumings’ own comments show just how right Clark was about the program’stherapeutic benefits.

“The whole year I was hurt, I kept thinking, ‘I won’t be able to hunt,’ and it broughtme down — a lot! More than I can put into words,” he said. “But then I found Brent,and he put me in a stand. The program is just incredible — the time and effort putinto building the food plots for soldiers, the feeling of support and saying, ‘We knowyou’re hurt and need help, and here it is.’ It meant the world to me that those guysdid that for us. The fact they had that set aside for wounded soldiers and disabledsoldiers — it helps them heal.”

There are many more examples of wounded warriors and disabled veterans whohave been empowered and spiritually renewed by the Fort Benning program. Evenso, the hunters are not the only ones who benefit when we thank our injured and dis-abled warriors in such a meaningful way. We also get something very special inreturn. Widener certainly has, as he explains when asked what working with the pro-gram’s hunters has meant to him.

“Serving our wounded warriors and disabled veterans through this program pro-vides me great personal satisfaction,” Widener said. “These men and women havelaid their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, which include the opportunitieswe as avid outdoorsmen so enthusiastically pour our hearts and souls into. Being ableto provide disabled service members that same opportunity to get back to the out-doors, ease their minds and do something they otherwise may not be able to shouldbe a focus for us all.” Clark also speaks of the same sense of personal satisfactionWidener mentioned.

“When you get around some of these kids that are so terribly injured and burned,you come away a better person because they’re not asking for sympathy or a hand-out," Clark said. “They’re asking for help to do something they can’t do on theirown. And if they could, they’d trade places with the people who helped them andpass it on.”

Sgt. Cumings’ comments show that Clark got that right, too.“Feeling the outreach of others saying, ‘We’re here to help’ meant so much to me,

and it still does,” Cumings said. “I still talk about those hunts, and I was trying to getmore soldiers to the program before I went home to Mississippi. There was anothersoldier there at Fort Benning while I was there who had never hunted — he had losthis dad young. I got him to go hunting through the program, and it really brought hisworld around too.”

In fact, the program had such a huge impact on Cumings that he’s currently look-ing for a way to set up a similar program at Camp Shelby in his home state ofMississippi.


The Whitetail Institute is proud to offer Imperial Whitetail Winter-Greens, our annual brassica blend designed specifically for late seasonfood plot sources and hunting opportunities. Winter-Greens blend ofbrassica is extremely attractive, and during tests was preferred 4 to 1over other brassica products tested. Winter-Greens stands tall and staysgreen, even in the coldest winter weather. The colder it gets the moresweet and attractive it becomes which creates perfect food plots for lateseason hunting. So this year plant our highly drought resistant Winter-Greens and give your deer a valuable source of nutrients for the winterseason.

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American servicemen still stand to post around the world, always vigilant and will-ing to lay down their lives for the rest of us. They answered the call, and as long asfreedom rings they always will. The price they pay for their devotion can be terriblyhigh, and as they accept their injuries as the warriors they are, it humbles us to seethem actually thanking us for our efforts, which seem so small in comparison. If youhaven’t already thanked folks like Clark, Liles and Cumings, it’s never too late to doso and in a way that will make their lives better.

If you know of a wounded or disabled serviceman or veteran who might benefitfrom the Fort Benning program: In the words of Widener, “If you know one of thesesoldiers or retirees, pour your heart and soul into helping them get afield in the samemanner you do for yourself. The giving of your time and the joy and elation you willsee and feel from these hunters provides as much reward and satisfaction as har-vesting any trophy animal.”

To take part in the Fort Benning program, a hunter must be an active-duty wound-ed warrior or a disabled veteran who would be authorized to hunt on Fort Benningunder the applicable regulations, and who is physically restricted from hunting unas-sisted. Additional provisions may allow others to accompany a qualifying hunter onhunts. For more specific information on the requirements to hunt and anything elserelated to the Fort Benning program, contact Widener at (706) 544-7516.

If you would like to donate Whitetail Institute seed to the Fort Benning program:Contact the Whitetail Institute at (800) 688-3030, and please accept the thanks ofeveryone involved with the Fort Benning program and the Whitetail Institute.Winston Churchill once said, “There is only one duty, only one safe course, and thatis to try to be right.”

By participating in the program, you will be thanking and caring for our service-men in a real way. You’ll be doing the right thing. (Note: I have used the term “ser-vicemen” in this article for the sake of brevity and intend that it include all Americans,regardless of gender, who have ever served in any branch of our armed forces.) W



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Extreme conditions call for extreme measures. And ImperialWhitetail Extreme is powerful enough to overcome the worstyour property has to offer. Thanks to Extreme, dry, hot locationsand soil with low pH no longer prohibit growing a successfulperennial crop. Extreme requires only 15 inches of rainfall a year,is both heat and cold tolerant, and will grow well in pH levels aslow as 5.4. Extreme is ideal for challenging growing conditions,but will also do great when conditions are kinder. An extremeresponse to extreme conditions.

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800-688-3030whitetailinstitute.com In Memory of

LTC Paul Liles (U.S. Army, Retired) andSFC Bobby Terry (U.S. Army, Retired)

Lt. Col. Paul Liles and Sgt. First Class Bobby Terry passed away in 2010 whilethis article was being written, regretfully before Terry provided his commentshe had wished so strongly to add. The Whitetail Institute wishes to thank theservicemen who participated in the writing of this article and dedicates thisarticle to the memory of Col. Liles and Sgt. Terry.

LTC Paul Liles hunted Fort Benningwith his grandson, Brian Clay, a

nuclear engineer aboard the USSHarry S. Truman

MOULTRIE AD

Bryan Newsom — MissouriImperial Whitetail Clover is the backbone of my food

plots. It provides great spring/summer protein.Excellent bugging area for turkeys too. Winter-Greensand Pure Attraction provide great attraction and ton-nage for deer in fall and winter. My wife killed a 175-5/8inch buck in a Pure Attraction plot this past year onopening day.

Dewey Gaskins — North Carolina

We see more deer and turkeys, bigger racks on thebucks and healthier deer since we planted ImperialWhitetail Clover. Winter-Greens is the best winterattraction food plot product I have ever used. Also,deer go crazy over the 30-06 Mineral/VitaminSupplement. We have a knee deep hole where we putit down. Whitetail Institute products are the best I have

ever tried. Iwill never stopusing theirproducts. Thedeer in bothpictures weretaken off a 3-acre ImperialW h i t e t a i lClover field.

Rick Skidmore — Arkansas

As you can see Imperial Whitetail Clover is workingpretty well for me. I’ve had this plot for about six yearsnow and it is still working pretty well. There are actual-ly two more bucks that I didn’t get in the picture (adecent nine and another eight point). Thanks WhitetailInstitute for offering good products. The WhitetailNews magazine is also very informative.

Jeff Hopkins — DelawareWhy My Hunting Season Stunk!

In the spring six years ago, my Dad and I decided toplant 10 acres of Imperial Whitetail Clover up againstthe woods on a 100-plus acre crop agriculture field. Werotate the farm land back and forth every year betweencorn and beans. I live on the Delmarva Peninsula wherethere are a lot of agriculture fields, water and bottle-neck woods. We have the perfect whitetail deer habi-tat.

I had experimented for years with other food plotsthat did not give the results that I wanted. We wantedto make this farm a deer hunting Mecca so we decidedto try Imperial Whitetail Clover. The results were betterthan we expected. We had five great years of huntingon this particular property. It was nothing to see 75-80deer on the Imperial Clover while we were hunting dur-ing bow or gun season. We harvested some really greatbucks.

Enclosed is a picture of my dad with one of hisbucks. This past hunting season, the clover was fiveyears old and was getting choked out by weeds and itwas time to rotate into another crop. We chose round-up ready soybeans for the entire farm. The deer lovesoybeans when they’re green and leafy, but as huntingseason approached and the beans died off I plantedsome winter wheat for the deer, in addition to the beanstubble remaining. It was like a different piece of prop-erty with very few deer sightings.

It was unbelievable the night and day differencebetween this past hunting season and the last fiveyears. The only thing different was no ImperialWhitetail Clover on the property. Going forward, we’vedecided to never again completely phase out ImperialWhitetail Clover. We plan to always have some ImperialWhitetail Clover there. To prepare for next hunting sea-son, this spring we will plant the Imperial WhitetailClover back into the land along the woods edge.Growing up on a family farm and having access to farmequipment and great hunting properties over the yearsI’ve realized through experimenting with different foodplots that there’s nothing I’ve ever planted that evencomes close to Imperial Whitetail Clover.

Virginia Gaither — Illinois

We have used Imperial Whitetail Clover, Extreme,Alfa-Rack Plus and No-Plow and noticed improveddeer presence immediately and for longer periods oftime. As each year went by the quality of the deer visu-ally improved. Of course rack improvement, but that isnot all. Having raised Black Angus cattle for a few yearsyou develop an eye for what you are looking at. Thedeer in our area are carrying more body weight, ahealthier coat, bigger antlers and reproduction seemsto be great, as well. Twin and triplet fawns are notuncommon. The numbers are up and so is the quality.We appreciate the improvement because we eat themeat.

All in all, great strides have been made on our smalltract of land where the deer herd is concerned. Weappreciate the help and knowledge and of course thesuccess that has come to us through Whitetail Instituteproducts and their continued use. Picture 1 was taken


�

in 1991. Everyone wanted to get their deer. And as youcan see we did. My point is these were the deer wewere seeing. If you compare to the other Picture 2 Isent you can visually see the difference in the herd.

Scott Perkins — Indiana

I have a small plot of land in Indiana bordering hun-dreds of state owned forest acres. I planted a plot ofImperial Whitetail Clover a couple years ago and thedeer love it. In addition I use 30-06 Minerals. This deerhad been seen numerous times at the lick. We quitusing the minerals due to laws of Indiana prior to sea-son starting. I harvested this deer with my muzzle-loader. He really exploded over the last two years inoverall growth. The buck scored 165-6/8 green. He has16 countable points and weighed right at 250 poundsdressed.

Doug Jones — Kentucky

What a difference! Thanks to using Imperial WhitetailClover in our food plots we have seen an obvious dif-ference in the size of our deer. The deer love it! I har-vested a nice 10-point buck this year as he followed adoe into the clover about a half hour before dark. Welook for even bigger and better things in the comingyears. Thanks again Whitetail Intitute!

Terry Pickens — MichiganSince our first field

of 2 acres of ImperialWhitetail Clover wehave seen the deerpopulation increasedramatically, the bucksare growing largerantlers and the doesare healthy and havingmany twin and tripletfawns. We have har-vested some very nicebucks 130 to 145 class,eight points and bet-

ter. All have been harvested in or very near our plots.

We have plantedother productsfrom othersources and thedeer will walkthrough these toget to ImperialWhitetail Clover.After the snowcomes you cansee the line in thesnow where thedeer stop feeding.They like theImperial WhitetailClover and willnot touch theother clover. We

now have approximately 10 acres of Imperial WhitetailClover, 2 acres of Extreme and two mineral licks of 30-06 they visit daily. Enclosed are pictures of my grand-son, Dylan, my son, Tom, and me with bucks taken offour property. Needless to say we love ImperialWhitetail Clover and Whitetail Institute products.

Fred Talbot — Minnesota

We went from no deer staying on our land to 40-plusdeer making our 220 acres their home range with only4 acres of Imperial Whitetail Clover planted. We see atleast 8 to 10 deer every time we sit in one of our twelvedeer stands. We have bigger bucks and increased buckactivity. With so many more deer we now practiceQDM and only shoot 4-1/2 year old and older bucks.This 13-pointer was taken this past season. Thanksagain Whitetail Institute for all the help and supportover the last eight years. Next year we are going toplant another field in PowerPlant and two in Extreme.We will also do a fall planting in Winter-Greens. Wecan’t wait to see the results. P.S. we also use the 4-PlayBlocks and place them in front of all our trail cameras;it’s a great way to get the deer to stop in front of thecameras.

David Bowman — PennsylvaniaIn early fall this past year my father and I planted

Pure Attraction. Out of several food plots PureAttraction was our and the deer’s favorite. It was easyto plant and fast to grow. Most importantly, it drew in alarge number of deer. During the course of the

(Continued on page 50)


�

Assignments are

always welcomed by

outdoor writers.

However, I was especially

thrilled when Bart Landsverk

at the Whitetail Institute told

me the topic of this writing

project: “Don’t bite off more

than you can handle.”

The reason for my delight was that I’m an expert onthis subject. Actually I’m good at making all kinds ofmistakes. Through the years, I’ve used that in my writ-ing, penning pieces such as “How to Avoid 10 CommonFloat Fishing Mistakes” and “How to Avoid 10 CommonRut Hunting Errors,” all based on personal experience.

Most of what I’ve learned about fishing, hunting andplanting food plots has also been by the hard-knocksschool of trial and error. And that’s actually a criticalpoint. In no other way does a lesson get burned intoyour mind more forcefully than if you learn from mak-ing a mistake and seeing the unpleasant consequencesof what you did wrong. And so it is with the title for thispiece.

After graduating from college, I moved into a smallcedar cabin with a couple of acres on the ShenandoahRiver in Virginia. There wasn’t much room for foodplots on that small parcel, and few people even fooledwith them then back in the 1970s.

But when my wife and I sunk most of our life savingsinto a larger parcel nearby about 20 years ago — a 117-acre abandoned farm selling at a cheap price— the sit-uation changed. Now I had some land to work with.And it coincided perfectly with the growing interest infood plots for deer management, ushered in by RayScott and his sons, Steve and Wilson, with the found-ing of the Whitetail Institute of North America in 1988.

More than 80 acres were in forest, so I thankfully did-n’t try to put plots on the whole 117 acres. And a lot ofthe remaining land was rocky and covered with cedarsand brush — definitely not food plot potential.

But I ran roughshod like a maniac trying to convertevery other little spot I could between the rough areasand the cedar thickets into some kind of plot or other.

The results, as you can expect, were less than stellar.I did have deer use some of the plots. Others wereignored. And the use was very short-lived, mostlybecause the plots didn’t last long before they died offfrom lack of fertilizer or lime, insufficient seed, weedcompetition or a host of other reasons. I’m not dumb,but I am stubborn. It took a while to recognize my mostglaring error. But finally I did.

I was overextending myself, and not putting theproper effort into a smaller, more manageable numberof plots.

Steve Scott says my mistakes are all too common. “I don’t know if it’s biting off more than you can han-

dle as much as getting in too big of a hurry. Whenhunters find out the benefits Whitetail Institute prod-


Quality FirstDon’t Tackle More Than

You Can Handle By Gerald Almy

Ger

ald

Alm

y

ucts can provide, they want everything right now,” Scott said. “ For example, if some-one has 20 acres they want to plant but their budget requires them to skimp on fer-tilizer and/or lime, we would rather see them do five acres right and get the full ben-efit than plant all 20 acres half-way right. In most instances, they will get more ton-nage and benefit from the five acres done right than they would from 20 acres withcorners cut.”

The potential problems are many. Let’s address some of the negative conse-quences from tackling more than you can handle. First and foremost, you will likelynot prepare the ground well enough.

In your haste to get in all the parcels you have planned, you won’t clear away rocksand debris thoroughly enough. And you probably won’t totally kill off the existingvegetation before beginning. Those rocks and debris will hurt your equipment andthe productivity of the plot. And those weeds and unwanted grasses will come backto haunt you.

I know from experience. Some of my early Imperial Clover plots lasted barely a yearbefore they were overtaken by lingering fescue, orchard grass and a wide assortmentof weeds. They should have lasted three to five years.

Of course weed problems can be addressed later by mowing or using Arrest andSlay. A better approach, though, is to limit the amount of unwanted vegetation inyour plots from the start.

If you are in a hurry you won’t likely till the ground enough because you’ll be anx-ious to get to the next plot and get it prepared by the optimum planting time. I liketo disk or till my ground three or four times, waiting between the steps for newpotential weeds to sprout up that spraying didn’t get rid of so they can be killed byburying them. Some fanatics devote six to 12 months tilling and killing weeds repeat-edly until they get a 100 percent smooth, weed-free seedbed. You can’t take a care-ful approach like that if you bite off more than your time and resources will allow.

Part of the problem with weeds can also be traced to not making sure the soil hasthe proper nutrients.

“It all comes back to the soil test. When a soil test is done and the recommenda-


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The author learned that you need to follow all directions carefully to get lush ImperialWhitetail Clover plots.

Wh

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tions for lime and fertilizer are followed, the plants that will be growing have the bestchance to flourish and better compete with weeds and grasses,” Scott said.

Even more refinement might be best if you have different types of soil on yourproperty with varying fertility and pH levels. Phosphorous, potassium and nitrogenlevels as well as acidity can vary widely even on small properties.

My land lies in the foothills of a mountain, and the soil ranges from very good inthe bottomland where a creek flows to extremely poor as it slopes up into the moun-tain. The fertilizer and lime needs are entirely different for the different soils found onit, and one sample simply won’t tell you the specific needs you have on the differentparts of the property.

Here’s another problem of tackling more than you can handle: timing of plantingcorrectly. Preparing and putting in a large number of different plots might consumeso much time that you can’t get some of them in at the proper time for optimum ger-mination.

Finances are another thing to consider. Most of us only have so much we can allotto our passion of working the land and growing plots. Do you want that to go intofive or six acres of superb plots or 10 or 20 acres of mediocre ones?

Instead of spreading yourself, your plots and your seed too thin, realize that someof those areas you were planning to make into plots probably are marginal at best.Maybe they’d be better left to grow up in cover or planted with some fast-growingsawtooth oaks or bushes such as lespedeza, indigo, chinkapin, Chickasaw plum or redosier dogwood. Then take the spots that get the most sun and moisture, have thebest top soil available and aren’t too steeply sloped and make those top-notch foodplots that you can be proud of. I think if you do this you’ll notice something I gradu-ally came to realize. A few excellent plots will draw in more bucks — and yes, bigger,older bucks — than a greater number of mediocre or poor plots.

Admit that some ground is too rocky, some soil is too poor and acidic and someterrain is too sharply sloped. It’s true some of those can be salvaged with ImperialExtreme, Imperial No-Plow and similar Whitetail Institute products, but others mightbe beyond the effort for those of us with only a certain amount of time to devote tohabitat work. “The best strategy is to move slowly. Don’t get in a rush,” Scott said.“Take the time to do things right by talking with a Whitetail Institute consultant and




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Chicory Plus is part of theWhitetail Institute’scontinuing effort to develop

products that are bothnutritionally superior and

exceptionally attractive to deer.Chicory Plus contains the only chicory developed especially forwhitetail deer and it is blended with the number one clover inthe world, Imperial Whitetail Clover. Chicory Plus is designed toprovide the high protein of chicory with a more palatable andattractive texture than other chicory varieties. Chicory Plus is anexcellent perennial for areas with heavier or moderately drainedsoils. It will provide you with 3 to 5 years of high-protein foragefrom a single planting. You can be sure that it is the perfectblend for whitetail – the deer think so, too.

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laying out a plan. Don’t try to do everything in a weekend or two. The first thing todo as soon as possible is a soil test. A soil test is the most important step for suc-cessful food plots. It’s inexpensive and easy to do.”

One final piece of advice I have is this: Don’t be tempted try to put every piece ofopen land into food plots. For instance, just because you have a big field doesn’tmean you have to plant it all at once or even all in the same crop.

Although I immediately began planting the little plots on our land myself after wemoved onto the property, I knew one 13-acre field was beyond the scope of my timeand my little tractor. So I enlisted a local farmer to plant it in alfalfa.

Agricultural alfalfa grown for horses and cows is one of the most difficult crops toget started and maintain in prime condition. The neighboring farmer quickly realizedafter he planted it that my soil hadn’t been prepared thoroughly enough with theright fertilizer and lime. But what did he care? I paid him for the seed he happenedto have on hand in his barn. And the deal struck was that he was going to get thealfalfa just for planting it. I would simply get to let the deer eat it between his cut-tings.

To make a long story short, he never cut it. Over time weeds and fescue came backand the alfalfa grew poorly. Eventually I slowly began reclaiming that field, one smallparcel at a time.

And I did something else small landowners should consider. I put in different cropsas I reclaimed the field, killing the weed-choked alfalfa field and then putting in prod-ucts such as Imperial Whitetail Clover, Winter-Greens, No-Plow and Chicory Plus insmall sections.

Now, different parcels of the field get rotated with different crops according totheir planting guidelines. Some, like Winter-Greens, last less than a year. Others, likeImperial Clover, produce for three to five years. Not tackling more than I could han-dle made a success of this large field, one small section at a time.

Hopefully the mistakes I made in biting off more than I could handle in my earlyfood plot years will help you from wasting time and energy in a similar way. Thinksmall. Think efficiency. And get advice from an expert at the Whitetail Institute beforeyou make the mistake of trying to tackle too much at one time. W



“ Research = Results™®

Getting big bucks with big racks takes an exceptionally nutritiousforage, and that can be hard to grow in hilly areas with lightersoils. Alfa-Rack Plus solves this problem. The extensive rootstructure of Alfa-Rack Plus allows you to grow this high-proteinforage in areas that might otherwise be inhospitable to the foodsdeer like best. Alfa-Rack Plus includes our special blend ofalfalfas, chicory, and Imperial Whitetail Clover. When the buckyou are after is King of the Hill, make sure the hill is planted inAlfa-Rack Plus.

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Gerald Almy shows off the fruits ofhis labor, a trophy buck worth the

time and patience.

Ger

ald

Alm

y


Ensure the success of your food plots.Our line of herbicides protect your investment by making sure that the plants you have so carefully planted cancompete with grasses and weeds for nutrients and water. Arrest kills most grasses, but won’t harm clover,

alfalfa, chicory or Extreme. Slay eliminates broadleaf plants and weeds, and issafe for clover and alfalfa. Both herbicides are extensively field-tested and canbe easily applied by 4-wheeler or tractor sprayer. Easy and effective protectionfor your crop.

TREATED UN-TREATED

The Whitetail Institute — 239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043



THE WEED DOCTORBy W. Carroll Johnson, III, Ph.D., Agronomist and Weed Scientist

SLAY Can Help Protect Your Food Plots from Unwanted WeedsVersatile herbicide controls broadleaf weeds in legume forages

Slay is a premium herbicide for broadleaf weedcontrol in legume forages planted in foodplots. It has been available for six years and

has been widely accepted with positive resultsacross the United States. For new users, a refresherdiscussion on Slay will help set the foundation forequally positive results.

Slay controls a broad spectrum of broadleafweeds in pure stands of clover or alfalfa. The chem-ical nature of Slay allows it to be applied at lowrates, which is ideal for small-acreage plantings offood plots by hobbyists. Slay is unique among her-bicides in that it controls emerged weeds and non-emerged weeds. Foliar uptake is fairly rapid andfacilitated by spray adjuvants, such as a crop oilconcentrate and non-ionic surfactant. Soil uptake isby plant roots. In both cases, the herbicide istranslocated throughout the plant and accumulatesat growing points, where symptoms first appear. Insusceptible plants, Slay inhibits production of a spe-cific enzyme in photosynthesis. A few hours afteradsorption by susceptible plants, growth ceases —

although that may not be immediately noticeable.Whole plant symptoms might take up to two weeksto develop.

In forage legumes, Slay is applied after clover hasat least two trifoliate leaves (two to three inchestall). Applications at this stage of forage growthensure adequate crop safety and minimize chancesfor significant crop stunting. Another considerationon when to apply Slay is weed size. Consider Slay tobe a “weed-seedling herbicide.” Some weedspecies, such as cocklebur and wild radish, are verysensitive to Slay and acceptable control of largerplants can be achieved. However, most weedspecies are very unforgiving if Slay is applied toolate. Refer to the Slay label for specific informationon critical weed sizes and herbicide rates for consis-tent control.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT AFFECTSLAY PERFORMANCE

Slay performance can be directly affected by

weather conditions before, during and after appli-cation. One factor to consider is temperature. Sincetemperature affects the rate of photosynthesis inplants and Slay inhibits a specific enzyme in photo-synthesis, extreme temperatures will reduce weedcontrol with Slay. Plants (crops and weeds) that tol-erate Slay rapidly detoxify the herbicide. Coolertemperatures slow detoxification in tolerant plants.Research has shown that tolerant legume cropstreated with Slay are stunted when cool tempera-tures (less than 40 degrees F) prevail and slower torecover compared to plants treated under moder-ate temperature regimes. This is also true for sus-ceptible weeds responding to Slay. Cool tempera-tures slow photosynthesis and symptoms takelonger to develop.

Slay performs well during periods of high humid-ity. Slay directly affects photosynthesis and condi-tions that promote photosynthesis help maximizeperformance, which is the case with high humidity.Humid conditions also thin the cuticle on leaf sur-faces making it easier for herbicides to enter the


plant. In addition, humid conditions increase watertranspiration and movement in plants, with Slaybeing moved throughout the plant with the waterin the plant vascular system. It is worth mentioningthe unfortunate results if humidity is low and pre-vailing conditions are arid. Weed control with Slaywill be significantly reduced due to the oppositereasons.

RESIDUAL WEED CONTROL

A significant, yet under-appreciated, attribute ofSlay is residual control of non-emerged weeds.Herbicides in the same chemical family as Slay arefrequently soil-applied at planting to other legumecrops such as soybean, peanut and edible legumes.We do not have that option with Slay on foragelegumes since chances of significant stunting aregreater on newly emerged clover. Residual weedcontrol with Slay can be captured to our benefit ifapplied early in the life of the forage planting. Atthat time, forage legumes are developed enough totolerate Slay, but the plants are vsmall enough tonot cover the soil surface. Simply, if Slay spraydroplets can reach the soil surface, the stage is setfor control of non-emerged weeds.

Another opportunity to use soil residual weedcontrol with Slay is soon after rejuvenating a cloverstand with mowing. Rotary mowing is a tried andproven practice to freshen a clover food plot; usu-ally to stimulate new growth, facilitate efficient top-dressing with fertilizer, and clip tall weeds. Mowingopens the clover leaf canopy, allowing spraydroplets to reach the soil surface and creating anopportunity for Slay to provide residual weed con-trol. Ideally, mow the clover food plot and waitabout two weeks before applying Slay. Not onlywill the clover leaf canopy be open, giving herbi-cide spray an opportunity to reach the soil surface,the delay will allow established weeds to re-foliatewith young succulent leaves that are primed forherbicide uptake.

Admittedly, the benefits of residual weed controlwith Slay are tricky to capture in forages. However,the potential weed control benefits are significant.Slay is the sole herbicide available for use in foragelegumes that is equally active between soil appli-cations and foliar applications. Opportunities to

use these attributes are too valuable to overlook.

SENSITIVITY OF OTHER FORAGE SPECIESTO SLAY

While forage legumes are generally very tolerantof Slay, other non-legume forages tend to be sen-sitive. For example, all brassica forages are verysensitive to Slay, along with grain sorghum (milo),cereal grains, and sunflower. Most forages plantedfor food plots are multi-species blends. While for-age legumes may be the foundation species in theblend, other plants in the mix may be sensitive toSlay. This pretty much eliminates the opportunityto use Slay for weed control in these plantings.More importantly, the significant soil activity ofSlay might temporarily limit future plantings ofmulti-species blends. Refer to Table 1 for a list ofplanting restrictions following applications of Slay.This is not meant to discourage using Slay. Ratherit is the nature of this general family of herbicidesand Slay is certainly no different.

Sensitivity of non-legume forages to Slay canactually be a useful tool. For example, cereal grainssuch as oats are often seeded with ImperialWhitetail Clover as a companion crop to enticedeer and protect clover from over-grazing early inthe life of the food plot. However, at some pointoats transform from a companion crop with theclover to a weed that robs clover of light, nutrientsand water. In this example, Slay can be used toselectively remove (control) oats along with otherweeds once the clover becomes established.Similar uses exist with most multi-species forageblends if a legume is the foundation species.

Slay is a thoroughbred herbicide and a valuabletool in the integrated management of weeds infood plots planted to clover or alfalfa. While theherbicide might be temperamental in regard toenvironmental conditions necessary for optimumperformance, Slay delivers outstanding weed con-trol. This valuable tool will greatly improve thelongevity and vigor of clover and alfalfa food plotsby eliminating broadleaf weeds and their competi-tion. As with any herbicide, be sure to read thedirections thoroughly for replanting guidelinesbefore any herbicide is applied to your plots. W

Selective herbicides can greatlyextend the life of food plots.

You might have

noticed that many

Whitetail News

articles end with a statement

like, “For more information,”

or “To speak with a

consultant, call the Whitetail

Institute’s in-house

consultants at (800) 688-

3030.” If you’ve wanted to

put a face with the voice on

the other end of the

consultant line, this article

will introduce the Institute’s

friendly and knowledgeable

in-house consultant staff.

JOHN WHITE: Any introduction of theInstitute’s in-house consulting staff has to begin withits leader, John White, the Whitetail Institute’s nationalin-house consulting and sales director. White has beenwith the Institute longer than any other consultant,having joined the Institute in 1990 only two years afterits founding by Ray Scott.

During the past 20 years, White has helped WhitetailInstitute customers with almost any question or situa-tion that one can imagine. John also manages largetracts of land for local landowners near his home,which he considers an important source of his exten-sive practical knowledge. With all that, you can under-stand why White is definitely the go-to guy when other

consultants aretrying to assistcustomers withhighly complex orunusual questionsand situations.

In addition todirectly helpingcallers, White alsomanages the day-to-day operationsof the consultingstaff, administersthe in-house salesdivision, and per-forms many otherduties that arecontinually addedto his plate because of his wealth of experience.

JOHN FRANK DEESE: Wildlife biologist,John Frank Deese holds a degree in wildlife sciencesfrom Auburn University. Before joining the WhitetailInstitute, Deese managed properties for privatelandowners. He is one of the most knowledgeable con-sultants on staff.

During the years Deese managed properties, headded substantial practical knowledge to what he hadlearned in college. He's highly experienced in a widerange of land-management matters, including foodplot systems, planting and maintaining food plots andconducting controlled burns. In addition, Deese is alsohighly knowledgeable about fruit and mast trees, hav-ing maintained close contact with his family’s treenursery business throughout his life.

As you canprobably guess,customers whoturn to Deese forassistance oftenremark that Deeseis extremely knowl-edgeable. It’s nosurprise that hisacademic creden-tials and broadpractical experi-ence have provedto be a superbplatform for hisconsulting work forthe Institute. When

it comes to putting knowledge and experience to workhelping hunters and managers, you’ll find no one moreeager than Deese.

JUSTIN MOORE: Justin Moore is theInstitute’s wildlife biologist, having graduated from col-lege with a degree in wildlife biology before joining theWhitetail Institute in 2007. In addition to his academiccredentials, Moore has an immense base of practicalknowledge he developed during a lifetime of huntingand land management. Perhaps Moore’s biggest assetwhen it comes to helping customers is his strong com-mitment to stewardship. In fact, everyone at theWhitetail Institute is pretty hard-core when it comes tostewardship, but perhaps no one at the Institute devel-oped such a strong drive toward it at such an early age.

When asked what planted in him the drive to pursuea career in con-s e r v a t i o n ,Moore points tohis father, whotook him hunt-ing when Moorewas very young,and then kepttaking him regu-larly as he grewup. Moore saysthat all throughhis early life, andespecially onthose hunts, hisfather took thetime to talk toMoore and tellhim that conser-

vation is a duty each of us owes to the world and futuregenerations. One thing you’ll notice about Moore isthat he always has a smile on his face. He attributes thisin large part to working with the Institute, which giveshim the perfect avenue to fulfill his stewardship duty byhelping other hunters and managers.

BRANDON SELF: When it comes to hands-on experience with deer and food plots, no one hasmore than Self. In fact, you’ll only find him in his officeat the Institute when it’s not deer season. During falland winter, he’s elsewhere, usually planting foodplots, setting up stands and, of course, hunting. Infact, Self has so much practical experience that theonly way the Institute could lure him onto the con-sulting staff was to make a special position only dur-ing spring and summer.

Perhaps noother in-houseconsultant hasdeveloped morelong-term, one-on-one relation-ships with specificWhitetail Institutecustomers thanSelf. Reasonsinclude his energyand knowledge,but the biggestseems to be hisskill in helpingcustomers solvereal-world issues

UP CLOSE AND PERSONALwith Some of the Experts at the Whitetail Institute

By Hollis Ayres


that hunters and managers face in designing foodplots, food plot systems, and selecting, planting andmaintaining forages.

JON COONER: As the Institute’s director ofspecial projects, Cooner has his hands in a broadrange of activities, from writing articles to helpingcustomers as an in-house consultant. Of all the thingshe does at the Institute, Cooner believes that hisdirect contact with customers is the most importantfor several reasons.

The main reason, again, is the Institute’s philosophythat customer service should be knowledgeable andtimely. Cooner believes that the opportunity to answercustomers’ questions and help them solve issues theyface in their management efforts helps keep him up-to-date on practical management issues that affecthunters regionally and across the nation.

As you can see, the Institute’s consulting staff isdiverse, yet they have several things in common. Forexample, they are all hunters, and they have substan-tial knowledge and experience in a broad range ofmatters that pertain to deer, deer hunting and landmanagement. But what sets the Institute’s consultingstaff apart is more than just knowledge and experi-ence. It’s also that each and every whitetail consultantloves his work, and that joy comes from a sense ofexcitement each consultant feels about having a jobhe considers an absolute pleasure — helping otherhunters and managers.

The source of this drive to truly help customers isbest described by Ray Scott when he explains theWhitetail Institute’s customer service philosophy.

“Building a healthy business requires extreme dedi-

cation to twothings: productquality and cus-tomer service.Providing trulytop-quality cus-tomer servicetakes a lot ofwork. When acustomer calls,you can’t justconsider thatyour job is toanswer a ques-tion. You have toconsider thatyou’re building arelationship withthat customer as a person. And after all, that’s only fair;he’s giving his business to you, and you owe it to himto give him the highest quality product you can andthen give him timely, useful customer service support.”

It seems to be the norm these days that most com-panies’ customer-service departments are just com-puters that try to solve problems by asking a series ofquestions that you answer by pushing a number onyour telephone. Well, that just doesn’t cut it for thestaff at the Whitetail Institute. We don’t ask questionsby pushing telephone buttons, and we don’t like tohave them answered that way.

When you call the Whitetail Institute’s consultantextension during business hours, though, you findsome surprises — nice surprises. For instance, you’llfind that the consultant extension is answered by a real

person — and what’s more, that person is knowledge-able, experienced and truly interested in helping you.You’ll also find that the consultant extension is almostalways answered right away.

The Institute is very strict about answering thephone quickly. It's so strict, in fact, that I’ll let you in ona secret: Every office at the Institute has a strobe lightmounted on the wall — yes, every office, owners andstaff. If the consultant line rings more than twice duringbusiness hours without being answered, the strobelight in every office automatically goes off, and every-one dives to answer the phone.

Folks, customer service just doesn’t get any morededicated to timely response than that.

There’s a reason why the Institute is so driven to pro-vide its customers with service that is timely, knowl-edgeable and personal. It all goes back to what Scottsaid about relationships. The Institute builds relation-ships with its customers, and nowhere is that more truethan with the one-on-one contact customers have withthe Institute’s consultants. In fact, many customershave a direct, long-term business relationship with aparticular consultant, whom they call year after year forinformation and ordering. And after that, here’s thereally amazing thing: When you call and speak with aWhitetail Institute consultant, the call and the serviceare free. As I mentioned at the start of this article, andas many other Whitetail News articles end, “If you haveany questions or need additional information call theWhitetail Institute at (800) 688-3030.” W


FALL PLANT ING DATESfor Imperial Whitetail® Clover, Chicory Plus™, Alfa-Rack™, Alfa-Rack PLUS™, Extreme™, Secret Spot™, No-Plow™ , “Chic” Magnet™ , Pure Attraction™ and Double-Cross™

� Call for planting dates

� Do not plant in fall

� Aug 1 - Sept 1

� Coastal: Sept 1 - Oct 15Piedmont: Aug 15 - Oct 1Mountain Valleys: Aug 1 -Sept 15

� Aug 1 - 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 15South: Sept 25 - Nov 15

North: Aug 25 - Oct 15South: Sept 5 - Oct 30

� North: Sept 5 - Nov 15Coastal: Sept 15 - Nov 15South: Sept 25 - Nov 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

Here’s the bottom line: If you

want the bucks you hunt next

fall to have the biggest racks

possible, you should make sure they

have access to all the minerals and vita-

mins they need during spring and sum-

mer. And nothing does that better than

Whitetail Institute nutritional supple-

ments. If you haven’t put yours out yet,

the time to do it is now.

With bucks already well into the antler-growing peri-od of spring and summer, this is a great time to makesure you understand what Whitetail Institute supple-

ments are and why they’re so important. Here areanswers to some of the most common questions ourin-house consultants receive about them.

n I always hear that the most important nutritionalelement for antler growth in spring and summer

is protein, so why should I supplement minerals andvitamins?

Protein is, in fact, a major player in antler growth.However a hardened antler is 55 percent minerals. Also,doe milk is very nutrient-dense — much more so thancow’s milk. Bucks and does need access to the correctminerals in the correct forms and ratios for antlergrowth, doe lactation and other biological functionsduring spring and summer.

n If bucks are going to grow antlers anyway duringthe antler-growing season, what’s the point in

supplementing their diets?Natural food sources usually provide enough nutri-

tion for deer to survive but rarely will they provide suf-

ficient nutrition for bucks to truly maximize antler size.If your goal is to be sure that your deer have access toall the nutrition they need during spring and summer tomaximize their genetic potential for antler size, proper-ly formulated supplements are important.

n Can we just use salt and cattle blocks?

No. Not if you want to get your money’s worth inantler growth. Remember I said earlier that a hardenedantler is 55 percent minerals? Well, it’s also less thanone percent salt. Enough said.

As for cattle blocks, deer aren’t cattle. Deer and cat-tle are ruminant animals, but their digestive systemsare very different. Deer and cattle also have differentnutritional needs, and nowhere is this more true than inthe case of antlers — remember, cattle don’t have to re-grow antlers every year.

If you’re going to spend $1, why would you want lessthan a $1 worth in return? Well, you wouldn’t. If youwant to be sure your deer are getting the minerals and


ANTLERS ANDNUTRITIONALSUPPLEMENTSAnswers to Your

Questions By Whitetail Institute Staff

Photo by Brad Herndon

vitamins they need during spring and summer, take theadvice given in the answer to the next question.

n Which Whitetail Institute nutritional supplementsare designed for spring and summer?

There are three: Imperial 30-06, Imperial 30-06 PlusProtein and Cutting Edge Optimize. Cutting EdgeOptimize is one stage of the three-stage Cutting EdgeSystem, each stage of which is specifically designed fora specific part of a deer’s annual cycle. The other twostages are Cutting Edge Sustain, which is for fall andwinter, and Cutting Edge Initiate, which is for late win-ter to early spring.

n Should I use all three spring-and-summer prod-ucts or just one?

Most folks use just one. However, managers whowant to give their deer access to high-quality nutritionin multiple formats often use 30-06 or 30-06 PlusProtein in lick sites and Cutting Edge Optimize intrough feeders.

n Why does the Whitetail Institute offer more thanjust one spring/summer supplement?

Most deer will attack any Whitetail Institute supple-ment with a vengeance. Like people, though, deer areindividuals, and sometimes they will clearly prefer oneover the others. Whitetail Institute supplements differfrom one another in taste, scent and texture, so there’san excellent chance that your deer will like one or moreof them. The Whitetail Institute even offers supplementsample packs so that you can try a little of each oneand see if your deer exhibit a preference before stock-ing up.

n What’s the biggest difference between 30-06,30-06 Plus Protein and Cutting Edge Optimize?

Imperial 30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein are miner-al/vitamin supplements. 30-06 Plus Protein is similar to30-06, but it also has a 16 percent protein boost.Cutting Edge Optimize is a full nutritional supplementthat, like 30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein, includes all theminerals and vitamins deer need during spring andsummer. And as I said earlier, they all differ somewhatin scent, taste and texture.

n How should I deliver 30-06, 30-06 Plus Proteinand Cutting Edge to my deer?

30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein are designed to beused on the ground. Find a spot just off a trail betweena bedding area and a feeding area, and clean off a cir-cle of dirt a couple of feet in diameter. Pour one half ofthe bag on the site, and work it into the top inch or soof soil with a shovel or rake. Then, pour the rest of thebag on top. Cutting Edge Optimize can be used on theground, or in a covered trough feeder. When usingOptimize on the ground, do it the same way as for 30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein.

n Why can’t I just make a mineral/vitamin supple-ment myself?

The bottom line is that as much as a properly formu-lated nutritional supplement can benefit your deer, animproperly formulated product might offer no benefitor even be downright harmful. The suggestion that theaverage person who is not a scientist and doesn’t haveaccess to a laboratory can mix up a properly formulat-ed mineral/vitamin supplement for deer appears onInternet forums quite a bit. And that’s sad for several

reasons. First, it does a disservice to managers who arehonestly seeking the best way to supplement theirdeer’s nutrition. Second, in extreme situations, it hasthe potential to be dangerous to deer.

And that’s not only true of homemade stuff — unfor-tunately, it also includes some of the so called “deerproducts” available for sale on the market. Some prod-ucts, for example, are not necessarily dangerous todeer, but they won’t do much, if anything, for antlergrowth. These may be almost all salt, have minerals andvitamins in improper ratios, raw-nutrient sources thatdeer can’t digest, wrong levels and ratios of certainnutrients, and they may even totally lack one or morecritical nutrients. Other substances such as zinc andselenium might actually be toxic if they comprise toomuch of a deer’s diet.

Whitetail Institute 30-06 and 30-06 Plus Proteinwere created through extensive scientific research andcontain the correct minerals the correct forms andratios to be highly nutritionally beneficial, highlydigestible and safe for deer.

And that’s why the bottom line is, well, what I saidat the very beginning of this article. If you want yourdeer to be the best they can be, and your bucks togrow the largest racks they can, stick with WhitetailInstitute 30-06, 30-06 Plus Protein and Cutting EdgeOptimize for spring and summer. That way, you’ll besure that you are giving your deer a supplement that’sproperly formulated to give your deer full benefit —and do so safely. W


30-06 is not a glorified salt lick or acattle mineral. It is a true nutritional

supplement developed specifically forthe needs of the whitetail deer. What is

good for a bull will do very little forantler growth in a whitetail.

30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein contain allthe essential macro and trace minerals

along with vitamins A, D, and E necessary fora quality deer herd and maximum antler

growth.

30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein contain ourexclusive scent and flavor enhancers which meandeer find, and frequent, the ground sites you

create by mixing these products into the soil. You can be assured 30-06 wascreated with deer, not cattle, in mind.Because of the 30-06 products incredible attractiveness, some states may consider it bait. Rememberto check your local game laws before hunting over the 30-06 site.


800-688-3030whitetailinstitute.comThe Whitetail Institute

239 Whitetail TrailPintlala, AL 36043

®

1 4/5/10 4:05 PM

Bill Balmer — WisconsinHad fantas-

tic results withI m p e r i a lE x t r e m e .Imperial No-Plow is anoth-er fantasticproduct. Itpulled deerfrom all overafter a freeze.Trails in thesnow lookedlike spokes ofa wheel com-ing to the hub— my No-Plow

patch. My son, Paul, got a 189-2/8 inch gross buck withhis bow. Paul has four pictures of his buck “Mulie” in theNo-Plow patch the year before he shot him. Thegrowth “Mulie” put on that next year was almost unbe-lievable. Enclosed is a picture of Paul and his buck.

Glendal French — Illinois

Imperial Whitetail Clover was planted in my first foodplot and it is still one of my all around favorites. Deerwill eat it year round. Imperial Winter-Greens is thebest winter food source I have used. I see and haveshot a lot of deer feeding in my Winter-Greens duringthe late season. It is a great hunting plot. WhitetailInstitute products have really helped the overall healthof my deer. See the photos I sent. My 9 year son killed

his first deer with his bow; the 9 pointer field dressed256 pounds.

James Holstead — MissouriEnclosed are

several pictures ofdeer my wife,Teresa, and I haveharvested on our135-acre farm inMacon County,which we havehunted for threeyears. We havetwo ImperialWhitetail Cloverplots totaling 2-1/4

acres and twoAlfa-Rack Plusplots totaling 1-1/2acres. All of theseplots are 3 yearsold and doing

well. My wife had27 deer on a oneacre ImperialClover plot, sevenof which werebucks. Not bad forher first bow hunt-ing experience.She turned downa 2-1/2 year old 9-point with a 17 to18-inch spread; he

was only nine steps for her stand. The photos show afew bucks I’ve taken and a photo of Teresa’s first buck.

Randy Smuck — IowaEnclosed is a pic-

ture of the SmuckBuck. He grossedscored 213-7/8. Hewas harvested in ourfield of ImperialWhitetail Clover. Wealso have two miner-al licks using both30-06 and 30-06Plus Protein. Wehighly recommendall Whitetail Instituteproducts for drawingand keeping deer inyour hunting area.We have seen over100 deer at one time

on a 10 acre field of Imperial Whitetail Clover. ThanksWhitetail Institute.

Brett Young — OhioI’ve used Whitetail Institute products on land in

Indiana since 1999 and in Ohio since 2004. BothImperial Whitetail Clover and Extreme have been greatproducts. Our grandson, Clayton, couldn’t come overuntil Friday evening for the Ohio muzzleloader season,so that left only Saturday and Sunday to hunt. Claytondidn’t see any deer on Saturday morning.

We headed to the Buddy Stand Saturday night.Three does came into the Imperial Whitetail Cloverfood plot and Clayton tried to get ready as one cameclose. It caught some movement and quickly went intothe head bobbing and foot stomping routine whileClayton shook uncontrollably from the excitement. Thedoe stared at him until it had seen enough and ranaway taking the others with it.

Right before quitting time, Logan, a young 9-point(yes, we name our bucks from our deer camera pho-tos), came in downwind to within 70 yards or so only


to spook before Clayton could get a shot off. Claytonwas devastated. I tried to explain that hunting takeslots of patience and most days would end with noshots fired, even if you were lucky enough to see deer.

Clayton was sick Sunday morning and he spent therest of the day lying on the dining room floor so hecould stay close to the bathroom. No hunting thereforeon Sunday — so much for muzzleloader season.

Have no fear, the boy is a crack shot with the cross-bow, so Monday afternoon, New Year’s Eve day, wewere off again. We settled into the Buddy Stand andthe hunt was on.

At 4:15 p.m. we heard crunching leaves behind us. Isqueezed Clayton’s leg and whispered that we neededto sit very still and quiet. Out came two does followedagain by Logan, the buck. Clayton attempted to getthe crossbow up and the does took off. Logan stuckaround almost long enough to get a shot off, but notquite.

I told Clayton to sit still because Logan may be back.About 30 minutes later out came two 6 pointers.Clayton asks if I’d mount the bigger of the two and Isaid, yes. As he tried to get on target, we heard anoth-er deer coming. It was Logan again. The two sixessparred for a few minutes, then Logan and the biggersix went at it. Before Clayton could shoot they ran offand watched us from the next tree line and then snort-ed and ran away. How many chances could we expectto get in one afternoon?

A few minutes later another buck comes along thewoods from our right. I told Clayton not to look, but hetried anyway and another buck was gone before wecould get a closer look. A doe came in from behind us,followed by a spike buck from the left. Another doe,Clayton says it was a fawn, came in from our left, also.It looked nervous but seemed to be looking back intothe woods instead of at us.

Something is up. Crunch, crunch and more deer arecoming. The others cleared the area. Decoy, a tall dia-mond-shaped 8-pointer, stepped into the food plot.Crunch, crunch and here comes Tex, our local homeboy— a wide heavy massed 8-pointer. They were both stillalive. They survived Ohio’s gun seasons, but obviouslythey weren’t expecting a little boy to be out so soonafter the smokepoles had faded away.

I swear I could feel his heart beating as he sat on mylap. The two big bucks seemed to take turns watchingfor danger, but Clayton had just enough opportunity toget into position and the shot was finally executed. Wewatched both bucks run away before congratulatingone another and hoping the shot was a good one.Clayton ran the last 50 yards to the house versus thenormal, “Carry me up the hill, Papa.”

He had to be the first back to the house to tellGrandma the news. We changed clothes, ate dinner(try explaining to an excited 7 year old why you don’twant to push a wounded deer), got flashlights and wewere off. We found Tex the bruiser buck at the end ofa heavy blood trail 150 or so yards away. The picturestell the rest of the story.

This was quite an ending to the year for this young 7year old. He had attended Ray Howell’s Kicking BearCamp, received his compound bow, shot his first deer(button buck) during the youth shotgun season short-ly after turning seven and now he shoots a real wall

hanger! Tex has been a regular on our property for thepast three years. I expect he was 4-1/2 years old. Hehad and inside spread of 20 inches and green scores142-1/2 inches. He netted 140-1/2, which made Claytonthe youngest hunter ever to qualify for the Buckeye BigBuck Club (Ohio State Record Organization). He shotmy biggest buck and I couldn’t be happier! Therewards of QDM efforts fulfilled.

Dennis Beach — KansasExtreme has

produced forthree years. Itgot a greatresponse fromthe deer. I alsoplanted ChicoryPlus this yearand got a goodstand. The deer

love it. Picture 1shows what atypical buckhere looked likethree years agobefore plantingand picture 2shows a buck Igot this pastseason.

Heath Kreiser — PennsylvaniaI planted Double-

Cross, Chic Magnetand Pure Attractionand the deer lovedthem and so did theturkeys. I am a bowhunter. I shot a 7-point, 175 poundbuck three yearsago and a 140-class8-pointer with a 22-inch wide inside

spread two years ago. That buck weighed 230 pounds.I also shot an 11-point, 180 pound buck this past season.All of these deer were shot in Bradford County, Penn.

I also shot two spring turkeys the last two years. Mybrother hunted every day he could in the Pure

Attraction because he was seeing so many deer. Heshot his first crossbow deer, a 7-point buck, in the ChicMagnet plot because the wind was wrong in the PureAttraction plot. It’s like I’m cheating. There are deer inmy plots every night. Whitetail Institute food plotswork; even bad hunters can shoot deer in WhitetailInstitute food plots.

Rick Peterson — IllinoisI planted Imperial

Whitetail Clover thispast year and I had morebucks running aroundthis year than the lastseveral years combined.I can’t say enough aboutthe Whitetail Clover. Itkeeps the deer aroundall year long. I had a fewweeds and grass in myImperial Clover. I usedWhitetail Institute herbi-cides (Slay and Arrest)with great success. I recommend Whitetail Instituteproducts to friends and co-workers every chance I get.When I get the pictures out, that ends the discussionon whose products are going to get planted —Whitetail Institute naturally! Keep up the good workWhitetail Institute. P.S. Your customer service is secondto none.

Mike Fuge — Wisconsin

Attached is a picture of a buck that a good friend ofmine, Earl Clement, shot the opening day of theWisconsin Archery season. I was not able to huntbecause of prior commitments. Here are some of theparticulars. The deer weighed 190 pounds, had 20points, an 18-1/4 inch spread and rough scored 204inches. It proves to us beyond a doubt that WhitetailInstitute products work. The products we have plantedare Imperial Whitetail Clover, Alfa-Rack and Extreme.Earl also took a deer two years ago that scored 174-plusinches off of the same property. Thanks WhitetailInstitute for the great products and great support! W

Send Us Your Photos!Do you have a photo and/or story of a big buck, a small buck ora doe that you took with the help of Imperial products? Send it tous and you might find it in the Field Tester section of the next issueof Whitetail News. Send your photo and a 3 to 4 paragraph storytelling how you harvested the deer and the role our productsplayed to:

Whitetail News, Attn: Field Tester Response239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043


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I M P E R I A L

PURE ATTRACTIONPerformance Early, Late,

and In Between!

By Whitetail Institute StaffPhoto by Brad Herndon


What is TalkHunting? TalkHunting is a web forum that centers around hunting.What is a forum? A forum is public meeting place for open discussion of varioustopics (in this case, hunting related). A forum may also be referred to as a bulletinboard or discussion area. You "post" questions or comments for others to commenton or you post on their comments. Think of it as a delayed chat room.Do you just talk with each other? No, you can also share pictures, recipes or askabout non-hunting items. You can get to know people and even arrange swap hunts.We also have hunting championships and many events throughout the year formembers to meet and have fun.It sounds like a club. Is it? In a way. You will get to know people here and that almostmakes it like a family. You also will learn a lot about hunting here gaining fromthousands of people's knowledge and advice.My experience with forums is that they are a place for people to argue, fight andtalk bad. That is not the case here at all. First of all, we maintain a fun, friendly, familyatmosphere where bashing, fighting, cliques and vulgarity is absolutely not tolerated.Second, we have real people looking after the site to ensure no offensive material isposted. This site is safe for kids and adults of all ages.I see that I can read everything without joining so why join? First, as a guest, youcan only read, you cannot make comments or start new posts. Secondly, not all areasare available to guests. Once you join, you will see more areas. Third we have prizedrawings each month for members from nationally known manufacturers of huntingproducts. Guests are not eligible to win. Fourth, as our numbers grow, so does ourinfluence in the outdoor world. This will help us as we push for a cleaner, more familyfriendly industry.Thank you for visiting the "TalkHunting" website. We encourage you to register andjump right in. Since membership is free, you have nothing to lose? This is a place tolearn, have fun, express ideas and have a chance to win some prizes. If you areaddicted to hunting... this is your fix!

SOME OF OUR SPONSORS AND WINNERS…

Annuals can be a superb tool for deliver-

ing abundant forage at specific times of

the year. For fall through winter, Imperial

Pure Attraction delivers immediately, performing

from early autumn, on through the coldest winter

months.

When it comes to providing year-around forage from a single planting,perennials are king. That’s why perennials often serve as the backbone ofa food plot system. When it comes to delivering rapid growth for a spe-cific part or parts of the year, annuals really shine, and none more so thanPure Attraction.

Pure Attraction is a blend whose major components are WhitetailInstitute forage oats and the Institute’s annual brassicas. The combina-tion provides managers with a single annual forage blend that deliverstop performance from early fall through winter. In early fall, the WINA for-age oats in Pure Attraction establish quickly. Fast establishment is furtherenhanced by a minor component: winter peas. This combination resultsin the fast germination and rapid growth of this high-sugar, cold-tolerantstage, which provides deer with the carbohydrates they crave at this timeof year as they store energy for the coming winter. At this same time, theWINA brassicas in Pure Attraction establish and provide even more ton-nage during the early season.

As the weather turns colder later in the fall, frosts cause an enzyme inthe brassicas in Pure Attraction to turn starches in the plants to sugars,making them even sweeter and even more irresistible to deer. These bras-sicas stand taller in the snow and continue to provide deer with highlyattractive and nutritious forage even during the coldest months of win-ter. The availability of highly nutritious forages during winter can be ahuge benefit to deer, not only in terms of survival but also to help themmaintain body weight and health. This helps them to recover from wintermore quickly in the early spring. And remember — the sooner a buck canrecover his winter health losses, the earlier in the antler-growing seasonhe can divert nutrition to the job of building antlers. And just like all for-age blends that bear the name Imperial Whitetail, Pure Attraction is theresult of the Whitetail Institute’s exhaustive research, development andreal-world testing across North America, which assures hunters and man-agers of the industry’s top performance.

Pure Attraction is designed for fall planting, and the dates (shown onthe back of the forage bags and also at www.whitetailinstitute.com) arethe same as those for planting Whitetail Institute perennials. PureAttraction is easy to plant — seedbed preparation doesn’t require deeptillage, and if lime must be added to raise soil pH to optimum (6.5 orhigher), it need be tilled only into the first inch or two of soil. Getting theseedbed as smooth as possible before planting is also not as criticalwhen planting Pure Attraction as it is when planting perennials. Unlikeperennials, Pure Attraction should be covered under a thin layer of loosesoil. Just disk, leave the soil loose, fertilize and then broadcast the PureAttraction seed, and then very lightly drag over the seed.

As with any forage, soil testing before planting Pure Attraction is rec-ommended. If a soil test is not available though, Pure Attraction can befertilized with the most commonly available fertilizer blends, such as 17-17-17 or 13-13-13 at a rate of 400 pounds per acre. As the directions spec-ify, if possible, fertilize Pure Attraction again 30-45 days after plantingwith 100 pounds/acre of 33-0-0, 34-0-0 or similar high-nitrogen fertiliz-er to further boost forage growth.

So if you’re looking for something to plant this fall that will establishvery quickly, produce lots of succulent, carbohydrate-rich forage in theearly fall, and keep performing through the cold winter months, PureAttraction is an excellent option. If you have any questions about PureAttraction or would like to order, just call the Whitetail Institute’s in-houseconsultants at (800) 688-3030, extension 2. W


®

The foundation of Pure Attraction’s early-season attraction and nutrition areWINA-Brand oats which are winter-hardy and drought-resistant. Their high sugarcontent makes them exceptionally attractive and palatable to deer. WINA-BrandOats performance is unsurpassed by all other forage oats tested. WINA-Brand foragebrassicas are also included 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 lasted throughthe winter. It really grew well the whole time too. Even though it was heavily grazed, itcontinued to provide food for the deer during the cold weather.”

• From Michigan: “The deer ate the Pure Attraction like crazy. The WINA-Brand oats andwinter peas came up first and then the brassica. The deer hit the WINA-Brand oats and win-ter 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 my soil and the deer. Another great product.”

• From Missouri: The Pure Attraction blend was “among the most attractive I have everplanted.”

• From Alabama: “Deer completely mowed the Pure Attraction plot down. Even so, itcontinued to provide forage and grew well all through the winter. Deer were in the plotevery night.”

Plant Pure Attraction during the same dates as the fall-planting dates for Imperialperennials. Since Pure Attraction does not require the sort of deeper ground tillagerequired for planting some perennial blends, it is even easier to plant. Looking for aproduct that will establish quickly and give your deer the one-two punch of bothearly- and late-season attraction…? GIVE PURE ATTRACTION A TRY!

The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail • Pintlala, AL 36043 • 1-800-688-3030www.whitetailinstitute.com


PUTTING TOGETHER THE QDM PUZZLE

These two intelligent whitetail hunters immediatelystart talking to neighboring landowners and other deerhunters who are already leasing land in their nearbyregion. After months of talking about the importanceof managing deer for not only the maximum health andbalance of the herd, but also for the well-being of the

natural habitat and farm fields, they have convincedthe locals to go along with their line of thinking for acouple of years.

With this time-consuming task done, the two bud-dies install three one-acre food plots in different loca-tions on their lease. Two plots are planted in ImperialWhitetail Clover, while the third plot is saved for a falland winter attraction plot using brassicas, turnips, andother products. They also get permission from the


TheQDM PuzzleWhat is your

situation?By Brad Herndon

Photos by the Author

Theanswerto the

question abouthow long it

takes for qualitydeer management towork is one deer man-agers have been seek-

ing from the beginning of thismovement. Some of youhave been managing white-tails for a long time, whileothers of you reading this arenew to QDM. Well, as onewho has been at this QDMgame actively for 11 years,and who has been writing about it forclose to 20 years, I’m going to give youthe answers. You did notice I saidanswers, not answer. To arrive at theseanswers I’m going to use a variety ofmanagement situations to make mypoints. First of all, let’s take what I callthe ideal situation for QDM, one that wascommon 20 years ago in many of ourstates, but is more difficult to find today.We’ll assume two hunting buddies ofaverage income lease a 300-acre tract oftimber one spring that consists of a mixof timber and farm fields in a fertileMidwest state. This particular area has alow deer density, with the herd just start-ing to expand. These guys are sharp, bythe way, and are willing to learn, plusthey are disciplined enough to passsome good bucks. Let’s see how QDMworks in their situation.

Any hunter would be happy with this 178-inch gross triple mainbeam buck taken by Henry Reynolds in southern Illinois. This

“holdover buck” was one of the few remaining big bucks in theregion due to an overpopulation of deer.

landowner to plant a few persimmon, apple and peartrees on a small, brushy, but unused hilltop. While theycan’t afford a feeding program, they are able to affordsome mineral supplements.

Their next step is to use a couple of surveillancecameras in late summer to help get a handle on thenumber of deer on their property before their first fallhunting season. This information, coupled with theirown observations and scouting, reveal the followingfigures: They have one 3-1/2 year-old 10-point on theirlease, one 2-1/2 year-old buck, and one yearling buck.On the antlerless side they have three mature does,two yearling does, two doe fawns, and two buttonbucks, for a total of 12 deer. Knowing that the recom-mended carrying capacity for one square mile for theirtype of habitat is only 18 deer in their state, they put aharvest plan in place.

First of all, they decide to not shoot any antleredbucks for the first two hunting seasons unless a brutefrom someplace else just happens to wander through.The first fall they shoot a doe fawn, a yearling doe, andan adult doe. They killed three out of their seven does.The second fall they shoot a doe fawn, a yearling doe,and an adult doe, again three out of seven does ontheir property.

The third fall season they are fortunate enough to killthe original 3-1/2 year-old buck, which has by nowturned into a 5-1/2 year-old, 160-inch bruiser. They alsoshoot one doe fawn and an adult doe. They now havea total of 13 deer on their property. At the end of fouryears, they have killed two 5-1/2 year-old bucks andone 4-1/2 year-old buck. By the fifth year they havethree button bucks, two yearling bucks, two 2-1/2 year-old bucks, two 3-1/2 year-old bucks, and two 4-1/2

year-old bucks on their property. They also have threedoe fawns, two yearling does and three adult does, fora grand total of 19 deer. Interestingly, they have neverhad to shoot more than three does per year thus far,and their native vegetation is healthy, and their foodplots lush.

Another plus is that with the great buck/doe ratio,buck movement is absolutely incredible, with manybuck sightings per day. Of course, for all this to workout in this example, the neighbors have to be doing thesame thing, with the same standards. As you can see,this situation would continue to crank out 4-1/2 and 5-1/2 year-old bucks for years to come for these guys. Inthis scenario, it only took until the third hunting season(a little over two years from the time they leased theproperty) for them to tap out a 5-1/2 year-old buck. Itwould be of interest at this point for each of us to tallyup how many 5-1/2 year-old bucks we have killed in ourlifetime. I’m betting it won’t be many, if any.

DECEPTIVE QDM “SUCCESS”

I have a friend who has too many deer on his land.The mature timber in his woods contains no suitablebrowse for whitetails, yet he and his family and friendscontinue to kill 150- and 160-inch deer year after year.This proves, some might say, that you can have toomany whitetails and still have great bucks.

This, simply put, isn’t true for the average QDM man-ager. My friend is successful growing trophy deer, andis keeping his deer herd healthy for reasons other thansound deer management practices. For instance, formuch of the year he spends $245 per week supplyinghis whitetail herd with a specially formulated food

blend in covered feeders. In addition, even though hehas large food plots in clover, alfalfa, turnips, and otherproducts, he leaves sizable areas of his corn and soy-bean fields standing so the deer can feed in them inlate summer, fall and winter. To top that off he has builtseveral ponds and wetland areas on his property.

There is nothing wrong with this kind of manage-ment, and my friend has spent his adulthood workinghard to build up his estate. Nothing was inherited. Still,this is what I call deceptive QDM success. It’s kind oflike the deer farmers we read about who grow incredi-bly huge bucks with high-scoring racks in penned areassimply by using specially formulated deer feed.Although this method can be made to work if youthrow enough money at it, how many of us couldspend $25,000 or more per year managing one pieceof property for deer using this method? I assure you Icouldn’t, and most of you reading this couldn’t either.

PICKING LEASING AREAS IS IMPORTANT

Now let’s go to another example similar in lease sizeto my first example of QDM, this one well-documentedbecause I know the two hunters well. The year is 2000and two family members lease 280 acres in Indiana.The deer herd on this property is at the carrying capac-ity of the land, so no mistakes can be made.

The first year these QDM managers take soil tests,lime and fertilize the soil, and plant three food plotsaveraging slightly less than one acre in size. ImperialWhitetail Clover and Whitetail Extreme are planted.The hunters look over their native habitat and see it issuffering damage, with a browse line being slightly vis-ible. Although there is some brush inside the timber,


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most of it consists of browse deer don’t favor, such aspaw paw bushes.

Because this particular region contains no propertythat has been leased, these QDM managers spend thefirst year as villains in the area and catch a lot of flakfrom the local hunters for “stealing their hunting place.”By the third year, however, the locals see the handwrit-ing on the wall, become friendly, and lease their ownland. They graduate from shooting yearling bucks to 2-1/2 year-old bucks, and occasionally tag a 3-1/2 year-

old buck. The locals are happy because they are killingtheir best bucks ever, and are seeing quantities of deer.

Well, our original leasers aren’t happy, despite thefact one of them bow killed a 162-inch-gross 12-point-er, and the other one tapped out a couple of bucks thatscored from 135 to 145 inches. The reason they are dis-appointed is the fact they kill eight or ten mature doesper year, yet they are immediately replaced with doefrom neighboring properties. Despite efforts to informother hunters of an approaching habitat destruction

crisis, their pleas go in one ear and out the other. By the fifth year of their lease, these QDM managers

start to see spike bucks with increasing frequency,something they never saw in the territory several yearsback. Also alarming is the fact mature bucks are start-ing to be infested with ticks, something these huntershad never witnessed before. Their browse line by nowstands out like a sore thumb, and the body weight ofthe bucks start to plummet. On the sixth year of leas-ing, one of the hunters takes a great “holdover” buck


Shannon Winks and daughter Miss Emma pose with twodeer they tagged last muzzleloader season in Indiana.

probably 6-1/2 years of age, or older, that grosses 167inches and has great mass. Disappointingly, its coat isbarely salvageable to do a shoulder mount becauseticks are literally dropping off of it like rain.

After a decade of QDM on their property, their sight-ings of bucks are considerable, but it isn’t often thatthey see one that grosses 130 inches or more. Averagefield-dressed weights of 3-1/2 year-old bucks havedropped from 180-185 pounds field-dressed, to 140-145pounds. Two bucks with three-inch spikes were sightedwith blood-covered antlers (shedding their velvet) inOctober and all older age class bucks are infested withticks.

Hunting has changed for the other hunters in thearea as well. They claim all the 105- to 120-inch bucksthey are seeing in the region are 2-1/2 year-olds, andare wondering where the 3-1/2 year-old bucks in the130-135 inch range have gone they were so happyshooting. Sadly, they can’t be convinced those “2-1/2year-old bucks” are really unhealthy 3-1/2 year-olds,despite the fact it can be proven using accurate agingmethods. Moreover, the other hunters in the region arestarting to shoot smaller bucks again because “therearen’t any big bucks left.”

Unfortunately, in this situation, the result of 10 yearsof quality deer management by these two hunters didnot turn out well. They simply couldn’t do enough ontheir one piece of land to offset what happened on thesurrounding properties. After 10 years, their entireregion of the county consisted of over-browsed timber,the deer herds’ health was declining, and antler sizecertainly suffered. Farmers were upset as well sincethey were losing thousands of dollars per year becauseof lower corn and soybean yields.

WHAT THE FUTURE OLDS

As you can see in these three examples, we have dif-ferent answers about how long QDM takes to workdepending on the situation where it is carried out bywhitetail hunters. In our first example, QDM workedquickly, in just over a two-year period. This model, inci-dentally, can happen in a big-time way. For example,when QDM was just getting started, Buffalo County,Wis. had only one Pope & Young entry from 1992 andthree entries from 1993.

By banding together at that time, deer managersand landowners in this hilly, rich-soiled county in thewest central part of the state collectively put togethera QDM program that produced close to unbelievableresults. Because the Whitetail Institute was on the lead-ing edge of QDM, its products were extensively used inthis region’s food plots. My wife, Carol, and I trackedthe 10-year period in Buffalo County from 1994 to 2003and the results showed during this period that BuffaloCounty entered 210 bucks into the typical category ofthe Pope & Young record book alone! To put thesenumbers in perspective, this means this one county,only 685 square miles in size, grew more book bucks inthis 10-year period than the all-time totals in at least 20other states! This example certainly carries a lot ofweight when it comes to a small region producing aquantity of tall-tined brutes by utilizing sound deermanagement practices.

In our second example, management wasn’t accord-ing to the book, but it worked because of the nutri-tional value of a great product called the greenback. Asa capitalist, I’m on the side of the guy with money.

While a few individuals do accumulate wealth in an ille-gal method, the vast majority of people with money areethical, exceptionally intelligent, have worked incredi-bly long hours, taken risks, and have succeeded afterwhat is normally decades of time. That being said,most of us are in the average income bracket and, witha few exceptions such as hunt clubs, can’t manage deerthat way.

From the last example, perhaps the most importantlessons can be learned about QDM. Even though thesetwo hunters managed almost exactly like the success-ful ones in the first example, they experienced disap-pointing results. Unfortunately, they made the mistakeof leasing land in a region where the local hunters werenot familiar with the catastrophic results of too-highdeer densities. Continued under-harvesting of doe, andthe fact no one else in the region planted food plotsduring this time were the fatal nails driven in the QDMcoffin. This situation is tragic, and is just now starting tooccur in more and more areas of our nation withexploding whitetail numbers. Some of this is on publicland, and much of it is on private land.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR QDM?

It would be interesting to take a survey and see whatpercentage of you reading this article fit in each exam-ple I used. If you fit in the wildly successful first exam-ple, you’re obviously relaxed and smiling, sitting in youreasy chair admiring your wall-mounted trophies. If youfit in the second example, you’re probably still happy,but with the current recession raging on, cutting backon some of those high-dollar expenses might be start-ing to look more inviting.


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Keeping Track Of Deer Numbers To ever pull off a successful quality deer management program, it’s impor-

tant to keep the native habitat in good condition, and then put nutritionalicing on the cake for your whitetails by implementing quality food plots, plusminerals. In order to do this, the deer herd size must be kept within the car-rying capacity of the land. State regions, type of soil, presence of farm fields,and a lot of other factors determine what the carrying capacity of a piece ofproperty is, but in the end, the definition of carrying capacity is this: It’s thenumber of deer a given parcel can support in good physical condition over anextended period of time without adversely impacting the natural habitat. More than anything else, just running numbers on deer production should

convince you of the importance of shooting doe. A rule to go by regardingdoe is that a doe fawn reaching 70 pounds body weight can come into estrusand can be impregnated. This cycle can occur in November, December orJanuary. Secondly, a yearling doe (1-1/2-years old) that is bred will normallyhave a single fawn. After that, healthy adult doe will usually have twins, withmale and female births close to 50/50. Triplets occur, but it doesn’t happenoften. Let me give you an idea of how fast whitetail deer can multiply. If youhave a tract of land with only two doe fawns, two yearling does and two adultdoes on it and every doe is bred yearly, five years later you would have almost100 deer on this property! This is without any hunting, or natural deathsoccurring. Make yourself sit down and really study this out and start tallying the fig-

ures and you will see that my numbers are correct. And also keep in mind thatafter five years, the population increases exponentially, absolutely explodingovernight. I can assure you it is a lot more pleasurable shooting five doe peryear to keep your herd in balance than it is to shoot, remove and properlyprocess 20, 30 or 40 does per year.

CULTURAL CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE LAND

My discussion above about controlling deer numbers is considered what isthe biological carrying capacity of the land. Another issue a quality deer man-ager must address in many situations is the cultural carrying capacity of theland. In my simple terms, this simply means the number of deer the neighborswill tolerate. Neighbors will most often mean farmers, although it can at timesbe people in a nearby suburban area. For example, when there were few deer in Indiana I used to go round and

round with a farmer who claimed “Those deer are costing me $10,000 a year!”They weren’t, and he knew it. He just wanted to eradicate anything that wouldeat a grain of corn. I still talk to that farmer and I’m compassionate with himbecause I know today he may be losing $10,000 to $15,000 per year to deerdamage. Although he doesn’t want to spend his time doing it, he now obtains quan-

tities of deer depredation permits and spends countless evenings in the sum-mer shooting deer. He also legally passes these permits out to other individ-uals so they can shoot deer on his land and help control the deer numbers. Having too many deer wasn’t his fault, nor was it the fault of Indiana’s DNR.

They have issued liberal doe tags over the past 20 years. Instead, the fault pri-marily lies with the deer hunters who just wanted to see more and more deerwithout any regard to what they were doing to the natural habitat, and tofarm fields. It was, from a majority standpoint, the deer hunter’s mistake, butone that can be corrected. Regarding suburban housing additions near land managed for deer, high

deer densities can result in destruction of gardens and expensive shrubbery,and also result in an increased number of deer/vehicle collisions. Summing up, an astute quality deer manager should always be aware of the

importance of controlling both the biological and cultural capacity of theland, and when in doubt about what to do, err on the side of caution. W


If, lastly, you fall in the third example where QDM didn’t work out for various rea-sons, such as the wrong lease location, mistakes on your part, poaching, or other fac-tors such as EHD, then you may be disgusted.

Well, tune in to the next issue of Whitetail News where I will discuss how to saveQDM in your area. When finished with this upcoming article, all readers should endup feeling good about themselves, knowing that they can, and are, making a positivedifference in God’s great creation. W

(Continued from page 27)

Pennsylvania archery season we photographed a talltined 8-pointer heading into the food plot. On the sec-ond to last day of archery season I shot the buck. It wasthe biggest buck ever harvested on the farm and onlythe first year for food plots. You can be sure that nextyear we will be planting more Pure Attraction and look-ing forward to the unmatched success that we haveexperienced. Thanks Whitetail Institute.

Dave Mitchell — Pennsylvania/IowaHere is a photo of the buck I killed last season on

Nov. 7 in Iowa. It is my biggest buck to date and grossscored 167-2/8 inches. I was hunting on Tony Knight’splace and Tony has been using Whitetail Institute prod-ucts for years. I was set up just off the edge of anImperial Clover field and this buck came along justinside the woods scent checking the trails leading outof the field. He presented me with a 20-yard shot and Iwas able to make the most of it. Most of the deer activ-

ity on this area of the farm seemed to revolve aroundthis clover field. There were quite a few does using thisfield every day and as a result the bucks were there aswell. Thanks Whitetail Institute for producing such aquality product.

Darin Williamson — Tennessee

This is one example of how Whitetail Institute’sImperial Whitetail Clover has dramatically improvedour hunting. The product is extremely attractive andprovides optimal nutrition to the overall herd. I shot thisbuck the opening morning of Tennessee’s muzzle-loader season last season. He weighed 195 pounds fielddressed which is quite heavy for a Middle Tennesseebuck. I have not scored him yet. I have heard many edu-cated guesses. Whatever the final number, he is a tro-phy to me. Thanks again Whitetail Institute for yourhard work in research, development, and production ofgreat products.

James McVey — VirginiaI have Imperial Clover and Extreme planted. My wife

and son planted the plots for me. I told them all I want-ed for Christmas last year was to get that buck. A late

Merry Christmas it was for me. I killed him near anExtreme plot. The Whitetail Institute products I haveused have brought in more deer and bigger deer to myproperty.

Bobby Burgess — AlabamaI operate a small deer plot business in South

Alabama. I have planted every product on the marketfor a variety of customers. I spoke with one of WhitetailInstitute’s consultants last year about the PowerPlantproduct. I planted my PowerPlant last spring for myspring and summer feed program. I was absolutelyblown away with the results. The amount of tonnage itproduced was unbelievable. My cameras recordedbuck after buck in the PowerPlant. I would tell anyhunting club if they want to attract bucks to their prop-erty to get the PowerPlant. I am in the process ofpreparing my plots for the fall season and I highly rec-ommend the Pure Attraction too. I have attached aphoto for your review of two young bucks in myPowerPlant plot.

Paul Hausz — WisconsinWe have had an awesome year thanks to Double-

Cross and Imperial Whitetail Clover. The deer in the pic-tures and many more were harvested on propertiesmanaged strictly with Whitetail Institute food plotproducts only and our normal crop lands (corn).Wehave pictures and video kills of all these deer in theDouble-Cross and Imperial Whitetail Clover fields.


Yesterday I pulled one of my trail cameras from aDouble-Cross field and there where 872 pictures andthe camera was only in the field for eight days. Therewere nine different bucks, one being a 170-class 10point buck.

Hopefully if the good Lord is willing we can harvestthis deer this year. Neither I nor my pro staffers haveever seen so many deer using a food plot as much asthey are in the Double-Cross. It totally blows my mindand also ticks off my neighbors because I have all thedeer on my property. Plus I have the pictures and videoto back up my claims. Thanks again Whitetail Institutefor putting so much time and research into the prod-ucts that allow me and my friends to produce and har-vest trophy whitetails.

Ted Nixon — FloridaExtreme proved effective in growing desirable plants

where previously nothing other than unwanted weeds

would grow. Deer activity in that food plot went fromnear zero to heavy. Also, I don’t think that I will ever gettired of seeing so many more deer since plantingDouble-Cross. The deer seem to love it to the pointthat they seldom bother with the corn feeder. Enclosedis a photo of an 11-pointer taken last season on myNorth Florida plots.

Walt Guthrie — OhioI only have 15 acres but since I planted Imperial

Whitetail Clover and Double-Cross I see more deer andthey hang around more because of the availability ofthe good food. The typical 8 point in the photo fed thrua Double-Cross plot past my tree-stand. I took him withmy 48-pound recurve and cedar arrow. I’m 82 yearsyoung. Keep hunting!

David Brown — GeorgiaI have enclosed a picture of a buck I killed on one of

my properties in middle Georgia this year. He has 14scorable points with a 26-inch inside spread. Heweighed 268 pounds and was aged at 4-1/2 years old.We grossed scored him somewhere around 176 inchesgreen score. The year before I also killed a 147-inch typ-ical on a patch that was planted in Chicory Plus. I see10 to15 deer per trip.

I have been planting Imperial Whitetail Clover forabout eight years now and it is one of the best tools Ihave found for attracting and holding big deer on myproperty. Some of the tracks of land I hunt are only acouple hundred acres so I have to plant and supple-mental feed year around to hold the deer on my prop-erty. I have done some testing of my own with rye, oats,wheat and several other plantings and have found thatthe deer seem to walk through these plots to get to theImperial Clover and Alfa-Rack plots. They keep it eatendown very low but graze it all year long. Since I startedusing Whitetail Institute products I see a lot bigger andmore mature deer than ever before. People ask me allthe time how I kill big deer year after year and I tell

them “Just lucky I guess,” but I firmly believe withoutthese plots and supplemental feeding the deer simplywouldn’t be there. By the way the turkeys love it too.Thanks Whitetail Institute for a great product and mybest buck yet.

Dr. Bob Peterson — Wisconsin

Imperial Whitetail Clover is far superior to any otherclover or clover mix that I have tried. Lasts three to fouryears after planting. I also have one field of Extremethat has lasted more than five years. Keep up the goodwork Whitetail Institute. W

Send Us Your Photos!Do you have a photo and/or story of a big buck, a small buck ora doe that you took with the help of Imperial products? Send it tous and you might find it in the Field Tester section of the next issueof Whitetail News. Send your photo and a 3 to 4 paragraph storytelling how you harvested the deer and the role our productsplayed to:

Whitetail News, Attn: Field Tester Response239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043


No matter how advanced we

get in any endeavor, it’s

always a good idea to

review the basics once in awhile.

When it comes to food plots, you can

assure yourself of the best possible

results, and even do so in the most

cost-effective manner, if you stick to

the basics and go step-by-step.

As we begin our journey from raw land to incorpo-rating a high-performance food plot system, youshould keep our ultimate destination, or goal, in mind:We want to end up with a food plot system (which caneven be just one or two plots) that will make the prop-erty we hunt as attractive to deer, nutritious for deerand huntable as possible. (More on each of these as wego along). If you want to achieve that goal, the follow-ing four steps will get you there with Mother Nature’scooperation:

1. Decide how many food plots you’ll plant and where

you’ll put them 2. Decide what forage to plant in each site 3. Correctly prepare the sites for planting 4. Plant correctly Regardless of whether your property is large or

small, the steps that will take you from no food plots toa high-performance food-plot system are pretty muchthe same, and you should follow them in the same spe-cific order. One reason is that some steps depend onothers having already been done. Another is that youcan sometimes save money and time by performingmore than one step each time you’re at the property.

Finally, as we go through the steps, keep in mind thatwhat you’ll be creating is a starting point; most plansneed a little adjustment based on how deer actuallyreact after the plan is put in place.

STEP 1: DECIDING HOW MANY FOOD PLOTS TOPLANT AND WHERE TO PUT THEM

Whether your property is large or small, your best-case scenario is to have enough acreage in plots tomaximize attraction and nutrition, but without plantingso much of the property that deer have no reason tomove. With that in mind, here’s a formula that seems tobe a good general rule of thumb.

First Formula: Most managers put about two to fivepercent of the total property into food plots if only

“hunting plots” are being used. Managers who use bothhunting plots and feeding plots may plant as much as10 percent or more.

Most folks who plant food plots for deer, plant hunt-ing plots. These can be anywhere from 1/10th of anacre up to two to three acres. Their main functions areto draw deer for harvest and provide nutrition.

Feeding plots, when used, are usually larger thanhunting plots, and their main function is to serve asplaces where deer feel safe. When feeding plots areused, they should be hunted sparingly, maybe just dur-ing the rut, so that deer have a feeling of safety usingthem.

Again, this is a general rule of thumb, and it won’t beexact for all situations. Lots of factors will determinehow much of your property you’ll ultimately decide toplant, such as landowner permission, equipment acces-sibility, time, money and lots of other factors. And ifyour property is small, don’t forget to consider what’sbeyond your property line, because that may be amajor source from which you’ll draw deer to your land.

For example, say you own or lease a long, narrowtract that borders with a vast wildlife area that’s nothunted much. In such a situation, you might not wantto stick with the formula. Instead, you might want toplant as much of your property as possible to maximizeits attraction and available nutrition because you willbe feeding so many deer. Where to put your food plots? It always pays to put

some thought into where you put your plots. Before weget into that, though, consider that it can be equallycritical to think about where not to put them. Oneplace you don’t want to put them if at all possible,whether your property is large or small, is where they’llbe visible from a public road. When making that deter-mination, be sure to consider that screening vegeta-tion, which may be there when you check in the springand summer, may be gone in the fall and winter. Alsoconsider planting evergreens or other natural screen-ing plants to help shield the plot from public view. Foradvice on trees and other screening plants, check withyour County Agent, or call the Whitetail Institute’s con-sultants at (800) 688-3030. Generally speaking, feed-ing plots (when used) should be centrally located onthe property. You want your deer to consider yourfeeding plots as safe zones so that they’ll purposefullyhead for them when they leave their bedding areas inthe afternoon. That means that you shouldn’t huntdirectly on feeding plots at all, or at least do so veryrarely, for instance during the rut. This can help estab-lish a more predictable travel pattern for your deer thatyou can use to your advantage as you hunt betweenthe feeding plots and bedding areas.

When feeding plots are used, hunting plots shouldbe located between feeding plots and bedding areas.Structured this way, the plot system can help you usethe natural tendency of deer to feed as they travel andutilize undercover corridors around plot edges to youradvantage during hunting season.

How you design your hunting plots can also bevery important. When designing your hunting plots,keep one critical thing in mind: the safer deer feelusing it, the better chance they’ll do so during legalhunting hours. To help deer feel safe, a long, narrowplot is usually better than one that is wide andsquare. Also, try to place your plots where theiredges border cover such as a thicket, standing rowsof corn, or anything else deer interpret as somethingthey could quickly jump into if threatened. A cornerof an overgrown field that meets thick woods on two


A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDEto Food Plots (Part 1)

By Jon CoonerPhotos by Whitetail Institute


sides is an excellent example.Also, take wind into account. No matter where you hunt, chances are that the wind

comes from one direction more than any other during hunting season in your area.Try to structure your plots so your main stand sites can be placed downwind fromthe most common wind direction. If possible, structure each plot so that it can alsobe fully covered by a secondary stand when the wind is coming from a differentdirection.

Try to structure things so that deer feel that they’re only a few hops away fromcover while they feed. Proven design shapes are the “V” or “L” and the “hourglass.”These designs are often useful in deep cover and with the stand site located at thejunction of the “V” or “L”, or at the neck between the two lobes of the hourglass.

Again, these are just ideas that work in many cases. In the end, each situation is dif-ferent, so when you’re deciding how many plots to plant and where to put them, besure to take into account any factors that will make your property as attractive todeer, nutritious for deer and as huntable as possible.

STEP 2: DECIDING WHAT FORAGE TO PLANT IN EACH SITE

Once you decide where your plots will be, it will be time to decide what forageyou’re going to plant in each one. We’ll cover more about forage selection in Part 2of these articles which will appear in the next issue of Whitetail News. Until then, keepa few things in mind.

First, the fact that selecting a forage is your next step is an example of why it’simportant to do things in a specific order. In the next part of this article, we’ll discussone of the most important steps in ensuring a successful planting: performing a soiltest. As we’ll discuss, when you prepare your soil sample to send to the lab, if at allpossible, you should make sure you let the lab know what you’ll be planting in thesite. That’s because different forages have different fertilizer requirements. If youdon’t let the lab know what you’ll be planting in the site, most soil-testing labs willgive you general recommendations for grains.

If you forget to let the lab know what you’ll be planting, the Whitetail Institute’sconsultants can quickly help you adjust the lab’s findings for the forage you’ll beplanting, but it will save you time if you let the lab know up front. Also remember this:You should choose a forage product that is specifically designed for that specificplot. To make sure you choose the correct forage for each site, you have to take intoaccount physical characteristics of the site such as soil type, slope and equipmentaccessibility. You’ll also need to take into account whether you want the forage in thatsite to be a year-round forage, or something that will provide maximum productionfor only part of the year, such as spring and summer for antler growth, or fall and win-ter for attraction and energy.

In preparation for Part 2 of this article, you might want to review “How to Select aForage,” an article which ran in Whitetail News last year. If you no longer have thatissue or if you’re new to Whitetail News, don’t worry — the article is also available on-line: www.whitetailinstitute.com/HowtoSelecttheRightForage.pdf. W

Maximum performance from your food plotis a result of not cutting corners.

With tempera-tures in the 20sand nearly

eight inches of snow onthe ground, it felt morelike December in myhome state of Minnesotathan October in Nebras-ka. As I slogged throughthe heavy, wet, whitestuff en route to mymorning tree stand, I hadno doubt that the weath-er would get the localwhitetails moving.

Climbing aloft and belt-ing into my tree stand inthe pre-dawn darkness, Ishivered, tried to retreatdeeper into the warmth ofmy wool parka and wait-ed impatiently for the sunto brighten my surround-ings. Everything in sightwas covered with snow:ground, trees and bushes.The standing cornfieldand alfalfa strip directly infront of my ambush allbore the look of a winterpostcard. In fact, thedecoy 20 yards in front ofmy stand was the only thing in this winter wonderlanddevoid of snow, and I wondered what type of reactionit would bring from a cruising buck. I wouldn’t have towait long to find out.

Looking north along the heavy timber, I saw a bigdeer step from cover and make its way purposely alongthe opening created by the strip of alfalfa plantedbetween the woods and the standing cornfield. Nofeeding for this brute. Instead, he walked in the steady,stiff-legged gait of a buck looking for love, and I easedmy longbow from its resting place and got into posi-tion to take the shot. Without question the big 8-point-er was going to see my decoy in just a few more min-utes. I had placed my facsimile just inside the strip ofalfalfa with its back end tight to the standing corn soany buck stepping out of the corn or trees would spotthe intruder and investigate, which is what happenedthat snowy morning.

Looking west, the approaching trophy locked ontothe decoy, and immediately, his ears laid flat and everyhair from neck to rump stood at full attention. The deer

side-stepped toward thedecoy but was still facingme head on. I tracked thebrute’s advance with mystickbow, assuming hewould circle between theimitation and my standand then stop for abroadside shot. Unfortun-ately, the deer had otherplans. Directly betweenmy heavy arrow and thedecoy, he spun 180degrees and charged fulltilt, and hit the poor inter-loper with such force thatit took me more than 10minutes to find all thepieces in the aftermath ofthe encounter.

The upshot of thesequence is that I nevereven had time to raisethe bent stick cradled inmy left hand, and the140-class buck escapedunscathed. However, theedge-hunting technique Iwas using had worked toperfection, and it will dothe same for you thisseason.

Whitetail deer are crop-oriented throughout most oftheir range, and smart hunters learned long ago to lookfor deer and set up ambushes near fields of corn, sun-flowers, beans and other row crops. Hunting the edgecreated where the crops meet the timber has put a lotof deer in the freezer and a lot of trophies on the wall,but I’ll wager the twist I’m suggesting will improve yourdeer sightings and success rate significantly. Plant astrip food plot between the row crop field and thewoods, effectively creating a second edge — and thatedge will increase your success in several ways.

VISIBILITY

One significant problem with setting up tight to astanding cornfield or other taller row crop is that it’seasy for your quarry to step from woods to crop or viceversa without presenting a shot. Heck, without evenbeing seen in a lot of cases. Enter the use of a stripplot. By using a lower-growing food source such asImperial Clover, Chicory Plus or Imperial Winter-

Greens, the deer will immediately be visible and inposition for you to shoot after they step into the stripyou planted. The opening story shows this perfectly:Had the cornfield in front of me ran all the way to mystand, I would never have been able to use the decoy, Iwould not have seen the buck step out more than 100yards away, and I would not have had one of the mostexciting encounters I’ve ever experienced in more than30 years of bow-hunting for whitetails.

This visibility is a boon not only during hunting sea-son but also during your late summer and early fallscouting trips. Glassing for deer numbers and trophyquality around a standing corn or sunflower field is alesson in futility, but if you have a 20- to 30-foot stripplot surrounding the taller food source, it is easy to seewhen the deer step out, and you will have plenty oftime to get some glass on them for evaluation. Plus, byusing a top attracting food strip like Imperial WhitetailClover, Chicory Plus or any one of the many other fineWhitetail Institute offerings, the deer will be in no greatrush to reach their main food source, allowing youample time to size up antlers, assess herd numbers orline up that important shot.

SLOWING DOWN THE PARADE

That brings us to a second major attribute of plant-ing a strip plot adjacent to row crop fields. With theproper planting the strip plot will become a destinationitself, with the deer spending considerable time feed-ing after leaving the woods and before entering thecorn. The same is true in reverse. As deer leave the cornen route to the timber, they will linger for long periodsof time in your strip plot, again allowing glassing orshooting opportunities. I used this technique inMinnesota a few years ago without actually even try-ing. I had a small hunting plot on a hilltop cul de sacbetween my oak woods and the neighboring farmer’scornfield, and the results were amazing. Not only didalmost every deer heading to or from the corn comethrough my Imperial Clover patch, but they generallyspent considerable time feeding there before continu-ing their trek to the destination. I arrowed two fat doesfrom a ladder stand in a small oak in the green field asthey fed slowly toward the corn, and nearly anchored atrophy 8-pointer from the same stand — a Pope &Young buck that only escaped the freezer and wallbecause he fed so slowly across the small ImperialClover field that I ran out of shooting light before hereached longbow range.

FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS

If you live in the Midwest like I do, you know that row-crop fields can be vast, and planting a strip plot andhunting the edge around a cornfield that is several hun-dred acres in size can be a losing proposition. Instead,plant your edge only where you have the best setup forhunting. Maybe you have a heavy stand of timber thatoffers preferred bedding cover and is adjacent to till-able land, or a wooded drainage that deer naturally useto access the local farm fields. These are perfect areasfor hunting the edge and planting your strip plots.Since I bow-hunt exclusively, I always consider prevail-ing wind directions for any potential setup, and thesefood plot edges are no different. Try and set up so thatthe wind is blowing parallel to the woods and rowcrops. That way, you can plan an ambush site up ordown wind of the most heavily used trail or trails pass-ing the location.


Hunting the EdgeCreating food plot strips adjacent to row-crop fieldsmight just be the hottest new management technique

for harvesting big whitetails.By Joe Blake

Ambushing bucks between standing corn and foodplots is a great way to hunt the edge.

Joe

Bla

ke


AD

Another good bet to sweeten the pot, if it’s legal in the state you hunt, is to estab-lish a mineral pit with 30-06 Plus Protein or Cutting Edge close to your ambush siteand adjacent to your strip plot. Even if your strips are small — and they should begenerally no more than 20 or 30 feet wide and less than 100 yards long — the deercan pretty much filter out of cover all along the strips.

Establish a well-maintained mineral pit, which will focus the whitetails on an exactspot where they will enter and exit your Hunting Edge and offer excellent shot oppor-tunities. I have always used Whitetail Institute’s 30-06 Plus Protein. Deer pound thisproduct to the point of excavating deep holes in the ground where I place my pits,and the size of local bucks’ antlers and the overall health of the deer herd in the areahave seen obvious improvements.

THE CROP-SAVING ADVANTAGE

One big plus to this strip food plot technique really has nothing to do with hunt-ing these edges. It can save crop damage for the farmer. As every hunter that hasever spent time chasing whitetails adjacent to crop fields knows, these fields take abeating wherever they meet cover. Generally, the first 10 to 30 rows will be virtuallydevoid of corn, beans, or whatever crop was planted there by the time harvest rollsaround, which is not only a source of frustration for farmers but a serious loss ofincome. By replacing those crop rows with a hunting strip plot, you are giving thedeer something they crave even before they reach their intended feeding destination.And if the herd’s bellies are already at least partially full, they are less apt to wipe outthe farmer’s crop, making this management strategy a win-win situation for everyone.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Now that you’ve decided to give hunting the edge a try, how do you get started?If you farm yourself this technique is a simple matter. Till and prepare your seedbedas usual, but don’t plant the areas you have chosen for your strip plots with your usualrow crops. Instead, take your soil samples, do the required testing to decide whichWhitetail Institute products will work best in your area, and then plant accordingly.These narrow hunting plots can be planted with whatever type of seeds you like, solong as the soil supports your attempts, and annuals or perennials are good bets. Ithink annuals are the best option because the adjacent ground is going to get workedup every year anyway, so redoing your strip plots annually is not a problem.

But what about most of us that don’t actually farm? Can we still benefit from thishunting plot strategy? You bet. In fact, talking the farmer who actually owns andworks the land you hunt into helping you with this technique is usually not a prob-lem. Explain the benefits you will experience to help you harvest more deer, and he'slikely to be on-board immediately.

If he needs a little more convincing, explain that this technique can actually helpalleviate crop damage and if it’s appropriate, point out that he seldom has any cropleft to harvest in these areas anyway. Finally, offer to provide compensation for time,effort and fuel to plant these hunting edges and for potential lost income, from los-ing 20 or 30 feet of crop field, and your landowners should be all for your strip-plotstrategy.

Whitetails have always been described as edge animals, and looking for and hunt-ing these beautiful and challenging critters where crop land meets wood land hasalways been productive. Creating a second edge will only make the situation better,so look over your hunting property or properties to see if you can’t figure out a wayto start hunting the edge next season. W

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Imight as well confess this upfront: I like shooting does. Forstarters, my family eats venison.

Lots of it. Second, I believeshooting antlerless deer —especially with my bow — keeps mesharp for those too-rareopportunities when a mature buckwanders into my wheelhouse.Perhaps most importantly, I respectdoes. Some of the sharpestsurvivalists I’ve hunted weren’ttoting antlers. I count every one asa trophy and cherish the harvest.

Finally, there’s this: I take my job as a deer managerseriously. Hunters sell this idea to the non-hunting pub-lic all the time. Not everyone believes us, especiallywhen we pass multiple opportunities to shoot does inour quest for a nice buck. And I know there have beenseasons when I’ve put off shooting does until my bucktag was punched, and then failed miserably when Ifinally got serious. I try not to fall into that trap any-more.

Given that background, I went into last fall’s huntwith an odd attitude. I was not going to kill a doe onany farm in my immediate area. No matter how emptymy freezer. Regardless of the size of the doe or theproximity of the shot. And my reason was as simple asit was difficult to accept; deer numbers were down inmy neighborhood, and they’d been that way for sever-al years. I’m no biologist, but I live where I hunt. I can —and do — keep an eye out for deer on a near-constantbasis year-round. I run trail cameras, I plant and main-tain food plots, and I scout and observe deer constant-


RethinkingDoe Harvest—Is the pendulumswinging?

By Scott Bestul Photos by Brad Herndon

ly. All that woods-time had convinced me that we justdidn’t have the whitetails that we had in the past.

So I focused my antlerless hunting on other areas,and let me tell you, it sure felt odd to have to travel toshoot a doe. But the extra effort and road time gaveme time to wrap my mind around a relatively novelconcept: Is it possible to overharvest does?

Where I live is some primo Midwestern deer ground.Abundant oak forests push up against corn and soy-bean fields that are some of the most productive in thenation. The soil is rich, our winters hard but relativelyshort. So the only explanation I could reach was thathunters — me included — had simply done our jobs toowell. Our state agency had asked us to knock the deerherd back, and we’d responded. Not just for a seasonor two, but for several. And the result was something Ionce didn’t think possible; a deer herd that was belowthe habitat’s capacity.

A RICH IRONY

But the more I thought things through, my surpriseweakened. Modern deer management is not a very oldscience, and for its first couple of decades, it largelyhad a simple goal: grow the herd. When I started hunt-ing in the 1970s, drawings were held for antlerless tags.Hunting regulations often focused pressure on bucksbecause they were, like rooster pheasants or tomturkeys, largely expendable. The population couldgrow with very few males present.

Then a strange and wonderful thing happened. Deerherds not only grew but boomed. The expansion was agood news/bad news affair. Hunters enjoyed fantastichunting, and deer sightings were commonplace. But

the downside was there, too. Whitetails started eatingcrops, running into cars and, in some cases, destroyedthe habitat that made them so abundant.

Suddenly, managers did an about-face and told usdoes were what we needed to kill. Bunches of them. Asmany as we could. “If you think you can kill too many,relax,” biologists chanted in unison. “Deer have incred-ible productivity. They will bounce back.” And ofcourse this advice was largely correct, especially sinceit took awhile to change the buck-only mentality manyhunters had adopted. An attitude, I might add, that wasinstilled by the deer managers — or their predecessors— themselves.

But hunters did change. As we’ve always done,sportsmen took up the challenge and did the rightthing. We took advantage of liberal antlerless tags andparticipated in special doe seasons and shot antlerlessdeer we wouldn’t normally shoot and donated themeat to food shelves. And of course, outdoor writerslike me spread the message and convinced others thatshooting does was akin to public service.

We have listened to little else than this advice for atleast the past 15 years. In many areas, it still holds true.Some hunters simply won’t shoot does, even if it ischeap and easy. In other spots and situations, theresimply aren’t enough hunters to keep deer numbersdown. Whenever those factors are present, the “shoot-all-you-can” mantra needs to be repeated again andagain.

But in more locales, the paradigm needs to be recon-sidered. The deer management pendulum — whichstarted on an extreme that protected bucks, and thenswung quickly to the other side of the curve — needsto be corrected. And it’s just not in my neighborhood.

After a disappointing season in which many hunterscomplained about low deer numbers, the WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources is re-evaluating itspopulation goals in many management units. At thiswriting, Montana is considering a no-doe season fornext fall.

So the answer to the, “Can we shoot too many does”question is, in my mind, a resounding “yes.” But thisanswer spawns even more questions, and for help onthose I turned to a hunter and friend I trust. MattHarper is a southern Iowa native with vast experiencemanaging deer across the country. He’s also a frequentcontributor to this and other magazines centered onwhitetail hunting and management.

DRAMATIC IMPACTS

Matt and I agreed that regulations designed to focushunting pressure on does can often have a dramaticimpact.

“We’ve had an antlerless-only rifle hunt in Iowa forthe last several seasons,” he said. “At first, not a lot ofhunters participated, but in the last couple of years, it’sbeen a very popular hunt. It comes at a time of year(mid-January) when most deer hunting is over, and it’spopular for that reason. Also, rifles are not allowed forother deer hunts (Iowa is a shotgun-only state) andguys enjoy using them for that hunt. Also, tags are rel-atively cheap. Finally, I’m convinced the economy hasput more guys into the field then. More people are laidoff and have extra time. Plus they need the meat. Iknow of one group of 20 guys in my area that killed 120deer during the last antlerless hunt.”

Harper stressed that hunters aren’t the only factor


SECRET SPOT is the only “personal” food plot planting. It’sdesigned to be planted in that small clearing in the middle of the woodswhere deer like to hang out. SECRET SPOT will attract and stop deerclose to your stand. It’s so easy to plant, and so effective, you’ll buy abag for every stand!

Each bag of SECRET SPOT contains all the seed you need to plant a3,000 sq. ft. food plot around your stand. It’s easy to plant and it growsquickly.

• Requires minimal effort; no tillage necessary (simply remove grass ordebris to expose soil, rake, broadcast seed and re-rake)

• Loaded with a pH booster for maximum growth• Plant late summer/early fall for a hunting season’s worth of attracting

and stopping deer close to your stand




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affecting deer populations in some areas. There havebeen severe outbreaks of EHD in many states inrecent years, and these disease outbreaks not onlyhave the potential to take out a lot of deer, they do soat a time of year (summer) when many state gameagencies have determined harvest goals for theupcoming hunt.

“In some areas, an EHD outbreak could thin a herdthat’s too dense to begin with,” Harper said. “But thedisease isn’t selective and can hit a population that’salready low. If you follow up an EHD episode with aheavy doe harvest, you’re only making the problemworse.”

Predators are another factor that, in my opinion,many state agencies discount as a factor. When mod-ern deer management began, the whitetail’s majorpredators were largely a non-issue. Bounties, trapping,poisoning and other unregulated harvest had virtuallyeliminated the wolves, coyotes and black bears thathistorically had preyed on whitetails. Many of thesepredators have made comebacks bordering on the dra-matic. I deer hunt frequently in northern Wisconsin. Ona recent May turkey hunt with a friend who’s a full-timelogger, Tom and I began inspecting bear scat whenev-er we encountered it — which was frequently. We werehard-pressed to find a pile of dung that didn’t havedeer hair in it. Research has proven that black bears area major predator of fawns, and that hunt sure proved itto me.

Now before you mistake me as someone whodetests predators and wishes them eliminated, nothingcould be further from the truth. I think they provide animportant role in nature, and respect them for theirhunting ability and desire to eat the same creatures

that I pursue. But I also believe this: 1) It's critical thatgame agencies acknowledge predator impact on deerpopulations, 2) hunters should be allowed to managepredator populations adequately and 3) hunter quotas— especially of does — be adjusted in areas wherepredators have a significant impact on deer.

ASSESSING THE SITUATION

So how do you know if the deer population is downin your area? That’s the tricky part, according toHarper.

“Perception and perspective is everything,” he said.“Some hunters get worried if they’re seeing less than adozen deer on the average afternoon sit. Another guyis perfectly content if he spots three or four. And thesame holds true with farmers. One wants to see everydeer shot off his farm. Another might be a deer hunterwho appreciates seeing some animals and can handlelosing some corn or soybeans.”

Harper stresses the need to spend time observingdeer, noting general population trends, as well as howand when deer use a particular property.

“Casual hunters have a hard time making accuratejudgments about deer numbers, mainly because theydon’t spend enough time on the land,” he said.“Nothing beats being able to observe deer on a regu-lar basis. Trail cameras are another good way to get asense of how many deer use a property and the basicsex ratio. And it’s important to note that deer may usea property in response to available food sources. Anoak-heavy farm will be loaded with deer in a goodacorn year, yet have a fraction of that during a poorcrop.”

SEASONAL CHANGES ARE ALSOIMPORTANT TO TRACK.

“One of the classic mistakes is to judge a deer herdfocused on a winter food source,” Harper said. “Youmay see 40 deer packed into a stubble bean field orfood plot and think, ‘Man, there are a ton of deer here.’But drive around the neighborhood, and you may notsee an animal for miles. Once winter breaks, those 40deer are going to leave that food source and disperseacross a broad area. Suddenly that one farm with tonsof deer only has a handful.”

FACTORING A HARVEST

So what is an appropriate antlerless harvest for agiven property? As you might suspect, there are noeasy answers, especially with the many variables thatwe’ve already discussed. But to get me thinking,Harper offered a glimpse at two properties he hunts.Each is unique in terms of habitat, deer numbers/useand hunting pressure, a situation that forces Matt toapproach doe harvest very differently on each proper-ty.

“I hunt a place owned by my grandparents,” he said.“It’s a 240-acre farm that’s a mix of woods and cropfields. In a normal year there’ll be 20 to 25 deer that usethat property on a fairly consistent basis. About half ofthese will be antlerless deer; the majority are does thatare 1-1/2-years old, a few older does, and the rest thisyear’s fawns. The hunting pressure in the area haschanged dramatically in recent years; there are nowvery few drives; most people stand hunt and are fairly


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selective on what they shoot. “On that place I’d be hesitant to kill more than four

does in a fall. Some guys would think, ‘Well, that’s bare-

ly keeping up with reproduction.’ But it’s important torealize that I’m not the only thing that kills deer. Otherhunters will tag a few. Cars will get a couple. Coyotes

are plentiful. And then there are those stupid little acci-dents that can kill a deer. You add a deer or two in foreach of those categories, and suddenly you’ve knockeda population of 20 does back pretty hard.”

“The second farm is one that I own. It’s only 80 acres,but the habitat is good. In the winter, I can watch myfood plots there and it’s common to see dozens of deerpiled in and eating heavily. So with that kind of popu-lation, it would be tempting to think I could really layinto them. But there are other factors to consider. Thehunting pressure in that immediate area is intense;many deer are killed during the shotgun and lateantlerless rifle season. Knowing the population isalready going to get pared down dramatically, andrealizing that, come spring, the deer I see will disperseacross a broad area, I’d never shoot more than twodoes on that place. And some seasons, I may not evenshoot one.”

CONCLUSION

Becoming a good deer manager is an inexact sci-ence. Perhaps more important, being a good deermanager can never be defined too broadly. For manyyears, we’ve been told — generically or specifically —that killing too many does was nearly impossible. But insome situations that’s simply not true. Even in areaswhere whitetails are abundant, they still must be man-aged with intelligence and care. Hunters are responsi-ble for keeping deer numbers at a level that’s in tunewith the habitat and socially acceptable to our neigh-bors. But we should never forget that, in some cases “intune” might mean more deer — and socially acceptablecan also mean “acceptable to hunters.” W


Shooting does is a great way for theyouth to get valuable hunting experience.

FALL PLANT ING DATES

for Imperial Whitetail® Winter-Greens™ and Tall Tine Tubers™



� July1 - August 1*

� Coastal: Aug 15 - Sept 30Southern Piedmont: Aug 1 - Sept 15Mountain Valleys: July 15 - Sept 15

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� North: Sept 5 - Oct 30Central: Sept 15 - Nov 15South: Sept 25 - Nov 15

� Coastal: Sept 1 - Oct 1Piedmont: Aug 15 - Sept 20Mountain Valleys: Aug 5 - Sept 15

� North: Sept 15 - Nov 15Central: Sept 25 - Nov 15South: Oct 5 - Nov 30

� July 15 - Sept 1

� Aug1 - Sept 30

When I think of hunting, a feeling washes over methat is hard to describe. I think it might be the memo-ry of past generations of hunters welling up in my souland the knowledge that it is only right that we pursuegame for the table to feed our families and to store upfood for the long cold winter months. Even thoughtoday there is no absolute need to harvest meat forthe table, we as human beings — and hunters — stillhave the drive to pit our ability as hunters againstthose of our prey. As in times past when the need to put food on the

table to survive was the norm, there were those that


Why I Hunt By Art SmithPhoto by Tes Randle Jolly

When asked why I hunt, many thoughts come to

mind. The question, which I ask myself many

times while in the solitude of the woods, is

easy for me to answer. Yet, to put the words down on paper

that will convey the deep feelings I have about hunting will

not be easy.

excelled in the pursuit of game and those that werebetter suited to gather crops or build shelter. I findmyself in the company of the former and am proud tosay so.For more than 40 years, I have looked forward to the

hunt with such chest-tightening anticipation that attimes I thought I was going to bust. The sleeplessnights before the opener are delicious times to remem-ber and look forward to. The gathering of the huntersin camp early in the morning before the hunt are someof the fondest memories of my outdoor experience.The solitude of the wilderness with all of its glory is oneof the things that no regular job or vacation can evencome close to duplicating. Pitting my skills as a hunteragainst that of the animal I am hunting and succeedingin taking him with a clean, well-placed shot fulfills thedesire of the hunter that lies just below the surface ofmy daily life. The company of like-minded people incamp in the mornings and evening after the hunt isanother thing that puts such a desire in my heart forhunting. Nowhere else can people connect on a level that is

the norm in hunting camp. The help one receives fromother hunters about how to hunt and the knowledgethat is passed on in hunting camps across the world areamazing. Hunters are eager to share what they havelearned and have a need to share this knowledge withothers, especially the younger generations.Nonetheless, the reasons why I hunt have changed

much over the past 40 years. I remember the earlydays of my hunting when the killing of game for brag-ging rights was high on the list of priorities. When wewere children, just getting a look at a whitetail duringdeer season was something that we talked about in

school for weeks, and the few boys that actually got ashot at a deer really made a buzz in the locker andlunch room. Then one year, an acquaintance actuallykilled a legal buck, and when we gathered in his garageto admire his hanging trophy, all I could think of wasthat it really was possible to shoot a buck in the farmlands of my boyhood. I hunted all through my teenyears without a shot at a buck. In fact, I did not shoota buck until I was in my late 20s. But every year I wasout there in pursuit of the whitetail. After the first buckwas taken, it seems that the next 25 or so were mucheasier. The fact is that nowadays I’m not into the killingof game as much as the pursuit of it.These days I look forward to passing on the heritage

of hunting to the next generation. When we gather forbreakfast on opening morning and I see the look ofexcitement in the eyes of the young hunters at thetable, memories of my own younger days flood overme to the point that I want to freeze the moment andlive it forever. But of course that is not possible. I fill theboys up with a good breakfast and send them on theirway into the woods and cornfields nearby. Then I makethe long hike back to my blind to wait for the sun tocome up over the familiar horizon and hope I hear thesound of one of the boy’s guns. Sometimes that’s whatI hear, and when I do, I think that my heart will beatright out of my chest knowing what they are feeling.Yes, I know what they are feeling in that space andtime, for they have the heart of a hunter beating in theirchest like I do. Lately I have had the opportunity to go on several

out-of-state big-game hunts with outfitters. What a joyto look forward to a trip with family and friends tosome unknown area and hunt big game that I have

read about all my life. The wilderness camps and horse-back pack trains are the stuff of memories, and the tak-ing of a large moose, caribou, elk, bear or antelope issomething you don’t soon forget. Yes, the hunts havesure changed the past 40 years, but in many ways theyhaven’t changed at all. In this life we are given, we mustchange with its ebb and flow. Forty years ago as a boyon the farm in Michigan, if you had told me I was goingto hunt moose in Alberta or elk in Idaho, I would havesaid you were crazy; but that is what I have had thegood fortune to do.Why I hunt. What a question to ask a hunter! Even

now I feel the tightness in my chest just thinking of howfortunate we are as hunters to be able to go afield andpursue game in the most free and greatest nation inthe world. How fortunate we are that others thought ofus 100 years ago and passed laws that made huntingavailable to us today. I think of Teddy Roosevelt as onewho saw the future and had the courage to stand upand do what was right on behalf of future generationsof hunters. We owe him and others like him a hugeamount of gratitude for what they have done.Now we must step up to the plate and make sure

that we protect and manage our hunting heritage topass on to the next generation of hunters and even thegenerations not born yet. Then they too can experiencethe sleepless night before the opener and the cama-raderie of hunting camp.We must be on guard against those that would take

that experience away from the following generations.We need to be able to ask our grandchildren and theirgrandchildren the same question you have asked usand have them answer that question in their ownwords: Why do you hunt? W


SOIL TEST KITSWhitetail Institute

Soil testing is one of the most important things you cando to ensure the success of your plantings — of anykind. The Institute is pleased to now provide soil test kits andresults for all Imperial products or any other type seeds. (Com-plete instructions and all related information will come with kits.) Testresults include pH, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Fertilizer and limerecommendations for maximum performance from your plantings will be provided.The average turnaround time is 24-48 hours after our lab receives the sample.

The charge for the kit and results is $9.95. If ordered alone, add $2.50 shippingand handling for unlimited number of kits. If ordered with other Imperial productsthere is no shipping charge.Please send ______ soil test kits at $9.95 each. Add $2.50 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: : �� Check or Money Order enclosedCharge to: �� MasterCard �� Visa �� DiscoverCredit Card # _______________________________________ Exp. Date __________Signature _____________________________________________________________

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A SK B IG JONBy Jon Cooner, Institute Director of Special Projects

Common Questions — Straightforward Answers

Q:My hunting property in Pennsylvania is verythick. We lease, so we can’t clear timber. Thegood thing is that since we control our activity, mostof the land is sanctuary, so we keep mature bucks onthe property. The bad thing, though, is that we onlyhave room for two small plots, which we plant inImperial No-Plow and Secret Spot. We have 30-06 outin 2-3 spots as well and we’re thinking perhaps weneed to increase our availability of protein to supple-ment the diets of the 8-10 deer we see on our proper-ty regularly (three trail cameras). We need to find away to deliver more supplemental nutrition. How doyou suggest we do that, given our very small areas forplanting plots?

A:It looks like you’re already doing a great job in sup-plementing both forages and minerals, especiallygiven the restrictions on available land to plant. To goeven farther, I’d suggest that you consider our CuttingEdge line of nutritional supplements. Cutting Edge is a three-part series of nutritional sup-

plements that goes beyond traditional mineral/vitamin

supplements and is a wholly new concept as far as nutri-tional supplements go. Cutting Edge has been on themarket for several years now, and it is doing extremelywell. In developing Cutting Edge, we broke down adeer’s annual nutritional-needs cycle into three sections,and we developed a stage of Cutting Edge for each part. Cutting Edge Optimize covers the 200-day antler-

growing period of spring and summer. Most parts ofNorth America lack essential nutrients required for opti-mal antler development. Optimize supplements thedeer’s natural diet with minerals, vitamins and 16% per-cent protein — all nutrients that contribute to antlergrowth. Remember that it is also during the same 200-day antler growth period that does are in their thirdtrimester of pregnancy and, later, are producing milk fortheir fawns. Optimize is formulated with these in mindtoo. Continue providing Optimize throughout the sum-mer months.Once fall arrives, switch to Cutting Edge Sustain,

which is formulated to help bucks get through the rigorsof the rut. Like the other stages of Cutting Edge, Sustainalso benefits the whole herd during the coldest months

of winter. Sustain is formulated not only to include highlevels of protein, but also generous amounts of carbo-hydrates, which are critical if deer are to maintain bodyweight and health during the cold months of the year.Maintaining body weight can reduce the time it takesfor deer to recover from the stresses of winter and therut and help them get to the business of devoting morenutrients to antler growth earlier the following spring.Cutting Edge Initiate covers the comparatively brief

period between late winter and early spring (fromaround the first of February until green-up starts). Thiscovers them until the emergence of new, green vegeta-tion when you’ll switch back again to Optimize.Cutting Edge can be used straight on the ground or

in covered trough feeders. You also stretch CuttingEdge by mixing 17 pounds of Cutting Edge Sustain orInitiate with up to 100 pounds of corn, and 17 pounds ofCutting Edge Optimize with up to 100 pounds of cornor soybeans. That will stretch your Cutting Edge andmake it even more cost effective for you to provide yourdeer with the best in nutritional supplementation. W

Deer have complex nutritional needs that change throughout the year. But because CuttingEdge meets these changing needs, it is not complex at all — in fact it’s very simple. Thanksto our extensive research and development, getting the right supplements to your deer herdat the right time is as easy as opening a bag and creating a ground site or mixing with otherfeed such as corn or beans. Devour flavor enhancer is included in the Cutting Edge formula tomake sure the deer find and frequently use this state-of-the-art supplement.

The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail | Pintlala, AL 36043



Late winter to mid-spring — When bucks are regrowing theirantlers and doe are entering the thirdtrimester of pregnancy, Initiatemeets their increased need forprotein, energy, minerals andvitamins that early spring vegetationis not yet able to provide.

Late spring through summer —During this period deer need aspecific array of vitamins andminerals to support continued antlergrowth and lactation. Optimize is theperfect blend of nutrients tomaintain a healthy herd during thiscrucial period.

Fall through early winter — Cold weather, food shortages andthe stresses of he rut make fall andwinter a difficult time for deerheards. Sustain provides theprotein, energy, vitamins andminerals necessary to bring the herdthrough this difficult period.

Cutting Edge products are greatdeer attractants and some statesdon’t allow their use. Check your

local game laws before usingCutting Edge products.

WisconsinHunting ‘Geek’

ShootsMonster Buck

By Dustin McAloonPhoto by the Author

My name is Dustin McAloon, and I am a deergeek. It started innocently but turned into adaily obsession. Of course, I am not to blame.

It’s always someone else’s fault, and in this case, Iblame my dad. My dad blamed his job, during which heoversaw Deer & Deer Hunting magazine and launchedDeer & Deer Hunting TV. We had to live and breathedeer and deer hunting. But forget the blame. We are deer geeks, and we're

OK with that. Deer hunting is a year-round event forme. Honestly, not a day passes without hunting, scout-ing, planting, planning or researching deer-relatedinformation, and I looked forward to the most recentarchery season with more anticipation than any previ-ous year. Why so much anticipation? I hadn't been ableto hunt the previous year; we had more food plots onour land then ever before; and our trail camera photoswere amazing.

THE PREVIOUS YEAR

My hunting wasn't curtailed because of an injury,family tragedy or anything serious. I had accepted ascholarship to play football in Missouri. I knew beingseven hours from home would prevent me from hunt-ing my home state, but I didn’t realize the time com-mitment college football and studies would require. Myroommate had land in Pike County, Ill., and I wasn’teven able to sneak away and hunt there. I wouldn’ttrade the experience for anything but a 200-inchwhitetail at 20 yards, but I'm sure glad to be back inWisconsin playing football within an hour’s drive of myhome.

FOOD PLOTS

I was home for the entire summer, and we had a newdiesel tractor. We created a real smorgasbord—the ulti-mate all-you-can-eat deer buffet. We live on a unique40-acre property. It's actually back-to-back 20-acreparcels that translate into a piece that's 220 yards wideand 880 yards (a half-mile) long. The entire northernline is a beautiful oak ridge bordered by a five-year-oldclear-cut. It slopes down to a valley, allowing for about17 acres of food plots. In previous years, we planted about five acres of

food plots. We always had our staple plots of ImperialWhitetail Clover and experimented with numerousother products. How does this sound for a deer buffet?We had three Imperial Whitetail Clover plots, twoWhitetail Institute Pure Attraction plots, two WhitetailInstitute Winter-Greens plots, two plots with cereal

grains and eight acres of corn and soybeans. This yearwe had 17 acres of food planted for deer, and don’t for-get that the remaining 23 acres are littered with whiteoaks, which had lots of acorns last year.

TRAIL CAMERA PHOTOS

A picture is worth a thousand words. Despite anextremely dry summer in Wisconsin, all our plots didwell. With so much food, where do you decide to huntopening night? Because of the layout of our property,we don't hunt mornings until the rut. We examined our trail camera pictures to see what

bucks were eating, Imperial Whitetail Clover was theanswer. As mentioned, we've had Imperial WhitetailClover planted for the past 10 years. We have alsoexperimented with everything imaginable for deer for-age, and before the hard freeze, deer prefer ImperialClover above anything else — BAR NONE! The choiceof what forage to hunt was a no-brainer, but we had todecide which Imperial Plot and which stand to use. Wehave three Imperial plots, and there are seven standson those plots, most of which are positioned for thenorth to northwest winds that are prevalent in our area.We can’t hunt south winds, and I would have died ifthere had been a south wind opening afternoon. That's where the trail cameras have become such a

benefit to bow-hunters. We have seven trail cameras onour plots. Early in the year, they are positioned on the

edges of food plots for two reasons. We see what plotsare being used and where deer are entering them. Also,we can easily check them during midday without dis-turbing deer travel routes or bedding areas. My dad and I debated the correct stand. I wanted to

hunt a stand where the deer enter the plot; he sug-gested a stand on the back side of the plot where deerwould have to feed toward us. Because it was my huntand he was filming for DDH TV, he let me choose. Ipicked a stand where the deer come off our ridge toenter the Imperial plot. This stand can be tricky early inthe season because of heavy foliage. The deer will beeye-to-eye with you as they head down the steepridge. Being still and scent-free are essential yet com-plicated with two people in the tree. I was lucky that wehad a bye week for football, which let me hunt openingafternoon. However, it was the only night I could hunt,as we had to be back for meetings Sunday afternoon.It was unseasonably warm for mid-September — in the80s — and I feared the deer would not move. We hadtrail camera pictures of deer in the food plots as earlyas 5 p.m., so we were on stand by 4 p.m. and settled infor a four-hour sit. Nothing. It looked like the warmtemperatures would win. My stand was positioned toface the food plot, and the camera was set to face upthe ridge, so my dad served as my eyes. Finally, I heardhim say a deer was coming, and a doe and fawn sprint-ed into the food plot. There was maybe a half-hour oflight left. Then my dad whispered, “Buck coming.” I twisted my head toward the ridge to see a nice 3-

year-old 8-pointer heading down the trail. Then dad said, “Big buck coming behind him.” I saw antlers and repositioned my body to face the

food plot for a shot. When I turned, I saw four otherbucks entering the food plot on a trail only 35 yardsaway. They were all 2-year-olds — no shooters. I wouldhave to wait for the big buck to pass under my standand enter the food plot before I could shoot. The minutes seemed like hours. Where was the big

buck? Facing the food plot, I had no idea where he was.The 8-pointer he was traveling with had entered theplot and was feeding with the four other bucks in frontof me. Little did I know the big buck had cut off themain trail and had been standing right under us. Finally,I caught movement as he started to move from underus into the food plot. "OK, be calm, pick a spot," I thought. The big buck bolted and rammed one of the 2-year-

olds less then 15 yards from me. They locked antlers,and the big buck drove the smaller deer into theground, twisted him around and pushed him 40 yardsout of the plot until the smaller deer turned and ranaway. "Don’t tell me he isn’t going to come back intobow range," I thought. The big buck stood in the plotfor about five minutes, almost to tell the smaller buck,“Don’t even think about coming back into my foodplot.” But the urge for a little Imperial Clover snackmust have been too much for him, as he turned andheaded back toward my stand. He fed to within 20yards of us. The shot was easy and, thankfully, perfect. The Rage

broadhead made sure the buck never made it out ofthe food plot. I had killed a 140-inch Pope & Youngbuck. I am a deer geek, and I'm also very blessed. I want to

thank everyone who has supported me and madehunting such a special part of my life. Having theopportunity to shoot a deer like that is special, anddoing it with my dad filming over my shoulder waspriceless. W


Dustin McAloon, seen here with his father, Hugh,shot this 140-inch monster on opening day of

last year’s Wisconsin archery season.


Create QualityFood Plots in theBig WoodsQuality food plots in thebig woods can transform a property into a deer hunting utopia.By Michael Veine





• “CHIC” MAGNET is specially formulated for deer• “CHIC” MAGNET is more palatable to whitetails than chicories traditionally

planted for whitetails• “CHIC” MAGNET provides truly incredible protein levels – up to 44%!• “CHIC” MAGNET can be planted in the spring or fall in most areas• “CHIC” MAGNET provides deer with a highly

attractive and nutritious food source evenduring the heat and low rainfall of latesummer and early fall.“CHIC” MAGNET can last up to three yearswith a single planting

• “CHIC” MAGNET can tolerate a broad varietyof soil types, from moist to moderatelydrained

• “CHIC” MAGNET can be planted alone,overseeded into existing forages to provideadditional attraction and drought resistance ormixed with other seeds prior to planting.

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Quality food plots will always improve a

property’s deer hunting opportunties.

They also improve the well-being of

the deer along with providing other benefits for

wildlife too. There’s no denying, however, that

food plots will have differing impacts depend-

ing on the property’s characteristics, the sur-

rounding lands and the food plot particulars.

Food plots obviously have the most impressive

impact where food sources for the deer are

somewhat lacking. For instance, food plots

installed in prime agricultural areas work great

but will likely not have the same dramatic

impact as ones located in areas where no crops

are available, like big woods regions. Done

right, quality food plots in the big woods can

transform a property into a deer hunting utopia.

As I write this story, Michigan’s whitetail rut is peak-ing big time. I have a well-maintained Imperial WhitetailClover food plot in my rural backyard in southernMichigan. Yesterday I spotted a huge 12-pointer in themiddle of the lush clover with a hot doe nearby. Todaywhile eating lunch, I got to witness a Pope & Youngclass 8-point actually breed a doe near that same plot.Most outdoor writers are ultra-avid deer hunters thatspend little time writing at this time of the year, and I’mno exception.The rut is exploding, and here I am behind my com-

puter during prime hunting time. What gives?There is some irony here. I have an assignment to

write this article on big woods food plots. Due in largepart to the food plots on my remote Upper Peninsulahunting property, my two Michigan buck tags wereused up a month ago. This fall, writing an article duringthe rut is no problem whatsoever. My Upper Peninsula property consists of 160 acres of

remote forest land that I bought in 1995. About half theproperty was clear-cut in 1996, and the balance con-sists mostly of wetlands with a few high spots here andthere. As the crow flies, it’s about four miles to thenearest farm, so “my” deer live their whole lives in a bigwoods environment where quality food sources arescarce. Ten years ago, I installed my first food plots on that

property. Since then, I’ve expanded those plots everyyear and now have 10 food plots. My centerpiece is afive-acre plot I call “the Big Field,” which is centrallylocated on the property. All the other food plots satel-lite the Big Field at strategic locations. The Big Field israrely hunted. However, the small plots are all meticu-lously setup for optimal deer slaying opportunities.

On opening day of Michigan’s archery deer season Ihunted a stand I call “The Box.” I named the stand aftera scene in the classic movie Cool Hand Lukewhere PaulNewman is punished by the warden and put in The Box.That ground blind reminded me of that movie scene asthe temperature climbs to sweltering degrees when thesun is out; then it plummets when shade envelopes theblind. It was still sweltering inside The Box when I spot-ted a big-bodied deer approaching the food plot fromthe west. He wore a dandy 8-point rack. Just before Icould draw my bow for the shot, he turned around andwalked off to the same direction he had come from. Noshot, but still quite the thrill. The wind did a 180 overnight, so the next evening I

was hunting a similar setup on the other side of theproperty that’s perfect for north or east winds. Thatstand is a pit blind that I call “The Hole.” The blind over-looks a small food plot and mineral site where I've beenplacing 30-06 Mineral Plus Protein for many years. Theplot is planted in Imperial Whitetail Clover. It pouredrain all morning, so I skipped that hunt, but headed outto The Hole at 1 p.m. It was still spitting rain an hour intomy sit when I noticed a nice buck heading toward thefood plot from the east. Judging from his sagging belly and large body size,

he was obviously an older deer. His rack clearly showedthree points per side on the tops. I’m not an overlypicky deer hunter. I simply target bucks that are at leastthree years old and pass up the younger ones. In theU.P. though, there is an antler restriction law in place. Acombination license comes with two tags and entitlesa hunter to take two bucks. The “unrestricted tag” canbe used on a buck with a minimum of three points (oneinch long) on one antler. The restricted tag can only be

used on deer with at least four points on one antler. As soon as he lowered his head to feed, I drew my

new bow and sent an arrow injection into his lungs. Atthe shot, the buck whirled around, tripped over astump, regained his footing and then trotted off about50 yards before piling up just out of sight. He turnedout to be a 3-1/2-year-old (aged by a biologist) 7-pointer that dressed out at 174 pounds minus the ten-derloins.A week later the winds turned to the south, which is

perfect for hunting a stand I call “The Den.” I oncefound a bear hibernating on that ridge, thus the name.The Den is in a saddle between two ridges with abeaver pond flanking the setup, forming the ultimatenatural funnel setup. I spiced the spot up with a foodplot (Imperial No Plow), mineral lick (30-06 PlusProtein) and a water hole that I dug by hand. We’vemanaged to kill 10 bucks from that stand, but besidesthe extreme rate of success there, it’s also just a beau-tiful spot to sit and watch nature. The fall colorsexplode around that stand. It’s my favorite place tohunt. It was noon when I finally settled into the stand. Ididn’t have much time to enjoy the scenery though.Exactly eight minutes later, I heard the faint sound offoot falls in the distance. The sound grew louder as apair of approaching deer sauntered into view. The leaddeer was a dark-colored brute with a big body anddecent-sized, chocolate-colored rack. The trailing deerwas also a buck, but it appeared to be a yearling, so assoon as the lead buck cleared a big cedar tree, I cameto full draw and put a perfect shot on him. From my 30-foot tree stand, the shot entered high in the chest andexited out the front leg. He bolted off with that typical tail-flopping scramble


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of a fatally hit deer. I heard him crash within five sec-onds and was weighing him back at camp by 2 p.m. Hetipped the scales at 178 pounds dressed. That buck alsocarried seven points and was aged by a biologist at 31/2 years old, too. I started planting food plots on my U.P. property in

the late 1990s, but it wasn’t until I met a U.P. consultanta few years later that I really got serious about my foodplot efforts. He showed me the unreal impact that bigwoods food plots can have on deer when done cor-rectly. He bought a small, remote piece of U.P. huntingland in an area where deer densities were very low (fivedeer per square mile). Due mainly to an intense foodplot project, he transformed that property into a deerhunting nirvana. When he first bought the property, heonly saw one small buck there during the entire firsthunting season. Now he regularly has a dozen adultbucks frequenting the property and manages to har-vest some impressive bucks there every year. When he first bought it, the land was completely

forested. He carved out seven acres of food plots fromthe dense woods. Some of the plots were created byhiring a pro with a bulldozer; he was able to clear someof the sites himself though, using his small tractorequipped with a front loader. He has one larger plotthat is very irregularly shaped and centrally located onhis land. He also has several smaller plots in otherstrategic locations. He plants most of his access roadsand trails into food plots too, which really increases thetotal acreage of forage available to the deer. Afterclearing the sites, he had soil tests done and deter-mined that all of his plots needed lots of lime to raisethe pH. Often, forestlands will be very acidic and limingneeds to be factored (and budgeted) into the food plot


The powerful appeal of Magnet Mix is now available in a handy,4-part block. Just break apart the block and place the sectionswherever you want the deer to gather. In addition to beingenormously attractive to deer, the formula in the 4-Play blockcontains a combination of essential vitamins and minerals. Fourtimes the attraction in the block; four times the deer activity onyour property.BBeeccaauussee ooff tthhee MMaaggnneett MMiixx lliinnee’’ss iinnccrreeddiibblleeaattttrraaccttiivveenneessss,, ssoommee ssttaatteess mmaayy ccoonnssiiddeerr iittbbaaiitt.. RReemmeemmbbeerr ttoo cchheecckk yyoouurr llooccaall ggaammeellaawwss bbeeffoorree hhuunnttiinngg oovveerr MMaaggnneett MMiixxpprroodduuccttss..

TThhee WWhhiitteettaaiill IInnssttiittuuttee239 Whitetail TrailPintlala, AL 36043

880000--668888--33003300whitetailinstitute.com


SOUND ADVICE FOR BIG WOODS

FOOD PLOTSPlan the locations of your plots carefully. It pays to perform soil tests dur-

ing the food plot site selection process. If you are debating between twosites for a food plot and one spot has better pH or other key soil attributes,you could save yourself a lot of time and money in the future with an edu-cated decision. It’s also critical that access routes to and from food plots beplanned in such a way that they do not disturb key spots on your property,especially other food plots. Good access throughout a property is very valu-able indeed. When planning a large food plot, make sure that the plot isaccessible by a semi-style truck. Bulk lime trucked into a property will saveyou a lot of money compared to having to buy bagged lime. Most larger bigwoods food plots will require the site to be cleared. You can turn a good food plot into a great one by strategically pushing

the debris to key locations when clearing a site. Planned properly, funnelscan be created to focus the deers’ movements through key ambush loca-tions. There are two main choices when it comes to clearing food plots: Hire a

professional with a bulldozer to clear the plots or do it yourself. I’ve done itboth ways. If you hire someone, make sure to ask for references from pastfood plot clients of the excavator and call them. I’ve had problems in thepast with excavators not showing up when they were supposed to, trying toover-bill me or otherwise not being very professional. You are better off hir-ing an excavator that is located close to the property as they usually chargeextra for the distance that they must move the equipment. It also pays toknow how much they charge per hour and what type of dozer they have.You will often be much better off hiring an excavator with a bigger dozer ifyou’ll need to move large trees or green stumps. Excavators typicallycharge more per hour for larger equipment though, so shop carefully. I’ve also rented equipment with good success. In my area I can rent heavy

equipment by the day or week. I found though that the cost of having heavyequipment delivered (and picked up) makes hiring an excavator for smalljobs much more cost effective than renting. You can also manually clear aplot. I know of a couple people who had great results clearing plots with atractor equipped with a bucket. It just takes time and perseverance. Most of my big woods food plots were installed with just hand tools and

are managed with no-till practices. These types of plots are super effec-tive. I have no-till plots with lush patches of Imperial Whitetail Clover andI also have no-till plots that I seed with annuals such as Imperial No-Plowand Secret Spot, which are designed for and are perfect for those types ofapplications. W


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planning strategy. A few years ago, after a bird-hunting outing with him, he took me on a tour of his

property. We carefully snuck around the property and changed the SD cards in sev-eral of his motion-activated cameras located on the food plots. We even snuck up ona nice two-year-old buck feeding nonchalantly in one of his food plots. The deernever knew we were there. He designed access routes to all his hunting locations sohe can quietly sneak into those areas without spooking deer. There were scrapes and rubs all over the place, but the real eye-opener was back

at his house on his computer. He had recent digital game camera images of about 10adult bucks, and some were real eye-poppers indeed. He inspired me to continue improving my property for deer and other wildlife.

Every year I add new plots, improve existing ones and otherwise better the habitatand hunting experiences on my property. When I first bought my property, the quan-tity and quality of the deer on my land was poor. Nowadays, I enjoy outstanding hunt-ing and have managed to harvest adult bucks every year there for the past 10 years.The enjoyment of my hunts has increased exponentially with the investments I’vemade as well. My big woods property has been transformed into a deer hunting paradise. W


IMPERIAL NO-PLOW™ YOU SAVE $49.05Suggested Retail: $149.00 (50 lbs. - 3 Acre Planting)

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Aubree Lewis — AlabamaI shot my first

deer this pastNovember at CedarRidge Hunting Clubin Lowndes County,Ala. I saw one otherbuck the daybefore but he cameup behind me and Ihad no shot. Mydad and I had beenthere about an hourwhen two buckscame into the No-Plow green field.One was 4- or 5-point and the otherwas 7-point buck.

My dad couldn’t see either deer but I could so Iraised my muzzleloader and aimed at the 7-point. Aftera few seconds the buck turned broadside and I tookmy shot. I asked my dad “Did I get him?” He said,“Reload your gun and let’s go look.” He had run about50 yards into the pines but we found him after follow-ing the blood trail. It was a 7-point buck that weighedaround 140 pounds. I am a 17-year-old girl and that isthe story of how I shot my first buck.

Cameron Vanderzeyde — IndianaThis was a day I

will never forget, Iam still really excit-ed about the suc-cess of my firstdeer hunt. I am 10years old and I har-vested an impres-sive 10-point buckthat weighed morethan 200 pounds.Dad has beengreat; he alwaystook time to takeme hunting withhim. Now I am actually involved in the hunt myself. I real-

ly appreciate all the fine products Whitetail Institutemakes available for our deer management programs.The results of what can happen when our deer get theproper nutrition are obvious in the pictures of me andmy monster buck. I am looking forward to next year tosee if I can top this year’s trophy.

Scott Johnston — MichiganI own a square 10 acre parcel of land in lower

Northern Michigan. It is all mature Maple, Basswood

and Beech-nut. Last fall Ihad it selectcut to openthe canopyand getsome under-g r o w t hg r o w i n g .Prior to thecut I wouldoccasionallysee a deer ortwo cuttingthrough hereg o i n g

“somewhere”. I decided that I would also plant a foodplot where the landing was made for loading the trees.I called the Whitetail Institute and explained that, hereI only have about 2” of topsoil and then it goes rightinto yellow sand. Alfa-Rack Plus and Extreme was rec-ommended. I couldn’t be happier. We were blessedwith just the right rain this year and the plot came ingreat. I had knee high growth. The main reason I want-ed this plot was to draw deer into it for my 13 year olddaughter’s first deer. Last year before the plot wasplanted, she sat with me five times. Some day’s wereo.k. but most just cold! She didn’t last long, we neversaw a deer. This year after the plot was in, she got her1st deer. 30 minutes into the opener of the youth sea-son, a 3 point stepped out to feed and she made a per-fect shot. I have included her picture. Thanks WhitetailInstitute for your great products.

Matt and Skylar Claar — OhioWe started using

Imperial WhitetailClover food plotslast year. Here aretwo pictures of thebucks killed on thatsame plot. Mine, aten point, was takenon Nov. 9. My 9-year-old daughter, Skylar,

took her very firstbuck, a 7-point,on the very nextday. I give creditto Imperial White-tail Clover in help-ing to harvest

these two animals. Keep up the good work WhitetailInstitute and thanks.

Vince Vena — PennsylvaniaWe first planted Imperial Whitetail Clover ten years

ago. This stuff is great! Imperial Clover is pre-inoculat-ed, easy to plant and cold tolerant. It’s the first thinggreen in the spring. The kids love hunting over it — forturkey and deer.

Timothy O’Brian — TennesseeHere’s a photo of my 7-year-old son, John’s first

buck. He killed it in a field of Imperial No-Plow. Thedrought was bad this summer, but one good rainbrought the No-Plow on strong. Thanks for a greatopening day juvenile hunt! W

Photos and stories submitted for First Deer… A True NikonMoment will be entered into a random drawing to win a qual-ity product from Nikon. Drawings will be held at the mailing ofeach of the three issues of Whitetail News. Winners will beannounced in the next issue after each drawing. Send your firstdeer photos and stories to: Whitetail News, Att: First Deer,239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043.

www.nikonhunting.com


Imperial Whitetail Clover changed deer nutrition forever. Now after years of painstakingresearch, the Whitetail Institute has added newly 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 optimalnutrition throughout the year for the entire herd. Whether your deer are producing and feedingtheir young or building antlers, Imperial Whitetail Clover provides them with the nutrients theyneed to do it well.

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

Since its introduction in 1988,Imperial Whitetail Clover has becomethe standard by which other food plotproducts are judged.

FREE Trial O�er! O�er 1 — only $9.95(shipping and handling)FREE all new DVD; FREE N0-Plow™


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“Deer Nutrition Is All We Do!” Research = ResultsThe Whitetail Institute — 239 Whitetail Trail • Pintlala, AL 36043

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Cam systemsecurely locksquiver in place

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Universal designFits left or right handed bows

The new IQTM Bowsight’s revolutionary Retina LockTM Alignment Technology will dramatically extend your effective range!Most bowhunters are confident shooting at shorter ranges. But, get out to 40 yards or beyond and they lack consistency. This is because of mis-alignment due to bow torque or inconsistent anchor. It doesn’t take much. A 1/4” translates to

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groups at long range distances!

Patented #5,850,700. Other patents pending. www.iqbowsights.com

Looking through a peep and putting the pin on your target is not enough Your bowsight is really just a stack of pins that help you judge elevation/distance. The truth is ... YOUR AIM CAN BE OFF EVEN IF YOUR PIN IS ON! At full draw, purposely torque your bow while keeping your pin on target. Pay attention to your arrow. You’ll see it’s easy to mis-aim your arrow. This proves there is more to accurate shooting than a properly placed pin! Torque is the enemy. And, something as simple as changing grip pressure can cause bow hand torque. Cold weather, bulky clothes, gloves or buck fever can alter your anchor point Most of us practice on a range or in the backyard in a t-shirt before season. Yet we hunt in cold weather wearing bulky clothes and gloves and shoot from awkward positions after sitting for hours and with adrenaline pulsing through our veins. All of which can alter our anchor point and affect our accuracy. IQ’s Retina Lock provides instant feedback that alerts you to imperfect alignment With Retina Lock you simply center the dot before the shot. This sophisticated technology provides instant feedback that will identify even the slightest torque or anchor point change. This will force proper form, build confidence and most important, dramatically extend your effective range!

Instant feedback at a glance

Center the dot for a perfect shot!

Anchor Point

Anchor point just 1/4” high

Bow Torque

Over 5” off at

20 yds

Bow is torqued just 1/4”

Over 10” off at

40 yds

Over 5” off at

20 yds

Over 10” off at

40 yds

Perfect Alignment Perfect Shot

Whitetail News Vol 20.1

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Transcript of Whitetail News Vol 20.1