Whitetail News Vol 20.2

Whitetail Institute of North America239 Whitetail Trail / Pintlala, AL 36043

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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. 2 / WHITETAIL NEWS 3

Page 6

Page 24

Page 38

Page 47

Features6 Evolution

of a Hunter —

With Food Plots Ev

ery Step

of the Way

By Charles J. Alshe

imer

10 Imperial Products H

elp Grow

Bigger Kansas Dee

r

By Chad Stoll

The author/hunter w

rites why food plots

from Whitetail Institute ar

e a major reason

for his success.

14 Unique 3–Part Sys

tem Can

Help Push Your Dee

r to the

“Cutting Edge” of

Nutrition

By Hollis Ayres

The Whitetail Institute’s l

ine of Cutting Edg

e

nutritional supplem

ents are quite litera

lly just

that — the cutting edge

that can boost the

health and rack siz

e of your deer to t

he top.

18 Doing It the Right

Way in

Alabama — Meet O

scar and

Samuel Barclay

When you meet Oscar and

Samuel Barclay

you’ll know they’re b

rothers… they’re si

milar

in some ways but very dif

ferent in others.

22 A Step-By-Step Gu

ide to Food

Plots (Part 2)

By Jon Cooner

24 Plant a Seed — Mak

e a

Difference!

By Brad Herndon

Let’s leave things b

etter for our childr

en and

grandchildren.

28 The Iowa Prescript

ion for

Success By Tom L

itchfield, Iowa DNR

Deer Program

Biologist

Iowa has all the co

mponents necessary

for

producing a quali

ty whitetail deer herd.

30 Camden Hollo

w: A West

Virginia Success St

ory

By John T. Travis

38 Why You Need a S

anctuary

(especially for sma

ll

properties)

By Bill Winke

Sanctuaries work

because the deer

remain

more “huntable” thro

ughout the season.

47 Trail Cameras are U

ltimate

Census Takers and

Management Tools

By Scott Bestul

54 Fall Annuals Ma

ximize

Hunting Success

By Michael Veine

58 Autumn and a Last

Hunt with

Bow and Arrow

By Brad Herndon

60 In the Thick of Thin

gs:

Dense Cover Serve

s Multiple

Purposes

By Bill Winke

64 Pine Plantations C

an Provide

Productive Food P

lot

Opportunities

By Bob Humphrey

Departments4 A Messag

e from Ray Scott

20 Field Testers Repo

rt

Stories and Photos

26 Wintergreens and

Tall Tine

Tubers Planting Da

tes Map

32 Fall Planting Dates

Map

44 Record Book Buck

s

Stories and Photos

46 Ask Big Jon

By Jon Cooner

68 First Deer… A True

Nikon Moment

Cover photo by Te

s Randle Jolly

In This Issue…

4 WHITETAIL NEWS / Vol. 20, No. 2 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

A Tribute to Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed was my kind of man. Anyonehere at the Institute can tell you I am a tree-plant-ing fool. And I tell anyone who’ll listen: The best

time to plant a tree is ten years ago!Live oaks happen to be my favorite. I chose to plant

them 25 years ago when I moved out here to myspread in Pintlala. They’re mighty slow to grow butevery time I see one of my big beauties I have to patmyself on the back. I’m still planting them actually andI always think one day someone is going to silentlythank me, whether they know Ray Scott or not.

I was delighted to read Brad Herndon’s article onpage 24. It hit my hot button for sure in a positive way.

Planting trees and planting food plots are boththings I dearly love and both are great ways toimprove the environment we all share, akin to JohnnyAppleseed’s endeavors those many years ago. It’s niceto think we’re giving a helping hand to Mother Nature.

I’ve always felt that deep down in the soul ofresponsible outdoorsmen there is a desire to leave a

positive mark — to leave something better for futuregenerations. As founder of B.A.S.S. I wanted to createthe best bass fishing environment possible, not just fortoday but for the generations to follow, and I feel thesame about food plots and sound deer management.What satisfaction there is to know that we as huntersand land managers can actually make a difference andbuild a legacy.

Yes, there are things we can do as sportsmen andthat is powerful stuff.

An angler does a great thing when he releases hiscatch back to the water and a hunter does a greatthing when he lets a spike walk or culls a doe.

So, take a cue from Johnny. Plant some seed todaywhether it’s a tree or a food plot. You’ll leave your out-doors a better place.

Ray Scott

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By Charles J. AlsheimerPhotos by the Author

Iwas blessed to have beenborn to farm folks. Mydad and grandfather

operated a 500-acre potatofarm in the heart of NewYork’s famed Finger LakesRegion. My father, Charles H.,was also a deer hunter whofelt his only son needed tounderstand the deer woods.

My journey as a deer hunter began long before Icould ever legally carry a bow or firearm. When I wasgrowing up in New York you could not begin huntingdeer with a firearm until you were 16, so from age fiveto 15 I tagged along at my dad’s side or bird-doggedthe local woodlots for other hunters. As I reflect backon those days I get goose bumps. They were greattimes to be young in America.

Researchers tell us that hunters pass through fivestages in their life. In almost every case they go fromThe Shooter Stage, where they need success, to TheLimiting Out Stage, where they need to harvest asmany animals as is legally possible, to The TrophyStage, where bigger antlers take center stage, to TheMethod Stage,where hunting methods and the need tobetter understand the animal become the center ofattention, to The Sportsman Stage, where the hunterrealizes he’s lived all the other stages and shifts hisfocus to the bigger goal of giving back more than he

EVOLUTIONofa HUNTER…

With Food PlotsEvery Step of the Way


The author and his 2009 gun buck, which hekilled in a Chicory Plus food plot. He huntedthis buck throughout 2008 and 2009 beforefinally harvesting it. The buck scored 140 B&C

and has a 22-inch inside spread.

The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043

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has received from hunting. Though all five stages can stand alone, I believe TheTrophy Stage, The Method Stage and The Sportsman Stage are interwoven.

Up until 1973 my world revolved around the shooter and limiting-out stages. I hadreturned from serving in Vietnam, married, earned a college degree, and had yet totake what I refer to as an ownership stake when it came to hunting whitetails. Withno real stake in the whitetail deer resource, I hunted whitetails with two goals in mind— hunt hard and kill as many animals as was legally possible. In October of 1973 thisall changed when my wife and I bought a 200-acre farm — a farm that bordered thefarm I grew up on. That fall my mind began to swirl with thoughts of what I was doingas a hunter and as a steward of the 200-acre resource God had placed in my lap.

When we purchased the farm its open land had been dormant for several years andthe timber had not been harvested in nearly forty years. So, the stage was set forsomething special to take place. In the winter of 1973-74 I took a topographical mapof the farm and began marking it up with a pencil to show where I wanted to plantfood plots, evergreen trees, and shrubs. In the spring of 1974 we planted 12,000 ever-green trees and 3,000 bush honeysuckle shrubs in open areas I felt would benefitwildlife in the future. That fall I planted our first food plot, a two-acre winter-wheatplot situated between a stand of red oaks and a prime bedding area. At the time nolandowners in our area were planting food plots for wildlife, and I had no one I couldturn to for advice, so I “winged it.” As blind luck would have it, the plot turned thearea into a whitetail honey hole.

As the years passed, I evolved as a hunter, landowner and deer manager. Forstarters, it didn’t take me long to realize that winter wheat was not the “goldengoose” of forage offerings for deer. Along the way I experimented and learned aboutthe whitetail’s cover needs and the different seed choices available to whitetails —everything from clovers, to brassicas, to turnips. This experience, by itself, has beenfascinating.

The ‘70s and ‘80s came and went and as they did, our farm’s wildlife journey begantaking on a life of its own. Over time it was turning into the wildlife sanctuary Idreamed it would be. As the trees planted in 1974 grew, their individual plots gave thefarm’s wildlife many more cover options to hide in. The years rolled on and webecame more and more knowledgeable of the whitetail’s nutritional needs, whichresulted in the planting of warm-season forages like Imperial Whitetail Clover. It tookus a while to figure out, but eventually we came to realize how critical it was to haveforages like Winter-Greens in place to help our deer survive our harsh northern win-


The author and his son, Aaron,with a bow buck taken on their

New York farm in 1985.

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ters. As incredible as all this has been for our wildlife,the human side is just as impressive. Winston Churchillwas one of the greatest leaders of the last century. ThisEnglishman once said, “We make a living by what weget, but we make a life by what we give.” In many waysthis sums up the journey I’ve been on since 1973. Yousee, my wife and I were fortunate enough to be able tobuy our farm. Though unwritten at the time, our goalwas to try and improve what God had entrusted to us.

Only time will tell if we did the best we could, but thisI know after nearly 40 years of trying. Thanks to thosewho paved the way to help educate hunters like myselfin the finer ways of land and deer management, thewildlife in my little corner of the world is far better offthan it was when we bought our farm. Back then noone thought of planting food plots for deer. They donow. Back then no one felt the need to harvest moredoes to insure the natural habitat was in line with ourcounty’s deer carrying capacity. They do now.

In 1973 no one even gave a thought to letting year-ling bucks walk. They do now. Thanks to the vision of ahandful of Steuben County landowners, a quality deermanagement cooperative was launched in the winterof 1990. Those of us who organized this group havespent hours educating and encouraging interestedlandowners on the importance of planting food plots,harvesting more does and passing up yearling bucks.The end result is that our local deer population doesn’teven resemble the deer population we had in 1973. Theimprovement in the areas I’ve mentioned has beenastonishing. Yes, we’ve come a long way, but there ismuch more to this story.

In the fall of 1977 our son, Aaron, was born, the only

child my wife and I would be blessed with, but oh, whata blessing. The kid took to dirt, deer, and hunting like aduck takes to water. When he was old enough to standhe went to the woods with me. When he was bigenough to carry a one-gallon pail of clover seed, hebegan helping me plant food plots. It was because ofhis food plot experiences that he came to understandthe true meaning of hunting, land and deer manage-ment. For 25 years he’s been helping me make the farmbetter, make our deer better, and make our huntingbetter. Along the way he’s eaten a lot of dust, crankeda lot of fertilizer through a broadcaster, and killed a lotof does. Long before he could release his first arrow orpull a trigger on a whitetail he knew the importance ofgiving back to the wildlife that roamed our farm. It wasnot only a win-win situation for the wildlife but for usas well.

One of the first things I realized back in the ‘70s wasthe way people managed their land totally changed theway they looked at the natural world. When we boughtour farm deer were only on my radar screen three tofour months a year. After I began planting food plots,deer were on my mind 12 months a year. A by-productof becoming a food plot practitioner was that I beganthinking of ways I could help our deer through betterforest management practices, everything from selec-tive timber cuts to pruning the wild apple trees in theorchard we have on the farm. None of this went unno-ticed by Aaron and my friends. It showed them a bet-ter way to steward the land. It also made for betterhunting. In the early ‘90s we began to think of differentways we could improve on what we had accomplished.Before this our goal was to merely make sure our deerhad enough food to eat. To accomplish this we plantedbig square food plots, with little thought given to howthe plot’s layout could improve our hunting. As our


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The author with a bow buck takenon his New York farm in 1979.

food plot knowledge continued to evolve, Aaron and Iexperimented with different shape food plots, laid outwith wind direction and natural cover in mind. As youwould expect, our hunting opportunities took a quan-

tum leap forward. A side benefit of our food plot program is the way

we’ve been able to help our fellow man. As our huntingimproved and bag limits became more liberal, our fam-

ily was faced with what to do with the does we wereharvesting. We consume roughly three whitetails a yearand my son and I are able to kill six antlerless deer eachyear between us. So, even without harvesting bucks wehave to find a home for the others we harvest.Fortunately this has not been a problem because NewYork State has a Venison Donation Coalition program,which makes it possible for hunters to donate their har-vested deer to food banks. Since its inception in 1999,over 750,000 pounds of venison have provided threemillion meals to needy families. It is safe to say that theincreasing practice of food plot management has con-tributed greatly to this program.

I now consider myself firmly entrenched in the laststage a hunter goes through, The Sportsman Stage,which means I’m getting along in years. Consequently,I find myself doing a lot of reflecting, thinking a gooddeal about my life as a hunter and landowner. Thejourney I’ve traveled on our farm has been a hugeblessing, one I wish everyone reading this could expe-rience. Yes, I’ve made my share of mistakes along theway, but I also feel we’ve accomplished a good dealhere. When I started, I was hoping to become a betterdeer hunter and leave the farm better than we foundit in 1973. Well, I may be a little biased, but if you couldsee the before-and-after, you’d agree it has happened.I used to travel to other parts of North America tohunt quality bucks. Those days are over. Now I justwalk out the back door because of the deer resourcewe have. That’s a blessing. And thanks to an under-standing of what food plots can bring to the table, Ifind myself excited about the future, because I’m con-vinced the best is yet to come. W


G R AV E D I G G E R S C E N T E D S O I L S

The author congratulates hisson, Aaron, for his firstwhitetail, a doe, in 1991.

Istarted bowhunting in 1983 insouthern Minnesota. Just like mostbowhunters back then where I

hunted, it was exciting to even see adeer while hunting. I shot my firstdeer, a buck and a doe, in 1985. Asthe years went by I started gettingmore selective about what I wasgoing to shoot. I also kept hearingabout these large bucks being takenout of Iowa and Kansas and just want-ed to go down there to try to get oneof those bucks. I hunted Iowa for thefirst time about 12 years ago andKansas about eight years ago. I fell inlove with Kansas whitetail huntingand started to look at buying a pieceof hunting land down there. At thesame time I started looking into foodplots after hearing so many successstories. I talked to guys who wereusing food plots and they all led meto the Whitetail Institute.

I purchased my first piece of land in Kansas sixyears ago. It was 120 acres and the first thing I did wasstart looking into putting food plots on the land. Italked to the people at Whitetail Institute and theyhelped me out tremendously. I planted my first plotsof Imperial Whitetail Clover. The first year I had cam-eras out and got a lot of deer but not many big deeron the property. The average “big” buck on the prop-erty was 130 to 135 inches. One year later that average“big” buck went to 140 to 145 inches and last year itwas 160 to 170 inches.

I bought my second piece of land — 145 acres — fiveyears ago and another piece four years ago. I plantedfood plots the first year I had these properties andagain saw the average buck size grow 30 to 40 inches.The last two years are proof of what can happen whenthe land is managed and when the deer are given thenutrition they need.


Imperial Products HelpGrow Bigger Kansas Deer

By Chad Stoll Photos by the Author

One of six Record Book Bucks theauthor and his friends have takenover Whitetail Institute products.

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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The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail TrailPintlala, AL 36043


Research = Results™

®

Two years ago I had two friends coming down to hunt with me in November. I washunting there myself in late October. It was Oct. 29, my second day of hunting, and Iwas sitting over a food plot that butted up to the timber. The food plot is 30 yardswide by 150 yards long. I was in my blind by 2:30 p.m. knowing from pictures frommy trail cameras that some good bucks were coming to this field.

At about 4 p.m. the first doe and fawn came out to feed in the Imperial WhitetailClover field. Thirty minutes later a 6-pointer and 8-pointer came out and fed about50 yards down from the doe and fawn. They worked their way down to me and eachof them worked a scrape on the edge of the field.

As the afternoon went on, I had another eight does and fawns come out and feed.At sundown a nice 10-point around 135 inches along with a 140-inch, 8-point cameout and started chasing the does and fawns around. I was enjoying the last few min-utes of hunting watching the bucks when I looked out my window at the scrape atthe edge of the woods and I noticed a buck coming towards the scrape.

With one look I knew he was a shooter. I grabbed my bow off my Bow Jaws bowholder; and as he stepped into the scrape and lifted his head to stick his antlers into thelimbs, I drew back, anchored the pin behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. Thedeer took off back into the timber, and then everything went silent. I waited about 30minutes to look for blood. When I looked, I found good blood. I followed it for about 30yards and shined my flashlight into the clearing in the woods and there he lay.

The 10-point ended up scoring 164 inches. I was excited beyond belief. I had takena couple of 150-inch deer in the past, but this was the biggest on my land. All the hardwork I put into it was paying off.

On Nov. 11 my two friends, Russ and Scott, arrived in Kansas and ready to hunt. Weall hunted the first night and all saw shooter bucks but nothing close enough. I washunting to take a doe. The next morning my friends went out and sat over ImperialClover fields on each of the two properties. I got a call about 8:30 a.m. from Russ thathe had shot a deer. He waited 30 minutes and came back to the house and we wait-ed for Scott to come back.

At 10 a.m. Scott was back and we went out to look for Russ’ buck. We trailed it forabout 20 yards and found his arrow. After another 30 yards we found his deer. It wasa 152-inch, 10-point buck. It was the largest deer he had ever shot.

We had two down with one to go. Scott went out that night and hunted over thesame Imperial clover field where I had shot my buck back in October. He saw around12 does and fawns, a couple smaller bucks and at last light a real nice buck. Scottwent back to that same blind the next morning and at about 6:45 a.m. I got a call onmy cell phone from him. He said he had just shot one. I had him come back to thehouse for a quick breakfast and we went back out to track. Well, it didn’t take muchtracking as the buck went only about 50 yards with a great double lung blood trail.It was a 145-inch 10-point bruiser and it was the largest buck he had ever taken.

The season was over with a 145-inch, 10-point, 152-inch 10-point, and a 164-inch 10-point. Two of the three were the biggest the hunter had ever killed and all three deerwere taken over Imperial Whitetail Clover fields in a matter of a few days. Now it wastime to take out some does.

I never dreamt it could get any better than the year before, but last season provedto be even better. Again, I had two friends come down, Scott again and Jason, to huntwith me in November. Temps were 75 to 80 degrees during the day and 60 degreesat night — certainly, not ideal bowhunting weather. Jason got down there the after-noon of Nov. 9 and we both went out to hunt. I went to a new food plot of PureAttraction I had planted a couple months earlier. Jason dropped me off about 3:30p.m. and I went to my ground blind. It was 77 degrees as I entered the blind. I wasn’texpecting much to happen until later. Well, at 4 p.m. I heard some noise just on the


The author is having a great time sharing great hunting opportunities with friends.

other side of my food plot in the woods. I looked outmy window and I could see a buck thrashing a treeabout 10 yards off the food plot. After about three tofour minutes he finally got done with the tree andwalked out into the food plot.

It was go time and I drew back. He turned, quarter-ing away, and I let the arrow fly. He took off back intothe timber and I followed him and the noise as he ranoff. I called Jason and told him I had shot one and Iknew I had hit him good. He was on the other proper-ty so it took him about 30 minutes to get over to me.We went to the spot where I had hit him and there wasblood immediately. We followed the blood for 40 yardsand there he was — a main frame 10-pointer thatscored 167 inches. That excited feeling NEVER gets old.

Jason took the next morning off and went back out

the next night Nov. 10. He saw a few does and smallbucks and one 125-inch, 8-point. Temps were still run-ning very warm and the next morning he went to theImperial Clover field where Scott and I had shot ourbucks the previous year. By 7 a.m. I got a call fromJason that he had shot one. He waited about an hourand met me on the road. We decided to go back andhave a bite to eat and give it a little time. We went backout at 10 a.m. and started tracking. It was a toughblood trail with very little blood but after about 45 min-utes and at around 80 yards, we found the buck piledup under a cedar tree. It was a 154-inch, 10-point brute.By the time we got it field dressed and to the meatlocker Scott had arrived.

Obviously, with two bucks down he was pretty excit-ed to get out there. We went back to the house and he

showered and got out to the ground blind at 2:30 p.m.I had told him I had videotaped a real good buck on myproperty that morning so I had him set up on a funnelthat had clover fields on both sides. Well, Jason and Iwere driving around at 4:30 p.m. when I got a text fromScott that said he got one! I called him and he said itwas down already. At 5 p.m. we met and drove out towhere he was sitting and there it was on the edge ofthe Imperial Clover field — a 160-inch, 10-point buck.

The season was unreal. In three days we had shot167-inch, 160-inch and 154-inch bucks. To say we cele-brated a little is an understatement.

Food plots from Whitetail Institute are helpingattract and grow bigger bucks and I’m having a ballhunting big deer and spending time with friends. Itdoesn’t get any better. W


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These Kansas Record Book Bucks were all taken on fields planted in Whitetail Institute products.

As hunters and managers, we allwant our deer to be as big andhealthy, and carry the largest

antlers they can. The WhitetailInstitute’s line of Cutting Edgenutritional supplements are quiteliterally just that — the cutting edgethat can help boost the health andrack size of your deer to the very top.


Unique 3-Part SystemCan Help Push Your Deer to the

“Cutting Edge”of Nutrition

By Hollis Ayres


Specifically, Cutting Edge is a three-part system con-sisting of Cutting Edge Sustain, Cutting Edge Initiateand Cutting Edge Optimize. Each part is specificallydesigned to meet the precise nutritional needs of deerduring a part of their annual cycle. Cutting EdgeSustain is designed to help keep deer healthy andreduce their winter weight loss. Cutting Edge Initiate isdesigned to help deer recover from the rigors of rutand the cold winter months. Cutting Edge Optimizeprovides bucks with the exact nutrition they need dur-ing the spring and summer to take full advantage ofthe antler-growing season and help does produce big-ger fawns and more milk.

By now, most of us are aware that giving our deeraccess to proper nutrition is one, if not the most criti-cal factors for creating a healthier deer herd. The twomost common ways we do that are by supplementingour deer’s diets with high-quality food plots and pro-viding them with nutritional supplements. The pages ofWhitetail News always feature articles on the Institute’sindustry-leading food-plot blends. Now, let’s take alook at how and why the Institute’s Cutting Edge line ofsupplements can complete your nutritional manage-ment picture.

GENERAL NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF DEER

While we can’t cover everything about the nutrition-al needs of deer in this article, we can digest the manycomponents down in a generalized way to four groups:energy, protein, minerals and vitamins. To understandwhy Cutting Edge is such a huge leap forward in nutri-tional supplements for deer, consider what is happen-ing in the nutritional lives of deer during different times

of the year.Energy. Energy is not a nutrient in and of itself, but a

product of other nutrients, mainly protein, carbohy-drates and lipids. I’ll cover protein separately belowbecause it is such a big nutritional component in itsown right. Carbohydrates, basically starches, sugarsand fiber, are the most critical component of a deer’senergy supply. Lipids, or fats and oils, are also very highin energy — two times higher in energy than protein —and they are important in the storage of fat for energyreserves during winter.

Deer need energy throughout the year for many spe-cific biological functions, for example antler growth inbucks, metabolism, and pregnancy and lactation.Energy, especially stored reserves, are particularly crit-ical, though, during the fall and winter — a time whennatural food sources are becoming less palatable (lessdigestible energy) and availability begins to beexhausted. The acorns of fall, for example, are very highin lipids. While such natural high-energy food sourcesare abundant in some years, they are often hit or miss,with some years seeing very low mast production.Also, weather and other factors can further limit mastavailability. For example, abundant rain followed by ahard freeze after acorns have dropped can sour themin a hurry, further limiting availability.Protein. Protein is important to deer for a wide range

of biological processes. Comprised of small compo-nents called amino acids, protein is the building blocksof a deer’s body. That’s true for all deer year-round,regardless of sex or age. Protein is especially impor-tant, however, during the spring and summer whenbucks are re-growing antlers, does are pregnant andlater producing milk for their fawns, and then for the

fawns as they are weaned and grow toward adulthood.Protein is not as critical to deer during the fall and win-ter as it is during the spring and summer. During the falland winter, energy is the nutritional “king.”Minerals. Macro minerals such as calcium, phospho-

rous, magnesium, potassium are needed in compara-tively large quantities to maintain normal health in deerthroughout the year. Trace minerals are needed in com-paratively smaller amounts, but they are still necessaryfor antler growth, bone formation, fawn development,lactation, etc. Most minerals have complex interactions,and when supplementing minerals for deer, the mostimportant consideration by far is to be sure the miner-als are used precisely in the proper forms and ratios fordeer. Otherwise, the supplement can be at best lessthan effective and at worst dangerous for deer. Theneed for the amount of supplementation of these min-erals, though, changes throughout the year, with thehighest need occurring in the spring and summer whenbucks are growing antlers and does are pregnant andlater in lactation. Vitamins. Vitamins can be groupedinto two main classifications. Water-soluble vitamins,or “B vitamins,” are produced by microbes in a deer’srumen, and supplementation is therefore unnecessaryin most cases. Fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D andE), which serve functions in antler growth and devel-opment, milk production and fetal growth are not pro-duced in the rumen and are therefore commonly sup-plemented.

WHY CUTTING EDGE IS SUCH A BRILLIANT IDEA

I hope a light bulb went off in your head as you readthe first part of this article. Specifically, did you notice

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.

that deer are always simultaneously doing two things— using their bodies to do something and getting theirbodies ready to do something else? For example, in thelate winter bucks are using their bodies to find food torecover their winter health losses, and they are gettingtheir bodies ready to grow new antlers. I hope you alsonoticed that while the combined process of simultane-ous body use and preparation is continuous, exactlywhat it is that deer are doing and recovering fromchanges during the course of the year. For example, inthe fall bucks are using and preparing their bodies forsomething just as they were in late winter — but in thefall they’re using bodies to store energy in the form offat and getting their bodies ready for the rigors of rutand winter.

And that’s the key to understanding why CuttingEdge is such a brilliant and effective product line —each of its three stages is specifically designed for theunique biological and life functions of deer at differenttimes of the year.

WHEN TO USE EACH STAGE OF CUTTING EDGE

Cutting Edge Sustain (For Fall and Winter). By earlyfall, bucks have hardened their antlers, and the fawns ofthe previous spring have usually been weaned fromtheir mother’s milk. It is this time of the year that deerare primarily concerned, in a nutritional context, withbuilding fat reserves — storing the energy they’ll needduring the coming rut and cold fall and winter months.That’s the time to start your deer on Cutting EdgeSustain. Tailor-made for the fall and winter nutritionalneeds of deer, Sustain is loaded with energy to helpdeer pack on reserves and help them stay healthy and

active during the rut, reduce weight loss and keepthem healthy through the cold winter months. In addi-tion, Sustain even has a buffering agent to allow it to bemixed with corn in a trough feeder for deer without thenegative effects corn alone can have on a deer’s diges-tive system.

Also, all three stages of Cutting Edge are scientifi-cally formulated with the correct minerals in the prop-er forms and ratios for deer as well as both scent andtaste enhancers that make Cutting Edge highly attrac-tive to deer. I decided to mention that here, whendescribing Cutting Edge Sustain, because Sustain isthe stage of Cutting Edge designed for use during thesame time deer hunting season takes place across theU.S. The scent and taste enhancers in all three CuttingEdge products are extremely effective and include theWhitetail Institute’s proprietary Devour ingredient,which can be addictive to deer. Accordingly, be sureyou consult and follow all applicable game laws beforehunting over or near Cutting Edge Sustain.Cutting Edge Initiate (Late Winter to Early Spring).

Cutting Edge Initiate is designed for use during themonths leading up to spring green-up. For many of us,that has historically been a time when hunting seasonis a fading memory, and yet it’s a time when we shouldbe concentrating hard on making sure that our deerhave access to Cutting Edge Initiate — at least if wewant the bucks we hunt the following fall to be carry-ing the biggest racks they can.

There are two keys to understanding why that’s thecase. First, the antler-growing season for bucks are offinite duration — it has definite beginning and endingpoints, and while those points may vary slightly fromregion to region, the fact remains that they exist. In

short, a buck has a fixed period in which to growantlers; all antler growth must be accomplished withinthis period. Second, antler growth is referred to as a“secondary sex characteristic,” meaning that a buckwill always use available nutritional resources in theearly spring to put his body back in shape and recoverhis winter health losses before devoting substantialnutritional resources to antler growth. Taken together,you can see that the sooner bucks recover their winterhealth losses the sooner they can turn in earnest tobuilding antlers. If your bucks have had access toCutting Edge Sustain during the fall and winter, they’velikely reduced their winter health losses. Most deer willlose body weight during the winter at least to somedegree, and by providing them with Initiate, they canrecover even more quickly and get to the business ofbuilding antlers in a big way.

Realize also that the months leading up to springgreen-up aren’t just nutritionally critical for bucks; it’salso during this time that does are pregnant and try-ing to feed not only themselves but also the fawnsgrowing inside them. During late winter and earlyspring, does are entering the final stages of gestationin which 60 percent of fetal growth occurs. In manycases, mature does will be carrying two fawns, placinghuge demands on her. Without adequate nutrition,the fawns can be born with low birth weights, andstudies have shown that low birth weights in buckfawns correlates with smaller antlers when thosebucks mature. Likewise, the doe will also be in lessthan optimum condition to lactate, which can inhibitthe growth of her fawns. In fact, studies have alsoshown that a doe in poor condition will sometimesabandon her fawns when necessary to allow her to


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

®


travel to find enough food to survive.Also consider that at this same time of year, before spring green-up, natural food

sources are often either unpalatable or simply unavailable. Natural vegetation has notyet emerged, hard mast and remnants from harvests of agricultural fields are longgone, and what little browse remained during the fall and winter has been pickedover, leaving only the least preferred, lowest nutrient browse — if any.

As I mentioned earlier, carbohydrates are the most important nutritional elementfor deer during the fall and winter. While they remain important during the monthsleading to spring green-up, it is at this time of year that protein, minerals and vita-mins take over the lead roles in deer nutrition as antler growth approaches and doesare entering their final trimester of pregnancy. Initiate helps deer recover their winterhealth losses quickly so that bucks can take better advantage of the antler-growingseason, fawns can develop well within their mothers and have higher birth weights,and does can remain healthy and produce abundant milk for newborn fawns. CuttingEdge Initiate is specifically designed to provide the entire herd with essential nutri-ents during late winter until spring green-up. Initiate includes high levels of energy,20 percent protein, the correct minerals and vitamins in the correct forms and ratios,and even digestive aids.

And like Cutting Edge Sustain, Initiate can be mixed with corn at a rate of one 17-pound bag of Initiate with up to 100 pounds of corn; and it also includes ingredientsthat actually help maintain and grow the digestive microorganisms in a deer’s rumen. Cutting Edge Optimize (Spring and Summer). Cutting Edge Optimize is scientifi-

cally formulated to provide deer with essential nutrients deer need to thrive, and forbucks to grow the biggest antlers they can, during the spring and summer.

When it comes to antler growth in bucks, remember I said that the antler-growingwindow of spring and summer has a specific beginning and ending each year? At thebeginning of the antler-growing window, a buck starts growing his velvet antlers—liv-ing tissue comprised of about 80 percent protein. Then, later in the spring and sum-mer, the buck deposits minerals on the velvet antler matrix, making the antler hard-er until nothing remains but bone. Have you ever thought where a buck gets all theprotein, minerals and vitamins he uses to grow and harden his antlers? Obviously, hegets some from natural sources, which are usually sufficient for bucks to survive andeven grow antlers. Rarely, though, are they sufficient to allow bucks to truly maximizerack size. Given that deer antlers are the fastest growing animal tissue there is, youcan see how important it is to supplement protein, minerals and vitamins during thespring and summer. And the huge need during the spring and summer for protein,minerals and vitamins and energy is not just for bucks. It’s at this same time of theyear that does are in the last stage of pregnancy and later providing milk for theirnewborn fawns. Doe milk is extremely nutrient-dense, much more so than cow’s milk,and Cutting Edge Optimize can help does increase milk production. Cutting EdgeOptimize supplements a deer’s natural diet with 16 percent protein, and the correctminerals and vitamins to assist in antler growth and doe lactation.

When it comes to extensive research on deer biology and nutrition, no one ismore diligent than the Whitetail Institute, and Cutting Edge is a prime example.Where else would expect to find a supplement for deer that’s this innovative andprecise? If you want to give your fawns a head start toward being as big and healthyat maturity as they can, help push rack size as high as possible and help ensure thatyour deer stay healthy throughout the year, then push them to the “Cutting Edge”of deer nutrition. For more information, call the Institute’s in-house consultants at(800) 688-3030. W

Cutting Edge can be used on the ground or mixedwith grains in a trough.

Oscar and Samuel agree on some things. Samuelsays, “We both thank God each day for our health, andwe thank our 97-year-old father for our hunting skillsand success. We also thank Whitetail Institute for the

quality of our deer and turkey.” In fact, Oscar and Samuel Barclay are two of the

Whitetail Institute’s original field testers, having firsttried Imperial Whitetail Clover in 1989. One way they’re

different is shown by how they came to be Institutefield testers in the first place.

“When we have a decision to make, Samuel is theone who usually says no, and I’m the one who usuallysays yes,” Oscar says with a smile and a chuckle. “1989was the first time we saw Imperial Whitetail Clover inthe store, and I wanted to try it. As usual, Samuel saidno because he thought it probably wasn’t any differentfrom any other kind of clover, but I bought it anyway.We planted it in the center of a food plot between twoother varieties of clover. That season, the deer walkedthe two other varieties of clover flat to the ground justto get to the Imperial Whitetail Clover and eat it. Well,that sold Sam, and we have been planting ImperialWhitetail Clover ever since.”

The Barclay brothers hunt mostly on the 150 acrefarm they own in Coosa County, Alabama, and onanother 450 acres they lease in Talladega County.Although more often mentioned for its high deer num-bers, Alabama also has the genetics to produce somevery respectable bucks. The key to fulfilling that poten-tial is the same as it is in any area: deer must be allowedto mature, and they must have access to highly nutri-tious, palatable food sources as they do so. The photosOscar brought with him when he recently stopped bythe Institute show that the brothers have achievedgreat results by taking a long-term approach to both.

When it comes to providing deer with high qualitynutrition, Oscar’s photos showed that the Barclaybrothers definitely know what they’re doing. The pho-tos show food plots situated next to thick cover andwith lots of linear edge to help deer feel safer usingthem.

The Barclays are equally diligent about what they


DOING IT THERIGHT WAY IN

ALABAMA!Meet Oscar and Samuel Barclay

The first time you meet Oscar and Samuel Barclay you’llimmediately know they’re brothers. Like most brothers they’resimilar in some ways but very different in others.

Imperial Whitetail Clover has been the backbone ofthe Barclay’s food plot system since 1989.


plant in their plot sites. “At first, we just planted ImperialWhitetail Clover,” Oscar explains, “and that’s still thebackbone of our whole food plot system. Now, we alsouse other Institute forages such as Alfa-Rack Plus.” Theforages shown in the photos also appear lush, healthyand vigorous, which is a tribute to the Barclay brothers’diligence in selecting the correct forage for each siteand planting and maintaining it properly.

Even with the “green thumbs” Oscar and Samuelobviously have, they haven’t stopped with just foodplots. “We try to give our deer everything they need sowe also put out 30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein on boththe properties we hunt,” Oscar continues. “Since westarted using the minerals we have noticed that racksizes are heavier.”

In addition to providing their deer with high qualitynutrition the Barclays also allow their deer to maturebefore harvest. “Another reason our deer have largerracks is that we are selective in the bucks we take,”Oscar explains. “We have a general rule that we don’ttake anything smaller than a 6-point, but really wejudge things more carefully than just that — we alsolook at the spread and judge how old the buck is sothat we don’t take young 6-points.”

With all their successes, though, Oscar says that heand Samuel still find time to give something back byintroducing new hunters to the sport they love. “Ourharvest rules apply to us, but we let young hunters takewhatever they want for their first deer. One thingSamuel and I both really enjoy is taking kids out fortheir first hunt. We love the excitement of seeing a childtake his first deer, teaching them about safety and justhelping them learn to love hunting as much as we do.”

Success in any endeavor is measured by results. In

the case of Oscar and Samuel Barclay, those results areeasy to see. It’s there in the trophy buck mounts ontheir lodge wall. It’s there in the beauty of their land

and the nutritional quality they have added to it. Andit’s there in the wide smiles of the youngsters theyintroduce to hunting. W

CALL TOLL FREE

1-800-688-3030OR MAIL YOUR ORDER TO:Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail, Pintlala, AL 36043FAX 334-286-9723

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Try a full “menu” of Whitetail Institute Products at one lowprice… and get a FREE 2-year subscription to “Whitetail News”and a FREE DVD as well! Your Super Sampler Pak includes:• Imperial Whitetail™ Clover — 1/2 acre planting (4 lbs.)• Imperial ALFA-RACK™ PLUS — 1/4 acre planting (3.75 lbs.)• Imperial EXTREME™ — 1/4 acre planting (5.6 lbs.)• Imperial CHICORY PLUS™ — 1/2 acre planting (3.5 lbs.)• Imperial N0-PLOW™ — 1/2 acre planting (9 lbs.)• Imperial WINTER-GREENS™ — 1/2 acre planting (3 lbs.)• Imperial 30-06™ Mineral — 1 lick (5 lbs)• Imperial 30-06™ PLUS PROTEIN™ — 1 lick (5 lbs.)• Imperial DOUBLE-CROSS™ — 1/2 acre planting (4 lbs.)• Cutting Edge™ INITIATE™ — 1 site (5 lbs.)• Cutting Edge™ OPTIMIZE™ — 1 site (5 lbs.)• Cutting Edge™ SUSTAIN™ — 1 site (5 lbs.)

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Even considering all the success they’ve had, one of the Barclay’s favorite things to do is taking young hunters on theirfirst hunt.

Gary Keeler — Florida

Imperial Whitetail Clover is a magnificent attractant.PowerPlant worked extremely well in the sandy areasof our plots. It was very tolerant of the heat and dryweather when others around us were having their plotsfail. Winter-Greens was a fantastic cool weather fillerand strip planting mix. The planting was very simple,and the results were staggering! They devoured it!

Mike Deaven — PennsylvaniaI took both of

these deer on thesame 160-acre pro-perty in CentralPennsylvania. Wehave four food plotsand have seen lotsof 1-1/2 year oldbucks. We only har-vest 2-1/2 and olderyear old bucks. Myfavorite food plotproduct is ImperialWhitetail Clover. It’s

excellent yearround. Also, thedeer hammeredthe PowerPlantin late summerand they could-n’t get enoughof the PureAttraction inOctober andNovember.

Stacy Chester — Georgia/OklahomaImperial Whitetail

Clover is an awe-some product. Deerwill go crazy over it.It’s not uncommonto see 20-30 deeran afternoon on theclover plot on myplace in Georgia.We also have alease in Oklahomaand use Alfa-Rackthere and you cansee up to 50 deeran afternoon ormorning as well. I

would like to thank the Whitetail Institute once again. Iwas lucky enough to harvest my best buck to date innorthwestern Oklahoma. I was set up on the edge of acottonwood row and plum thickets. I had a huge fieldof Alfa-Rack to the North and I was between the deerand the food. I watched deer all afternoon back andforth, back and forth, and then out of nowhere he popsup. He was hot on the trail of a hot doe and I had himin my sights. I have always used the Whitetail Instituteproducts and have always been completely happy withthe results. So thanks for helping me harvest this nice10-point 156-3/8 buck.

Michael Dekan — Wisconsin/MissouriI have been

hunting out inthe Northwoodsof Wisconsinsince I was asyoung as I canremember. I pur-chased my firstshotgun at age13 and havebeen huntingever since. It iswhat I look for-ward to all year.Seven years ago,I purchased a345-acre ranchin Seymour, Mo.(in the Ozarks) and use it strictly for whitetail deerhunting. I just love the sport.

After purchasing the property and scouting it out Iwas very disappointed to see so few signs of deertracks even though the land seemed ideal for deer. Iwas on a mission to find a way to draw the deer ontomy property. I heard about food plots and decided Ineeded to give that a try. I purchased a tractor, a plow,a disk and cultimulcher over the next couple of years.

In the spring four years ago, I had a soil test takenand learned that the pH was good. I planted my firstfood plot with Imperial Clover and Alfa-Rack. I haveadded two additional food plots since and now havethree plots in different sections of my property. Ibought myself a 4-wheeler and my wife and I take it

out at night and shine deer in order to keep track of thesize and deer population.

Every year I see more and bigger deer! After onlyfour years it is not uncommon to see at least 20 deeron my property on any given night. We see 75 to 80percent of the deer in the food plots! The enclosed pic-ture was a deer I got last year. Thank you WhitetailInstitute for the excellent products that has made allthe difference. You made my dream come true.

Duane Branscum — IndianaImperial Whitetail

Clover is an excellentproduct. It worked farbetter than we expect-

ed. We had noturkeys, but now wehave all kinds. Deerare heavier and arecarrying heavier racks.We’re convinced that it provides enough of a food sup-ply to survive winters with a lot less stress. See photos.

Russ Burns — IowaWe have only been using the Whitetail Institute

products for about three years. Prior to using theWhitetail Institute products our farms had many deerand several nice bucks. We have gradually seenimprovements over each of the past three years andwe seem to have made a significant step forward thisyear. We have done a wide range of projects on thefarms to improve wildlife habitat, almost nothing we dois aimed exclusively at whitetails, except our ImperialClover plots. We are converting old brome CRP fieldsto native tall and short grass prairie, we have done a

number of timberstand improve-ment projects,edge feathering,and regular burn-ing.

I think it is veryunhealthy for us ashunters to manageland solely for asingle or smallnumber of species;however, I am adeer hunter atheart and want tosee and harvest


big bucks just like anyone else. That is what I love aboutImperial Clover. I am able to plant a couple plots (3-5acres) along with our grain food plots for upland gameand attract and hold deer through the entire season.There are two observations that we have made thisyear that we attribute to Imperial Clover. First, we haveseen more big bucks on the farms than the previousthree years combined and have probably hunted less.Second, the does we have killed are some of the heav-iest and healthiest we have seen. The layers of fat onthese does is like nothing we have seen in the previous20 years.

We have been able to transform areas that had poorto marginal deer activity to very good areas with theaddition of Imperial Clover; thus stretching our huntingacres. I will also say that we have followed the plantinginstructions closely and have had great success withspring and fall plantings

We enjoy the difficult work of improving wildlifehabitat on our farms. Planting the Imperial Cloveradded to our work load; however it has been the icingon the cake in our management plans.

Thank you Whitetail Institute staff and my friendsthat encouraged me to use the Imperial Clover. I neverhad the negative experiences of using other productsor using Whitetail Institute products incorrectly.

Enclosed are some photos that Whitetail Institute isat least partially responsible for making possible. Theheavy horned buck scored 164 inches and was nick-named the clover buck because that is where he spentmost of the summer and fall.

Dr. Ric Redden — KentuckyThe deer

l o v eExtreme andare seen in itevery day.Dry weatherdid not slowup the ever-green for-age. Aftersix years itstill keepsc o m i n gback. I have

a hand full of 150-plus whitetails. Thanks to WhitetailInstitute and my QDM program.

Marisa Fanguy — AlabamaOn Nov. 15, last

season a very coldday in Greenville, Ala.I killed my seconddeer, a 10-point buckat 4:45 pm. I was sit-ting in a lock-on withmy dad above me inhis tree climber, when5 deer came out onthe food plot! Two 8points, one 6 point,one spike, and one 10point. My dad wassimply shocked, tosay the least.

On my food-plot,my dad had planted

Imperial Clover, Alfa-Rack Plus, No-Plow, and PureAttraction. As the deer came out, I took my time, wait-ing for the deer to turn broadside so I could shoot it.When it finally did, I aimed my .243 and took the shot.I hit the deer with the first shot behind the shoulder onthe left side. He ran about 80-100 yards, leaving notrace of any blood at all, making it a challenge for us tofind him.

My dad, Mr. Toby, and I went in search for the deerabout an hour after I shot it. We followed trails, hopingto find a lead, but for a long time we didn’t find any-thing. All of a sudden we heard my dad screaming thathe found it, so we raced over and right in front of uswas my huge deer. My dad was flipping out over theperfectly symmetrical rack. This was the deer my dadhad seen during bow season but could never get a shotat. Mr. Toby has a trail cam picture of him on his foodplot, which is about 500 yards away. Sorry Mr. Toby. Iwas flipping out over my dad’s reaction! Everyone gota big high five.

I was more than happy with my kill, especially sinceit has more points than my dad’s two 8 pointers. It wasthe kill of a lifetime. Thanks Whitetail Institute for a pro-ductive food plot.

John Powell — DelawareI have been hunting

whitetails for 52 yearsbut I have never planteda food plot for deeruntil two years ago. Iwas successful atshooting deer everyhunting season butnothing big. The secondyear after planting foodplots of ImperialWhitetail Clover andChicory Plus on myfarm I was fortunateenough to shoot thebiggest deer of my life.

The deer was in the woods 30 yards away from one ofthe food plots. It was a 13 pointer scoring 163-1/8 andweighed 215 lbs. This is a very large deer for Delaware.Thank you very much Whitetail Institute for your excel-lent whitetail products. I am a firm believer in WhitetailInstitute food plot products.

Jason Schultz — MichiganI’ve taken Whitetail Institute products to two differ-

ent states and all over the state of Michigan for over 20years. I planted Imperial Whitetail Clover and ImperialNo-Plow. I also use 30-06 Mineral and 30-06 PlusProtein. Within a year I noticed that even our 1-1/2 yearold deer were growing bigger head gear. Where I hunt,not many deer lived beyond their first set of antlers,but every now and then we would get a 2-1/2 or 3-1/2year old and I believe that the minerals and ImperialClover really helped get some over the 125-inch mark.After a few years down state I took Whitetail Instituteproducts to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I ownedproperty but there wasn’t any field areas. I clearedsome small spots and planted No-Plow and SecretSpot. Both of these products and the two 30-06 min-eral products helped me to see an improvement in thedeer in the area. Enclosed is a picture of my wife,Teresa with her biggest deer to date. There aren’t anyfarm fields in our area. It’s all big woods so this is a real-ly good deer. I had planted No-Plow and Secret Spot inthe area and also had 30-06 minerals out in this areafor about four years.

David Lemery — OhioI have planted Whitetail Institute products for six

years along a scenic river in Madison County, Ohio, andthe term plant it, and they will come, is a true state-

(Continued on page 52)


“Let’s get back to the basics.” No matterwhether you’re in business, sports or anyother endeavor, you’ve probably heard that

suggested from time to time. And the reasons are sim-ple: first, the basics are what we build on as we go far-ther and learn more no matter what our pursuit, andsecond, later steps depend on earlier steps havingbeen taken, properly and in order. The same holds truewhen setting hunting properties up with food plots.There are four basic steps that should be followed if weare to get the best possible results from our food plotefforts. Here are those four steps, which we set out inPart 1 of this article. If you missed Part 1 or would like toreview it, it’s available at www.whitetailinstitute.comunder the Whitetail News link.

We covered steps (1) and (2) in Part 1 of this article.Now let’s build on those first two steps.

STEP 3: CORRECTLY PREPAREEACH SITE FOR PLANTING

For optimum results, all Whitetail Institute forageblends should be planted in a seedbed which has beenprepared with the following characteristics: 1. Soil pH should be 6.5 to 7.5: Some Whitetail

Institute forage products will tolerate soil pH lowerthan 6.5. One example is Imperial Whitetail Extreme,which will tolerate soil pH as low as 5.4. Two others areImperial No-Plow and Secret Spot, which will toleratebeing planted with very little seedbed preparation.

However, note that I said “tolerate” — that meansthat these products will perform well in lower pH soils,but if you want any Imperial Whitetail Institute forageto perform optimally, soil pH should be between 6.5and 7.5.

The only way to be absolutely sure that the soil pHof your seedbed is within this optimum range by thetime you’re ready to plant is to perform a laboratorysoil test, and then disk or till any lime recommendedin your soil test report thoroughly into the seedbedseveral months in advance of planting if possible. Besure you use a soil test kit that sends your soil sampleoff to a qualified soil testing laboratory; and when youprepare the sample to send, be sure to tell the labwhat forage you’ll be planting. That way the lab canprecisely tailor its recommendations. High quality soiltest kits are available from the Whitetail Institute,

county agents, agricultural universities and most farmsupply stores. And remember — proper soil pH is themost important factor you can control in assuring asuccessful planting. (For more information on why soilpH is so critical, see the following on-line article:

www.whitetailinstitute.com/info/news/nov05/12.html)2. Create seedbed free of vegetation. The main rea-

son you should try to get your seedbed as clean ofexisting vegetation as possible is so that your forageplants will have as much root space as they need foroptimum growth. If you are not able to rid the site of allexisting vegetation, that won’t be a “deal killer,” but themore you can remove, the better the forage shouldperform.3. Seedbed smoothness and firmness: Seedbed

firmness and smoothness are not as critical with theInstitute’s large-seed blends (Imperial WhitetailPowerPlant and Pure Attraction). Before planting theseproducts, the seedbed should be disked or tilled; oncethat’s done, there is no need to smooth or firm theseedbed further before seeding. Seedbed smoothnessand firmness are much more important when preparingto plant any Imperial forage product other thanPowerPlant or Pure Attraction. All other Imperial for-ages are small-seed blends, and as such they should beplanted on or very near the surface of the soil (nodeeper than 1/4-inch). Once the seedbed has beendisked or tilled, then the seedbed should be (A)smoothed so that it is free of all cracks, and (B) firmedto the point that your boot tracks sink down no morethan one-half to one inch when you walk out into theplot. There are two ways to smooth and firm a seedbedafter disking or tilling: with a weighted drag-type


A Step-By-Step Guide to

Food PlotsBy Jon Cooner Photos by Charles J. Alsheimer

(Part 2)

Soil pH is critical for foodplot success. It proved verysuccessful for Camille andEarl Bentz in Tennessee.

implement, or with a cultipacker (a roller). As I’ll explainbelow, which one you use to smooth and firm theseedbed is critical to what — if anything — you shoulddo after putting your seed out.

STEP 4: PLANT EACH SITE CORRECTLY

Once your seedbed has been limed and disked, add

fertilizer as called for in your soil test report. If no soiltest is available, then add the amount and blend of fer-tilizer recommended in the Institute’s planting instruc-tions for the product. Add your fertilizer just before youplant so that the nitrogen in the fertilizer will be at fullstrength. Once the seedbed has been fertilized andlightly disked in, you’ll need to smooth and firm theseedbed before you put the seed out. How firm and

smooth the seedbed shouldbe depends on what Imperialforage product you’re plant-ing. The biggest differenceconcerns seed size.Large-Seed Blends: As I

mentioned in Step 3 above,two Imperial forage prod-ucts, PowerPlant and PureAttraction, are large-seedblends. These products con-tain both small and largeseeds and are best plantedwith a broadcast spreader,and then lightly covered witha drag or light harrow so thatthey are no deeper than one-half to one inch under loosesoil. Small-Seed Blends: As I

also mentioned, all otherImperial Forage products aresmall-seed blends. Theseshould be left at or very nearthe surface of the soil whenplanted.

If you used a weighted drag to smooth and firm theseedbed before seeding, your seedbed should be ade-quately smooth and free of cracks. Just broadcast theseed, and do nothing further after you put the seedout. Do not drag the field again after seeding.

Cultipack the plot after seeding only if you used acultipacker to smooth and firm the seedbed prior toputting the seed out. That will help seat the seed intothe surface of the firmed seedbed. Be sure that youcultipack the seedbed both before and after seedingwith small seeds, though. If you only cultipack after, theseed can be pushed too deep into the soft soil.However, if you used a weighted drag-type implementto smooth and firm the seedbed, the soil will still beloose enough for the seed to naturally settle rightwhere it falls, so do nothing further once you put theseed out. Never drag over small seeds.

Final matters: Some (but not all) Imperial forageblends benefit from an additional fertilization about30-45 days after planting with a high-nitrogen fertiliz-er such as 22-0-0, 24-0-0 or 46-0-0. These include theInstitute’s “Chic” Magnet and Extreme perennials aswell as all Imperial annual forage products. If possible,try not to skip this step because it can really boost for-age growth with these products. Also, consider puttingsmall exclusion cages over part of your food plots sothat you can monitor deer usage.

The planting instructions for Whitetail Institute for-age blends are as easy to find as they are easy to do– they’re right there on the back of each product bagand also on our website, www.whitetailinstitute.com.And as always, if you have any questions, theInstitute’s consultants are only a phone call away at(800) 688-3030. W


Proper planting techniques lead togreat looking bucks like this monstertaken by Steve Kravick in Wisconsin.

Ever hear of JohnChapman? This namesounds familiar to

many people today, but mostfolks can’t put their finger onwho the guy really is untilyou say

Johnny Appleseed. “Oh, yes,” they will say, “He is theguy who went throughout our country planting appleseeds that eventually grew into mature trees that pro-duced delicious apples.”

Yep, he’s the guy. Johnny Appleseed lived from 1774until 1845 and while it seems impossible, he became alegend in his own lifetime, a rare feat indeed. Of coursetoday we see people become legends during their life-times in the field of sports, such as Michael Jordan,Lance Armstrong, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jack Nicklaus,Nancy Lopez, Michael Phelps, Peyton Manning, Chris

Evert, Wayne Gretzky, and others. But let’s face it, astalented as these guys and gals are, how many of themcould have become a living legend planting appleseeds? Even in today’s age of electronics — TV, radio,Internet, cell phones, and more, the answer to thequestion is… none.

Yet John Chapman, the apple seed planter, is stillknown to a vast number of our population today,although he has been dead for over 165 years.

The reason this is true is because Johnny Appleseedwanted to leave things better for those people follow-ing him on this earth. He spent his lifetime plantingseeds, establishing pioneer tree nurseries and helpingthe people around him in various other ways and madea lasting impression on generations of Americans. Weas food plot managers can relate to what he did, for inour own way, we are doing the same thing, only on asmaller scale.

THE MODERN WILDLIFE SEED PLANTINGMOVEMENT’S INNOVATOR

It’s well known that Ray Scott was the founder ofBass Anglers Sportsman’s Society (B.A.S.S.). In thefishing field, we can credit Scott with breakthroughideas such as catch and release, live wells in boats,


PLANT A SEED— Make A Difference! By Brad Herndon

Photos by the Author

wearable personal floatation devices, engine killswitches, and many other boating and water-relatedconservation and safety projects.

Interestingly, while all these fishing-related projectswere going on, Scott was deer hunting — and thinking— on the side. Finding whitetails preferred white cloverover other products in food plots, Scott set out todevelop a specialty clover that specifically fit the nutri-tional needs of deer. In 1988 he had that product per-fected and named it Imperial Whitetail Clover. The firstyear he sold more than one million pounds of thisincredible product, and in the process started manydeer hunters on a seed-planting endeavor beyond theirimaginations.

New products then came in a timely manner fromthe Whitetail Institute—Alfa-Rack, Extreme, No-Plow,Pure Attraction, 30-06 Mineral/Vitamin Supplement,and several other noteworthy items related to thenutritional needs of deer. During the next few yearstens of thousands of deer hunters became involved inmanaging for deer and planted countless food plottracts throughout our land. The result of these extraor-dinary whitetail management efforts was a strikingincrease in the number of entries into the Pope &Young and Boone & Crockett record books during the1990s and early 2000s.

IS DEER MANAGEMENT BIG BUCKS ONLY?

I think almost every one of you reading this articleenjoys seeing or killing a monster whitetail. They createan excitement within us that simply can’t be fullyexplained. Having a tall-tined giant come our way willsend our heart rate out of sight and can wreak havoc

on our nervous system to such a degree that we attimes entirely blow the shot!

Without doubt, wanting to grow trophy bucks wasinstrumental in initially getting most deer hunters intoplanting food plots, but as time went on these samepeople realized there was more to the deer manage-ment game than they realized. Some place withinalmost every hunter managing for whitetails is thedesire to somehow make things better for wildlife, andfor future hunters as well.

ARE YOU MAKING A DIFFERENCE?

First of all, in answer to this question, yes, as a hunteryou are making a difference--and have been since 1937.This was the year the Pittman-Robertson act waspassed. This act places an 11 percent tax at the manu-facturers’ level on sporting firearms, ammunition andarchery equipment. This money has been used torestore wildlife populations such as turkey, whitetaildeer, wood duck, black bear, bobcat, predatory birds,and many more.

In addition, since 1937 a total of four million acres hasbeen purchased with this money and preserved forwildlife and for use by future generations of this land’speople. This four million-acre figure, by the way, is lessthan 2/1000 of one percent of this country’s acreage.Our great country contains an amazing 2.3 trillionacres!

It’s worth noting here that this ground purchasedwith hunter’s dollars is for everyone’s use. The birdwatcher, the hiker, the fisherman, and even the anti-hunter benefit from this now-public land each of youhunters have paid for with your tax dollars. Other items

paid for with Pittman-Robertson dollars are huntersafety courses and shooting ranges.

Obviously, we hunters have certainly benefitedwildlife, hunters, and other Americans in a big time waywith this money. Despite this fact, I still see manyhunters who have the lingering thought that their man-agement efforts are not contributing to the wildlife intheir area in a meaningful way. They also have somedoubts about whether they are helping or hinderingother hunters. At this point in this article, let me putthese less than positive feelings to rest.

FROM SEEDS TO TREES — AND MORE

As deer hunters became more involved in managingfor whitetails, they discovered through the many arti-cles in Whitetail News, magazines and other reputablesources that while nutritious food plots were criticallyimportant to a deer’s health, other factors needed tobe in place as well for maximum success. Inspiredhunters started studying every aspect of how to put allthe pieces of the deer management puzzle together,and where it was feasible from an owner or lessee’sstandpoint, they took action.

I know of several examples of this, one close to myhome in southern Indiana. This particular hunter ownsnearly 200 acres of land, and he first laid out severalfood plots in strategic locations on his property andplanted a variety of products from the WhitetailInstitute. The next step he took was to do a selectivetimber harvest in his woods, in the process removingtrees that were unproductive for any type of wildlife.This improved the timber quality of his forested areasand at the same time provided better natural browse


and bedding spots for his whitetails. Adding to the great food sources he already had, he

began planting persimmon, apple and pear trees inlocations that were open and had good sunlight. Whenhe was done, he had provided the best variety of foodsources possible for the deer on his property, whetherthey were up and feeding, or holed up in a beddingarea. And he wasn’t done.

Since he truly loved wildlife and his acreage was in acreek bottom region, he built a dam across a smallstream with approval from the local conservation andzoning boards and created a wetland several acres insize. Today when he sits on stand within view of thiswetland, he gets to enjoy watching muskrats, beaver,river otters, mink, several types of ducks, great blueherons and other types of wildlife frolic in or near thewater.

Obviously, the enjoyment he gets from watching thisvariety of wildlife is a great payback for him eventhough it doesn’t involve killing a monster whitetail.Neighboring properties benefit from his managementefforts as well, so everyone wins in this situation.

It would be interesting if we could compile a list of allof the wildlife now on his property and write thosetotals down. Then, let’s assume we could somehowtake away every wildlife management change he hasmade throughout the years. Now, if we could, we wouldlet five years pass and once again total those wildlifefigures. I suspect the difference in wildlife variety andnumbers would be a shock to each one of us. This illus-tration proves, without doubt, what a positive contri-bution he has made to the wildlife in his region.

And he will be the first to tell you he has been paidback for his hard work in many different ways. Starting

off, he does, indeed, have a house full of dandy bucks.He also has a storehouse of memories that are price-less, for he has spent hundreds of days on stand on hisproperty. And I know he was paid back this past fall ina most touching way.

A few years back, this wildlife manager had severeback problems. Knowing this, a father and son offeredto come over and help him put up some tree stands,asking for nothing in return. This past fall when theproperty owner was seeing three bucks on his proper-ty scoring in the 130s, he called up this father and sonand told them to come over and see if they could killthem since he was looking for something bigger.

Full of excitement, they came over and set up standswith the landowner’s advice for placement. Both thefather and son were successful, killing two of the 130-class bucks. They were the biggest bucks of their life,and they were happy beyond belief. Interestingly, eventhough the deer were killed off of this man’s managedland, he was just as happy as they were. Another typeof payback for sound management practices.

WHAT’S YOUR PAYBACK STORY?

What I have just related is certainly a successful —and oftentimes touching — management plan carriedout by a single individual, but I know each of you haveyour own payback stories created as a result of plant-ing food plots. I know I do.

For example, last fall as I sat in a ground blind withour granddaughter Jessica The Rascal Girl Steger andher dad Mr. Curt, I was privileged to watch as a big doemoseyed into our turnip food plot. At 34 yards Jessicadouble-lunged that huge doe (it field-dressed 134

pounds) and I think I was just as excited as she was.And even though she was just 11 years old last year, Ihave been able to hunt with Jessica and her momJoLinda, our daughter, and watch as Jessica has putthe tag on three gobblers.

Although my wife, Carol, and I have taken numerousdandy bucks from our leased and managed land overthe past thirteen years, and have had a great timetogether, those grandchild memories are hard to topwhen it comes to being paid back for all of our wildlifemanagement efforts. Our great memories don’t onlyinvolve our family either.

For example, the last Saturday of Indiana’s 2009December muzzleloader season our good friends Mike,Shannon and Emma Winks went hunting with us. Carolpassed up a good buck that evening, Miss Emma killedher first deer, a button buck, and her mom MissShannon killed a nice 8-point buck, which turned out tobe her best buck ever. As Mr. Mike and I sat in the blindwith Miss Emma and watched as she shot her deer, Iturned around and said, “She killed it deader than ahammer.”

Mr. Mike had a great laugh out of that line, and eachof us has wonderful memories of that evening huntwith good friends. Now that, folks, is a priceless pay-back.

OTHER WAYS YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING

Whether you realize it or not, right now you areresponsible for me making a living. Without you plant-ing those seeds, I wouldn’t be writing this article. Norwould the folks at the Whitetail Institute have a job.You keep a certain number of employees paid at fer-


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tilizer and chemical companies. People at lime com-panies and ATV, tractor and implement factories alsoowe their livelihood to each of you. And this list couldgo on and on because you have a huge, positive, eco-nomic impact on our economy at a time when it’svitally needed.

You help feed people too, not just animals and birds.Every time the farmer we lease from goes by our foodplots and sees whitetails munching our ImperialWhitetail Clover he has a smile on his face. Can youimagine how much corn and soybeans we save thefarmer by planting our tracts in products deer find sopalatable? If you added it all up, it would be sizable,and the millions of bushels of grain we all save with ourfood plots no doubt feeds a lot of people.

Little noticed, but true, is the fact deer plot man-agers are great teachers of the natural world, so thisknowledge and passion is passed along to others aswell. You can’t get this kind of education in a classroom. Don’t forget, either, that you’re instilling a greatwork ethic in your children, grandchildren and otherchildren who help you work those food plot tracts.We’ll all agree a better work ethic is needed in today’ssociety.

So as you reflect back on your years of working andplanting food plots for whitetails and wildlife, alwaysremember you are making a difference not only in thelives of wildlife, but in people’s lives too. Fascinatingly,even in these tough economic conditions, almost all of

you will plant those food plots again next spring. Here’show I know.

My good friend Charlie Alsheimer, a valued contribu-tor to Whitetail News, does more than 50 speakingengagements in churches every year and all of his sem-inars relate to deer biology, deer hunting, and qualitydeer management. His survey over the past five yearsof nearly 1,000 people who carry out QDM reveals 95percent of them will do it again, regardless of the pastdroughts, floods and monetary costs involved alongthe way, and the mistakes they have made. It goes toshow special memories of time spent with family andfriends, and an abundance of wildlife, are sufficientrewards for the time invested.

In closing, my hat is always off to someone who is aninnovator like Ray Scott, whose seeds got us started inQDM. I’m betting Ray and his sons, Steve and Wilson,also have a great feeling about the seeds they havesown, and the people they have helped start in wildlifemanagement with their quality products, and the edu-cational articles they have shared.

And I know they have that wonderful feeling notbecause they made a dollar, but because they made adifference. W

My Biggest PersonalPayback From Food Plots“My daddy always said that you should

leave the land better than you received it.We’ve taken our marginal soils here inAlabama and improved the quality of theland tremendously, with the result being adramatic increase in our wildlife numbers.Managing for wildlife properly enhances notonly the quality of your whole life, but thequality of your families’ lives and those ofyour friends as well. I’ve been able to see mydaddy and mom be successful many timesover our food plots, even into their 70s and80s. To me, the memories from our foodplots have been priceless.”

— Tes Randle Jolly, Alabama.

“Personally, I have tons of personalpaybacks from food plots. Yes, both Aaronand I have killed some very nice New Yorkwhitetails because of the food plots we'veplanted; yes, I've taken some photos I neverwould have taken without food plots. Butprobably the biggest benefit is that Aaronand I have done them together… food plotshave allowed us to make a lot of dreamstogether and the beauty is that so manyhave come true. When a father and son areable to play with dirt, manage a property,and hunt it successfully, the payoff isspecial.”

— Charlie Alsheimer, New York.


Carol Herndon, the author’s wife, hastaken many nice bucks from their

family managed property.

People often ask, “Howit is that Iowa andother Midwestern

states can produce maturewhitetails with large antlerson a frequent basis?” Theeasiest answer to thisquestion is that the area hasall the components necessaryfor the production of aquality whitetail deer herd.

One of the most important components in Iowa is itsfertile soils, which allow the land to grow nutrient-rich,nutritious forages. The moderate, temperate climate isalso important. Although the state has cold wintersthat help break up disease and parasite cycles, the win-ters are not extremely cold and the deer herd usuallydoes not have to contend with extended periods ofdeep snow. The summers are warm, but usually, not toodry.

The combination of fertile soils and favorable cli-

matic conditions is enhanced by themixture of natural and agricultural habitats thatcomprise Iowa’s landscape. Timber, brush, and prairiehabitat types provide nutritious hard and soft mastcrops, browse, and forbs. The two main crops of Iowa,corn and soybeans, are prevalent throughout the stateand provide a tremendous benefit to the deer herd aswell as other wildlife. This is especially true during thelate fall and winter months when waste grain in fieldsis still available for the animals except during severewinters.

Midwestern deer have also proven to be of goodgenetic stock but, more importantly, the habitat withits high plane of nutrition allows them to express theirgenetic potential. Even in Iowa, the overall deer densi-ty in relation to the habitat plays a very important rolein enabling the deer to maintain this high level of nutri-tion. Iowa’s deer herd has always been managed bysocial tolerances and not by biological carrying capac-ity considerations. This has kept deer densities wellbelow carrying capacity in the state as a whole andlower than the densities of other Midwestern states.Not only do the moderate densities help ensure thatIowa’s deer have access to very nutritious foodresources, it also helps mitigate social stress within theherd which can have negative impacts. With a highplane of nutrition comes more rapid development andin Iowa one example of this is that typically more than

50 per-cent of the female fawnswill be bred their first fall.

The last ingredient needed in the mix in order for adeer herd to express its genetic potential is age. Sincehunting is the major mortality factor in the deer herd,the number and types of deer harvested have thebiggest impact on the population and age structure.When Iowa initiated its first modern deer seasons itbegan a tradition that proved to be fortuitous. Thefirearm deer season (shotguns for Iowa) was estab-lished in December because after the crops were har-vested, farmers would have more time to hunt, deerwould be more accessible, and the hunt would notinterfere with the pheasant season. This resulted in ascenario in which the majority of the bucks were har-vested after the rut, when mature bucks were less vul-nerable. Iowa also differs from many states in that any-deer licenses were always a component of Iowa deerhunting and Iowans have never been averse to harvest-ing antlerless animals. The length of the shotgun sea-sons also encourages hunters to harvest antlerlessdeer. This shorter season timeframe with two shotgunseasons provides multiple opening weekends. Theenthusiasm associated with these events helps toincrease the harvest.


THE IOWA

PRESCRIPTIO

N for

By Tom Litch

field,

Iowa DNR Deer Program Biologist

Photos by Bill Winke


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This has produced a deer herd where theantlered component is subjected to signifi-cantly less mortality when it is most vulner-able and an antlerless component that iswillingly harvested by Iowa hunters. Thefinal product is an older-aged male herdcomponent, a more natural breeding sea-son, population control through the har-vest of does, and more balanced sexratios.

The quality of Iowa’s deer herd andbeing known for “big bucks” also

can create issues and desiresthat can negatively impactthe population. One issue thatis becoming more common isfor recreational landowners toimplement practices designedto attract and hold deer.However, too often such prop-erties overlook one all-impor-tant component; an adequatedoe harvest. The result ishigher-than-average deerdensities, impaired herd quali-ty, and reduced public acceptance ofdeer due to conflicts (agricultural producers, high-way collisions, etc.). Increasing a property’s attrac-tiveness to deer also demands an increased responsi-bility to population control. Being a good neighborand maintaining acceptable deer densities that pro-mote herd quality and public appreciation of theresource should be primary goals. The mistaken beliefthat success is only possible when pursuing undis-

turbedanimals or the fearthat someone may shoot “my buck”are not valid excuses for ignoring this responsibility.

Pressures from non-residents for increased access tothe resource are also common. However, Iowa cannotmeet the desires of the nation’s deer hunters for “tro-

phy bucks” and still maintainthe quality of its deer herd; soaccess must be limited.Currently, it takes about threeyears for a non-resident to drawan archery license in the morepopular zones of Iowa (the sea-son includes the November rut).However, non-residents interest-ed in hunting during Iowa’s shot-gun or late muzzleloader seasonscurrently draw a license at leastevery other year. These drawingsuccess rates are better than theodds of other coveted hunts inAmerica. Also, the proportion of deerhunters in Iowa that are non-residentsis equitable to the proportions exhib-ited in neighboring Midwestern statesthat have no restrictions on nonresi-dent license sales.

Is Iowa’s management strategy theonly way to produce a high-qualitywhitetail herd? Certainly not; regulationsand management strategies must be tai-lored to fit regional habitat capabilitiesand deer hunting traditions in order toestablish and achieve realistic goals. In theend every deer harvested, no matter whatthe sex or size, is something to be appreci-ated and hunters should never lose sight of

that fact. W

Increasing a property’s attractiveness to deer also demands

an increased responsibility to population control.

Camden Hollow islocated in theNorth central

portion of the great stateof West Virginia. For thisparticular part of thestate, quantity of whitetaildeer is not a problem.Quality, on the other hand,is a huge problem. I boughtCamden in 1993 and it was300 acres of the wooliest deercountry in the area. At that timein my hunting career myphilosophy was like most othersin the community in that “if itwas brown, it was down” as longas the buck had spikes as long asa .30-06 shell. Heaven forbid ifsomeone in our hunting partyshot a doe. I was concerned onlywith “getting that buck,” nomatter how scrawny it was. In thelate 1990s my nephew Daniel andI were fortunate enough to havethe opportunity to hunt in EdgarCounty, Ill. We did this for sevenyears. Deer hunting as we knew itstarted to slowly change. Wewould return from Illinois on theSunday before the first day of theWest Virginia rifle season.

One week we wereglassing monster bucks in corn and alfalfa

fields and the next thing we knew, we were seeingnothing but small 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 year-old bucks that hadnothing to offer as far as headgear was concerned. Itwas depressing to say the least. But what could we do?We knew very little about quality deer management.We met with local wildlife biologists and researchedeverything we possibly could in order to have a healthyresident deer herd. Initially, we were harvesting bucksthat averaged one to 2-1/2 years of age and weighedbetween 95 and 105 pounds after being field dressed.Does averaged 70 to 80 pounds.

In the spring, it was common to see does with onlyone fawn. The buck-to-doe ratio was ridiculous. Wehad a terrible time convincing neighbors and fellowdeer hunters how important it was to let youngerbucks walk and to harvest does in adequate numbers.Our food plots started out pretty rough in the begin-ning. We had a difficult time bringing the quality of oursoil up to a suitable level. Different seed varieties wereused from the local feed store. Even though our plotswould grow, we were not satisfied with the perform-ance of the common seed that was used. Let’s face it,it is not easy preparing and maintaining a food plot (orin our case, food plots). We wanted to be able tochoose from a variety of seed mixtures that would becompatible with the different soil types and differentlevels of soil moisture found on Camden. We also want-ed perennial plots that were winter hardy and wouldlast for several years. Annual plots needed to be easyto establish and maintain.

I read about the Whitetail Institute of North Americaand was impressed that the company focused entirelyon deer nutrition and had years of research to supportits products. Soon it was standard practice to only

plant seedfrom the Whitetail Institute.

We’ve tried all of their seed blends and deerlove them all. The perennial seed blends are very win-ter hardy and last for years as long as they are takencare of properly. Annual blends are easy to establishand attract deer like crazy. Both provide more proteinthan deer actually need to be healthy and to grow totheir greatest potential.

We also provide our deer with 30-06 mineral at var-ious lick sites on Camden. It is crucial to “fill the gaps”in your herd’s diet in order to meet, or preferablyexceed, their nutritional requirements. The 30-06 min-eral is like giving the bucks in your herd an antlergrowth vitamin. We’ve also noticed that does onCamden are dropping healthier fawns in the spring. It isnow common to see does with healthy twin fawns. Wefeel that 30-06 plays an important role in helping usmeet our deer management goals. Here at Camden, wealso use Cutting Edge products to further give the deeron the property the opportunity to reach their maxi-mum potential. I like Cutting Edge because it can bemixed right in with the supplemental feed we providefor the herd.

Probably the hardest thing in the beginning was toactually let the first few bucks walk. Old habits can behard to break. But soon we were all in “doe mode” andwe realized that it made more sense harvesting a largedoe rather than a small buck. In order to harvestenough does during the year to keep the herd in check,we invite friends and neighbors to participate in whatwe call “Gauntlet Week.”

This occurs during the West Virginia black powderseason and, for Camden, is a doe-only hunt. Black pow-der season comes in toward the end of all other deerseasons in the state, so the deer are very difficult tohunt. The week is made successful by planning well-orchestrated deer drives not only on Camden but onsurrounding properties as well. The initial two or threeyears after hunting my newly obtained property, I was


CAMDEN HOLLOW…A West Virginia Success StoryBy John T. TravisPhotos by the Author

The Camden Hollow Buck.

convinced that the genetics of the resident whitetail herd was terrible. However, Irealized this was false after providing the best possible nutrition and allowing thebucks to mature to at least 4-1/2 years of age. It wasn’t that our bucks were sub-standard by any means, but they were not given the chance to develop and mature.It is my opinion that age and nutrition are both equally important for an individualbuck to display exactly what he has to offer genetically.

Patience is something we, as hunters, understand. Let me tell you, you reallyhaven’t learned to be patient until you’ve evolved into not only a skilled hunter but adeer manager as well. Patience is a necessary virtue when it comes to QDM. It does-n’t happen over night. I can’t tell you that Camden was producing trophy whitetailsthe same year we began our management program, or even the year after.

We did, however, begin to see a significant difference in the average weight of thedeer harvested. Following four years of managing the property, we began harvestingbig, heavy-beamed bucks. The good thing is that the deer hunting has done nothingbut get better and better with each passing year.

THE CAMDEN HOLLOW BIG BUCK STORY

After eight years of deer management on Camden, the quality of the bucks har-vested was about not just to change for the better, but dramatically change for thebetter. We had taken a few mature bucks sporting heavier headgear for the past four


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Side-by-side comparisonI decided to compare Gamehide®’s new ElimiTick Series Camo to ordinary camo in a tick-infested Wisconsin turkey woods. My nephew wore his everyday camo while I wore ElimiTick. We sat right next to each other for an entire morning in several different spots. My nephew was constantly picking ticks. He counted a total of 31 ticks. I did not have a single tick. Amazing!

— Walt Larsen, Outdoor Writer

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FeaturingFeaturing

Daniel Travis shows off the Camden Hollow Buck — 17 points, 22-

inch spread, 5-1/2 years old andscored 155.


years. However, they were not what you would call tro-phy-class deer. We knew it would get better as long aswe continued to allow our bucks time to mature andcontinued to provide quality nutrition all year-roundusing products from the Whitetail Institute.

Game cameras play a huge role in our managementprogram. After collecting data from the cameras earlyin the fall two years ago, one buck in particular stoodout. It was almost impossible to believe, but there infront of me was a picture of a wide, heavy-beamedbuck with what appeared to be 13 points. The camerawas mounted on a post along a funnel between a standof Imperial Extreme and Imperial Winter-Greens. Icalled my nephew, Daniel, and promised I’d send himthe photo. We both were looking forward to theupcoming season and having the chance to bag the“Camden Hollow Buck.”

Early on the first day of the season, Daniel made hisway around the point into what we call “Hard RoadCove.” It was his usual route for the first day. After com-ing up to a big oak, he glassed the cove and spottedantlers about three flats down.

The buck was bedded down and facing towards him.Daniel slowly backed off a few yards and crept over toan old section of woven wire fence where he was hid-den from the deer’s view. He glassed the buck for sev-eral minutes. He knew this was the buck, but he wasconcerned about making a good shot since the deerwas bedded down and there was plenty of spacebetween the two of them. If he didn’t take the shot thebuck would only have to take one step to the right orleft and he would be gone.

A doe stepped in from the right, which quickly cap-tured the buck’s attention. She had been there the

whole time and Daniel figured he was staying close toher since the rut was in full swing. It wasn’t long —maybe a few seconds — before the buck was up andoff to the right, tagging along behind the doe. He wasgone, just like that. Before Daniel made a move oneway or another, a second buck came from out of

nowhere and joined in the chase around the cove. Itwas “Big Boy,” one of the other bucks that made our hitlist for that particular year. “Big Boy” was a high-and-wide 8-point that we figured was probably a 4-1/2year-old deer. He wasn’t as heavy as the 13-point, butwas no doubt a shooter. We captured a picture of him

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30-06 Mineral plays a big role inproducing better quality deer at

Camden Hollow.

early in the fall while he visited one of our 30-06 Mineral licks. Now what? Daniel wasn’t about to let this buck wander off without another chance

at taking him. Knowing the lay of the land as he did and having a good knowledge ofhow the deer on the property travel, he figured he could back-track and parallel thebuck while on the opposite side of the ridge. He planned on beating the deer to anearby saddle or “low gap” where he figured they were sure to cross.

Out of breath and with just enough time to get into position, Daniel settled inbehind an old log where he had plenty of cover. The doe stepped out in clear viewno more than 75 yards from his position. Where was the buck? It seemed like forev-er and the doe was almost out of sight. Suddenly, Daniel caught some movementlower on the hill. The buck was passing below him about 150 yards through densescrub brush. As the buck stopped and peered up the hill toward the doe, Daniel real-ized that he now had an even tougher shot than he did in the beginning. There wasabsolutely no shoulder shot. All he could see was the buck’s enormous rack, head andneck. The deer seemed reluctant to move. Having a good rest and a clear view of thebuck’s neck, he decided to take the shot. He didn’t feel rushed and was comfortablewith the situation. After clicking the .270 rifle off safety and taking a deep breath,Daniel squeezed the trigger. The buck suddenly disappeared.

Daniel called me on the radio and gave me the news that the “Camden HollowBuck” was down and that he was not a 13-point, but a 17-point. People came frommiles around to see Daniel’s buck. Let’s face it, deer like that don’t come from north-central West Virginia. Well, now they do. I was excited for him, but I was also excitedabout the fact that we were producing trophy-class deer at last! Or… was this a fluke?

Last season answered that question. I was hunting just off our central plot — thelargest of the 13 different food plots on Camden. It was the first day of rifle seasonand once again “Big Boy” made the hit list. We captured a picture of him earlier inthe fall coming through the same funnel the 17-point traveled the year before that.Now “Big Boy” had 10 points, a heavier rack, and was taller and wider. The differencein his body structure was quite significant. As you can imagine, I had many sleeplessnights wondering if this would be my year to tag a trophy buck.

The sun was beginning to set in the west when several does entered the foodplot. I had seen several does and smaller-racked deer during the day, but up to thispoint “Big Boy” was a no-show. The does were not pressured at all, and they wereleisurely feeding on our plot made up of a mixture of Imperial Whitetail Clover andChic Magnet when something from the northwest corner of the food plot got theirattention.

It was hard for me to see through the trees as I was set up on the outer edge ofthe plot, probably 75 yards off. Finally, I could make out three does slowly feedingtoward the others… and behind them was “Big Boy.” He was accompanied by a small-er 8-point which was probably a 3-1/2 year-old, but a good buck nevertheless. I canrecall several times in my life when my heart felt like it would pop out of my chestfrom beating so hard and this was definitely one of them.

I didn’t have a shot. He was a good 400 yards away and there was scrub brushbetween us. I crawled to a better position where I could get a good look at him butthere was no way I would risk taking a shot at that distance. There was nothing I coulddo. I was pinned down by does in front of me and the buck seemed happy to remainon that end of the clover plot and feed until dark. At least the wind was in my favor.I started making plans for the next day. I had no idea… I was at a loss. The only thingI could think of was to return to the Imperial Clover plot and hope for a closer shot.


The Whitetail Institute239 Whitetail Trail • Pintlala, AL 36043


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This young whitetail is browsing on a new PowerPlant food plot.


Wait a minute! Was it my imagination, or was he actu-ally edging his way in my direction! Now my heart wasreally beating. All kinds of things raced through myhead… “Will he come in close enough for a shot?”… “Isit going to get dark on me before I have a chance athim?”…I was a nervous wreck.

“Big Boy” stopped 248 yards out when I decidedthat I could probably make this happen. Now all I need-ed was a clear shot. I couldn’t really move because ofthe does that were around me. I could only sit and wait.At one point he turned and was quartering away fromme as if he had plans to move further down the field,but he finally returned and gave me what I felt wasgoing to be my only chance at him.

He was 261 yards out according to my range finder.He was broadside and walking slowly to the right. I wasprone, holding my breath, with my eye glued to thescope. Two of the does in front of me had spooked, butit didn’t seem to faze “Big Boy.” It was getting dark andI had a small branch between myself and the target. Iwas running out of time. He wasn’t getting any closer. Iwas sure I could make the shot as long as I didn’t hitthat branch. It was now or never.

I lost sight of the buck due to the recoil of my rifle.Deer ran everywhere. Then I spotted him just as hecrossed a small creek that winds down the middle ofthe hollow. “My gosh! Is he hit?” “Big Boy” stopped andlooked into the sky as if to take his final breath andthen toppled over into the stream.

The “Camden Hollow Buck” was 5-1/2 years old andhad a gross score of 155. He had a very massive rackand a 22-inch spread with 17 points. “Big Boy” has notbeen officially aged or scored yet (I haven’t receivedthe jawbone back from the taxidermist yet). But he was

a 10-point with a 19-1/2 inch spread — the biggest deerI’ve ever harvested.

This was not a fluke. We are producing trophy ani-mals. It can be done as long as you have the land to doit and /or cooperation from your neighbors. Practicethe ABC’s of QDM and you will most definitely see thechange in your deer herd and your hunting. When itcomes to the nutrition of your herd, you can trust theexperts at the Whitetail Institute of North America.Take it from somebody who knows.

We are now into the tenth year of our deer man-agement program on Camden. We’ve learned a lot inthose ten years and we are still learning. You will see bythe photos that we can truly say the program has beena success. It is common to harvest 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 year-old bucks. At one time, this was a rarity. The average

weight of does after being field dressed is 115 poundsand the average weight of the bucks has increasedmore than 25 percent to approximately 145 pounds.

Age, nutrition and genetics… it is not rocket science.That is our motto. Have the discipline to let the smaller,younger bucks walk and give your deer herd the nutri-tion they need all 365 days a year. You’ll be surprisedhow good the genetics really are on your hunting prop-erty. If you are concerned about not having enoughproperty, seek the help of your neighbors and form co-ops. It’s a win-win situation. Finally, when it comes tofood plots, do not cut corners!

Be patient, diligent and seek help from the WhitetailInstitute for choosing the right seed for the right soil.Who better to ask? When it comes to whitetail deernutrition, it is all they do. 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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This buck is feeding on ImperialWhitetail Clover. The author likes tomix a little ChicMagnet in with the

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M O U L T R I E G A M E S P Y C A M E R A S

11:42 AM

4/28/10 11:42 AM


(especiallyfor small

properties)By Bill Winke


In my experience, people with smallproperties avoid setting up sanctuariesbecause they don’t think they can afford

to give up hunting land. In fact, they actuallybenefit dramatically by creating thembecause the deer remain on their farms moreof the time and they remain more “huntable”throughout the season. Though sanctuariesare important for all deer hunters, they areactually more important for those huntingsmall properties.

In this article, I’ll make a case for small-property sanctuaries and talk about how toselect them and what to have on them (including food plots). I actually hunted mostof the 2003 season on just 125 acres and had good hunting by keeping some areasoff-limits. You can expect me to go into some detail on how I was able to do this, aswell.

THE VALUE OF SANCTUARIES

Most of us understand the purpose that a sanctuary serves. The intent is to keep aportion of your hunting area off-limits to human entry for various portions of the year.This permits the deer living in these areas to feel at ease, not compelled to leave insearch of greener pastures. Literally, you are trying to create a whitetail deer paradise— everything they need — and then to keep them relaxed in these areas.

Without question, the deer will not leave the sanctuary as often as they might ifthey are feeling stressed in some way, whether by lack of food or water or the resultof hunting pressure. However, in my experience, most of them will leave occasional-ly, giving you some access to these deer as a hunter. The main, and most obvious,goal of the sanctuary is to keep deer in your hunting area.

The only time when sanctuaries are not essential is when your hunting area buttsup to another parcel that is not hunted and can act as your sanctuary.

SIZE OF SANCTUARY

This is where some of you are going to disagree with me. I firmly believe that smallproperties need sanctuaries more than large properties. Unless many people hunt thelarge property, it likely receives considerably less pressure per acre than the smallproperty and there likely are places within the large property where no one goes evenduring the hunting season. By default, the large property likely has a few moderate-sized sanctuaries just because those areas are particularly tough to hunt or hard toget to.

On the other hand, those hunting small properties tend to hunt every inch of theplace because they feel the small size handcuffs them and they need to spread theirefforts out to include as many stand locations as possible.

That line of thinking is a mistake. Actually, any given property has only a certainnumber of good stands. By good, I mean stands that you can get to and from with-out alerting deer that also allow you to sit in them without detection. Larger proper-ties have more such ideal stands than small properties simply because they take inmore land. I know it sounds blunt, but regardless of the size of the property, thoseshould be the only stands you hunt. By spreading your efforts out over many mar-ginal stands, you do your hunting more harm than if you hunted the really goodstands more often and then left the rest of the property alone.

To give some life to this notion, I’m going to relate a few stories from my 2003 and2004 season. I spent most of those two seasons hunting just 125 acres. I was huntingnearly everyday from late October through the end of November and then again in


� When determining the location for your sanctuary, select places that are difficult tohunt. As long as these areas contain the other elements required for a sanctuary — food,water and cover — they represent the best return for your sacrifice of hunting grounds.


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



late December and early January. I probably spent 50to 60 days each season hunting this small area. In fact,I spent most of that time on just 40 acres!

I was after one particular buck and that was wherehe lived. Those two seasons were a truly eye-openingexperience for me. I hunted as carefully as you can pos-sibly imagine; he was a huge buck. The neighborsfound him dead after the 2004 season and he scored225 inches, so you know I was tiptoeing everywhere Iwent.

I didn’t take any chances with spooking that buckout of the area. Because of how carefully I hunted, andthe fact that I only hunted stands that set up perfectly,the small area never burned out. The hunting was justas good on the last day of the season as it had been onthe first. I am not exaggerating. I never burned thatarea out even though I spent nearly all my time on just40 acres. I saw some good bucks, just not the one I wasafter.

Though I didn’t get him, I learned a very valuable les-son. You can keep a small farm fresh all season if youhunt it carefully enough. The farm was 125 acres and Ionly hunted about 40 acres of it. The other 85 acres Ileft completely alone. The majority of the small farmwas actually a sanctuary.

I have never hunted that farm again with the sameintensity since that time. After that buck turned updead, it took the wind out my sails. But I have appliedwhat I learned during 2003 and 2004 to other areasI have hunted. Now I select fewer stands, but betterstands and I hunt my areas lighter. In other words, Ibet that at least half, if not three-quarters, of myhunting area is now a sanctuary. It is an amazingthing to consider, but I literally stay out of most of

If you are hunting carefully, your entirehunting property should feel like a

sanctuary to the deer.


my hunting area now. As a good rule of thumb, you should have a minimum of 20 to 25 percent in

sanctuaries. One big sanctuary in the center of your property is better than a fewsmaller ones scattered all around.

If you take nothing else from this article, please take note of this next sentence.You don’t have to hunt every inch of a property to do it justice. It is much betterto hunt the best stand locations often and carefully and leave the rest of the areaalone so the bucks remain relaxed. Eventually, they will cycle through the placeswhere you are sitting. If it feels like you are burrowing in too deep — like you aregoing to spook something with every step you take — then you probably are. It isbetter to pull back and hunt those bucks somewhere else where you have theadvantage. Give them the places that are hard for you to hunt without beingdetected.

WHERE TO SELECT YOUR SANCTUARY

It is easy for me to decide which parts of my hunting area to leave untouched— they are the spots where I would spook the deer if I hunted them there. It issimple. If there is only one good stand on 500 acres, then I will have a 490-acresanctuary.

This strategy makes the most sense. You are not giving up anything when youestablish a sanctuary. In fact, in some ways, establishing the sanctuary simplyforces you to be more disciplined in your stand selection strategies. That is some-thing you should be doing anyway — just as I learned back in 2003 and 2004.

If you want a more systematic approach to selecting a sanctuary, I can offer afew ideas. I would start with valleys or deep draws. These spots usually have waterrunning through the bottom (deer like that). They also have some flat areas withgood soils that make good food plots (they like that, too). And they are very hardto hunt effectively because of the swirling winds. These features all make valleysthe perfect sanctuaries. I am referring to narrow valleys. Obviously, if a valley iswider than about 300 yards, the wind won’t swirl nearly as noticeably and youmay be able to hunt the area more effectively. With that being the case, we can’tautomatically turn a wide valley into a sanctuary without thinking about it further.

No doubt, one side of a wide valley will set up the best for undetected hunting.Turn the other side into a sanctuary. Again, it makes the most sense to turn areas

Make sure to utilize food plotswhen considering the spot for

your sanctuary.


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®



The author took this buck during one of the seasons inwhich he spent most of his time on just 40 acres. Youcan keep even small areas very fresh through carefulhunting. This strategy makes your entire hunting areahunt much more like a sanctuary — the ultimate goal.

that are hard to hunt into sanctuaries. Earlier I mentioned that we want to provide the deer

with everything they could need in our sanctuary. Theidea is to make it a very attractive place that they don’twant to leave. That means we need food, water, coverand seclusion. If they have these four things they willspend a good deal of time on your property creatinghunting opportunities all season long. At the same timeyou will be preserving younger bucks from being takenon surrounding properties.

Do a good job of creating food sources within yoursanctuary. Some would argue with me on this, becausethey want the deer to have to leave their sanctuary tofeed so they have better opportunities at huntingthem, but I prefer to have some food plots within theboundary of the sanctuary itself. Give them a truly safehaven.

LEVELS OF SECLUSION

Now we have to decide how much we are going toenter these sanctuaries and for what reasons. The opin-ions here run all across the board. I know those whowon’t even shed hunt within their sanctuaries. No onegoes in there ever, for any reason other than to followa wounded deer. This is the most conservativeapproach, to be sure. You can’t fault a person for doingthis, but it may not be practical for everyone.

I know others who keep their sanctuaries off-limitsonly during the hunting season and the rest of the yearthey are in there cutting firewood, turkey hunting, look-ing for morel mushrooms and grabbing antlers. I thinkthis approach errs in the opposite direction, allowingtoo much access that puts regular stress on the deer.

In my sanctuaries, we shed hunt and that is it. No onegoes in there for any other reason during the rest of theyear other than to plant food plots. We may turkeyhunt in there, but we only sit on the open fields (foodplots) where the birds come to peck and strut. We stayout of the cover (especially the remote areas). Thisstrikes a realistic balance between access and seclu-sion.

Sanctuaries become harder to control during the off-season on properties that you don’t own. It is not pos-sible, for example, to tell the landowner that he should-n’t cut firewood or look for mushrooms in a certain partof his property. I guess if you are leasing the ground,you can build that into your lease agreement. However,it does make sense to mention your goals. If thelandowner has options, he or she will often honor yourgoals and conduct their activities elsewhere.

HUNTING STRATEGIES

My final thoughts revolve around how you shouldhunt around your sanctuary. Of course, you are goingto be careful to keep your scent from blowing into thesanctuary area. That is simply part of smart huntingbecause you aren’t going to do well if you let yourscent blow into the very areas from which you expectthe deer to approach.

I like to take things a step farther. I like to cushion mysanctuaries by staying as far from them as possiblewhile still producing good hunting. In other words,rather than crowd my sanctuaries and fight to makethem as small as possible, I would rather hang back andmake them as large as possible.

For example, let’s assume you have a food plot near

a sanctuary. In the first place, I am unlikely to huntbetween the sanctuary and the food plot. I am moreinclined to hunt the opposite side of the food plot fromthe sanctuary. This permits me to play a very favorablewind, not taking any chances with getting busted nearthe sanctuary. It also allows me to get in and out easi-er without the deer detecting me and, in general,makes the sanctuary seem even larger to the deerwithout sacrificing much in the way of hunting successfor me.

Look for similar situations, where you can buffer thesanctuary easily by not hunting right up next to it. Inessence, if you are hunting carefully, keeping the deerfrom knowing you are hunting them, your entire hunt-ing property should feel like a sanctuary to the deer.They should never be able to tell where the sanctuaryboundary lies.

If they feel consistent pressure outside the sanctuary,then you are doing something wrong — hunting thewrong stands or pushing too hard without an advan-tage. Of course, it is also quite possible that you don’tcontrol all the hunting pressure. In that case, you haveto live with other hunters’ mistakes or over-aggressive-ness. Then the sanctuary becomes doubly important.

In summary, you should look at sanctuaries as entire-ly essential to the success of your season. Furthermore,strive to turn your entire hunting area into a defaultsanctuary through careful hunting. If the deer don’tknow you are hunting them—the ideal situation—theywill think your entire hunting area is a sanctuary.Mission accomplished! No matter how you set them up,sanctuaries are one of the most important keys to suc-cessful buck hunting. W

MORSE NURSERY AD STERN DUTTERA AD


Chuck Davis — Arkansas

I have 140 acres and I have planted six acres of foodplots. Three of those areas are planted in ImperialWhitetail Clover. There are more deer on the propertynow than ever before. I have harvested four Pope &Young bucks with my bow since I started usingWhitetail Institute products. This year I have reallynoticed the amount of mass increasing from previousyears. Every year I’ve seen an increase in size of buckstaken and photographed. Some day’s I film, and seemore bucks than does. I had a trouble spot on top of aridge. Extreme solved it. I planted Extreme this springwith exceptional results. They may like this almost asmuch as Imperial Clover.

PowerPlant is a deer magnet. I photographed mylargest buck on the PowerPlant. I catch bigger buckson PowerPlant in summer than any other plot. MyPowerPlant is so thick by the end of July you can’t walkthrough it. By Oct. 1 it is gone! Amazing!

I only plant 1 ½ acres in Winter-Greens. I have let thedeer just eat it and don’t hunt it. After a frost or two thedeer totally consume it. One large heavy buck stay’s onthe Winter-Greens till it’s gone. Great product!

The morning of Oct. 12 this past year was perfect.Perfect wind, temp and perfect weather. I snuck to mystand overlooking one of my Imperial Whitetail Cloverplots. At first light I heard two bucks sparring. Theyfought a little and eventually one of them won. Whilethis was going on two smaller bucks entered the plot.The buck that won came into the plot and started feed-ing and walking to the two smaller bucks. When he gotto 20 yards, I arrowed him. He went about 40 yardsand piled up. A perfect day. Thanks for my ImperialWhitetail Clover. My neighbors are convinced. We areplanning their plots next. I can’t wait!

Eddie McFarland — IllinoisJust a handful of years ago, I started putting out

food plots using Whitetail Institute products. The firstyear, I used Imperial Whitetail Clover on a narrow stripnext to a soybean field. I saw so many deer that year allbut run across the field or run out of the woods to getto this tiny little plot of Imperial Clover, it was unbe-lievable. Immediately I was sold on food plots andWhitetail Institute products. I have friends and neigh-bors who use seeds from other companies, but nonehold the deer all year long that my farm does and as aresult I am taking some of the largest bucks of my life.

I currently put out approximately 15-acres of plotsranging from 1/4 acre to 3-acres and would not dreamof putting out anything less than a Whitetail Instituteseed. Thanks Whitetail Institute for the great products.

Benjamin Oliver — Maryland

I love Whitetail Institute’s Imperial Whitetail Clover. Ilive on two acres. Yes, just two acres. I plowed up a ½acre two years ago in late September and by midOctober I noticed more deer in my small plot. I also putin a 30-06 Plus Protein site approximately 40 yards offmy food plot right next to a worked trail. Over the nextyear I let small bucks walk but saw a lot more deer. Thispast season rolled around and the Imperial Clover wasstill kicking and it was like the woods exploded withdeer.

I had trail camera photos of four wall hangers in theImperial Whitetail Clover, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Icouldn’t wait for the season to start. The first day of theseason I arrowed a 135-inch 9-point. The bucks thenvacated the area during the day at least but the Cloverstill drew all the does off the neighboring propertiesthat I could not access. The pre rut rolled around and

bucks were looking for does and guess where theywere? In my clover plot. Oct. 18 I had a 154-inch, 11-point check six does in front of me then turn aroundand bury his head in the 30-06 Plus Protein where Iarrowed him as well. I heard a lot about the WhitetailInstitute from friends and had to try it to try and bettermy luck. I wish I started with it earlier. The stuff worksand you can bet that I will never go another seasonwithout a lush Imperial Whitetail Clover plot some-where on all my properties. I just want to say thank youto everyone at the Whitetail Institute because theyhelped me harvest two of the best deer I have ever har-vested.

Danny Wahl — Missouri

I have been a big fan of Whitetail Institute’s productsfor a long time, especially Imperial Whitetail Clover. Ihave been planting it for more than 12 years now. My

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best food plot is located in a flood plain. I have fivesmaller plots located here and there over my 200 acrefarm but this one is in a natural travel corridor betweenbedding and feeding areas. It is secluded with very lit-tle visibility surrounded on two sides by a bluff, oneside by the creek and the back side has the beds.

Over the years my friends and I have taken somepretty nice animals off of it but in the last 5 years I haveto say the size of the bucks and number of deer seenare awesome. Before that time frame I borrowedequipment or rented it and tried to get by with theminimum. My plots were nothing to look at! The weedstook them over and it was a job bush hogging them.The deer visited them and benefited some but you getwhat you pay for. A few years ago I bought my owntractor and equipment and I started doing soil tests,applying lime and fertilizer as needed. That with the aidof another fine product called Arrest Herbicide alsomade by the Whitetail Institute has given me the bestlooking food plots around. Deer numbers have soared!What once was a woods dominated by 7-pointers hastransformed into one with numerous 10-pointers and acouple of “Booners” show themselves every year! Lastyears food plot looked so good I wanted to put a littlesalad dressing on it and eat it myself!

Photo #1 shows what the deer looked like on myplace just a few years ago. In the background you cansee my food plot with a lot of brown in it and someremaining weeds.

Photo #2 shows a buck that was featured inWhitetail News two years ago. He is a main frame 10along with an additional 6 non-typical points grossing164-1/2 inches. My best buck ever! He was taken at theedge of a bedding area located just downwind of afood plot.

Photo #3 shows another nice 10 pointer that I har-vested as he was going into the food plot from this sea-son.

Photo #4 is a trail cam photo of a nice 10 pointerwith some kickers off of both G-2’s as he came from afood plot on the opposite end of my farm returning tohis bed.

Photo #5 is a close up shot of my food plot. As youcan see the stems that are sticking up without tips onthem is evidence of heavy grazing!

Randy Wittman — Iowa

Imperial Whitetail Clover was the first WhitetailInstitute product I used. It definitely increased the deeron my property. It kept them on my property and noton the neighbors. I have also used Chicory Plus the lasttwo years and the deer just love it too. Here is a pictureof a buck at my 30-06 Mineral sight. I had two differentpictures of him at night at the mineral sight. On Nov. 7last season I harvested the buck with my bow. Hegrossed 193-3/8. Thank you for your products.

Pat Reilly — WisconsinI just had to send a picture of the deer I harvested

this year. He is a 14-point, 5-1/2-year-old deer, greenscored 179 inches. I have been using Imperial WhitetailClover for the last six or seven years. The first year Iused it I noticed more deer immediately. The plantinglasted up until 2 winters ago. The following season Ihad no food plots and I only saw one buck all of gun

and muzzleloader season. Last year in mid August Ireplanted again. I looked up and printed off the plant-ing instructions from the Whitetail Institute web sight.All I can say is WOW, it came up beautiful and by fall Ihad a good start. After last year with no clover andhardly any pictures on my game cameras, this year wasamazing. I had many pictures of many bucks. I alsoplanted a small area by my bow stand. Enclosed is apicture of the deer I shot walking in past my stand inImperial Whitetail Clover. I am truly convinced that theImperial Clover held the deer here on my property. Twoyears ago I had many pictures of this deer and passedhim once with the bow, that’s when I had clover. Theyear I had no clover I never saw him. This year I hadyour clover and he came back and I got him.

Greg Parsenow — IndianaThis past archery season in Indiana will be a season

to remember for me. I shot two bucks with myMathews Drenalin bow while hunting over some halfacre food plots my brother Dan and I planted in thespring with Whitetail Institute products. Both bucksgrossed more than 135 inches. The buck on the rightwas shot on Oct. 5. He has 12 scoreable points and willmake the Pope and Young Record Books. The buck onthe left was shot on October 9th. He has 16 scoreablepoints and is 21-1/2inches wide. Rage broad headsbrought both bucks down within eyesight. Scoutingcameras, pre-planning, Scentlok clothing, and WhitetailInstitute food plots, watching the wind and a little bitof luck helped bring these hunts together. It took 20years of bow hunting for it all to come together butboy am I glad it did. 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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D&D FOOD PLOT ENTERPRISES, LLC www.groundbusters.com(717) 509-7100“Making it Greener on Your Side”

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

Common Questions — Straightforward Answers

Q:I planted Imperial Whitetail Clover in several of

my plots yesterday. The soil I planted in is rich,

and the plots are flat — good crop dirt. However, it

has been a little drier than normal here recently, and

the ground is pretty dry. The good news is that we

normally get plenty of rain throughout the year, and

the forecast is calling for rain in a couple of days. How

long will it be before my clover germinates and starts

growing?

A:Provided our planting instructions are followed,

Imperial perennial blends can appear and start

attracting deer within as little as a week or two. Exactly

how long it will take depends on whether or not your

soil had any moisture in it when you planted, as well as

moisture and temperatures after you planted.

Even though you said that it has been drier than nor-

mal, if your soil had a little moisture in it, the odds are

extremely high that your Imperial seeds germinated

almost immediately. If your soil was dry when you plant-

ed, the seeds may not have germinated right away,

which of course is a good thing — the last thing you

want is for your seeds to germinate with slight surface

moisture, for example morning dew, and then immedi-

ately die because the tiny seedling roots can find no

moisture in the soil. That’s called “false germination,”

and it can wipe out an entire plot in short order. That's

one reason why the Whitetail Institute coats the seeds in

its blends before they are packaged. Plots planted with

uncoated seeds are at MUCH higher risk of falling victim

to false germination, and the coatings on Imperial seeds

greatly reduce that risk.

The soil doesn’t have to be “wet” for Imperial perenni-

als to germinate; there just has to be a little moisture in

the soil to dissolve the coating. In that way, the coatings

on Imperial seeds are like an insurance policy. Ideally,

you want a little moisture in your soil, but the coatings

can also give you more latitude in planting conditions

than you would have with uncoated seeds.

Once the seeds germinate, the seedlings can appear

above ground in as little as a couple of days. You prob-

ably won’t be able to tell that the seeds have germinat-

ed, though, until you actually see the seedlings. That’s

because once the seeds germinate, they’ll start building

some of the plants’ early root systems before the

seedlings appear above ground, and the early roots

tend to curl closely under the seed and then grow

downward. W

As the buck crashed off, I sat down to collect myself.Several minutes of replaying the shot finally convincedme I’d made a fatal hit on one of the largest whitetailsI’d ever encountered. Trying to infuse some logicalthought into my mental patter, I happened to glance tomy right. There, not 35 yards from my stand, grew anapple tree that I’d come to know well. It was the sametree that held the scouting camera responsible for“shooting” this buck a few weeks before.

CONVERSION EXPERIENCE

I’ll have to admit that I’m a relatively recent convertto trail cameras. While I’d always enjoyed playing with


Trail Cameras Are the Ultimate Census Takers…

and Management ToolsBy Scott Bestul


He was the fifth buck on the food plot, and I recognized him

instantly. Only a month before, our trail camera had captured a fine

10-point that immediately made our “hit list.” Easily identified by

monster brow tines and short G-4s, the buck also wore the broad body and

thick neck of a mature deer. I focused on deep, steady breathing as the buck

fed my way, and when he’d ambled within 30 yards I was already at full draw.

The buck had his head down and was feeding contentedly when my arrow

slipped behind his shoulder.


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




®

Summer is an exciting time to take a census of areabucks. The bucks are still in bachelor groups and are

visible on food plots during daylight.


them, I was reluctant to jump on the scouting camera bandwagon. My only explana-tion? My bulb burns several watts dimmer than that of most whitetail nuts. Thesedays, I can barely wait to complete a “milk run” to pull SD cards, and in the briefmoments it takes to download digital images onto my computer, I’m pacing the floorlike an expectant father. Why the change? The main reason is perhaps the least mer-cenary; I just love whitetails, and scouting cameras offer a glimpse into their lives Ican get no other way. But the secondary reason is simpler to grasp; cameras are acritical tool that make me not only a better hunter, but a more effective manager.

The buck I mentioned earlier is a perfect case in point. I harvested that deer froman 80-acre parcel recently purchased by my hunting partner, Dave. Though we knewthe property was in the right neighborhood, we had little idea of the number and cal-iber of bucks actually living there. Cameras helped us take a census of the residentbucks, then go into the hunting season with reasonable expectations. Further, cam-eras helped us nail down an approximate overall deer population and decide on anappropriate doe harvest. In combination with other measures such as sign reading,habitat quality and visual observation, trail cameras played a vital role in evaluatingthe property. Like many aspects of whitetail fanaticism, maximizing the effectivenessof trail cameras is best achieved through year-round commitment. Here then, is a lookat a seasonal progression of trail cam use, some recommended setups and how touse the information you gather to become a better hunter/manager.

SUMMER’S BACHELOR BONANZA

Not long ago, summer was down-time when it came to deer hunting. These days,I view July 4th as opening day of the trail camera season! Well, scratch that…I usual-ly have several cameras running before Independence Day, but I get serious aboutcamera work right after the fireworks have died. By midsummer, most bucks in myregion have poured on some serious antler growth. Though certainly not fully devel-oped, their headgear has matured enough to give me a head start on distinguishingshooter bucks.

In my experience, judging antlers is much easier when you can get a buck to poseclose to the camera and reveal multiple angles of his rack. This requires getting thedeer to stop and linger at a specific spot for several minutes, and I’ve found minerallicks to be a perfect spot for this purpose. Ideally, you’ve already established severalmineral licks on your property, using a quality product like 30-06 or 30-06 PlusProtein spaded into the soil. But I never hesitate to establish new licks any time I’mon a new property, or even when I suspect I’m missing bucks at some of my long-

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• 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



Trail cameras can help youharvest trophies like this one

shot by the author.


time hotspots. I’ve also had well-established licks suddenly go dead. When that hap-pens, I immediately set up shop in another area.

One of the challenges of taking good pictures of bucks at a lick is that the deer areconstantly bobbing their heads as they work the lick, then raise their head. Mount thecamera too low, and you stand an excellent chance of snapping nothing but the topof a buck’s back! An Iowa hunting buddy taught me how to solve this problem bystrapping the camera 5-6 feet high on the tree, but leaving a little slack in the ropeor strap. Then I shove a stick or other brace between the strap and the back of thecamera. This tips the camera downward toward the lick, creating a slight aerial viewof the antlers. This can take a little experimenting to perfect, but once you establishthe proper camera height and angle, it’s almost impossible for a buck to escape avisit to your lick without getting his mug shot. Even better, this camera angle pro-vides an excellent view of most of the features of a buck’s rack.

Mineral licks are also an excellent place to begin an inventory of does and fawns,as lactating females crave minerals and visit licks frequently. In fact, doe visits tosome of my licks are so frequent that in a few weeks I can usually identify individualanimals and their offspring. I’ve learned to truly enjoy looking for the distinguishingcharacteristics of each doe, and even get a kick out of naming certain deer.

Food plots can be another suitable place for capturing summertime photos, asbucks are traveling in bachelor groups and feeding heavily. This is a time when cloverplots really shine, especially smaller fields located in secluded areas. Broad, sprawl-ing “destination” plots attract a lot of deer, but steering them toward a camera canbe a challenge. I’d much prefer to set the camera in the corner of a smaller huntingplot, where any deer that enters the field (usually on a well-defined trail I’ve “encour-aged” them to use by man-made funnels) is going to get photographed. I’ve had sim-ilar success in the summer by mounting the camera by a highly specific attractantsuch as an apple tree or water source like a small pond, seep, or spring.

FALL IS FOR SCRAPES; REAL AND MANUFACTURED

It’s easy to back off on trail cameras once the hunting season begins, but I’velearned the hard way that this is a mistake. For starters, bachelor groups break upshortly after velvet shed, and some of the bucks I counted as residents simply relo-cate for the fall. Other bucks may move to another property. And one inescapabletruth for all bucks is that patterns that seemed so predictable in summer tend to van-ish like felons on the lam come fall. Running a trail-cam trap line is the best way tokeep up with bucks.

One of the best ways to bait such a trap line is with mock scrapes. Like camerasthemselves, I used to pooh-pooh the concept of mock scrapes as one more thing Ididn’t have time to mess with. I’ve done a complete “180” on that belief. These daysI enjoy setting up mock scrapes and hanging a camera over them. The pictures I’veassembled have helped me to not only keep up with my summer bucks, but vagrantswho suddenly show up in the neighborhood to check out the action. Of coursemocks aren’t the only show in town; my scouting trips always result in a natural-scrape inventory, and I never hesitate to hang a camera on the best sites. I found onesuch scrape on a field edge near my home last year (incidentally, hunting open-coverscrapes is marginally successful, but they’re a great camera spot), and I “shot” seven




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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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Only a half-decade ago, scouting cameraswere something of a novelty to me. These

days, I view them as one of the mostimportant tools for learning more about

the deer on the properties I hunt.


different bucks in a five-day period in mid-October. Three of those bucks I’d neverseen before.

Much has been written about mock-scrape construction, but I get less technicalabout it every year. Rather than fret over making the perfect scrape, I focus on mak-ing lots of them in widely scattered locations, and my formula is pretty simple; I lookfor a field edge, intersection of trails, and/or a terrain funnel. Then I pick a rub-readytree nearby with a licking branch (if that’s missing, I wire or zip-tie one in) that over-hangs relatively bare ground. I kick the leaves off the ground in a two-foot circle anduse a stick to rough up the dirt. If I have some inexpensive commercial urine, I drib-ble some in the scrape, but honestly I have just as much luck using my own “prod-uct.” That’s all I do. The bucks will take over the ones they like the best, and the oth-ers will go dead in a matter of days. I hang the camera on only the best sites.

POST-RUT PICS: NEXT YEAR’S FOUNDATION

The weeks and months following the close of the firearms season seem a perfecttime to relax and stow the cameras. But now I consider photos I shoot at that timesome of the most important of the year. Every year I create a folder of winter trailcam pics, which serves as an inventory of bucks that survived the hunting seasonand, given some luck, should be available for next fall.

The best way to assemble such a portfolio is by hanging cameras over foodsources. The mineral sites and mock scrapes that served as perfect posing spots fordeer are, for the most part, of little interest to deer now. Every deer in the herd isfocused on groceries again, in an attempt to recover from the rut and maintain fatreserves for the coming winter.

This makes a high-quality, late-season food plot an ideal location for a winter inven-tory. In my experience, plots containing brassicas such as Winter-Greens have pro-duced some of the most attractive, beneficial post-rut food sources a hunter couldhope for…with the added benefit of serving as the ideal spot to shoot outstandingtrail-camera photos. In fact, when designing and planting food plots, I always try tohave some Winter-Greens growing right next to a woods-edge or an island of treesgrowing in the middle of the plot. To focus deer near the camera site, I’ll often pluckthe tops off some brassica plants in a semi-circle near the camera, leaving a healthygroup of plants growing within range of the flash. These remaining plants serve as ade facto bait-pile that attracts deer toward the camera.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The popular saying “never say never” has had broad personal applications duringmy three-plus decades as a deer hunter. Naturally, whitetails have continually sur-prised me as I’ve hunted and studied them. But the old adage has carried personalimplications as well. Many of the things I felt I didn’t have interest in, or time for, haveeventually entered my life and taken on new meaning and importance. Trail camerasare perhaps the best — or at least most recent — example. Only a half-decade ago,scouting cameras were something of a novelty to me. These days, I view them as oneof the most important tools for learning more about the deer on the properties I hunt.If you’re not a cam-addict already, I urge you to experiment more with this valuabletechnology. Just don’t get upset with me if you get hooked as deeply as I have! W



“ Research = Results™®

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Broad, sprawling “destination” plotsattract a lot of deer, but steering themtoward a camera can be a challenge.


(Continued from page 21)

ment as you can see from the picture of my trophyroom. The picture of the 10-point was from last year, 40yards from my 2.5 acre Imperial Whitetail Clover field.The deer love this stuff. Thanks Whitetail Institute somuch for a great product it has made a huge differencein my success. The 10-point scored 150-5/8 and is mybest so far. I am sure it will just keep getting better andbetter. Since I started using Whitetail Institute prod-ucts, every year it seems like I see more and more deer.So far I am six years and six mature bucks.

William Strimbu — Ohio/Pennsylvania

Imperial Whitetail Clover is the best product. I haveapproximately 20 small plots (1/2 acre to 1 acre) on a700 acre parcel in Western Pennsylvania. The deerhave gotten a lot better and they hammer the foodplots.

Greg Jeffers — Tennessee

We’ve been using Imperial Whitetail Clover for 10years and we’ve noticed increased deer activity andlarger bodied deer. And an increase in antler size. I tookthe largest deer I have ever taken this year on a Winter-Greens plot.

Bob “Scrappy” Seckora — Wisconsin

I have been doing food plots for more than 10 years.By far the Winter-Greens plot has exceeded all lateseason plots since I started using it two years ago.Since I have told my hunting friends about it they haveexperienced the same results. It seems the colder itgets the better the food plot attracts deer. In my areaof northern Wisconsin the best time to plant it is themiddle of August.

Mike Mitchell — VirginiaI’ve been planting

Whitetail Institute prod-ucts for 12 years, mostlyon land that I lease. Ibought ten acres fiveyears ago. I clearedabout four and a halfacres. We built a house,on a hill over looking thecreek bottoms. I planted1-1/4 acres with fruittrees, around the houseand Extreme. The rest ofthe land was planted inannuals — PowerPlant,

corn, winter oats and brassicas. Last fall I did a soil testand the land tested 6.5 pH, so I planted ImperialWhitetail Clover. I saw a big improvement in quantityand quality. And now I added 30-06 Mineral and thedeer have jumped. It is now Aug. 1 and I’m seeing atleast 12 bucks. Three are 10-point or better. I encloseda picture of a 10-pointer that is a monster for this area.I think he is very young, but I don’t know if I can passhim up, if he comes by me. I also see bear and turkeysin my food plots. Thanks Whitetail Institute for greatproducts and all the help you and your staff have given

me. I also sent a picture of a deer I harvested in a foodplot on the lease.

Wes Wieder — TexasHere is a picture with a 149 B & C 10-point taken in

the middle of a plot of Pure Attraction in Huntsville,Texas.

Mike Maedke — WisconsinThere is definitely increased deer activity since

planting Chicory Plus last spring. My Chicory Plus plotis on the outside of my woods. It is surrounded by farmfields. While bow hunting I have seen deer come thrualfalfa fields to get to the Chicory Plus to feed. Evennow in December with more than a foot of snow on theground, the deer are pawing away the snow to get tothe Chicory Plus. See photo 1. On Wednesday, Nov. 26I harvested a buck that I had numerous pictures of inthe food plot. He had a spread of 18-inches inside anddressed out at 178 pounds. My brother-in-law Briantook a nice buck 10 minutes later. He was 16” inside anddressed out at 170#. See photo 2. I chose the WhitetailInstitute’s Chicory Plus over another company becauseof all the information listed on the bag. Taking to a repwas very helpful also when I needed to do weed and


grass control. I am very happy with the WhitetailInstitute’s Chicory Plus, and will be researching more ofthe Whitetail Institute’s products for this spring.

Dave Faber — MinnesotaHaving a 2-acre plot of Imperial Whitetail Clover def-

initely increased the number of deer on my propertyand the body size. Enclosed photo of a 140-plus-inchten pointer. Imperial Whitetail Clover was a big part ofhis diet.

John Brundage — New YorkHere’s the story behind my big bodied, big antlered

deer taken on the second day of last years gun seasonin the whitetail country of central/western New YorkState. It started around 5 a.m. when I dropped myfather off within 200 yards of his ground blind. Eventhough he had just undergone total knee replacementsurgery just five weeks earlier, there was no way he wasgoing to sit this season out especially after hearing thestories of the big bucks I had seen during bow seasonaround our Imperial Whitetail Clover and Chicory Plusfood plots.

I went to a stand further north that has always pro-duced deer. I was in the stand just before daylight andsat until 3 p.m. only seeing squirrels and the occasion-al flock of geese. It was cold and I decided to still huntmy way out to my vehicle and head back to pick up myfather.

As I drove down a roadway between a clover andcorn field towards our shooting range and cabin, I hap-pened to glance up in the clover field and noticed a bigracked deer lying with a doe. They were positionedperfectly on a slight hill overlooking our shooting rangeand cabin where they had a clear view. The wind was attheir backs. This was one of the biggest deer I had seenin my 17 years of hunting.

I quickly backed up the vehicle enough to get out ofsight. I grabbed my 16 gauge Browning shotgun andcoat out of the back and started to creep up over thehill hoping to sneak up on them, but they had caughtmy scent and were not there when I crept over thecrest of the hill.

I knew I hadn’t spooked them too bad so I wentback to our farm house and told the story to my unclewho interrupted me halfway and said about an hourearlier he was in the same place I was and he watchedthis same buck breed that doe that was with him. Hetold me that he has hunted for 60-plus years and hasnever seen that before.

We got into the truck and headed to pick up myfather and maybe walk around a couple of swamps tosee if the buck and doe had stopped in one of those.We went around a couple of swamps and nothing. Justas I was getting ready to unload my gun and call it a

day, I decided to look over one last bank where therewere small pines and thick brush. To my surprise, Icame upon the big buck lying with his doe. As hestood, I fired and I knew I hit him good, but he disap-peared into the thick brush. I traced the blood knowinghe couldn’t be too far while my father and uncle keptwatch from above to see if he happened to come out.It was now approaching 4:30 p.m. and rapidly gettingdark. I had shot the biggest buck of my lifetime, butcouldn’t find him. I finally traced him down about 75yards from where I made the shot. I could finallybreathe a sigh of relief that I was able to recover thisdeer and have my father and uncle be part of the huntwith me.

I know that the size of this 220-pound, 9-point witha 19-3/4 inches spread was directly attributed to ouruse of the Imperial Whitetail Clover and Chicory Plus inour food plots. Every time I look at this mount I will bereminded of the hard work we put into planting andmaintaining the food plots and how that work pays offin the end.

Robert Davis — No. Carolina/West Virginia

I started using Imperial Whitetail Clover, Alfa-RackPlus and Chic Magnet in the fall two years ago. Thedeer sightings have doubled. They are the greatest ofall products I’ve ever used. I also have used Kraze. It’sgreat stuff. This past hunting season was my best year.I shot my biggest deer ever with my bow while huntingin West Virginia and on the second day I shot mybiggest 10 pointer ever. 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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Fall Annuals MaximizeHunting Success

By Michael VeinePhotos by Tes Randle Jolly

A smart food plot strategyincorporates fall annuals

to provide season-long deer attraction power.

Akey ingredient toattracting and keep-ing deer on your

property is providing themwith a well-rounded diet thatfeatures the key nutrientsthat they are seeking at anyparticular time of the season.This is even more importantduring the fall when huntersare trying to cash in on theirfood plot investments withweapons in hand. In fact, byunderstanding the basicdietary needs of deerthroughout the summer, falland early winter, deerhunters can tailor their foodplots to provide the ultimatein deer drawing power evenwhen the deers’ appetites areever changing. Fishermen callthis “matching the hatch,”but I like to call it playingdeer like a fiddle.

Mark Trudeau is one of those impressive individualsthat you can talk to just briefly and come away with aton of easily understandable food plot information.He’s also a genuinely friendly, down-to-earth guy, withcredentials that any food plotter will certainly appreci-ate. Mark is an agronomy expert and has been a pro-fessional farmer for more than 30 years. He has workedfor the Whitetail Institute as a Product Field Specialistfor many years and also currently serves as theirNational Sales Manager.

Mark Trudeau said, “During the summer, bucks anddoes are targeting food sources that have lots of pro-tein and minerals that they require for building antlers(bucks) and for nursing (does). They also require prop-er nutrients in mass quantities for overall body growth.

This is when deer will really chow down on succulentfood plot forages like Imperial Whitetail Clover, andcrave and attack mineral and vitamin supplements pro-vided by 30-06 and 30-06 Plus Protein.”

Trudeau continued, “Towards late summer, whenantlers harden, fawns are weaned and does stop lac-tating. This is when whitetails shift their forage prefer-ence more towards higher energy foods. I like to callthis the beginning of a fattening period that acceler-ates as the fall progresses. Then you’ll see deer go nutsover fruits like apples or mast crops like acorns. Thereare also certain high-energy food-plot forages thatreally get hit hard by deer at this time, especially theannuals like Secret Spot, No-Plow and Pure Attraction.

These annuals grow a lot more tonnage of food in ashorter period than most perennials, especially duringthe fall. These rapidly growing fall annuals with theirtender, easily digestible qualities are favored big timeby deer during this period.”

Mark Trudeau went on to say, “As the fall season pro-gresses deer focus more and more on high-energyfood sources available to them. The problem is that asfall marches on, those high-energy food sourcesbecome scarcer, but the smart food plotter can reallycash in with the right planting strategy. When heavyfrosts cover the ground, Imperial Winter-Greens reallystart to get hammered by the deer.” Trudeau conclud-ed, “With the onset of early winter, Tall Tine Tubers will


Planting high-quality fall annuals can help make yourproperty even more attractive

to deer.


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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!

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provide deer with an awesome high-energy food source that will draw them frommiles away. Hunters with these products in the ground will have a huge advantageduring the late season.”

It’s no secret that I am a big fan of Imperial Whitetail Clover and I’ve also usedImperial Chicory Plus and Imperial Alfa-Rack Plus with good results. These are allproven perennials that really attract deer and also provide them with nearly year-round top quality nutrition. In fact I’ve been using Imperial Whitetail Clover for wellover a decade and rely on it heavily for consistent forage production on the bulk ofmy food plot acreage. Deer love variety in their diet though, so it can really pay bigdividends to provide them with some other goodies that supply just what deer arelooking for during the key periods from late summer to early winter when hunters arelooking to fill tags. The Whitetail Institute has some incredible fall annuals that reallyfit the bill. No-Plow, Secret Spot, Pure Attraction, Winter-Greens and the new Tall TineTubers are premium fall annual food plot seeds that, when planted with a smart strat-egy, can and will attract deer so well that hunters can play the deer like a fiddle forthe ultimate in hunting success.

My food plot layout, forage selection and hunting strategies on my hunting prop-erty in Michigan’s U.P. are carefully planned out and executed like a Navy Seal assaulton an enemy stronghold. My basic hunting strategy is to hunt the front of my landduring the early season and then focus on stands in the rear of my property later inthe prime rut phase of the fall. That strategy is supported by the way my food plotsare located and also when and where I plant my selected forages.

I have a plot I call “the Big Field” in the center of my land. It’s a five-acre food plotthat I bulldozed out of the forest. It has been planted mainly with Imperial WhitetailClover, but I experiment with various other seeding options in that plot as well. My“Big Field” serves as a central draw for deer on my property and provides a nearlyyear-round food source for local deer. The deer can feed on that plot unpressured tooas I don’t hunt near it. Typically the Imperial Clover is shin high by the end of sum-mer, but by the end of fall it’s been grazed down to stubble with cow-path-like deertrails all along the perimeter that clearly define their travel patterns in and out. TheImperial Whitetail Clover there does a great job of providing maximum forage withminimal hassle and expense. In fact, part of the food plot is in its tenth year withouthaving been replanted and the Imperial Whitetail Clover is still thriving nicely.

Two medium-sized plots that are a little over one acre each in size are locatedtowards the front of my property. Those plots are also planted with Imperial WhitetailClover. I don’t bowhunt over those plots at all, but we do have gun blinds set up over-looking them from a distance.

There are four smaller food plots that measure fractions of an acre, all strategical-ly situated between those larger clover food plots along natural and man-enhancedtravel corridors. These small plots are seeded primarily with Secret Spot and No-Plowand are hunted mostly during the early bow season. Those sites are also seasonedwith 30-06 mineral and vitamin supplements and they feature hand-dug water holesfor the ultimate in early-season deer attraction. Those small “kill plots,” planted withfall annuals, get hammered during October to the point where hunting success therehas skyrocketed; so much in fact, that I often don’t have tags left beyond the earlyseason.

The back of my property is much more heavily wooded than the front half and Itypically save that territory for bowhunting during the rut (early November) and alsofor firearm deer hunts, which in Michigan starts on Nov. 15 and runs for about three

Whitetail Institute

Fall annuals can be used alone, or in conjunction with high-quality perennials like Imperial Whitetail Clover.





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• “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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weeks. I’ve installed three food plots on the back of my land and all of them are plant-ed with a mixture of Imperial Whitetail Clover and fall annuals. 30-06 is also used atthose sites, which are all located in prime terrain features (ridges, funnels, edges)where bucks prefer to patrol during the rut. This mixture of nutrition and optimallocation really ramps up my rut hunting success there.

My wife only hunts with a rifle. She and I are the only ones that hunt the propertyduring the firearm deer season. If I have any tags left (which is rare), I hunt the backwhile she hunts the front half. Reason being, she prefers not to walk a long way in thedark with wolves howling, however she has been getting braver in recent years. Eventhough we are hunting in areas with an overall, relatively low deer population, wealmost always see at least one or two bucks on every hunt throughout the firearmdeer seasons. Along with our neighbors, we practice QDM and when you manage thedeer herd with this type of common-sense approach, and provide the deer with theright vittles in the right places and hunt smartly, the quality of the hunt skyrockets.

Here are some details about the outstanding fall annual food plot choices men-tioned. Visit www.whitetailinstitute.com for more details including planting instruc-tions:

No-Plow If you have food plot sites that are hard to access with tradition-al food plot prep equipment or just want a fall annual that really

pulls in deer like a magnet, No-Plow is hard to beat. Just like the name implies, youdon’t have to till the ground with this unique product. The blend of carefully select-ed clovers, brassicas and cereal grains come up fast and provide plentiful, highlydesirable forage for deer. You do need seed-to-soil contact.

Secret Spot This product is another super, easy to grow, yet highlyattractive and nutritious food plot choice. Secret Spot

even thrives on sites that have tough growing conditions with a variety of clovers,brassicas and cereal grains that deer love to eat. It even comes with a pH booster.

Pure Attraction If you’re looking for a product that will really pulldeer in a competitive environment, Pure

Attraction fits the bill. This blend of WINA forage oats, winter peas and WhitetailInstitute brassicas gives food plotters the ultimate blend for a fall annual that deliv-ers rapid growth, abundant forage and unreal deer-attracting qualities in the fall andon into winter.

Winter-Greens This brassica blend is designed to draw deer induring the late season. Winter-Greens is most

attractive to deer at the same time when other food plot choices are becoming lessappealing. Winter-Greens actually sweeten up with the first hard frosts and theystand tall, making them ideal when the snows pile up during late fall and winter hunts.

Tall Tine Tubers This new product was developed through exten-sive research to come up with the most preferred

turnip-based product available. Deer will typically eat the tops of the Tall Tines Tubersduring the fall, leaving the highly nutritious root vegetable portion for late season.Deer really go after those tubers during the winter providing perhaps the best drawaround at that time. W

High-quality annuals haveproven to be outstanding choices

for attracting deer.


Autumn and A Last Huntwith Bow and Arrow

By Brad HerndonPhoto by the Author

First Winds Of AutumnSteve Chapman

When the green of the cornstalk begins to turn brown

And when the time for the goldenrod bloom comes around

That's when I look to the hills for I know

Soon I'll walk there again with my arrow and bow

And when the fruit of the white oak is ready to fall

When the hummingbird feels that old Mexico call

And when the tears touch the cheeks of my sweetheart she knows

Soon it’s farewell to her man with the arrow and bow

The heart of the hunter, who can explain

How the first winds of autumn seem to whisper my name

And they send me to dreamin’ ‘bout the morning I'll go

Back up to the hills with my arrow and bow

When the tender young fawn is spotted no more

And when their fathers prepare for their November wars

I can't help but wonder if the mighty ones know

Soon I will come with my arrow and bow

The heart of the hunter, who can explain

How the first winds of autumn seem to whisper my name






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Ihad been listening to this Steve Chapman song onand off for about a week when I made my wayback to the hills with my arrow and bow. The hunt

was to my deepest region of hills, and the toughesttoo, and I knew that this could be one of my last huntsto the hills, for the God-created parts in my right kneehave seen much use, and undoubtedly will not be withme at this time next year. Next season, I thought,perhaps the artificial parts in the knee will not allowme to go back to the hills, with my arrow and bow. Ipondered all this as I climbed the ladder to the hang-on stand in the large oak tree, one strategically grownin an inside corner. Just past 8 a.m. a button bucksprinted into the corner and looked nervously behindhim. Something was up. Within minutes I saw thefigure of a blocky deer in the brush. He stopped,looked around, then walked a few more steps; on hecame. Within a minute he was in my corner.

He was old, that was obvious, probably 4-1/2 years of age. And his rack was-n't bad, perhaps in the low 120s, but a size I would normally admire, make men-tal notes of characteristics, and let the deer mosey on his way. But this day wasdifferent. The hands holding the arrow and the bow were almost 67 years old.Were they still strong enough and steady enough to place the arrow where Iwanted it to go? Did I still have the skills to end up kneeling in awe beside oneof the most magnificent and smartest animals God ever created? I could behappy with this old warrior, I thought, and the string came back surprisinglyeasy to my anchor point. The old deer paused to look over his surroundingsonce more, stopping in a opening among the trees. The sight pin rested justbehind his shoulder and soon the arrow disappeared through the deer’s chest.The buck jumped sideways perhaps 10 yards and turned back toward me,wondering what had happened. Within seconds he attempted to go on, butwithin 40 yards slumped to the ground, giving up his life among the thousandsof leaves that had fallen to the ground only a few days earlier. Soon I wasbeside him, joyous, because I realized what a privileged life the Lord has givenme. But with a measure of sadness too, because I realized my last hunt withthe arrow and bow was not far away.

I began the four-hour wait for my best friend, my hunting buddy fordecades, my wife, Miss Carol, to show up. I was at the road waiting for her, andwhen she said "Did you get one?" I could say, once more, “I did.”

Miss Carol and I took the old deer cart and with more effort than was takenjust a few short years ago, extracted the old monarch from deep within thehills. We paid him respect by taking quality pictures, and putting the meat togood use, as we always do. My tag was filled, so I didn't hunt the next day. Butmy best friend, my hunting buddy for decades, my wife, Miss Carol, went backto the hills, with her arrow and bow.

— Brad

Any of you who have bow hunted for a number of years need to purchasethis Steve Chapman song and listen to it. You will be touched by both thewords and music, regardless of whether you hunt in the hills or the bottoms.It can be purchased at www.steveandanniechapman.com. W

IN THETHICK OFTHINGSDENSE COVER

SERVES MULTIPLEPURPOSES

By Bill WinkePhotos by the Author

Areas of thick cover serve fourpurposes to the deer hunterand all of them are important.

First, the foliage provides browse tohold and feed deer. Second, the coverkeeps you out of sight when going toand from your stands. Third, itprovides a sense of security that deerwill seek when pressured in otherareas. Fourth, when the cover is thick,the deer aren’t in visual contact asoften and many experts feel thisallows a higher carrying capacity ofmature bucks.

In this article, I’ll offer more detail on each of thesereasons why you need thick cover as well as offering afew tips on how to make your cover thicker.

MORE BROWSE

Deer can only reach about five feet up withoutstanding on their hind legs, so you have to look atwhat is available to them in this lower band of habitat.Many times, you will see that a presumably densethicket of small trees has nothing useful to offer adeer. While a thick stand of small trees may servesome goals that I’ll get to later, it doesn’t achieve the


Cutting down junk trees to expose the forest floor to sun-light is one way to create thicker habitat.

A commercial timber harvest is another valuableway to open up the timberpermitting re-growth.


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!

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goal of increasing browse. The kind of thick cover we are after will produce a wide variety of native woody

browse and weeds. This is known as early succession — the first species to repopu-late open ground. The ideal mix, in my mind, contains a scattering of small trees thatproduce and hold leaves well, such as many species of oak and cedars, along with avariety of natural re-growth. Such areas are virtual spring and early summer foodbanks as tender new shoots begin to grow. By midsummer and fall, these oncebrowse-rich areas are not as attractive and the deer make for the agricultural fieldsand food plots.

If you have a high deer population, they can literally stunt the growth of yourwoodland regeneration to the point where you begin to wonder if anything is actu-ally growing. Just as an exclusion cage will show what is happening in your food

plots, a large exclusion cage in the timber would reveal how muchdamage these browsing deer are really doing. They real-

ly are heavy browsers at certain times of the year. Browse will never replace food plots in awell-balanced deer management plan,

but there is no reason why it can’t bethe fringe benefit of a habitat

improvement program.

IMPROVED HUNTABILITY

Even if making mycover thicker didn’t doanything to improvethe environment fordeer, I would still do itjust to improve myhunting success. Letme give you an exam-ple and you will graspmy point immediately. For nine years, I hunt-

ed a farm that was loadedwith mature trees. You

could literally see for 200yards through the timber in any

direction. That made it easy to seethe deer coming from a long distance

away. Unfortunately, the opposite wasalso true. They could see me coming from at

least 200 yards in every direction, too. If Iapproached an afternoon stand in the timber or exited a

morning stand back on a ridge, I was literally educating deer in a quar-ter-mile wide swath where I walked. Granted, I used the terrain to my advantage asmuch as possible and not all the deer were looking my way when I passed in the dis-tance, but you get the idea. It was not good.

Many times I saw white tails flashing way off in the distance as I crept to my stands.It was very frustrating because I knew how much damage my entry and exit werehaving on that day’s hunt and any future hunts from the same stand. Fortunately, itwas a big farm because I burned out my stands very quickly.

Before I get into my contrasting example, let me offer up a few words about own-ing land with several partners. The farm I just talked about was a large partnership ofwhich I was one of the owners. It was awesome that a simple outdoor writer couldenjoy access to quality hunting by combining his finances with a number of others.But, that leverage came at a cost. It was very difficult to make any significant changesto that place because no one seemed to agree on anything. It was like trying to pusha new healthcare bill through Congress, but without the benefit of poor, dumb tax-payers to foot the bill. In other words, it was very hard to get the mutual nod to cuttrees that needed to be cut, plant food plots in new areas, etc. I’m not saying youshouldn’t buy land with partners, just be forewarned that progress moves very slow-ly in those settings.

Now contrast those hunts with experiences I’ve had on my own farm. Shortly afterI bought it, I began a timber stand improvement (TSI) program. That is a fancy wayof saying that we cut out all the junk trees to achieve two goals: increase light to theforest floor for re-growth and improve the opportunity for existing quality trees likewalnut, oak and cherry to flourish. Each time we set out to cut a new patch of tim-ber, we were more aggressive. It is interesting to see the changes that have occurredin the seven years since we first started. The most recent effort took place just this


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past winter. So I have a reference of what aggressive TSI looks like after zero years,one year, two years, etc. — all the way up to seven years later.

Anyway, having this reference gave me confidence about the outcome and webecame increasingly aggressive in removing junk tree species. However, be sure todiscuss your goals with an actual forestry consultant before you start cutting ordeadening trees, because my approach may not work for you.

Now for the good news. In areas where the sunlight hit the forest floor, the groundstory produced exceptional amounts of new growth. Because of this thick groundcover, the farm hunts much, much larger. I almost have to step on a deer to alarm itin the thickest areas. Again, by using the terrain to keep out of sight, I feel that thefarm hunts at least twice as big as it did before I made the cover thicker. In otherwords, my stands don’t burn out nearly as fast and I don’t have to jump around asmuch to maintain the all-important element of surprise.

In hindsight, I would never put a single one of those trees back that we cut down.In fact, because of rapid re-growth, I am certain that we will have to start planning areturn trip to the areas we cut first. My sense is that the farm will end up on a ten-year cycle. Every ten years we will revisit each TSI site in the order we cut it, makingsure that the area is still accomplishing the required goals: producing ground cover,promoting the growth of desirable trees and offering browse.

INCREASED SECURITY

Increased security, though tangible, is hard to measure. You can see the snipped-off branches and know that browsing took place and you can watch for deer runningfrom your approach, but it is hard to know whether you are holding more deer, ormore bucks, or more mature bucks, or whatever, as a result of the thick cover. Youend up with a much more subjective measuring stick. So, with that in mind, I am notgoing to spend a lot of time in this section.

It just makes sense that when deer are pressured, they head toward places withintheir ranges where they can hide. Actual telemetry studies have proven this manytimes. The deer don’t pack a bag and head for the hills, but they do hole up in thethickest, most secluded portions of their range.

A deer doesn’t know anything about the areas outside of its range. It is likeColumbus sailing off toward the horizon with the very real fear of falling right off theearth. As far the deer knows, they will drop of the world if they leave their knownrange. They can’t call their grandma 100 miles away or watch television to see howother deer live. They know about the places they have visited, and nothing more. Sothey adjust to the pressure as best they can within their known range. That is why

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The author’s farm now holds a higher density of mature bucksthan it ever held partly because of thicker cover. Not all of themature bucks are giant trophies but the fact that they arepresent makes for an exciting hunting season each year.


they just hide rather than completely pulling out. They may jump the fence and hide on your farm if

they are pressured hard by the neighbors. In fact, theyprobably will if your farm offers safety and thick hidingcover. That is why it makes sense to have the thickestsecurity cover in your neighborhood. The local deerknow about this secure area and will head for your farmwhen the guns start booming.

It is good to have balanced habitat — areas with boththick and more open cover. The deer prefer this transi-tional edge when bedding. They like to be able to seethings, but they also like to have thick cover close by tojump into when they perceive a threat.

INCREASING THE DENSITY OF MATURE BUCKS

In some areas where the hunting pressure is moder-ate, the density of mature bucks is dictated by buckdominance behavior rather than by hunting pressure.Mature bucks have a pecking order that they havefought hard to establish. They also have a piece of turfwhere these dominance battles have taken place. So bydefault, the winner stays and the loser leaves. It is abummer when the loser is a dandy buck that has to golive on your neighbor’s farm because some old brutekicked him off your ground.

If there is a way to maintain a higher density ofmature bucks on our hunting areas, we need to knowabout it. Thick cover seems to promise this benefit.

Again, I’ll start with an intuitive presentation andthen back it up with some anecdotal experiences and abit of biology. Think about it this way. During courtshiptimes, you hate other males your age and don’t wantthem messing around in your core area. In other words,

you are a typical mature buck during the rut. Now ifyou are lying on one ridge and you look across at thenext ridge only to see another equally mature andpotentially dominant male, you are eventually going toget sick of it. You will get up and go over there to seewho owns the turf.

Now if you can’t see him lying over there, you maynot even realize that another mature male is in the area.It is hard to stress out over something of which you arenot aware.

I wasn’t the originator of this theory. Actually, afriend of mine, named Al Collins, noted this phenome-non when I talked with him about his super-thickIndiana farms. He feels that he is holding a very highdensity of mature bucks — as tightly packed as one per40 acres — on these farms simply because they aredog-hair thick. The home ranges of the deer haveshrunk down due to the density of the cover and thusthe bucks simply aren’t running into each other asoften. Without this regular contact, they don’t have asmany opportunities to get steamed and are not as like-ly to run the other guy out of the area. So naturally, thedensity of mature bucks can be higher.

I have seen good growth in the density of maturebucks on my farm over the years. During the past threeyears of hunting, I have averaged seeing at least onemature buck per day. They haven’t always been big. Infact, they are not usually big. But they are 4-1/2 yearsold, or older — lots of them. I am not sure if that is theresult of not shooting the younger deer or the result ofthe thicker cover we have produced over the years. It isprobably tied to both.

I have hunted farms where we didn’t shoot a lot ofyoung bucks and yet we never had densities of mature

bucks as high as I have seen recently. But these werealso farms with very open timber.

I have run this theory by a number of experiencedbiologists and they seem to agree with this notion,again based on anecdotal evidence only — no hard sci-ence. It is a theory, one that I am entirely willing to taketo the bank, but a theory nonetheless.

CREATING THICK COVER

I could write an entire article about creating thickcover, but it would boil down to a pair of main themes.First, you can cut the timber back and let nature pro-duce a jungle inside the timber or you can plant thejungle in open areas. I have done both, but havefocused the majority of my efforts on creating thick-ets within my timber by aggressive TSI (as I alreadymentioned).

Options for creating thick cover in open areasinclude planting switchgrass, planting non-invasiveshrubbery, direct nut seeding and even planting someannuals such as PowerPlant.

CONCLUSION

OK, those are my four reasons for wanting thickcover. I have heard arguments from people stating thatbucks like open cover because they can see, and I haveheard grumblings from foresters that I am “ruining” mytimber. But the bottom line is this: I believe stronglyenough in the value of thick cover that I don’t worryabout grumbling and outside opinions. Give it to methick and I’m happy — and so are the many bucks thatrun on my farm. W

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 —

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Pine plantations; can’t live with ’em, can’t live with-out ’em. To the deer hunter and manager, plant-ed pines don’t offer a whole lot, except perhaps

cover in younger-aged stands. Deer don’t eat pines,and about the only reason they travel through them isbecause it’s often easier than going around. Yet inmany parts of the country, the Southeast in particular,planted pines dominate the landscape. They are theprimary land use and management priority on what, inmany cases, is the only available hunting land. It’s adilemma for anyone who hunts deer. For those of uswho also like to grow and manage deer by manipulat-

ing their habitat for the better, it can seem extremelyfrustrating — but only if you let it. Even where pineplantations dominate the land and management, thereare ample opportunities for establishing food plots toincrease both deer production and huntability on theland. You just need to know where to look.

INSPIRATION

Jon Cooner, Whitetail Institute’s director of specialprojects, described how he discovered one example.

“I was driving on an 800-acre lease with the

landowner,” he said. “It had a few fields but was most-ly planted pines, real thick stands about 15 to 20 feettall and so choked with briars you couldn’t walkthrough them. Then I noticed an area where the pinetrees went back off the road for a ways and then cameback up.” He asked the landowner why.

“For some reason, they just didn’t take there,” thelandowner said.

That’s when the lights came on for Cooner. “I started thinking, if they didn’t take there, I bet

there’s some spots way back in that didn’t take too,”Cooner said.


Pine Plantations Can ProvideProductive Food Plot Opportunites

By Bob HumphreyPhotos by the Author

Deer prefer edge habitat. Your food plots will be muchmore effective if you can slip them in where pine stands of

different ages intersect.

He was right. After donning some briar-proof gear,he rode his ATV into some of the more remote areas onthe property, where he found two types of areas hedeemed ideal for food plots.

“The first were small circular or oval spots wherepines didn’t take,” he said. The second were spots“where a row or two didn’t take.” With a quick applica-tion of Imperial No-Plow or Secret Spot, he was able tocreate some back-lot honey holes.

DON’T BUG ME

Like most deer hunters in the Southeast, WhitetailInstitute Vice President Steve Scott leases his huntingland from a paper company.

“They tell us, and rightly so, they make their moneygrowing trees, not deer,” Scott said.

Their goal is to maximize profit and if they could,they’d have every possible square inch of land in pro-duction. But they can’t, for a variety of reasons that cansometimes be a boon to the deer manager.

Scott cited beetle kills as a prime example. Forestersregularly fly over their managed lands looking for tell-tale brown spots that could indicate beetle infestation.

“If they find an infected stand,” Scott said, “they’lldrop all the trees in it, and usually enough around themto prevent spread.” It’s not cost effective to remove thetrees so you end up with a tangled mess of anywherefrom 1/4 acre to an acre or two. At the very least, itbecomes good bedding cover.

It can be much more though. According to Scott,“They (timber companies) will leave it be, but are oftenwilling to let you go in these spots and plant a plot.”

You can go in immediately, but Scott suggests let-ting the stumps rot. “Then, it’s easier to work theground,” he said. Mini hurricanes or micro-bursts some-times create the same conditions and the same oppor-tunities.

SIZE MATTERS

Remember, it doesn’t take a lot of acreage to have ameasurable effect. Many wildlife managers recommendplanting between two percent and five percent of yourproperty in food plots. Even on property that’s inten-sively managed for softwood production, you can usu-ally find at least that much that has the necessary con-

ditions. You just need enough sunlight reaching the for-est floor to promote plant growth, and the right soilconditions, in terms of disturbance and pH (see sidebaron soil testing). In fact, sometimes smaller is better.Cooner noticed his back-lot honey holes offered some-thing conventional plots didn’t.

“Deer would filter in and out all day long becausethey felt safe,” he said.

SUNLIGHT

The first condition — sunlight — is met anywherethere’s an opening, be it man-made or natural. We’vealready mentioned a couple of the latter.

“It could simply be soil conditions where pines justdon’t do well,” Scott said. In that case, he suggests youtalk to the forester and see if they’d mind you plantingthere. “I’ve got to salute the paper companies,” he said.“To a large degree, they’re very receptive to ideas forimproving the property for wildlife habitat while at thesame time running their business.” Here again, soil test-ing is important. There may be a good reason pineswon’t grow, but if the soil is really poor you can treat it,or try something like Imperial Extreme, which canthrive even in extremely poor soils.

MAN-MADE

Some of the side effects of softwood forest man-agement can also benefit the deer hunter and manag-er. Remember, we’re looking for adequate sunlight hit-ting the forest floor, which occurs on skid roads and firebreaks. In the latter example you can actually be a ben-efit to the landowner.

“Most anyone wants a fire lane around their proper-ty,” Scott said. But it costs money to maintain. Turn itinto a food plot and you’re effectively maintaining it forthe landowner, a step Scott said “will usually make thelandowner smile.” He does caution planting along theproperty line as it could create a temptation for theneighbors, unless you’re involved in some type ofcooperative.

Another good example is skid roads. While turningthem into food plots might not benefit the forester, heusually won’t object. And like Cooner’s back-lot plots,planting logging roads can extend your hunting day.

“Most conventional plots are better for afternoon

hunting,” Scott said. “Roads are good for morning andevening hunting because you catch deer crossing themand/or feeding along them.” For gun hunters, he espe-cially recommends straightaways where you can seefurther. Skid roads can also be among the least laborintensive plots to build. The loggers do most of thework, clearing down to bare soil in the process of skid-ding out logs. At most all you have to is make a fewpasses with an ATV disk before planting.

Even some silvicultural practices can create foodplotting opportunities. For example, a fifth rowremoval, done in conjunction with removal of the sub-standard trees in the remaining rows, opens the canopyand allows more sunlight to reach the forest floor.Establishing plots in the fifth row can actually benefit apine stand by preventing establishment of sweet gumand other non-merchantable and undesirable species,which would otherwise compete with pines for nutri-ents and water.

MONEY TALKS

If all else fails, you could buy a variance from thelandowner. According to Scott, “Sometimes for about$100 per acre, per year, they’ll take the land out of pro-duction and let you plant it.”

It’s may seem like an extreme step, but for $300 ayear you can build enough food plots to improve a cou-ple of hundred acres.

CONCLUSION

Whitetail deer are one of North America’s mostadaptable species. They have learned not only to sur-vive but thrive in a broad range of habitats, including alandscape dominated by planted pines. If we want tobe more successful as hunters and wildlife managers,we should take a lesson from the game we pursue andlearn how to make the most of existing conditions. W

Soil TestingProper soil pH is vital to plant production because it

increases the ability of plants to take up soil nutrients.This is particularly important when working in andaround pines as soils tend to be particularly acidic.That’s why soil testing is one of the most importantsteps in building food plots. It is not, however, the firststep. Before testing, Jon Cooner recommends youdecide what forage you’re going to plant on your site.“When you send your soil to the lab for testing theycan make specific recommendations for that forageon that site,” he says. Which type you choose willdepend on both site conditions (slope, aspect, soilmoisture, etc.) and objectives (year-round nutrition orfall hunting).For more detailed information, check out: "How to

Select the Right Forage" by Jon Cooner at www.white-tailinstitute.com

SMZs Streamside management zones, shoreland zones,

resource protection areas — they’re known by manynames. Essentially, they are buffers along the marginsof wetlands, waterways and water bodies where habi-tat is left undisturbed in order to preserve and protectwater quality. They can also be a very valuable assetto the deer manager, particularly if they contain mast-producing hardwoods. Be sure to factor them in whencalculating your “productive” acreage, and when set-ting your bow stands.


If whitetails can thrive in and aroundplanted pines, there’s no reason thosewho pursue them can’t do so too.


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NEW!

Amy Ingalsbe — MissouriA little more than 20 years ago, I took a hunter edu-

cation course, never imagining that I’d use that littleorange and white card. As a kid, my family didn’t hunt.But a hunting tragedy in my small grade school wouldintroduce me to hunter education. The Missouri

Department ofConservation came toour school and put usthrough the course. Weall received our littlecards, proving we hadsuccessfully completedthe course. At 12 yearsold, my card went intomy wallet and stayedthere.

Now I’ve been ahunter’s wife for morethan 14 years. I’ve been a

hunter’s mom for the last three or four years, since myoldest son has been old enough to join his dad. I alwaysthought that was where my hunting role would end. I’dnever had any interest in hunting. I’ve often felt that Iwas competing with hunting for my husband’s affec-tions. But all of this would change last fall.

My husband, Reuben, is a boilermaker. It’s a greatjob. It allows him to be home with us all summer. Hewouldn’t miss our boys’ baseball seasons. Brady is sixyears old and plays T-ball. Robbie is 12 and plays in twobaseball leagues. The job often conflicts with huntingseason, though. This is a sacrifice he struggles with.

He had always managed to be home for the annualtwo-day youth season. Last fall, it just wouldn’t workout that way. That left me at home with our then elevenyear old son wanting to hunt. I had NEVER hunted. Ihad tried scouting for deer once, but I couldn’t sit stilllong enough to make it worth our while. I had learnedto shoot the guns, just in case I ever needed to, butthat’s where it ended. With a little encouragement frommy husband, I agreed to take Robbie out for the two-day hunt.

I had never used that hunter education course, but Iwould need it to purchase my first-ever hunting permitand tag. I would official-ly become a licensedhunter in order to takeRobbie out in thewoods, in hopes ofkilling his first deer. Hehad killed a few turkeysin prior years but never adeer.

So, with our permits inhand, he and I set outbefore daylight Saturdaymorning. We set up in ahunting blind on a food

plot that my husband had planted in Alfa Rack andwheat. I took my CD walkman, cell phone, and snacks.I was prepared to stay a while. As it turned out, wewould spend thirteen hours in that blind, only taking a45-minute break for lunch.

We saw several deer; lot of does and young bucks.Robbie had an opportunity to shoot a small sevenpoint. It would have been fine for his first deer kill, buthis dad’s management values are already ingrained inhis mind. Let him grow some more. He passed on it andwould second guess that decision later. We sat andscoured that three acres with our binoculars until it wasobviously too dark to shoot. Again, Dad’s teachingswould kick in. Don’t get out and spook the deer off.Then, we saw him. All we could see was antlers, lots ofthem, and just the silhouette of a body. We didn’t knowif our eyes were playing tricks on us or what. That buckwould walk within 15 feet of us, but it was just too darkto safely shoot at anything. We were fired up to goagain the next morning. Robbie even said, “No breakstomorrow!”

The next morning started like the one before.Walkman, phone, snacks. The morning would go muchbetter, though. It got off to a slow start. We didn’t seea single deer for the first hour and a half. Finally, a buckappeared on the far side of the plot, 175 yards away. Hewasn't the one from the night before, but he looked likea good one. He slowly wandered our way, eating.Robbie decided this was one he would shoot. I was try-ing to get a better look at him in the binoculars when Iheard the gun go off. All I saw was hair flying up. Thebuck ran a few yards and stopped perfectly broadside,again. BOOM! Robbie took a second shot. He wasn’tletting this one get away from him. The deer ran a fewfeet and into the wood line. Robbie was positive he hadhit him.

The excitement had his teeth chattering, body trem-bling, and shells in his pocket jingling. My heart wasabout to beat out of my chest when I calledPennsylvania to wake Reuben and tell him that Robbiehad shot his first deer, and it was a good one. I’m notsure which of the three of us was more excited. Wewalked the 120 yards to where he had shot and founda good blood trail. Reuben told us to go back to thehouse and wait about an hour to look for him. Easiersaid than done. That was the longest hour! We tookReuben’s dad with us to look for the deer. We foundthe buck about 100 feet into the woods. Robbie hadtaken out the heart with one shot and the lungs withthe other. I was so proud. I was happy to have sharedin the experience but sad that my husband missed it.

That hunter education course some 20 years earlierhad been good for something after all. It allowed me toexperience one of the sweetest memories of my life. Imight even use it again this year. And maybe we’ll getanother chance at the big one that got away!

Editors Note: This story was from two seasons ago.Amy and Robbie went hunting this past year again andAmy sent this update:

“I took my son hunting again this past weekend, dur-ing the Missouri youth hunt. His dad was once againworking away. Well, we were very successful huntingover a plot of Alfa-Rack Plus again. Robbie is twelvenow, and was thrilled with this trophy! Thanks!”

Gary Chamlee — AlabamaIt was mid-

November, the firstday of Alabama’sYouth Deer Hunt.My seven-year-oldgrandson, Garrett,had been practic-ing with his rifleand was ready togo after his firstdeer. That evening

about 2 p.m., we slipped into our shooting house. Rightnext to it was a pond and a strip of Whitetail Institute’snew product, Double-Cross. We were hunting in DekalbCounty in the northeast corner of Alabama. The stripwas about six inches high, and deer were really using it.About 4 p.m., deer began to filter onto the field.Several deer were feeding in the plot. We finally saw agood sized doe that didn’t have any fawns with her.Garrett patiently got propped good and steady, hesqueezed the trigger and made a great shot. After find-ing the deer, the picture taking began. As you can seefrom the picture, it wasn’t hard to get Garrett to smile.We give a lot of credit to Whitetail Institute’s Double-Cross. This product made it a lot easier to have a suc-cessful hunt for my grandson’s first deer. Garrett had agreat season, eventually harvesting three mature does,all while hunting over patches of Double-Cross. ThanksWhitetail Institute for making such great products.

Don Meddaugh — MichiganMy son Ryan (age 13) shot

his first buck this year. It was a7-point. It was walking a fieldedge at about 150 yards. It gotto about 70 yards and waseither heading into the corn orthe food plot in the oppositedirection. Luckily for us itchose the food plot. Once thebody cleared the brush andstepped into the plot he fired.He hit it broadside and itdropped there. 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


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Rotating head

150" B&C rack

Stands 37" at the shoulders!

Size of a 300 lb. live weight deer!

Rotating head

150" B&C rack

Stands 34" at the shoulders!

Size of a 200 lb. live weight deer!

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

a 10 inch miss at 40 yards (see diagram). That’s about to change! IQ Bowsights revolutionary Retina Lock Alignment Technology puts you in perfect alignment for every shot. It’s easy to use and you’ll instantly be shooting short range

groups at long range distances!

Patent #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

Documents

Whitetail News Vol 20.2