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SIMPLY WHITETAILS
4348 Oak Hill Rd Oregon, WI
Bonus Article
September 18, 2010, opening day of the archery season in Wisconsin. I was set up for an evening sit just off a food plot located in a transition area between thick bedding and an oak flat. The weather had turned cool, highs in the 50’s and it felt like I was hunting a day in October. With a favorable wind, cool temps and a lush soybean plot deep in the woods, I felt like it could happen. I remember thinking to myself, why not; people shoot nice bucks all the time opening day if they do their homework. I definitely had done my homework as my thoughts drifted to two big bucks that I had a number of trail camera pictures in my food plots during the whole week before season. One I called the Big Ten and the other Fat Boy. A deer entered the food plot and awoke me from my daydream; it was a spike. Well at least something is moving as I looked at my watch with about 1-½ hours left of shooting light. The deer exited the opposite side of the plot from which he entered. About a half hour later the same spike returned and began feeding. He seemed on edge and kept looking in the directions from which he first entered the plot. My view was obstructed but I could see that a deer had just entered the plot. I looked a little harder and noticed that it was a buck and from the response of the young spike I figured I better at least get my bow in my hand. The deer continued to feed into a clearing in the middle of the food plot just hammering the soybeans. I immediately recognized the buck as Fat Boy, because of his large body and distinguishable split G3 on his right side. I drew my bow as he quartered away and took the shot and the rest is history.
12 point (score 153 1/8)
It’s very easy to say after the fact that trail cameras and food plots were the reason that I was able to harvest this buck. But I know for a fact that it would not have happened with out them. The true lesson is how to go about setting up trail cameras and establishing food plots and how to use them together for early season success.
Trail cameras for me in the last few years have been an invaluable tool in hunting success and property management. The development of digital and infrared technology enables you to check pictures on the go and manipulate hunting tactics in response to continually changing deer patterns without spooking game. HOWEVER many mistakes are made by hunters that end up hurting their changes of scoring on that big buck or of seeing him at all on camera. I like to approach trail camera use in three main categories, Camera Placement, Scent Control, and Patience.
Camera Placement: When picking a spot for a trail camera, I always try to place them in some sort of destination area, at a fence crossing, or even a tight funnel if that’s all you have. I rarely place cameras on main trails or large field edges. Consider destination areas, such as food plots, apple trees, or water sources, and if allowed in your area bait or mineral sites. These areas usually produce multiple visits by individual deer that stick around long enough to get good pictures and/or footage. These particular areas provide the most information in patterning deer, whereas main trails and field edges no matter how well used result in poor pictures due to camera angle and speed that deer travel through the camera’s field of view. This results in inconsistent data, which makes patterning deer more difficult.
Scent Control: For some reason a lot of hunters do not use the same diligent scent control checking cameras as they would hunting. It is especially important to use scent control checking camera because scent left behind in the woods of any kind can and will be detrimental when dealing with mature bucks. How many times has a coworker or friend shown you a picture of a huge buck before the season and you never see another picture of that buck again? This is most likely due to laziness in scent control and/or unneeded intrusion, which leads me to the next category.
Patience: Every time you enter the woods no matter how good your scent control more often than not, your presence is noticed especially by mature bucks. Checking a camera every day or even every couple of days is too much in the pre-season. Try to limit yourself to once every two weeks during the pre-season; you will not learn any less nor gain any more information at this time of year if you wait. During season however I will check a camera every time I go by it on my way to a stand or on my way out. Reasoning for this is that the intrusion has already been made and extreme scent control measures have been followed, but most importantly this is the time to find out if you need to make changes to your hunting routine. If you know a mature deer is in the area it’s also important to know which locations the deer are not traveling through, so keep that in mind if a buck disappears from your surveillance. He may still be in the area just shifting his pattern to elude you or respond to food source changes.
Food Plots have changed the way many of us hunt, no longer is our hunting success or the ability to hold deer on our properties determined by the agricultural patterns around us. Food plots are almost limitless in their variety and seasonal purpose. I can’t say which one is good or bad it seams like they all have their place. Each property is specific in soil and structure and it is hard to make any recommendation to any individual without visiting a property. There are however a few things to remember when planting food plots. Again I like to break it into three main categories, diversity, location, and structure.
Diversity refers to the actual seed blend. When establishing food plots it is ideal to have multiple locations with different blends, but for most hunters including myself space and resources limit us to one plot. If multiple plots are available it is easy to experiment and see over the years what works and what doesn’t without jeopardizing a whole hunting season. Conversely one plot forces you to put all you eggs in one basket, so you need to separate the plot into sections or plant a blend of seed to cover all angles.
Location is probably the most important factor to consider. If a mature buck doesn’t feel safe entering your plot during daylight nor has security cover to reach your plot during daylight, he most likely will enter after dark and never present you with a shot. The most productive food plots are usually in the hardest locations the build them, but this is where hard work and proper planning come into play.
Structure refers to the actual shape of the plot. If possible food plots should be designed to finger into dense cover funneling deer in a predetermined direction. This is most helpful when figuring appropriate wind directions to hunt the food plot on. This becomes even more helpful with careful planning to give a deer the wind he wants and the wind you need. Food plots can also be designed to pinch in to create closer shot distances as well as to accommodate larger sized plots. Most hunters that I know who are just starting to make food plots make them too small. I recommend making the plot as big as possible keeping in mind security and shot distances; in fact, this is where you can be creative by including points and bays within you plot.
This look at trail cameras and food plots is just a short look at some of the strategies I use in the field that have worked for me. The information is hardly all you need to know, but hopefully I have given you some useful information that will help you score on that big buck. This season try to incorporate some of these strategies in your own hunting plan understanding that most hunting success is still a matter of trial and error, but then again half the fun is figuring it all out.
*Whitetail Institute’s extensive research and development network includes deer hunters, research universities, farmers and seed producers around the world allowing us to discover new and better forages. Our research, development and testing is conducted at our headquarters in Alabama and within our system of Certified Research Stations and field testers across North America. This unique process lets us subject our seeds and seed blends to the harshest critics of all – Mother Nature, real hunters and the wild, free-ranging deer all across North America so you will have the best deer hunting ever. (Whitetail Institute)
FALL
Imperial Pure Attraction (Annual)
A one-two punch - INCREDIBLE ATTRACTION in both the early
and late hunting season. Pure Attraction’s early-season attraction
and nutrition come from Whitetail Oats and winter peas. Whitetail
Institute forage brassicas provide abundant forage during the coldest
months of the winter. You’ll be amazed at how quickly and hard the deer will hit it.
Includes Whitetail Oats, a high-sugar, cold-tolerant oat that’s only available in Whitetail Institute products
Includes Whitetail Institute's highly attractive "lettuce-type" brassicas
Establishes and grows quickly
EXTREMELY drought and cold tolerant
Early and late season attraction and tonnage
Simply Whitetails recomended seed blends
SPRING
Imperial Alfa-Rack Plus (Perennial)
Alfa-Rack Plus consists of grazing Alfalfas, forage chicory, and
the highly popular Whitetail Clover. Alfa-Rack Plus is EXTREMELY
cold tolerant, Heat, drought and disease resistant and coated with
RainBondTM for enhanced seedling survivability. Plots can lasts
up to 5 years from a single planting.
These days it seems that a lot of hunters are growing food plots or at lease toying with the idea of implementing them into their hunting plan. However most of them don’t understand that it’s not just planting seed in a random location that looks good. Each plot should be thought out and planned for a specific reason to serve its optimal potential. With so many seed blends specific to palatability, germination windows and life cycle it can be overwhelming. With some basic knowledge, creativity, patience, and trial and error you can change the whole structure of your hunting property for the better. Towards the bottom of this page are some food plot "How to" that may help you this upcoming season.
Food Plots and Trail Cameras for early season success,By Zenon Kochan