Blake Brenner - Wisconsin

Hunting whitetails has been a passion of mine since I was a little boy. It meant bringing together family and friends for a week of gun season filled with stories, blaze orange, shot guns, and not to mention skipping out on school every year to hunt with my father, grandfather and uncle and creating memories that will last forever. When my father and I first became interested in food plots, we paid a visit to a local friend and deer farmer who has been planting plots for many years.
He said there are many choices, but Whitetail Institute products have a large variety and are competitively priced. He provided us with the ordering information and four years ago we were on our way to using Whitetail Institute products. This I must confess, was the best decision I have made to better my hunting on our property. The first plots I planted were each one acre of Imperial Whitetail Clover and Chicory Plus. They both were a hit. The number of deer increased and brought some dandy bucks into view. Over the first few months of hunting over this lush vegetation, I was very impressed. Living in Wisconsin, my property is surrounded by all kings of other crops. Whether it be alfalfa, soybeans, or corn it didn’t stop the deer activity on my plots. Later in the season I noticed the deer were not only being pulled from neighboring property, but they were also starting to bed in new areas.

 The first year I planted my plots and during the Wisconsin Archery season on Nov. 3 my dream came true. Knowing there was a giant in the area, I left work early with a good vibe. The rut was in full swing. Having multiple mature does in the wood lots on each side of my food plot, I knew it was just a matter of time until I would get my shot at a big buck. Around 3:30 p.m. I spotted some does making their way to the plot. It turns out it was a stringer of eleven. Watching with patience and losing daylight, the doe vanished into the woods. I was starting to feel discouraged. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him standing 100 yards out with a rack from outer space and body to go with it. In complete shock, I gave him three fast deep grunts. He lifted his head, checked the wind that was in my favor, and headed straight for me. I squared off, drew my bow and waited for his presence, hoping that he wouldn’t hear my knees knocking. I released the arrow and it found its target, hitting both lungs. Once my adrenaline dropped a small percentage I climbed down from the big oak and made some phone calls. When my cousin Jason and friend Josh both arrived, we headed out to follow the blood trail. Having plenty of blood, he was still difficult to track through the tall grass and thicket. After 75 yards and no buck, I was getting nervous and starting to question my shot when Josh tripped and fell while he was back tracking the blood. I asked if he was alright, and in a calm voice he said, “Blake, you better come see this.” I rushed to his side and there he was, grabbing the antlers. He had everybody’s attention with 11 scoring points. He was a main frame 8 point having the heaviest palmations I have ever seen, along with an 18-inch spread and 13-inch G2s. He dressed at 240 pounds and scored 156 inches. Some people called him “The Moose Buck.” A local retired taxidermist of 40 years in Wisconsin told me the buck had the heaviest antlers he had ever seen. I have also now planted Extreme on several acres. Since my initial planting I have taken two more mature bucks, and there have been a dozen or so mature bucks harvested by friends and family as well. Thanks Whitetail Institute for helping make my dream a reality. I absolutely love Whitetail Institute products.