Awesome Deer Around Great Lakes
I started researching food plots about three years ago and decided to use Whitetail Institute products because of all the positive things that I had read about them – most importantly, the deep-rooted system of the Alfa-Rack, which can survive the hot, dry summers and cold winters of Michigan. I also liked the Whitetail Clover for its high-quality forage and browse year round (this stuff is awesome).
I started researching food plots about three years ago and decided to use Whitetail Institute products because of all the positive things that I had read about them – most importantly, the deep-rooted system of the Alfa-Rack, which can survive the hot, dry summers and cold winters of Michigan. I also liked the Whitetail Clover for its high-quality forage and browse year round (this stuff is awesome).
Currently I have three food plots on three different properties that I hunt. I planted Whitetail Clover and Alfa-Rack in my food plots in mid-May four years ago. I was amazed at how fast this product came up, thick and full. The second year was even better. The plots were even thicker, drowning out almost every kind of weed out there. I saw immediate results in the number of deer I was seeing in the areas that I planted food plots.
Not only was I seeing more deer in or near my food plots, it seemed the deer that used to just simply pass through or around the area were hanging around the area now. I have trails coming into my food plots from places they never came from before. The deer are simply bedding down in small stands of pines, thick briar patches or switch grass close to the food plots. I’m now seeing more bucks – big and small – than I have ever seen. It seems that the 1 1/2-year-old bucks go from small one year to wall hangers the next. For instance, the 10-pointer that I shot last year was only 2 1/2 years old, and 165 pounds, but he still scored 136 6/8 after deductions. That's pretty impressive! Just imagine this buck at 3 1/2 or 4 1/2 years old or older.
Not only am I seeing a lot more deer but also turkey and rabbits galore. I only have 10 acres at my place of residence, and we like to hike the trails or ride the ATV around the property. I have a small 1/4-acre (soon to be 1/2 acre) food plot, but the hiking and riding doesn't seem to bother the deer or their movements. It seems they get used to your presence out there, or they simply don’t want to leave their food source. I have had the best results hunting my small 10-acre parcel than I have anywhere else so far because of the Whitetail Institute products. That’s not to say that I won't shoot a quality buck elsewhere, as I have seen bigger bucks on the other properties with food plots that I hunt, just no opportunities to shoot one of them, yet. Just look what this product did for the Lovstuen buck, going from a downhill slide to an uphill growth, now that’s impressive. Matt Harper hit the nail right on the head when he said in the Lovstuen article (earlier this year) that you have to fill the lowest hole in any bucket if you are ever going to get it filled, the lowest hole being nutrition. Just imagine if there is no hole. How big is a bucks total potential for growth? Today’s advancement in deer nutrition is great.
