I planted three separate plots on my property. Chicory Plus, Extreme, and a mixture of Chicory Plus and Clover. They are situated in long thin strips with tall grass rows dividing them. I hunted for days looking over these plots and never saw less then 10 deer a night. It was usually closer to 25 to 30.
The deer absolutely demolished every inch of the Chicory Plus first then moved on to the Extreme and Clover. Many days I would have to hunt in another stand because the deer would bed down in the middle of the plots and continue feeding. That is what happened on the afternoon hunt that produced Bullwinkle. I went to the stand at about 1 p.m. and already had seven deer lounging in the plots. I proceeded down the tree line to my second stand. It is situated between the plot and bedding area, and is tricky to get to without spooking deer. I sat there until about 4:45 p.m. without seeing much movement. I looked over my shoulder and saw a nice nine point coming over a hill. I tried to rattle him in but he wanted nothing to do with it and proceeded to head right for my stand over the food plots. I figured I was done for the night and upset that I was, again, in the wrong stand. I sat back down and looked towards the thick cover and here comes Bullwinkle. His head was rocking back and forth as he tries to navigate his way through the trees. I had enough time to get the gun up and let a shot ring out. I could clearly see where the bullet hit him as he ran off and I knew he wasn’t going far. After shaking for a good 45 minutes my brother showed up to help with the deer and the rest is in the picture — a giant smile from a hunter that couldn’t be happier. The property owner that hunts the other side of the fence also shot a tremendous deer. He said that he has been hunting that property for 30 years and has never seen deer like he has since I started my management program and planted Whitetail Institute food plots. Thanks from both of us and we are looking forward to upping the size next year. 