Money is an interesting subject; one in
which we all have at least some interest. The stock market attracts attention
because of the returns it can yield. For example, if you had put $10,000 in the
Standard & Poor 500 Index Fund at the beginning of 2006, you would have had
$11,579 dollars at the end of the year — a return of 15.79 percent.
On
the down side, if you had invested $10,000 in that fund at the beginning of
2002, you would have had only $7,790 at the end of the year; a decrease of
22.10 percent. Although that’s a great loss, at least you didn’t lose all your
money. In fact, it’s been proven that staying in the market for the long haul
always provides good returns. Your setback was only temporary.
WHAT’S
THE STOCK MARKET GOT TO DO WITH DEER HUNTING?
That’s
a good question. Although some of you reading this article might be retired,
most of you are still working and saving for retirement. Certainly none of you
are so careless as to invest in something that would risk your hard-earned
money. Sure, you might try some higher-risk investments, but overall, you’ll
put your money in something with a good payback without high risk. The same
strategies should be used for deer hunting. Most deer hunters invest money in
their sport by leasing or buying land. On top of that, part of their income
might be spent on equipment, seed, fertilizer, lime and weed control products
to provide nutritious food plots. These are good investments. Whitetails are
sleek and fat, and the nutritious plots crank out bucks with dandy racks. However,
danger is lurking, and it can bankrupt you when it comes to killing trophy
whitetails.
THE
BEST FOOD SOURCE WINS
Although
most deer hunters use a variety of products in their food plots, Imperial
Whitetail Clover is the crop used most often. That makes sense because an
Imperial Whitetail Clover plot can last for several years, and it provides unsurpassed
nutrition for months. Other commonly used products include Alfa-Rack, Extreme
and Imperial Chicory Plus. All of these are fine products, but each has a drawback:
When the temperatures drop out of sight, and snow starts to accumulate, each of
these has diminished ability to produce forage. In addition, the forage they
produce is difficult to reach if the snow depth is substantial. During this
time —usually November or December, depending on the region — deer will seek a
more accessible food source. Sadly, a more accessible food source is often
available, and it can come in various forms. Another deer hunter who has more
accessible food plots might put his tag on a great buck you've spent years
growing. Or perhaps because of weather, Farmer Frank hasn’t harvested fields of
corn or soybeans. Deer pour into these high-energy food sources, and the guys
who have permission to hunt Farmer Frank’s land will be mighty happy when your trophy
whitetails show up. Actually, because I can’t plant food plots on some property
I lease, I have twice paid farmers to leave corn and soybeans in the field. I
just pay for an acre or so, and the cost isn’t too high for my pocketbook. The
results have been outstanding. For example, in one field where the farmer left
standing corn, I sat on stand and watched deer come off the hillside of an
adjoining property. Many deer walked across a picked field that was littered
with ears of corn and came right to my standing corn. They did so because six
inches of snow covered the fields, and my standing corn was easy pickings. I
killed a dandy 10-pointer during the late-January archery season at that spot,
and an even bigger 10-pointer was with the deer I shot. Standing soybeans will
attract deer in a similar fashion during November, December and January.
Obviously, with normal food-plot plantings, the money you've invested in
growing trophy bucks is in a high-risk situation. I’m not a financial advisor,
but I'd like to share a low-risk, high return deer investment strategy that
will result in big bucks—the kind you're after.
INVEST
IN WINTER-GREENS FOR BIG BUCK RETURNS
Winter-Greens,
from the Whitetail Institute of North America, was introduced in 2006. Much
field testing was conducted before it was brought to market. Fall 2006 marked
the first time the product became available nationwide. The results have been
impressive. Winter-Greens is a brassica blend designed to attract deer in
November, December and January. As noted, bucks were often pulled away by more
accessible food plots on adjacent land, or nearby unpicked corn or soybean fields.
If you plant Winter-Greens, that's no longer true. Brassicas grow and produce
lush vegetation, making you wonder why deer don't eat them when they're small. Interestingly,
this works out perfectly when it comes to killing deer — especially big bucks.
When the first frost or two hits, the starches in Winter-Greens turn to sugar,
and that's when whitetails start tearing them up. Depending on the region, this
can occur from October to December. In that situation, Winter-Greens is an
incredible deer attractant during the rut or post-rut, which are top times to
kill mature bucks. I was curious how Winter-Greens fared in various regions.
First, I talked to Matthew Royal of North Carolina. “I got my Winter-Greens out
late, but I did everything right regarding soil test, fertilizer and lime,” he
said. “Within six weeks, the forage must have been 18 inches high, and then an
early frost hit. That’s when the deer literally mowed the Winter-Greens down. I
killed mature 8- and 10-point bucks out of the plot before they eradicated the
forage. I’ll definitely be planting even more of them again.” Later, I
discussed Winter-Greens with Larry Woodward, host of Outdoors In The Heartland
TV show. His plots were planted on each side of the Mississippi River in
Illinois and Missouri. “We had a very dry fall in our area last year,” he said.
“We kept waiting for rain, but it never came, so finally, we were forced to
plant our plots the second week of September, which is a little late. On the
Missouri side, we planted Winter-Greens in some low spots. Since it was dry, and
we were planting an annual forage, we decided to go with this location because
it is rich ground. “We did everything right. That meant we had to put quantities
of lime and fertilizer on our side plots in Illinois, where the soil had a low
pH. After we planted them, I was gone out of state hunting for three weeks.
When I returned, every plot was a carpet of green because we had some timely
rains. “Bob Richardson, my co-host in Outdoors In The Heartland, killed a
185-inch-gross buck out of one Missouri plot of Winter-Greens in late season at
2:30 p.m. He also killed a dandy 150-plus-inch 10-pointer out of one of our Illinois
plots, and I killed a 175-inch-gross buck off to the side of one of the
Illinois plots. Winter-Greens certainly worked for us.”
WHAT
ABOUT POOR SOILS?
All
soils are not created equal. In upper Michigan, where Curt Krajniak planted his
Winter-Greens, he must constantly battle poor soils and low pH. It can take a
lot of time to get the pH to an acceptable number. In addition, brief growing
seasons are the norm in the Upper Peninsula, and a “northerner” can blow in at
any time in fall. Still, Krajniak had an interesting season. “It’s a struggle
to grow great food plots in the UP climate and soil conditions," he said.
"I’m sure my Winter- Greens weren’t as tall and impressive as those found
in the fertile farm belt of the Midwest or even in southern Michigan. We really
have to pour the lime and fertilizer to our soils.” Still, things worked out. “I
shouldn’t complain,” Krajniak said. “I killed a 135- inch 9-pointer out of one
of the plots, and that’s the biggest buck I’ve ever killed in northern
Michigan.”
INVEST
WISELY
However,
some folks are still making mistakes with farming food plots properly. Although
a Winter-Greens plot in north-central Illinois will probably be much better
than one in a scrubby hilltop in Kentucky. If they are planted the same, the
plot in Kentucky can still attract the best deer in the area from mid-November
and later, if done correctly. That means investing time, money and hard work. With
clovers and alfalfa products, you need little or no nitrogen because they
produce their own nitrogen. Because so many deer managers plant these excellent
products, they are used to buying fertilizer with little or no nitrogen. For
example, if no soil test has been done, Whitetail Institute recommends using
6-24-24 fertilizer. It also says Imperial Whitetail Clover does best in moist
soil. Deer managers have become so accustomed to planting this type of product
that many want to "do it like they did before" because it always
worked. However, Winter-Greens has different needs. Winter-Greens does well in
various soils, but it excels in well-drained soils. It also needs nitrogen (N,
the first number on a fertilizer bag) phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Those
are the second and third numbers. Each product is important to a successful
food plot. Nitrogen produces green, upward growth. At 14 inches high,
Winter-Greens leaves will stand above a 10-inch snow. Six inches of foliage
won’t be as easy for whitetails to reach. Phosphorus is devoted to root growth
and flower and fruit production, and the last number, potassium, is an overall
building block that benefits all parts of the plant. An easy way to remember
what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium do is to say "up, down, all
around." The general fertilizer requirements Whitetail Institute recommends
for Winter-Greens are 400 pounds of 20-20- 20 per acre. However, it’s best to
take a soil test and get the exact fertilizer requirements. Winter-Greens does
best at a pH of 7. It will still grow a good crop with a pH of 6.0, but a soil
test will tell you how much lime to apply to attain a 7.0 pH. Lime is
relatively cheap and a great investment for your dollar.
DETERMINE
PLOT SIZE
A
big mistake some managers make is not determining exact plot size. Guessing at
plot size is inaccurate, resulting in applications of too little or too much
lime, fertilizer and seed. You can step off or use a tape measure to obtain
plot dimensions, but a laser range-finder is hard to beat. A square acre
contains 43,560 square feet and is about 209 by 209 feet. If you want to kick
the forage growth up a notch, food-plot guru William Cousins at Whitetail
Institute recommends letting the plot grow for three or four weeks. At that
point, go back in on a dry day, and apply 100 pounds per acre of 34-0-0. That
extra shot of fertilizer will send the Winter-Greens toward the sky rapidly. Last,
remember the importance of food-plot location. Obviously, plots should be kept
out of sight of roads. They should also be where prevailing wind directions can
be used in your favor. The plot should be as close as possible to thick cover. If
you're hunting hilly land, plots on higher hills work best. If you place your
plots in hollows, you will constantly be dealing with switching wind
directions, and deer will pick you off regularly. When hunting food plots, you
don’t have to use a tree stand. Ground blinds work great. In fact, we leave
three ground blinds out year-round, and people are amazed that one of them is
in an open Conservation Reserve Program field at the edge of a food plot.
However, because the blind is there year-round, deer pay no attention to it.
With the right wind, we slip over a slight rise in the field that hides the
food plot from the road, and we're good to go. We’ve killed a lot of deer out
of that plot. On Dec. 23, the last day of Indiana’s 2006 muzzleloader season,
my sister, Margy Pogue, killed a deer out of the plot, and her husband, Jim,
killed his second-best buck ever out of another plot about a half-mile away. By
investing your time, work and money in Winter- Greens, you will get a great
return on your deer hunting investment, year after year.
