Pure
Attraction turns to Fatal Attraction: Steve Reis, a good friend, purchased a
piece of property in Shawano County, Wisconsin. The land is known for whitetail
and had some great features but lacked a food source to hold deer through-out
the year. Steve hired a bulldozer to come in and clear several sites on the
property for food plots.
Soil samples were taken, reviewed by the Whitetail
Institute and seed selection recommendations were made. Lime and fertilizer were
applied and the plots were planted in August. Pure Attraction was planted in
the plot where I harvested my deer. We prepared and planted the plots with a
Brillion Food Plot Seeder and the hard work by our hunting crew started to show
results. The deer were definitely attracted to the plot. When the cooler weather
in October and early November came the attraction seemed to get even stronger. Trail
camera photos and hunting the plot proved that the deer fed on the plot at all
hours of the day. On November 10 I sat on a stand overlooking the plot and was
watching several does and fawns in the afternoon when I saw a good buck chasing
a doe on the opposite outer edge of the plot. All I could do was hope the doe
would enter the food plot and I would have a shot. The big buck wouldn’t let
the doe do anything she wanted and they both ran over the ridge as daylight faded.
On November 11 I chose to sit on a stand south of the food plot near several
active scrapes. I was in the stand well before sunrise and the morning was very
exciting. While many bucks were on the move, a close encounter with a mature
buck was spoiled when the doe spotted me before the buck was in range. At noon
I decided to move closer to the food plot where I saw the big buck the day
before. I chose a stand 30 yards north of the plot because of the wind direction
and my observation from the prior day. At 3 p.m. I saw a big buck chasing a doe
and the doe looked very tired. They circled the food plot and were coming
toward me when the doe went into the food plot which was 40 yards from my stand
and the buck was close behind but there was no chance for a shot. The doe left the
food plot and the buck followed close behind. I thought to myself, it’s just
not my day. Daylight was fading, there were a few does and fawns in the food
plot when I heard a thrashing of the forest and grunting of a buck coming toward
me fast. I knew it was probably the same doe and big buck and this time they
were coming down the trail headed to the food plot. I had to react fast, I came
to full draw with my Mathews Legacy and the doe went past at 21 yards. When the
buck was in the opening. I made a loud grunt with my mouth and the buck stopped
in his tracks offering a quartering away shot at 21 yards. When I touched my
release and the two blade Rage broad head hit its mark the big buck ran 40
yards into the food plot and I watched him expire. Wow, what a feeling, I knew I
had just harvested the biggest buck of my life and it all happened so quickly.
I walked up to the buck lying in the middle of the food plot and I couldn’t
believe how big and beautiful this animal was. I was so excited, I took a few
minutes to enjoy the moment and think about how the doe was determined to get
into the food plot of Pure Attraction and how the buck’s attraction to the doe
became a fatal attraction for him. Thank you Whitetail Institute for the great product.
Also, thanks to our friends at Brillion Iron Works for making a great product
in the Brillion Food Plot Seeder. What a time saving piece of equipment. Also
special thanks to Steve Reis for letting me fulfill my dream of harvesting a
world class whitetail and being a part of a special group of friends all of
which have the same dream. To my friends, Steve, Jason, Derrick, Lee and Sara
your day is coming. The buck officially scored 169-7/8 inches. 