In late July through early August I plowed, disked, seeded, and cultipacked my food plots with great anticipation of the upcoming hunting season.
I had earlier in the summer decided that my fall planting choice was to be Whitetail Institute’s Tall Tine Tubers. I cannot explain exactly why, but I was very excited about this seed variety. Maybe it was because I had previously had some success with turnips. Or maybe it was because I always get excited about trying something new! In any event it was a happy planting process.
I was very surprised at how quickly the Tall Tine Tubers germinated. It seemed like overnight, although realistically it was probably three to five days. I feared the deer would eat it all long before the hunting season, as they have so many times before, yet they did not. I had above ground leaves that were 10 inches to 12 inches high (generally), and in some cases higher. The turnips matured to be like small pumpkins. Never have I seen turnips of this size. I remember thinking “are they too big?” Fast forward to hunting season. The archery season was good overall, however the last week was intense from a rutting behavior standpoint. Especially in the Tall Tine Tuber plots. I took a nice buck during the last week of archery season in the Tall Tines Tubers and was ready to call both the planting and hunting seasons a success. Little did I know what was ahead… Opening Day: 7:30 a.m.: Two shots fired in a Tall Tine Tubers field.
End result: a 4-1/2-year-old, 200-plus-pound deer was down with my father’s hands on a trophy rack. 1:40 p.m.: One shot fired in a Tall Tine Tubers field. End result: a 4-1/2-year-old, 185-pound deer was down with my hands on a trophy rack. 3:30 p.m.: One shot fired, not in a Tall Tine Tubers field, but coming from the direction of one. End result: a 3-1/2-year-old, 200-pound deer was down with my best friend’s hands on a trophy rack. In summary, what a year. What an unbelievable year. Three trophy animals taken, by three different hunters, on the same property, on the same day, all in or near Tall Tine Tubers plots. It has been more than a month since our magical day, and each of us still talks as if it happened yesterday. All three deer mentioned are presently at the taxidermist, so I guess one could say it was an expensive year. The memories are worth every penny. I am not sure who to thank more. Whitetail Institute for producing such an incredible food plot product or my father and best friend for being there to share in such a special day!
