Most of us would get a lot more done if we used our time more wisely. That’s especially true for hunters who want the bucks they hunt next fall to carry the largest antlers possible. Imperial Whitetail PowerPlant is the No. 1 forage tool you have specifically for providing bucks with the massive amounts of protein they need to help maximize antler size during the limited antler-growth period. And don’t wait to order PowerPlant. The Whitetail Institute only produces a specific amount of PowerPlant each year, and supplies are almost always exhausted before demand has been met.
A Glance into Time’s Rearview Mirror
What do you suppose marital life was like for a hunter in in prehistoric times as he worked on constructing a new bow, fletching some new arrows and crafting broadheads in preparation for a hunting trip? A hunter would likely have been a man in those days, and his wife would likely have recognized the signs of his impending departure and reminded him, “Don’t forget that you promised to help me clean up the cave before you leave. And the Johnsons are coming over for supper Saturday night, so you’ll need to come home early.” I hope you got a chuckle out of that, because if you did, it means you can relate to that distant hunter’s experience, and in doing so, you’ll see my point: We hunters have always taken time to prepare ourselves for hunting season, and we always will. We check and repair our stands, have our hunting vehicles serviced and make sure that our bows and rifles are still shooting to point of aim. And the reason we still prepare for hunting season is also the same: to maximize our odds of hunting success. Given all the effort hunters have always made to get themselves ready for hunting season, it surprises me that it took so long for hunters to start devoting the same effort to getting the animals they’ll be hunting ready. Hunters have planted greenfields for generations to attract deer, but widespread use of food plots to improve the quality of deer didn’t start until comparatively recently. Three markers best signal the start of that process, and all occurred in 1988: the founding of the Whitetail Institute, the introduction of Imperial Whitetail Clover, and the consolidation of knowledge and sciences involved in managing deer into a body commonly referred to as quality deer management. Today, we have access to more detailed science and knowledge about deer management than ever before, including recognition of the substantial benefits of high-quality and high-protein food plots during spring and summer to help optimize deer health and maximize antler size. We also have the best forage tool for accomplishing that: Imperial Whitetail PowerPlant.
What PowerPlant Is
A brief description: PowerPlant is an annual food plot product the Whitetail Institute has developed to provide deer with exceptionally high levels of protein when they need it most: during spring and summer. As we’ll discuss, PowerPlant’s design and components make it the top forage tool for supplementing protein for your deer.
Like other Whitetail Institute forage products, PowerPlant is a blend of multiple plant varieties: The reason this is so important will be obvious to anyone who has planted straight agricultural varieties of beans and peas for deer only to have them wiped out quickly. In most cases, blends of multiple plant varieties can help maximize overall performance of the forage stand. To do so, though, you must take great care to choose varieties that tolerate browsing better than agricultural varieties, that complement each other and that are then combined in the optimum ratios to maximize overall stand production. PowerPlant is one of the best examples of how well that works when done properly.
Components and Component Functions: Each of the plant varieties included in PowerPlant provides one or both of two functions: to act as a high-protein food source, and to provide the structure necessary for PowerPlant to grow as tall as it does. Two of PowerPlant’s components act strictly as food sources: forage soybeans and forage peas. Again, these are true forage varieties — and that’s important to stand production and the ability to keep up with browsing pressure. The soybeans in PowerPlant are a great example. There’s no question that deer love soybean plants. Even so, there are several reasons why the soybeans in PowerPlant are superior to ag-type beans when used by deer as a food source. For example, unlike the tendency of ag type beans to become tougher as they mature and the lignen content in them increases, the beans in PowerPlant grow as supple vines that remain tender and highly palatable to deer as they mature. Also, after the soybean plants in PowerPlant establish, they can even regenerate and continue to grow as deer feed on them, which is a huge advantage over ag-type beans, which can be devastated from early overbrowsing.
What PowerPlant Does
A brief description: PowerPlant provides deer with massive amounts of high-protein food during spring and summer in a form that remains highly palatable to deer as it matures and can withstand heavy browsing much better than straight plantings of agricultural beans or peas. You can see how important that is when you consider how little time bucks have to grow antlers, and that lack of protein in natural food sources is one of the biggest limiting factors to antler size.
A time limit — only 200 days for antler growth: No matter where you live, bucks only have about 200 days or less during spring and summer to grow antlers. That’s an unalterable fact you can’t change. In most free-range situations, though, you can improve the size of the antlers your bucks produce, and a major part of doing so is by increasing the amount of protein your deer consume during the antler-growing window. Protein is especially important to the entire herd during spring and summer for overall herd health — pregnancy, antler growth and when does are providing milk for their fawns. During this same period, protein is equally critical to the rest of the herd. Doe milk is extremely high in nutrients, including protein. Exactly how much protein deer need during spring and summer is a matter of debate, but it’s generally recognized that bucks require about 16 percent protein when building their antlers, does about 18 percent when they’re lactating and fawns up to 20 percent (some of which they get from their mothers’ milk). To be clear, these are the optimum levels — amounts required to help deer reach more of their genetic potential. Unfortunately, natural forages of spring and summer are generally very low in protein. And to make matters even worse, most natural forages quickly become tough and of less utility to deer, which require tender forages due to their small ruminant digestive system, and their availability to deer drops off sharply during summer. Even with these lower protein levels and lack of consistent availability, deer can survive, and bucks can grow antlers, but a manager who wants to push his deer as far as their genetic blueprints allow will have to supplement the protein shortfall. As we’ve discussed, PowerPlant does that by providing huge amounts of high-protein forage for deer — protein that’s highly palatable and able to withstand browsing pressure.
Getting the Most Out of Your PowerPlant
Don’t plant PowerPlant too early: Do not plant PowerPlant until soil temperatures have warmed to at least 65 degrees day and night. Beans and peas are among the most fragile seeds and can be severely damaged if planted in cool soil.
Plant enough PowerPlant (based on deer density): In spite of its prolific growth, even PowerPlant can be overgrazed if subjected to extreme pressure in its early stages of growth. Accordingly, the Whitetail Institute recommends these as minimums based on deer density.
Also, you can spray PowerPlant after planting with Arrest Max to control early grass competition: If grass invades your PowerPlant plot soon after planting, spay Arrest Max to control it. Be sure to check the Arrest Max label for a list of grasses Arrest Max will control. You can also go to whitetailinstitute.com to find the Arrest Max label as well as a set of easy-to-follow instructions for mixing the spray solution. Finally, don’t delay in ordering if you want all the benefits Power- Plant offers for Spring and Summer. As mentioned, The Whitetail Institute produces a specific amount of PowerPlant each year, and in most years, demand exceeds supply. For information about Power- Plant or to place an order, call (800) 688-3030.
