Imperial No-Plow was the key to attracting this Tennessee buck. My 2020 No-Plow success story started in 2019, when I planted Whitetail Institute’s Secret Spot in an area of woods where deer were traveling between bedding and feeding areas. I wanted to hunt the spot in a ground blind with my 8-year-old grandson in hopes of him taking a deer with my crossbow. We were blessed that season, as he shot a great 11-point buck in that food plot the opening day of Tennessee’s 2019 archery season.
Even
with the success my grandson had with Secret Spot, I wanted to create a test plot
during Spring 2020 using Imperial No-Plow, so I purchased a couple of bags from
a Whitetail Institute dealer to begin an experiment. No-Plow is an annual, and I
typically plant it during fall. However, I wanted to try it in spring to see
the results. It worked, as deer continued visiting the plot throughout spring
and early summer until it had basically been eliminated from over browsing. I
sacrificed one bag of seed, but it was worth it to establish the plot and keep
deer visiting the same place consistently. I found that to be an effective
method.
On
Aug. 1, it was easy to return to the plot with little disruption and rake out
debris, reapply lime, broadcast a second bag, hang a Moultrie trail camera and
set up my ground blind where I had the previous year. When I returned a couple
of weeks later to exchange SD cards in my trail camera, I saw the first
picture, from the morning of Aug. 2. It showed a great buck cruising the edge
of the plot, where I had been just the day before.
Overall,
the SD images revealed seven bucks and a few does and fawns nibbling on the
emerging new growth of No-Plow during that two week period between exchanging the
cards. During that mid-August visit, I saw the No-Plow was growing well, and
the plot was laden with deer tracks. The pictures indicated most of the deer
activity was occurring during the morning, when deer were going to bed. Knowing
the Tennessee buck-only season opener was only a couple of weeks away, I didn’t
return to the No-Plow plot until it was time to hunt. I had all the information
I needed to know that a good buck was nearby and that the No-Plow would likely
keep him visiting the plot, and I didn’t want to risk spooking him. I’ve hunted
in Kentucky the past few years during the early bow season, trying to harvest a
buck in velvet, but I haven’t had any luck. In 2018, Tennessee opened its first
three-day buck-only season, and I knew I would have more opportunities.
However,
the first two seasons passed, and I struck out during both. I saw a few small bucks
with velvet, but there were no opportunities for the one I wanted to harvest as
my first velvet buck. But I believed my third 2020 Tennessee buck-only season
would be the charm. I practiced shooting my bow from inside a ground blind in
my backyard that summer in hopes of keeping my shooting form. I believe that
practice helped me a lot as the hunt unfolded and the buck entered the plot. The
buck was the first and only deer I saw opening morning. I had my blind set on
the opposite side of the plot from where I’d captured his picture, and as it
became daylight, I imagined him entering the plot and crossing in front of me,
and then I’d make the perfect shot. My hunts normally don’t go that way, but unbelievably,
as I daydreamed of that scenario, I saw movement between trees about 50 yards
away.
When
I looked through my binoculars, I was stoked to see it was him, and he was
coming directly to the No-Plow plot. As he walked along the plot edge, I began
drawing my bowstring and focused, just like during practice. But when I reached
full draw, I didn’t shoot, even though the buck was broadside at 17 yards. He
stopped to browse, but his closest front leg was back and covering his vitals
more than I liked, so I waited to shoot. Instead of stepping forward and
continuing on that path, he unexpectedly turned and offered me a hard quartering-away
shot. But at that distance and with my practice, it was easy to remain steady
while keeping my sight pins lined up on the opposite front leg. I placed my top
pin on his last rib and squeezed the trigger on my release. Although I lost
sight of the buck as he ran off, I waited an appropriate amount of time and
made a brief recovery. I harvested my first whitetail in 1981 and have been a
fanatic about the animals since that first little 4-pointer.
The
Whitetail Institute started the food plot industry in 1988 and has constantly
been an innovative outdoor industry leader during the ensuing three decades.
I’m fortunate to work in the hunting industry. God blesses me every day, and
one of those blessing is that he granted me the opportunity to combine my love
for hunting whitetails with my job. No-Plow works exceptionally well in wooded
areas with filtered sunlight, and you don’t need much equipment to be
successful. I used a leaf blower and a rake in 2019 to clear that spot. In
2020, I used a rake to clear debris. Combining No-Plow and a little work
afforded me the best bow kill during my 39 years of chasing whitetails.
