Robin Leatherman — Missouri
Could this be real? I had a job opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to reclaim and re-habitat land that had been sorely neglected for many years and turn it into prime hunting ground. Plus, the gig came with hunting rights. Heaven! I went to work right away, evaluating the lay of the land and terrain to determine the best spots for food plots.
Being a long-time fan of Whitetail Institute and having used their products since the 1990s, there was no doubt whose products I would use for this project. The question was, which Whitetail Institute products? The soil is rocky, not that great for growing things, and it was a super dry year. Plus, the ground had not been worked in more than 20 years — if ever! I called Whitetail Institute for a consultation. (Actually, I called them many times for consultations and the guys were awesome every time.) We came up with a plan for what to plant, including ratios and timing. We determined that it was best to plant Imperial Whitetail Clover with Whitetail Oats Plus as a cover crop, planting half-rate on the oat seeds and full-rate on the clover seeds, and I placed my order.
I prepped the soil with the correct amount of lime and fertilizer and patiently waited for favorable weather conditions. The soil was ready. I was ready. But the weather wasn’t ready. Finally, rain was actually in the forecast for the first time in more than a month. I went to work getting the seeds planted and the rains came.
Both food plots had growth and coverage within two weeks. I started seeing more deer than I ever thought possible on the 275-acre property. Food plots that had never existed on this property were now a primary attractant because of the Imperial Whitetail Clover and Whitetail Oats Plus. In fact, the game cameras were capturing up to 30 turkeys and 15 deer in the food plots. Both food plots were getting browsed down to stubs. To the stubs! I was concerned all the wildlife would overbrowse it, especially because acorns were sparse that season. (It has held up to all the use and abuse of these critters so far.)
On Nov. 7, I had the perfect southeast wind for my ground blind. I entered my blind from the back approach so as not to get busted or spook any deer. Once I quietly settled into my blind, I started seeing deer. I saw about a 20-inch wide 8-pointer, a few smaller bucks, several does and fawns and at least 15 turkeys. Everyone was in the food plot! I was very surprised by all the activity. I am really into quality deer management, so I passed up all those deer I was seeing so they could grow and get some age on them. I was waiting for a larger buck.
Conditions were right again on Nov. 9 and I was back in my blind at 3:30 p.m. Again, I saw all kinds of turkey and deer activity. Then, I saw the one. He came out of the woods chasing a doe. He gave me a great shot with my bow at 41 yards. This buck was beautiful. He was a non-typical 14-point buck with a double main beam on the left side. It was one of my largest bucks ever, and I was shaking with excitement. What a deer! (Photo 1)
When rifle season came in, I hunted from the same blind for three straight days, passing up many nice bucks every day.
From observing all those deer on previous days, I noticed they all seemed to have a pattern of going back into the woods and then coming out at a certain place at the end of the food plot. I hoped a mature buck would follow a similar pattern. I stayed alert and watchful. Then, there he was! He came back out at the end of the food plot — just like the deer had done in the days prior.
Again, what a deer! He was an amazing 8-point typical deer that measured out around 146 inches. What a symmetrical rack, and what a trophy. Both deer were taken within 100 yards of each other in the same food plot.
With the help of Whitetail Institute’s guidance, recommendations and amazing products, I had the great fortune to harvest these two beautiful deer. I plan to plant more food plots using Whitetail Institute products next year, and continue to maintain those I planted this year.
I will be practicing some more patience and waiting for the right conditions because next year, I hope to get the buck that I’ve seen on the game cameras that dwarfs these two. Wish me luck!
