THE JOURNEY

By Bill Winke

The journey, not the antler size, is what really defines the trophy A friend of mine once told me that without the journey, there could be no trophy. It was very wise advice and that statement really crystalizes what this article is all about. After all these years of hunting nearly every day of the deer season, I have learned a few things. The most humbling thing I have learned is that I rarely shoot big deer despite my best intentions. But I shoot mature bucks fairly often, many of which I have a long history with.

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Food Plots Have Special Allure in Big Woods

By Scott Bestul

The old saw about ethics  being “the things you do  when no one is  watching” rang true for my friend  Jeff VanDoorn two years ago.  Jeff, who with his brother Tom  owns a beautiful little deer camp  in Wisconsin’s North Woods, had  arrived at their cabin the day  before the state’s firearms season  opener. Jeff was busy with the  usual routines to open up the  camp — fueling the generator,  hauling groceries, restocking lime  for the outhouse — when he  glanced past the front lawn.  Standing in a food plot not 40  yards from the cabin door was a  buck that Jeff and his family had  hunted for several seasons. The  monster 12-point — a buck that  had been as elusive as a ghost  during any open season — fed  contentedly on clover,  unconcerned that it was early  afternoon and a human watched  him.

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KEEPING WEEDS IN CHECK Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees

By Whitetail Institute Staff

It’s often said that death and taxes are the only certainties in life. We hunters and managers, though, know that there’s a third certainty: No matter how well we prepare our seedbeds, and plant and maintain our food plots, grasses and other weeds are going to show up in them at some point. When that happens, knowing how to deal with them can be confusing if you only focus on a particular method (a tree) instead of following an integrated approach (the forest). This article will hopefully clear up some of that confusion.

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CREATING AWESOME FOOD PLOTS ON MARGINAL SITES Tough Conditions Challenge Savvy Food Plotters

By Michael Veine

Imagine this: food plot locations with well drained, loam soils that are well-nitrified with neutral pH. Let’s make these locations flat and rock free, too and as long as we’re cruising down Fantasy Lane, it sure would be nice if all food plots received just the right amount of rain as well. Reality though is a far cry from idyllic. Most food plot conditions are less than perfect, yet savvy food plotters can still create deer magnets even in tough locations. It’s just a matter of preparation, execution and good plot maintenance.

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Imperial Whitetail PowerPlant---Welcome to the Jungle

By: Whitetail Institute Staff

Imperial Whitetail PowerPlant is a spring/summer annual designed to get lots of protein into your deer right when they need it most: during spring and summer.

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A Message From Ray Scott 25 Years of Innovation - "NO" to the Status Quo

America, the great experiment, has proven that when people are given the freedom to be the master of their own futures, they can realize extraordinary achievements. It is this fact that helped build America into the greatest nation on our planet today. Want to start your own business? Go ahead. Work hard, work smart and with a little luck here and there, you can realize your dream.

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SARAH HUDZINSKI - WISCONSIN

I have been an avid hunter since I was 12 and began bow hunting four years ago with my fiancé. We live in Central WI, and began managing our small property by implementing food plots and QDM practices.

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