Strictly Bowhunting :: BIG BUCKS EQUAL PROPER PLANNING

Whitetail: BIG BUCKS EQUAL PROPER PLANNING

Posted by: csmickpaducahah-on Sunday, September 27, 2009 - 05:22 PM

Year Round Preparation Will Help You Take Big Bucks
Written by Chuck Smick

Do you dream of taking a big trophy buck every year? Does your success match your desires? If not, read on and this article can help you achieve the success that you’ve been looking for this season. The advice contained herein, is gleaned from a couple whose property produces trophy quality bucks each year, along with a plentiful supply of boss gobblers. This information can help you learn to achieve the same results, if you are willing to do the work that is necessary to make this happen.

I recently had the pleasure of discussing the requirements on how they consistently produce big bucks on their property each year, with Brett and Sharon Wilson. These folks farm approximately 2000 acres; and are the owners of Deer Haven Trophy Bucks (see www.deerhaventrophybucks.com) in Ballard County, Kentucky. They offer a high quality hunting operation that provides hunters with the opportunity to take the buck of a lifetime each season. The property borders the Ohio River in Western Kentucky; and truly is a Deer Haven for big bucks and boss gobblers.

This area provides a rich area of river bottom brush and thickets for bucks to grow big and heavy-horned. The area is a mixture of rolling woodlots and hedgerows, inter-dispersed with flat croplands, along with fish-filled ponds. This diverse mixture of fertile land and a great food supply, coupled with heavy cover allow bucks to grow to trophy size each season. Brett and Sharon also adhere to a quality deer management program, as prescribed by the Quality Deer Management Association. This program allows Brett and Sharon to offer hunters the opportunity to take the buck of their dreams.

Brett and Sharon’s farm produce bumper crops of soybeans and corn each year. The deer and turkeys take full advantage of these bountiful groceries during the growing months. This agricultural food supply is supplemented with food plots in the areas that are not conducive to efficient agricultural planting. Planting food plots that produce quality forage help improve and grow the deer herd on the property; and hold deer and turkeys on the property. These food plots are also why Brett and Sharon can consistently provide excellent hunting opportunities year after year.

Brett plants a variety of foods that provide high protein and very palatable food sources for the deer and turkeys throughout the year. The food plots consist of winter peas, chicory, fall oats, Brassica, seven top turnips, purple top turnips, rape, clover, sugar beets, sunflowers and winter wheat. This mixture of high quality food produces quality forage all year long for the deer and turkeys. Brett also plants partridge peas to help quail that inhabit the property. This plant also provides also good cover to help protect these little brown rocket shells from predators.

Brett stated that he mixes lime with the seed to get the best production from his food plots. He also recommends using a mixture of seeds that germinate at different times of the season, so that game animals and game birds have a quality supply of food all year round. This quality and quantity of the food supply is critical for does to produce healthy multiple fawns; and allow bucks to grow trophy-size racks. High quality, protein-rich food is essential for land to produce at its maximum capacity; and produce the quality of big bucks, that most hunters are seeking.

Brett stated that hunters who are not experienced at planting food plots can clear a small area, lime it and plant winter wheat. This excellent crop will attract deer and make your hunting area more productive this season. Brett said that winter wheat can also be planted later in the season and it will still produce a stand of lush, green food for the deer this season.

Producing big bucks each year requires work and dedication all year long. Brett and Sharon’s work load was greatly increased this year due to heavy wind and ice storms that struck the region during the fall and winter of 2008 and 2009. These storms left trees and limbs down all over the area, including on all of the food plots on the farm; and the trails that traverse the woodlots and river bottom areas. Brett stated that he had to use a dozer, loader and other mechanical equipment to clear the food plots and trails so they could get to many areas of the farm. Clearing these areas was a necessity so that food plots could be tilled, limed and re-planted for the upcoming season.

The wind destruction coupled with a long and wet spring and summer forced Bret and Sharon to prepare and plant their food plots late in the summer. This work is critical if you want to have the opportunity to pursue trophy bucks year after year. Brett and Sharon put in the work, and their food plots were greening up and lush, for the upcoming season.

Food plots are one way to start preparing for the upcoming season; and the production of trophy deer. The Wilsons also watch their farm and photograph the bucks as they grow their horns; and take note of the numbers and sizes of bucks, along with the number of does on the property. They also closely monitor the herd for depredation, poaching and signs of disease that may affect the herd. NOTE: These are free-ranging deer, not high fenced, so they have to monitor their deer herd very closely.

Brett and Sharon also watch for, and note old rubs and scrapes. They also monitor deer activity so they can place stands and box blinds in the best positions for hunters to have the best opportunities for shots at the trophy bucks this area produces.

There are other things that you can do, to enhance your opportunities to take a big buck this season also. Low impact scouting from a distance using binoculars is useful to locate where deer are entering and existing food sources. Taking note of these trails will help you locate possible stand locations also. Early in the fall, you can start creating mock scrapes or freshen up old existing scrapes when you find them. I use Harmon’s “Scrape Mate™” to start my mock scrapes. (See www.harmonsdeerscent.com to check out Bill’s full line of lures.) This will attract bucks out of curiosity, so see who the new guy is in the neighborhood; and get them working locations where you can ambush them later in the fall.

Taking a trophy buck year after year; or filling your freezer with delicious venison year takes planning, preparation and work. These activities are a year round commitment of time and resources that will pay dividends with trophies on the wall and meat in the freezer. So get out there and get started on preparing to put a big buck on the wall this season.

SIDEBAR: If you are interested is a great hunting experience, contact Brett and Sharon Wilson at Deer Haven Trophy Bucks at 270-334-3748 and schedule your hunt. You can view their web site at www.deerhaventrophybucks.com. Hunting licenses and deer tags are available over the counter in Kentucky, and are available in many local sporting goods stores in the area.

About the Author: Chuck Smick is a freelance outdoor writer and photographer, with over 44 years of hunting and fishing experience in 19 states, from Alaska to Florida. His passion is taking big game with traditional archery tackle. Chuck lives in Paducah, Kentucky with his lovely wife Kathy. He can be reached at csmickpaducah@yahoo.com. You can view his blogsite at
www.chucksmickoutdoors.blogspot.com.

1107 Reads

[Edit | Delete ]