The Back 40

Growing bigger bucks?

Tue, April 10, 2012

Growing bigger bucks.  Is it possible?  According to most of the food plot seed companies out there today, it seems growing bigger bucks is not just possible, but probable. 

Could what a deer eats really increase antler size?  Sure it can help increase body mass, but antler size?  Can one seed create more antler mass, a wider spread, more points, more than any other seed?  I have a problem believing that. 

We all know the three things that a buck needs to grow a huge set of antlers.  Age, genetics and, nutrition.  Age is a no-brainer.  It’s a must to let a buck get some years under his belt to let him reach his full potential.  Genetics, in my opinion, are equally as important as age is.  Bloodline is everything.  From hunting dogs to horses to people, genetics are extremely important.  Sure, you can get the occasional good bird dog out of a bad breeding, but not on a regular basis.  You want a dog with a strong nose, sharp mind and good work ethic, look for parents that carry those same traits.  Same goes for bucks.  If you farmed bucks behind a fence, you wouldn’t look for your 4 year-old 110” stud to throw the same quality buck fawns as your 4 year-old 190” stud.  That’s why Illinois, Kansas and Iowa hunters drop better-racked Whitetails than Alabama hunters on a regular basis.  Our Midwestern deer are of different bloodlines and heritage.  Which brings me to nutrition.  If a well-bred 5 year-old buck from Alabama and a well-bred 5 year-old buck from Illinois eat the same food, shouldn’t they grow to the same size?  Not a chance.  Not with any regularity anyway.  How about if you have that same 5 year-old buck from Alabama eating all of the finest deer plants on the market year-round while the 5 year-old Illinois buck just ate normal Illinois deer food (corn and beans)?  Would the Alabama buck outgrow the Illinois buck in terms of antler size?  I doubt it.  I highly doubt it.  So why then are we to believe that all these “special blend” food plot seeds will grow antlers?  Of course we all know the answer.  Marketing.  If they wouldn’t tell us their seeds grow bigger bucks, they wouldn’t sell any.  So is there any truth to growing bigger antlers?  It’s debatable at best.  Food plots provide the deer the nutrition they need to reach their potential, but growing bigger antlers is a stretch. 

All this being said, I’m a big believer in food plots.  Not food plots to lure deer in for a kill shot, but food plots to help a deer reach its full potential year-round.  Food plots being a lure are the bonus.  My food plots were started for several reasons.  First, to attract deer since my new property seemed to have a low herd size for the carrying capacity.  Second, to help deer year-round.  Third, it gave me a way to give back to an animal that has given me and my family so much.  And lastly, because it gave me something to do in the off-season. 

There are plenty of reasons to grow food plots, but I’m just not sold on “food plots grow bigger bucks.”  At best, I think food plots help bucks reach their potential, which I guess could mean bigger antlers.  I guess Lee Lakosky and I agree, Healthier Deer.

John Soehn
-Treehugger

(19) COMMENTS

It’s Almost Time

Fri, March 16, 2012

Other than the months of October, November and December, these next couple months are my favorite.  There are so many different things to do in the woods and fields.  Almost too many in such a short time.

Very soon I’ll be burning last year’s food plot and tilling it over to prepare it for seeding.  I’ll save some of last year’s corn stalks to use as cover.  Though I have a box blind watching over this food plot, this season I wouldn’t mind shooting one up close and personal, from the ground.  Right after seeding, I’m going to put a ground blind right smack in the middle of the plot, blending it in with last year’s corn stalks.  The deer will have plenty of time to get used to the odd shape in the middle of a bean plot.  I’ve hunted out of ground blinds before, but it’s been several years.  Hunting from a ground blind will certainly limit my visibility and chances of see more deer (as opposed to hunting the box blind), but the “up-close-and-personal” part of the hunt should more than make up for that. 

Then there’s mushrooms…and turkeys…and shed hunting.  What a great time to be in the woods.  While mushroom hunting last year, my wife, Carole, and I found a couple nice sheds.  Bonus!  We also bumped a couple hens off their nests, which, if you’ve never done that before, here’s some advice.  Bring an extra pair of pants with you.  Little startles me more than a turkey busting out from under my feet.  I wish pheasants would hold that tight. 

This weekend I also got my hands on a track-type skid steer.  I have several projects in mind.  Make a few creek crossings a little more human-friendly.  Repair a dam in an old stock pond on the edge of my timber.  Maybe even make a few horse trails.  One of these days I think I may sell one of my tractors and buy a track-type skid steer.  I love those handy little workhorses. 

Yep.  That’s what I love about this time of year.  Time to get things done.  Time to finish up the jobs that I never got to last year.  Time for me to put up more woven wire horse fence, replant two pastures, hang a bunch of new gates, and how can I forget, bale several thousand squares.  I’m getting more and more like my dad every day.  I may complain about all the work that I have to get done, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Have fun this Spring.  Good luck turkey and mushroom hunting, and maybe get back to last year’s list of things that need to get done. 

-Treehugger

(9) COMMENTS

Things for a deer hunter to do.

Mon, February 27, 2012

Things for a deer hunter to do this time of year.  There are many. 

Get your trail cameras out there again.  I leave mine up almost year round.  Even if you don’t capture your monster buck on camera, there are plenty of other critters worth seeing.  Coyotes, turkeys, hawks, big fat pregnant does, fox, etc.  I’ve actually been catching a mink on one of mine lately.  Sure, it’s more fun and rewarding to get a shot in late October of that monster you’ve been chasing, but since you can’t do that now, what good are your cameras doing in the garage? 

Scout, scout, scout.  Look for bedding areas, scrapes, rubs…do all the things you’ve avoided doing during deer season in an effort to not stink-up your hunting area.  Bucks at my place are still scraping in their usual areas.  Not as hard as they do in late October, but they are hitting them.  Heck, you might even find a shed there.

Sheds.  The obvious thing to do this time of year.  When I go out shed hunting, that’s rarely the only thing I’m doing.  I almost always have a .22 and a handgun just in case I get lucky and come across a coyote.  While out shed hunting, I’m also checking trails for fresh tracks, creek crossing, bedding areas…I even look for places to plant cedars to increase a bedding area’s size or establish a new one. 

While walking through your timber, think like a deer.  Where would you bed?  If there was a thicker bedding area near by?  Would you call that home?  Search for new and better entry and exit ways for next hunting season.  Look for better stand locations.  This is a great time of year to hang stands.  No sweating.  No biting mosquitos.  No dragging all your gear through thick foliage.  Plus, once hung, your new stand will be old news to the deer come hunting season. 

Finally, make time to hit some of the hunting shows.  Jeff’s Elmwood Outdoor Show is well worth attending, as is the Deer Classic in Peoria.  I can’t wait for this weekend.  Hockey game Friday night, Horse Fair in Springfield on Saturday, and the Elmwood Show on Sunday. 

Though we deer hunters can’t get out there and hunt right now, there are plenty of things we can do to stay busy and perhaps even contribute to a successful season seven short months from now. 

Get out there and have some fun.  Hope to see you at a show soon.

Treehugger-

(6) COMMENTS