zippyswamp

Well I can speak for Pot's, we are one in the same. We are officers in the North East WI Deer Management Alliance and very good friends as well. If you don't follow the directions on the bag of seed from W.I. don't expect your plot to look like it does in the magazine pictures. We deal with the W.I. only, the best seed we've used, and we've tried them all. Start with the soil test, then move on to killing the plants that are currently growing. We use Round Up, and wait 7-10 days and start the ground preparation. If your using a no-plow type seed, we've found the less soil disturbance the better. Dragging with a spring tooth drag, then fertilizing and rolling is all that's needed. Seed your plot by the directions! Don't over seed, less is better. Then roll the plot with your roller. We sometimes use the ATV and run tire for tire to compact the soil on a small plot, but don't drag the seed bed, all you want to do is have seed to soil contact. Try to do this when rain is in forcast, it's not always possible, but you should have some moisture in the soil, and you will have a good plot for your deer to feast on. We like the Secret Spot, No-Plow, Winter Greens and Pure Attraction, if I had to choose only one, it would be the Pure Attraction. Good luck.

Food for thought. Don't guess on your acrage, measure it, it's not that hard. And you're not over seeding. Length x width devided by 43,560 will give you your acres. We tend to use Imperial products, because it's intended for whitetails. A little more money, but well worth it. Good luck.

Doc, Snap your neck and then we'll see how you feel about crossbows. It's not even close to a firearm, of any kind. If it were not for being able to use a crossbow, my hunting would be done. I hunt from a standing ATV in blinds, and can only shoot to the front or left side. So if I were a betting man, you would change your tune in a big hurry, god forbid if something were to happen. But put the shoe on the other foot once. I put alot of hours into hunting, and why should I be able to only hunt the nine day season here in WI, or any state for that matter? The chances of getting a deer close during our nine day, slim at best. It's enough to get one during the gun season with a firearm. Check in Doc. and open your eyes to others choices, or needs.

Needed to put my two cents in on the crossbow subject. I've been using one here in WI for the past 23 years. I broke my neck and needed one to get back in the woods to hunt. WI has a thing against them. You have to have a DR.s orders that states one is disabled. A application is required and needed to be filled out by the MD. But I have seen and herd so many against them for the general public. The same old song and dance that they can shoot 50 to 100 yards and going to kill all the deer. (Just like shooting a gun) well I have seen regular archery equipment out shoot a cross bow. As far as I'm concerned, let those buying their lisense decide what their going to use. As long as it's legal, let 'em be.

Let's see, well yes I use food plots, there the best thing one could do for their deer herd. It's the one thing that we can do to help with the over all weights and antler mass of the deer, not to mention what good it does for the doe and her milk production. We are thinking about food plots from the time they go into the ground till we do it all over again the next year. We have raised the antler mass on our bucks, and for sure the body weights. When we can harvest 3 1/2 year olds that average 190 to 225 pounds, and a 2 1/2 that was 190 pounds, something is "working" we never thought about deer in that weight class before we started the food plots back in 1996. And we started with the best on the market, the Whitetail Institute clover. And now all these years later, after trying others seeds as test plots, we are still with the Institute seed. We are now planting No-Plow, Alfa Rack Plus, Winter Greens, Secret Spot and Pure Attraction, with great results of the deer utilizing them. We tried the feed mill seeds with mixed results, more toward the poorer end, it's cattle seed, nothing more, it wasn't made to feed deer. I know already what some are going to say, the deer eat in my cattle fields all the time, sure they will, but are they getting all the nutrition they could be getting from a quality seed made for whitetails? No! Is the cost higher for seeds made for whitetails? Yes! And it's worth it.

Imperial brand products are all we use, they started the food plot craze. We plant the Winter Greens, Secret Spot and No Plow for our fall annual plantings. And the Imperial Clover and Alfa Rack for parennials, and have had nothing but good luck with all their products.

I agree, the sample packs are just that, sample packs, the deer will have them licked clean in one night. From what we have seen here in this part of WI the deer like all of their products. We tried some others over the years, and have not had near the results. Take my word, it is all good stuff.

Yes logging roads make great food plots, but sunlight is very important. At least 4 hours per day is needed to make it do what your looking for it to do. Make sure you get your soil test, it's very important, because where a woods had been, it's likely acidic. I like annuals, this would make a real good spot for a killing plot deep in the woods. Go to the Whitetail Institute web page, or call them, they will give you all the answers to your questions. Good Luck

There is some young bucks that do the breeding when a mature buck is not in the area, sometimes even if a mature buck is present. The young buck still has the genetic make up to pass on the good genes (or bad) My neighbor watched a 1 1/2 year old breed a doe while a mature 3 1/2 lay nearby and watched, then after, got up and bred the doe again. Go figure! It would be ideal to have the mature bucks do all the breeding, but it ain't happening.

That's a great buck, congtats.

As the old saying goes, Speed cost money, how fast do you want to go? I have been using a crossbow for the past 23 years after breaking my neck that left me paralized. I started with the Barnett, and it was alright, it did what it's supposed to, but I wanted one I could cock myself, and after trying others, hands down the most consistant, shot after shot is the Ten Point. The Accu-Draw cocks the bow the same every time, never to far left or to far right, every shot the same, if not it's the shooter, not the bow. I did look at the Excaliber a few years back when they first came out, and it was a slick looking crossbow, but I just didn't care for the way their cocking system was set up. Granted the Ten Point is priced up there, but how many of them are you going to be buying? Get a good one, and be done with it.

When we talk bucks that were saw on a nights hunt, it's always gross. How can one figure in any deductions on a live deer to come up with net? Gross is what he grew, give the animal credit for it all.

Just got down to the end of this post and about wet myself! Funny stuff guys. Good to read some humor now and again, but through all this talk and ideas, seems you forgot one important thing, what about the mirror so the hunter can look prrritty!

Oneidaman, I didn't mean that everyone didn't do their part. I was mainly talking in our area of 63b. Where about do you hunt (up north)? I know up by our cabin in Silver Cliff there isn't any farms, I guess that's what I have allways thought of as up north. There isn't any deer in that area, I don't know what the DMU is right off hand in that area though, not been hunting there in over 30 years. I have heard from others that that's the trouble where farm land and public runs togather. The deer are all on the farm land, and that's a subject I'm not getting into, not knowing much about it. I'm still going to try and put another doe in the freezer this year with the bow, theres nothing like a good blood trail on snow!! Let the Grim Reaper eat!

The DNR has told our group that the nine day season and Dec. fest will not keep our deer herd in check, so the Oct. fest will be back. What chaps me back side, is in our area we could shoot every doe, and being our DMU is so big we would still be in a herd reduction zone. We are on the far north end of 63B, but the southern part isn't doing their part, and that's right out of the DNR's mouth. So we do our part and put the does right where they belong, the freezer! I would much rather put a doe on the ground than a small buck, it's true I'm big buck crazy, and will be the first to tell you that. I've shot enough little bucks in my life, and the feeling isn't nothing like grabbing hold of a big boy. That's just my own feelings. So we'll keep doing what we do by trying to hold up our end by shooting doe. And no matter, I don't think we will be able to shoot enough to keep the DNR happy. I do know the brothers up north, have it rough, there isn't the deer there like what's in the farm belt, but hang in there!