I harvested a buck that some might consider a dandy. Here is where I want to bring some food for thought. When we harvest a buck, what all happened to present that opportunity to you? That deer was born and it's health and growth curve was dictated early on by the health and nutrition consumed by that doe. That doe's health was affected by the months leading up to her dropping that fawn.
When that buck fawn was chased away but the doe where did it go? The on-going Wisconsin DNR research will surprise people. Buck fawn and young buck dispersal normally puts that deer many miles from home. Genetics comes into play but remember it comes from both the male and female. When you observe that 1.5 year old buck on our properties, what are the odds that it was born on your property?
So, you watch those 2.5 year old bucks on your property and hope they make it to the follow season. Will they or won't they? There are many factors that come into play that determine if it stays or goes. This is a huge interest to me and my clients who's properties are involved in this research.
Now we are sitting in our stands hoping to harvest that 3.5 and older buck. How will be be tilting the table in our favor to achieve success? This is my life and passion. This is where this site should be helping more people. It's really simple. Food, water and bedding. Everyone understands this, right? But do you all?
Do you know what quality water is? Many believe having a pond is all that matters. Some say they have creeks or rivers running through their properties and thats all it takes. Au contraire.
What is quality bedding. I use to think I knew what it was but in the past couple years i've been around guys like Art Helin and Eric Mark and they blow my mind. Oh how the wildlife industry needs to listen more to guys like this. 365 DAY quality bedding doesn't come with 1 cookie cutter answer.
Quality food plots and browse. It's as easy as buying a bag or 2 of that pretty bag mix, right? But every action has a reaction. A great forage source this year could be terrible in 1-2 years if it's not "FED" right. Having great forage for 30 days a year is an attractant but 365 day food keeps a deer's life cycle rolling along efficiently. Most people have no idea what alternative sources of browse are nutritious. What if you have great forages but the deer burns a lot of calories to get from bedding to that food. What if the water sources are not sufficient? Water is the #1 most essential nutrient on anyone's property. Without quality water, you cannot have quality forage digestion and overall health.
So after approaching my buck this week, I looked around and smiled. That cedar poll, didn't hurt the cause. That scrapeline helped get him to browse and then turn broadside. That pushed up area of trees provided does bedding areas, which in turn attracted that buck that might have been born 5 miles away. That picked con strip, next to the picked soybean strip next to my scrapeline gave 3 "options" for the does to eat. Why would that nice buck eventually appear?
The neighbors have 640 acres of warn season grasses. Nothing much to eat out there but, I do have to give them credit to helping the cause during parts of the year before hunting starts.
So before I let the gun roar, my eyes were looking over top of the tall screening that hide me some. As I looked at the "planted" tree in the field I was happy that it worked like a charm. As I took plenty of pull the trigger, I was already a blessed man as the plan worked. The outcome would be finality and a trophy of sorts but that is not what tickled by brain the most. The PLAN. Oh how the best laid plans can make any experience even more of a success.
