Imperial Clover and 30-06 Mineral Supplements are Perfect Combo in Ohio

By Richard Randall

This was a great year of hunting for my family, especially on our farm.

My wife, Krissy, and I decided to make a few changes to her stand placements. The previous year, she had been taking care of our newborn son, Hunter, so we had to make some changes to get her back hunting. We noticed the paths deer took to and from feeding areas had usually been out of shooting range during previous years, so we set up a ladder stand in the funnel along the route.

            Of course, I had to check it for myself. I hunted the stand opening weekend and saw plenty of activity when 20 deer fed in an Imperial Clover field. The morning of Oct. 29, 2006, I decided to hunt the ladder stand because it was close. Plus, Krissy said she had seen a large buck chasing a doe there a few days earlier. Thirty minutes after settling into the stand, I saw a monster deer walking up the edge of our hayfield and woods, coming from the direction of the Imperial Whitetail Clover plot. He was hammering trees with his rack as he headed toward me. The buck turned onto a trail heading into the woods 80 yards away, and I blew two contact grunts. The deer turned 180 degrees and resumed heading at me.

            The buck’s rack seemed to get larger as he got closer, and I noticed a big forked brow tine on the right. He stopped, facing me at 10 yards, and was looking right at me. The buck knew something was up, but he just couldn’t quite figure out what. I remember thinking, “He’s onto me,” and I thought it might not happen. Then, the buck turned and walked out to 22 yards. He was quartering away slightly and put his head down for just a second. That was my opportunity, and I knew I wouldn’t get another. I rose up and drew at the same time. After I saw the pin on the buck’s chest, I let the arrow fly and watched it hit the deer’s vitals.

The big whitetail bucked like a wild horse, ran off from where he’d come and then fell. He had only traveled 80 yards before dying. When I believed he was down for good, I ran to the house and told my wife and oldest son. They were as excited as I was. Then, I called my buddies Tyler, Paul and Big Mike for help. After Tyler got there, we went back. When I walked up on the deer, I noticed the forked brow tines on both sides, kickers off the base, mass throughout the tines and the makings of drop tines on each main beam.

Letting the buck live another year would have been interesting, but who could pass up this animal? He green-scored in the 150s, without the inside spread, with 15 scoreable points. He weighed 215 pounds. The deer was the third Pope & Young buck taken in four years of hunting using Whitetail Institute products.

            The next weekend, Krissy shot a buck with her bow at 35 yards, and neighboring hunters saw it. They claimed it was as big as the one I had shot a week earlier. Unfortunately, we couldn’t recover the big buck after several miles of tracking. Still, it was P&Y quality.

            The most rewarding part of fall was hunting with my son, Alex. The previous year, during the youth gun season, Alex shot a little 5-or 6-pointer, which we never recovered. He kept trying. If anything else, hunting teaches perseverance. In 2006, Alex was ready to go. We hunted a condo stand on a one-acre Imperial Clover plot. During the second day of the youth gun-hunt, he missed a doe at 45 yards twice with his .410. He smiled and said, “At least I’m seeing deer and getting to shoot. That’s more than a lot of kids get.”

            We decided to try it one more time during the regular gun season. On opening morning, Nov. 27, we saw 13 deer, but all were out of range. Then, an 8-pointer stepped into the food plot where the doe Alex missed a week earlier had been. I told Alex to make the shot count. He did, and the buck dropped in its tracks. Alex put his hand in the air and yelled, “Yes, he’s down.” The buck was far better than any of my first bucks. We try to let young bucks walk, but a buck of that size for a 6-year-old is a trophy. Alex’s buck weighed 175 pounds dressed. Needless to say, planting Imperial Clover and providing 30-06 Plus Protein Mineral Supplement is making our herd healthier and bigger.

            2006 proved to be one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my 24 years of hunting. I took another P&Y buck. My wife connected with a bruiser, although it wasn’t recovered, and that built her confidence. Best of all, Alex now has hunting fever more than ever, having killed his first deer. With our youngest son, Hunter, growing quickly, maybe he will soon follow in his big brother’s shoes.