My Food-Plot Success

Two Years of Patience Pays Off

By Brad Larson

I think there’s a misconception in the hunting industry that quality deer management can only be achieved if you own lots of land or your neighbors implement QDM. Many folks believe they cannot manage deer if they only have a small tract or that they cannot hold and grow mature whitetails in those smaller tracts.

My experience has been different.

I live in a fairly populated area and own less than 30 acres. In 2002, I started to invest in the property to attract, hold and grow mature whitetails. Our property is about half wooded and half-tillable farmland that had not been farmed for years. There’s a pond on the property for a water source.

In Summer 2002, I started researching food-plot seed options and chose Imperial Whitetail Clover. I ordered enough to plant about five acres. Because it was already late summer, I decided to do a fall planting. The crop came up fine and was about three or four inches high when hunting season opened.

Instantly, the plot was a deer magnet. Although the crop was immature, deer seemed to love it. Some evenings, I would videotape 13 or 14 deer in the field. On Oct. 18, while hunting the plot, I shot a beautiful 11-pointer that scored 164-3/8. Obviously, the food plot was not responsible for growing the deer, but I believe it held the does the buck was chasing.

The next spring after speaking with one of the Whitetail Institute’s advisors, I decided to do a soil test. The soil needed more lime and fertilizer. Because our soil is somewhat sandy and rocky, and because we live in an area with harsh winters, the advisor also recommended that we plant Imperial Alfa-Rack. We got an early jump and did a May planting. The crop shot up like gangbusters and looked beautiful the first year. The Alfa-Rack field has remained healthy and continues to attract many deer.

The next couple of years, I really saw the effectiveness of the food plot. I was beginning to believe that even with the small tract of land and no QDM participation from neighbors, I could hold and grow trophy deer. One of the deer the plot helped attract and grow was named Lefty.

I first noticed him in 2003, when I got trail-camera photos of him in early September. That year, I captured the buck on camera more than 30 times. I also videotaped it chasing does in our Alfa-Rack plot.

On Nov. 5, I had my chance to kill Lefty. I was sitting on a stand on a travel route between a bedding area and one of my food plots. I got to the stand early, hoping to see some rutting activity. I started to see deer right away. As dusk approached, some does under my stand were getting nervous. I had a good feeling a buck was nearby, and within minutes, he showed himself. It was Lefty, and he was quartering away from me toward the does. I grabbed my bow and drew it back within seconds. He had no idea that I was there. I aimed, put my pin on his vitals and released the arrow.

The arrow missed its mark cleanly. I was in shock as Lefty jumped and trotted about 10 yards farther, wondering what had happened. However, he stopped and looked back, so I quickly nocked another arrow. After a two- or three-minute stare-down, he started moving back into my shooting lane.

Unbelievably, he was going to give me a second chance. My nerves were calm, and I was in harvest mode. I was not going to let a second chance go to waste. This shot was even easier: a 15-yard broadside chip shot. I drew my bow and took my time placing the pin right on Lefty’s heart. I hit the trigger again — only to see the same result.

That was enough for Lefty. He bolted up the tree line and chased the does into the main woods. I climbed down from my tree, stunned as I picked up my arrows. I could not believe I missed the buck twice one day at such close range. I didn’t sleep well that night, as I relived the misses, trying to figure out what caused them.

The next day, I discovered my gloves were too thick, and the top of the index finger was over the grip on my bow. When I released my arrows the previous day, the fletching hit the top of the glove, making the shots miss their mark.

Soon, Lefty started showing up on deer-cam photos again. He was nocturnal, though. During the 2003 deer season, I photographed Lefty more than 30 times. I also saw him a few times by shining him with a spotlight as he fed in my Imperial Clover fields at night. However, it wasn’t until the last week of the late bow season that I would get my third chance to shoot him.

I live in what the state resources department considers a metropolitan deer hunting unit, in which the season is extended through January. The last week of the 2003 bow season was the coldest of the year, with lows lower than minus 20. I was beginning to pattern Lefty’s movements pretty well. As the snow cover got deeper and temperatures dropped, Lefty started showing himself in daylight. That week, I saw him twice during daylight, and I thought my time was coming.

When I climbed in my tree stand, it was minus 22. I arrived at 2 p.m., thinking I’d be plenty early. I had watched Lefty move through the area the previous day and felt good about my chances .

After watching a few does travel past, I finally saw Lefty coming through the sumac. I was glad he was moving slowly, as it took me a few minutes to get over the shakes and back in harvest mode. By the time Lefty was approaching my shooting lane, I was settled down. However, I was concerned that daylight was dwindling quickly, and Lefty hadn’t presented a shot.

Soon, he stopped and stood behind a split elm tree, seemingly knowing something was up. He wouldn’t move. He never offered a shot.

In 2004, I couldn’t spend any serious time hunting Lefty, but an increasingly mature Alfa-Rack food plot, numerous does and a lack of hunting pressure ensured that he would stick around.

In 2005, I planned to put as much effort as possible into hunting Lefty. When our Alfa-Rack food plot shot up in spring, many deer frequented the field. About mid-June, I noticed a couple of bucks in the back field. I saw them regularly that year. As the bucks continued to grow, I noticed one grew faster than the other. Could it be Lefty? I noticed his brow tines shooting up, I became confident it was him, so I started videotaping the bucks at every chance. Soon, I knew it was Lefty! I was amazed at how he’d grown. I estimated him somewhere in the mid-180s.

In early September, Lefty became nocturnal. I logged many hours in the tree during September and October, but it wasn’t until early November that Lefty began to show himself again. At 1:30 p.m. Nov.12, my neighbor, a good scout who had agreed to keep Lefty a secret, called me and said he had spotted Lefty walking through his yard at midday.

I waited patiently for my wife to get home so I could hunt. At 2:30 p.m., I climbed into a stand that was right for the south wind. A small 8-pointer walked by at 3:30 p.m., which made me confident.

Daylight was fading quickly, and I didn’t think I would see Lefty. Then, out of nowhere, he appeared about 75 yards from my stand. However, he laid down and watched for does to appear on the food plot. I was pinned down. I couldn’t climb down from my stand because he would see me. Luckily, Lefty spotted a doe and moved, letting me escape.

The next morning the wind switched to the northwest. I arrived at a new stand plenty early, but I didn’t see much deer movement until about 8:30 a.m., when a doe and fawn walked by on the main trail. My eyes remained glued to the trail in hopes Lefty was following. At 9:10 a.m., I saw some movement in the thicket. It was Lefty!

He was walking slowly on the same trail the does had taken — and headed my way. I had plenty of time to stand and grab my bow. As he got closer, he veered off the trail and stayed in the thick brush as he walked past. I could not believe it. The buck of my dreams was 25 yards away, and I had no shot. He continued on, and I never got nervous until I left the stand.

After my heart stopped pounding, I started planning my next opportunity for a close encounter. I decided that if my stand would have been 10 yards farther along the trail, I probably would have had a shot. It was about 10 a.m., and the wind and rain had increased. Figuring Lefty was probably bedded, I took a chance and re-hung the stand. The move took two hours. By noon, I was ringing wet and extremely tired. I left, planning to return that afternoon.

However, it wasn’t meant to be. My wife saw Lefty in our field along the highway, following a doe. The good news was my risky move had gone undetected. The bad news was Lefty didn’t take the same route that evening.

As I left my stand that night, I saw Lefty about 10 yards off our driveway. I hunted the final four days of the early bow season with no more close encounters.

The firearms season arrived, and I decided to stay home to hunt rather than going to my lease in Buffalo County, Wis. On opening day, Nov. 19, the wind was northwest, so I headed for my favorite stand on the eastern side of my property —the stand I had moved that windy, rainy day. The temperature was about 35 degrees, and the expected high was about 38 degrees, with overcast skies. I was at the base of my tree at 5:30 a.m. After hooking up my safety strap and hanging my backpack, I settled in and waited for daylight.

As the daylight arrived, I heard a snort in the brush behind my stand and could sense movement. As I tried to slowly turn on my seat, I noticed a young 6-pointer smelling the scent wick I hung downwind from my stand. The buck didn’t seem nervous, nor did he smell me. He left soon, and another 90 minutes passed quickly with no deer sightings.

At 8:30 a.m., I decided it was time for a hot cup of coffee. I stood, pausing for a few seconds to stretch, and then reached for my thermos and poured a cup. But as I tightened the cap and hung the thermos back, I looked to my left and could not believe my eyes. It was Lefty, and he was 50 yards away — coming right toward my stand. Conveniently, I was already standing. I remember thinking that the wind was perfect, and that Lefty didn’t detect my presence. The buck with which I’d had an incredible three-year chess match was walking right at me. I reached for my gun and brought it to my shoulder. Lefty walked slowly on the trail, stopping periodically to scan the woods.

I knew it would only be minutes before he presented a shot. I watched him as the trail turned, presenting his left side to me. As Lefty cleared the heavier brush and stopped at 25 yards, I placed the cross-hairs of my scope behind his left shoulder and prayed that my shot would be true. I squeezed the trigger, and the shot shook the woods. Lefty jumped and tried to run away, but he only made it about 40 yards before going down behind a group of trees.

“I did it!” I whispered to myself. “Checkmate. Game over!”

After a bit, I started to evaluate the situation. I thought the shot had been good, and Lefty was struggling as he fled, but I could not see him, so I did not know for sure he was dead. I reached into my pocket for my cell phone to call my wife, Lisa. After hearing the news, she began to cry.

I said I would play it safe and stay in my stand until I was sure he was dead. After hanging up the phone, I reached for my binoculars and started scanning the woods. After 10 minutes, I detected a small patch of Lefty’s white belly hair. He was on his side and not moving. The match was finished.

Turning around to gather my gear, I noticed I’d forgotten my coffee. I enjoyed it like no other. When I was finished, I gathered my gear, lowered it down and climbed down to make the recovery. After just 20 yards, I saw Lefty’s incredible antlers sticking up from the ground. Soon, I was standing over him. I gave him a quick nudge and knelt down next to him. Tears of joy began to pour from my eyes as I knelt motionless, gazing at the magnificent whitetail. All the effort, studying, preparation and stress had paid off.

After gathering my thoughts and tagging Lefty, I again called my family. I walked home and was greeted by smiles and hugs from my children. I made a few phone calls and called my good friend Brian to help me get Lefty out of the woods. With digital and video cameras in hand, we headed back to the scene. After many photos and some video to remember the moment, we removed Lefty, registered him and then hung him in my shed.

The moral of the story:  you can be successful with food plots, even if you have a small tract of land but you can’t cut corners. You only have so many acres to work with, so you must strategically select the right locations for your plots. If you don’t have a water source, create one. Provide enough woods for an adequate sanctuary, and don’t go there. Hunt only the edges. Get your soil tested, and do exactly what is called for. Finally, be sure to choose a quality food plot product such as Imperial Whitetail Clover, Alfa-Rack or others from Whitetail Institute.

Without hard work and great products, holding and growing Lefty would not have been possible. Follow this plan, and you might be surprised at how successful you are.