Who doesn’t like seeing – and shooting – more and bigger deer? Ultimately, that’s the purpose of a food plot. Holding deer on your hunting ground throughout the season protects them from neighboring hunting pressure, and that helps to improve the herd’s age structure and increases your own odds of...
It’s gotten harder to find the perfect piece of hunting property, but it’s far from impossible. Realtree United Country’s land pros are here to represent avid hunters and prospective land buyers, but investing in property is a big decision – and there some gut-check questions to ask of yourself before...
Life can be difficult for the landowner and/or land manager . But growing food plots and providing year-round nutrition for whitetails can dramatically add to your success as a deer manager as well as a hunter. Simply put, whitetails are going to be where the “groceries” are, and providing easy...
Food is a driving force of our daily life, and for good reason. After all, we are animals and all animals have to eat. So how does this affect us in hunting the animals we hunt? It really boils down to the food. In wildlife management, food plots are an...
There was one particular food plot deer always used in daylight. The rest of my food plots looked like a vacant motel scene. But I couldn’t quite figure out why this one particular food plot produced so much daytime action. What did that one have that the others didn’t? All...
You got permission to hunt a property. You leased a piece of land. Maybe you even purchased your own hunting oasis through Realtree United Country . Now, spring is over. The hot summer sun is upon us. And sweat drips down on the regular. Hard work is hard enough already...
Opening day of gun season found me perched 14 feet in the air, sitting in my tripod stand and monitoring a food plot 100 yards in front of me. Less than an hour later, my sabot slug took down a fat, 8-point buck, making all the time and sweat equity...
You've bought a new hunting property. Maybe you even purchased it through Realtree United Country . The first step in managing it should be to improve the carrying capacity of whatever game animal, or animals, you want to hunt. Immediately talk to your local USDA/NRCS agent and let them help...
Realtree and Purina Wildlife Series are partners, along with a number of other quality companies that supply industry leading outdoor products. In addition to producing high-quality products, these companies are committed to wildlife management, habitat management and education. Bill Jordan is committed to doing whatever is necessary to continually improve...
Landowners or hunters interested in improving their land for wildlife will find creating openings or planting food plots to be the most effective way. Unfortunately, it is also the most costly. And of those costs, brush control is the largest, most continuous expense. Despite this concern, landowners have three brush-control...
Young forest is the new buzzword in the world of bird management and it turns out what’s good for the birds might just be the ticket for managing quality whitetails. In many states, particularly throughout the Appalachian Mountain and Great Lakes Region forest owners are being encouraged through cost share...
This warm-season annual is a great food plot seed option for most hunters. It isn’t a legume or grain species. It's a forb and it can grow as tall as 4 to 5 feet in height. Crude protein levels are high, often surpassing 20 percent. Deer, turkey, waterfowl, upland birds...
While it isn’t common knowledge, beets are big in the United States. They comprise a large portion of our agricultural output each year. They’re grown for many different uses. But our favorite use is for drawing in and feeding white-tailed deer. The high level of sugar (upward of 20 percent...
Winter peas. Both deer and deer hunters love them. They’re nutritious for deer and are a great draw during most of the season. It provides hunting opportunities and helps provide needed nutrition when food sources are oftentimes limited the most. This annual legume is a cool-season plant that’s high in...
We usually point to things like fertilizer, weather, soil types and timing of plantings when we are considering if our food plots will thrive. But there are factors working behind the scenes that can cause damage to your food plots. Critters large and small use these plots and some of...
Alfalfa. Deer love it. But when it comes to planting and growing the stuff, it isn’t for the faint of heart. (It’s difficult to keep alive.) That said, this plant is a perennial. If established well and properly kept up, it can last as long as three to five years...
Most whitetail hunters do not hunt massive tracts of land with pristine hidey-hole food plots at every possible location. In my experience, half-acre plots are common and allow for the perfect mix of feeding and hunting. Assuming your spot has four to six hours of sunlight, proper soil PH and...
This food plot seed option is a solid food source for deer and other wildlife. This perennial is attractive forage, especially during the early season. It’s highly digestible and is a favorite among whitetails. It contains approximately 28 to 30 percent protein. It also has calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur and...
With fertilizer costs on the rise, it is tempting for landowners to skip fertilizing their food plots this fall and assume that soil nutrients are adequate. As long as the soil has ample residual nutrients for the next planting, skipping fertilizer won't hurt. But testing the soil in food plots...
Oats. Come fall and winter, it’s what’s for dinner. This cool-season food source is extremely attractive during colder late-fall and winter days. This is an excellent choice for deer hunters who like to plant cereal grains. This plant species is very high in carbohydrates — which is what helps deer...
