Grow the Hunt

Memorial Day Fishing Trip

By Rich Miller

A couple of weeks ago it was cold and raining and we were wondering if summer was ever going to get here. Well, now it’s the first week of June and I have already seen the temperature gauge read 102º! I can’t remember it ever being this hot this early. I guess we had a little bit of spring bit for the most part we jumped right in to summer around here. 

We had a great Memorial Day weekend although we didn’t do a whole lot. We did do a little fishing but mostly just hung out with family and friends. 

Friday afternoon, my son Tye and nephew Porter wanted to go fishing so we loaded up the boat and went to the lake to do a little cat fishing. I thought as hot as it was we could go up one of the creeks and put out some lines and maybe catch a monster catfish. They were super excited and were all over the boat the whole time. After getting anchored we started getting lines out. I got about three lines out when the first reel went off. I grabbed it and set the hook and the fight was on. I then helped Tye get the rod and he caught his first catfish of the day. It was a small channel cat but we had a fish in the boat. After we caught the first fish, we were able to get all the rods in the water. 

After a little wait we got another bite and hooded that fish up also. That time we weren’t so luck because that fish wrapped us up in some thing and broke off. I never did get to see that fish but it fest like it was a lot bigger than the first on we caught. The next fish that hit was Porter’s turn and he landed his with no problem; but it was about the same size as the first one we caught. 

The last fish we caught – before the girls started calling wanting something to eat – was smaller than the first two. Three was all we put in the boat but that was about all of the attention span the two boys had anyway. We had us a ball either way with the few fish that we caught. After cleaning them a and getting them put in the freezer Tye wanted two know when we were cooking them!

Our Memorial Day weekend was spent on the lake pretty much the whole time whether we were doing a little fishing or just hanging out; it was all a blast. 

Food Plot Basics

By Brandon Wikman

Wildlife food plots are a key part of building bigger and healthier animals. Whether you are planting chicory, alfalfa, clover, or perhaps turnips, you must know that a plant must have an assortment of resources to reach its maximum growth.

A seed must have proper soil, fertilization, minerals, pH levels, and an adequate amount of sunlight in order to thrive to its full potential. If you happen to lack in any particular area mentioned above, you are not only cheating the groceries in your food plot, but also short changin’ your consumers – deer, turkey, and other wildlife.

Plants must have the essential ingredients in order to provide your wildlife the best nutrition available. Otherwise, you are simply wasting your time. Whitetail deer digest the plant matter in order to grow larger racks and beef up their bone structure. Food plots that lack in any specific category will counteract against the animals consuming it.

A food plot must have an adequate amount of sunlight to survive. However, too much is actually not a good thing. If your plot experiences more than 6 hours of harsh sunlight, it is apt to grow thirsty and dry. Shade or a tree canopy becomes an unsung hero in this case.

Soil testing is one of the most important steps before spreading any seed onto the ground. You must figure out your properties pH level to uncover and nutrient deficiencies. After you acquire your pH level, you may want to spread lime and fertilizer to increase the maximum potential of the seeds’ growth.

Secondly, another critical asset you must understand is the size of your food plot. An important step before planting your food plot is deciding how exactly big it should be. The average plot most outdoorsmen allocate to wildlife may range from ¼ acre to ½ acre. In most cases, size matters, however size does not comply in this case.

A strong and healthy ½ acre of groceries is a lot of great forage. In fact, it can produce up to two tons of forage in simply one year if you take the necessary steps in assuring your soil is up to par as well as your other variables.

Large and expansive food plots will only increase cost, time, maintenance, and efforts without truly benefitting the deer herd in a way that is worth your while. As you also may realize, whopping food plots are extremely tricky to hunt considering all the space it occupies decreases your odds of getting into range with a bow and arrow.

These tips are a basic outline of what you need to know before, during, and after planting season. This week I will be finishing all of my food plots in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. I can’t wait for this fall already.