Darton02

Lunchbucket,

There is no doubt that you are a very knowledgable person. I am new to the forum but have read a lot of your previous posts and you provide some excellent information. I even noticed that in posts just a year old that you were recommending the same things I am - clover, alfalfa, winter wheat, etc.

As for saying more trophy deer are a result of the wildlife food plot industry, that is bull and you know it. 3 acre food plots dont grow trophy deer unless there is some seriously intense management going on otherwise. The increase in trophy deer is probably more of a result of 1) selective harvest - there are more deer now then ever before, so people are choosing to let smaller bucks pass to grow into larger ones 2) Lower buck limits - a lot of states have realized that if they limit the # of bucks being shot, people will be more selective and more bucks will grow to an mature age and 3) increased doe harvests - many states have gotten a lot more liberal on the numbers of does that you can kill in order to reduce/maintain herds at levels that will allow them to keep good body weights and grow nice racks.

I don't doubt that intensive food plot management on a large scale can improve the quality of a herd, but it has to go hand-in-hand with other management practices and for most folks it just isn't practical nor cost effective. In a lot of areas, money would be better spent on bullets than on food plots. Keep the deer #'s down and let the little bucks walk and in most areas you can grow big deer. If you want to concentrate them around your stand, then plant a food plot.

I also want to say that I have probably been wrong to lump all seed blends together. I'm sure their are some legitimate products out there that may be worth the price. However, until I have seen the research come from a reliable scientific source, I will stick with what has been proven by farmers for years.