CAREFUL BUCK MANAGEMENT PRODUCES BETTER BUCKS QUICKLY

How The Process Begins

EDITOR'S NOTE: In three years, Mark Drury, founder of M.A.D. Calls, a division of Outland Sports in Neosho, Missouri, and active member of Mossy Oak's Pro Hunt Team and video producer, went from having few if any deer on his 2,100 acres of land, to producing 150-point-class Boone and Crockett bucks. His amazing story demonstrates what quality wildlife management can do for a deer herd when sportsmen willingly invest the time and money to produce better bucks. In 2001, Mark and his brother Terry harvested five bucks that scored 150 points or better from property almost completely devoid of deer three years earlier. Can you accomplish this feat on the lands you have to hunt? Let's see what the Drurys did to the land to produce trophy bucks.

The Drurys bought and leased some Iowa property in the fall of 1997. The land consisted of 1,300 acres of brush and timber, 500 acres in CRP and 300 acres in grown-up pastures. The deer had plenty of cover, but no agriculture. In 1998, when the Drurys began a management program on their property, they immediately established 40 food plots. But, they didn't take any bucks that first year. "Initially, we planted soybeans and milo in the food plots," Mark Drury explains. "These were the traditional green-field plantings in our area when we first got the land. We also planted a little clover, but not much. That first year, in 1998, we decided not to shoot any bucks on the property. We shot does, and we passed up all the little bucks. I only saw one or two 2-year-old bucks. All the other bucks on the property were 1-year olds. Our goal was to be able to take 3-year-old bucks off the property.

"Another rule that we implemented was that anyone who hunted the property had to take two does before they earned the right to take a buck. If you were an Iowa resident, you could accomplish this requirement in one year. But, if you were a non-resident, you had to make a 3-year commitment because you only could draw one tag a year. Most of the people who hunted with us didn't mind this requirement. Because of the way we managed our land, a hunter had a chance to take a 200-point B&C buck on this property. I believe that's the real secret of good deer management -- keeping the deer on the property, providing plenty of food for them and allowing them to grow into the older-age classes that you want to harvest. Also, make sure you have enough food on the land all year long so the bucks don't have to leave your property to find food at any time of the year." During the 2001 hunting season, the Drurys saw the results of their management program. They took an 8-pointer that scored 150 points, a 10-pointer that scored 151, a 10-pointer that scored 150, an 11-pointer that scored 158 and a 13-pointer that scored 168.

To learn more about M.A.D. Calls, call (800) 922-9034 or visit www.outlandsports.com. For information about Drury Outdoors' Videos, call (800) 990-9351, or visit www.druryoutdoors.com.