World Record Lovstuen Buck

Lovstuen Buck
Bill: Writing to you about the former record "Albia Buck" shot by Tony Lovstuen back in - I think - 2003. I was 10 years old at the time and I still remember my dad buying us the North American Whitetail magazine with the buck's cover story. We were so excited to learn about the "World's Largest Walking Whitetail" being killed. After I started following Midwest Whitetail in its early days and learning your farm was around Albia, I was always curious if you knew the Lovstuen family, if you ever had any encounters with that legendary buck, or if you had any stories about the whole experience of knowing a world record buck was lurking in your neck of the woods. I actually got to meet Tony and his dad at the Iowa Deer Classic that next spring. They seemed like really nice people.View post →

Hunting Cold Fronts

Hunting Cold Fronts
Bill- I did buy that 90 acres of grass I wrote about months ago to you. I have 7 does/fawns living there, but I'm near certain no bucks (or decent ones) live there. Bucks seem to come and go, but usually at night. September there was some day activity, but not anymore. I'm not surprised bucks don't live there...yet anyways. Anyways, I got a few decent bucks come through at 2am last night that I would shoot (it finally cooled a bit). These aren't deer of your caliber, more like 2.5 maybe 3.5 YO, but they are the realistic ones for me. There is a big cold front coming through later this week and I'm planning on going out Friday regardless, but the temps will be lows around 40 and highs about 55. It's been 70's here or above for a month plus. In your opinion, would you expect any chance at these bucks if they don't live there? Would you wait to hunt serious until cameras indicate different or very end of October? Based on my info, my guess is during the rut some will come through, but I'm going to have to be there because they probably won't stay unless they bed up with a doe. On backnote, next spring I'm planning to plant over 1,000 trees so that in 10-15 years things will start getting better with more cover. That's what I need. I'm 35, so time to plan for the long-run. I appreciate all your info.View post →

Bill Winke Consulting Service

Bill Winke Consulting Service
Hello Bill - Fascinated by your wealth of deer hunting know-how. I’ll make this short - I’m 37 been deer hunting(seriously) for 10+ years … self thought … (154”, 134”, 120”) all on private permission only farms in west-central Ohio. Would you be interested in helping me manage some pretty nice farms (remote advisory only) and then have the opportunity to hunt those farms out-of-state hunt starting next year? I’ve got an image in my mind of your involvement, that if your interested, I could discuss in depth with you. After reviewing the properties and opportunities, you could assess whether willing to allocate the time. If I could convince you to commit yourself, I’d be wiling to pay for out-state license and tag ($300+). I know you’re very busy and this is a long stretch for me, but in my mind, this would be once in a life-time opportunity for me. One that I promise, you’ll probably not regret. Let me know your thoughts, Ryan SandersView post →

Setting up a TSI Program

TSI Program
Hi bill my father and I bought 160 acres in a dense forested area, we are working hard to improve the land with food plots now as food especially in the fall seems to be the biggest missing part. I would really love to do some TSI work as well to create bedding areas and brows on our property, as of now a lot of the deer bed in the thick cedars on the property to the west of ours. We know the locations where we would like these bedding areas as they set up to our food plots and our access to stands, but I'm confused on weather we should be hinge cutting, clear cutting, hack and squirt, select cut ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.View post →

Property Line Disputes

Property Line Disputes
Good day Bill. My question to you is in regards to property lines. My West barbed wire fence does not make up the actual property line – it was put in many years ago by the previous owner just to hold cattle. To save a dispute with the neighbors, they decided to be safe and run the fence roughly 10 yards off the actual line. Considering the property is just under 300 acres, 10 yards off the actual line adds up to a lot of ground. My evidence of this comes from two sources. One, the West line does have an official fiberglass marker that is 10 yards off the existing wire fence and is spot on with the line on my onX app – unfortunately this is the only official survey marker on the west line. Two, my onX app consistently marks me as 10 yards off the property line if I walk the entire barbed wire line. Any thoughts on what you would do/say to the neighbors to make things right? They have multiple tree stands right on the wire line, which I believe is technically my property.View post →

Winke Blogs and Videos

Winke Blogs
Hi Bill- do you plan to do any more blogging on deer you’re after this fall or post trail pics? Any more YouTube blog videos or thoughts if you’ll hunt at all with a camera man this year? Just enjoy following along with you and curious if you’re planning to post any content on your hunting this fall. Thanks!View post →

Rescuing Food Plots

Rescuing Food Plots
Tips for saving a food plot - Hi Bill- have always loved your stuff, whether it was articles, videos, and now the blog-style approach. You're one of the best in the industry, and we are thankful that you are continuing to educate us and pass along your wealth of experience and knowledge. One area I have learned a lot from you in the past is in the area of food plots. Your Poor Man Food Plot videos were the cornerstone of teaching me how to plant food for deer on a budget. So my question is this- what is your go-to approach for saving a struggling food plot? I know we cannot control rain fall and other weather conditions, but what can we do? I have seen some suggest over seeding, or planting a recovery crop like winter wheat. Just wondering what would your approach be? And lastly, here in the Midwest bowhunting is right around the corner. When is it too late to 'fix' a food plot for this years fall hunt. Thanks again for all your great content! KevinView post →

Best Week to Hunt 2021

Best Time to Hunt 2021
Bill, I leased 280 acres in Illinois this year. I’m from Missouri and have never hunted outside of the state. The farm I that I have leased is planted in corn this year. My question is if you had a choice to hunt the first week of November or the second week which would you choose? I know there are a lot of different factors that would determine which week could be better. I have 10 days vacation that I plan to use and would like your opinion on what you think. I have learned a lot over the years watching your videos and following some of your tips. Appreciate your time and what you do. One more question, what is your take on Deer scents? Thanks, ChrisView post →

Land Consulting and Target Bucks

Land Consulting
Hello Bill, Just wondering will you be doing any trade shows? I know some people in the industry sometimes do seminars or things of that nature. Just trying to plan on making a few trips in the spring and didn’t know which shows you might be at if any. I ask about your land consulting in the past and you said you may do something in the future and I was just checking back with you to see if you have started that yet. I listen to you on The Habitat Podcast recently and it nice to hear your thought again, hopefully that becomes more regular…. Lol I know you probably don’t want that but we can wish. Do you have a target buck picked out for this year? Good luck hunting. Thanks JaredView post →