Management Plan - Premier Outfitters

Our sound plan of management enhances our deer's ability to grow to their full potential

A MANAGEMENT PLAN DESIGNED TO FOSTER THE DEER'S FULL POTENTIAL

Western Kentucky has truly remarkable genetics for trophy whitetails. Our sound management plan and commitment to employing it enhance our deer's ability to grow to their full genetic potential. Let's take a look at some key points we strive to attain as we work to provide you with the hunt of a lifetime.

"We believe a buck or doe conserving energy is a stress-free animal that is healthy and able to reach maximum genetic potential. Therefore, we are constantly adding travel passages."

Travel

Every moment, a whitetail either stores or burns energy. We help ease the energy burden by providing easy passage from known bedding areas to food sources and natural water. When a deer travels free from stress, it conserves energy.

Stress comes in the form of outside influences, pressure, and the simple ability to navigate through woods, crops, or fields. Limiting pressure and providing easy passages, we help our deer conserve energy, promoting healthy growth and overall physical stability.

Rearing Offspring

This is an essential component. Our area has a fantastic climate for growing what we call double-crops. Simply, it means planting wheat in the fall, harvesting the wheat in early summer, and following the wheat with beans. This is important because standing, mature wheat that is near harvest provides one of the safest places for a doe to safely hide young fawns.

The thick wheat aids in scent detection from predators and hides deer incredibly, giving the fawns the edge they need to grow to the point they can evade. The cab of a combine gives us a pretty accurate count of the year's birthing numbers and the overall health of does and fawns. Our fawn survivability rate is off the charts.

Evade

Our area is rural. The lack of everyday human pressure is a significant factor. Our hardwood stands are vast, to go along with long ridges and fertile river and creek bottoms, all of which our properties posses. Our area is agriculture-driven, with the primary crops being soybeans, corn, and wheat. We have a great number of CRP areas. CRP stands for Crop Reduction Program.

The USDA initiated the CRP program to encourage farmers to let their smaller fields grow naturally and not be tilled or farmed to replenish the soil and prevent erosion. In our opinion, this program is one of the key contributors to the resurgence of our trophy bucks. These fields are typically only cut twice a year, and the natural growth is a magnet for mature whitetail bucks. Bucks can bed and roam in these areas relatively pressure-free. CRP stands annually produce some of the biggest bucks taken in our state.

Management Cycle: Spraying

Our Management Philosophy

We believe a buck or doe conserving energy is a stress-free animal that is healthy and able to reach maximum genetic potential. Therefore, we are constantly adding travel passages.
Our plots are selected and seeded with nutrient-rich alfalfa and clover. Alfalfa is a hardy plant that holds its palatability and nutrients well into winter when other green plants are dormant. It is the preferred food of our deer, but it is a plot that requires diligent maintenance. We believe our guests and our deer are worth it.

Management Cycle: Burning

Many of our properties have natural mineral seepages. We believe in enhancing our bucks' nutrient intake with supplemental mineral sites. These are best replenished by the same individual (due in part to scent acceptance) and should be routinely replenished during antler growth and lactating periods.
Each year we are granted nuisance tags, which affords us to keep our ratio in check. These tags are requested by the farmers who suffer crop damage from the deer. We typically pass these along to our guests, who can then add a little more meat to the freezer.

Management Cycle: Tilling

The primary reason for our vast amount of acreage is to keep hunting pressure minimal. This practice takes true commitment, but it is necessary to continue producing mature bucks. Limited hunting pressure is key in producing trophy whitetails.
Our goal is to harvest mature, 4.5-year-old, and older bucks with the following criteria.
A minimum 130 B&C measurement for a main frame 8 pt.
A minimum 135 B&C measurement for a main frame 9 pt.
A minimum 140 B&C measurement for a main frame 10 pt
This method ensures our bucks have the opportunity to reach maturity.
Mainframe: A term that describes a buck’s basic typical frame. For example, a buck may have a typical 5 X 4 rack but have several additional abnormal points that will add to its gross score. In such case, it would accurately be described as a mainframe 9-pointer with X number of abnormal points.
To help you learn how to judge a buck in the field, we provide a series of informative email newsletters to all our hunters. The first newsletter is sent in May for Spring, followed by a Summer edition, and concluding with your hunt itinerary. These newsletters include essential details about your booked hunt, along with links to valuable resources that illustrate and explain how to identify mature bucks on the hoof.

ANY BUCK HARVESTED BELOW THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN A FINE IN THE AMOUNT OF $1500.00 TO BE PAID AT THE TIME PREMIER OUTFITTERS MEASURES YOUR HARVEST. NO EXCEPTIONS!! IN ADDITION TO OUR HARVEST REQUIREMENT FOR BUCKS, IF ANY HUNTER WOUNDS A BUCK AND BLOOD IS FOUND, THIS IS CONSIDERED THE HUNTERS BUCK, AND THE HUNT FOR A BUCK IS CONCLUDED.
During orientation, each guest will be required to sign a hunter liability agreement outlining our buck quota policy.
This hunt is a true trophy hunt, designed for hunters who value the pursuit of mature, world-class bucks—not simply taking any deer. We understand that every hunter is investing their hard-earned money to hunt well-managed properties, and we are committed to maintaining the integrity of the experience for future hunters and neighboring landowners alike.

We seek hunters who are equally dedicated to preserving the quality of the hunt and Kentucky's natural resources. Senseless killing will not be tolerated. If you are unable to accurately judge a mature whitetail buck in the field, this hunt may not be the right fit for you.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in protecting Kentucky’s wildlife for generations to come.

We want our guests to have the best opportunity to harvest the buck of a lifetime.
If you take a look at our harvest log, you'll see we are on the right track. We are constantly striving to be better stewards and conservationists and improve our herd as best we can. We do this because our mission is not just to satisfy you but to ensure your interest in your heritage is stimulated to the point you desire to share it with those who will continue it.