When it comes to hunting whitetail everybody wants the same thing, huge bucks with massive racks. After all, nobody dreams of a trophy doe or a four point mounted above their fireplace mantle. Majestic whitetails don't just happen. We believe that there are at least three components of successfully improving the development of whitetail bucks.

Good Genetics

The best nutrition in the world will not put a 160 class rack on a buck that is genetically predisposed to have only six points with spindly main beams. Please take a look at our photo gallery. Christian County consistently produces massive bucks. According to North American Whitetail Magazine, Kentucky is currently ranked 2nd in the nation for Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young bucks based upon average trophies recorded for the last five years

Water

Any properly maintained herd must have an adequate fresh water source. WKOA is blessed not only to have many ponds and lakes, but also to be located in areas with luscious river bottoms.

Nutrition

No whitetail can reach his maximum potential without proper nutrition. We believe that supplemental feeding along with natural forage affords the greatest opportunity for big racks on big deer. The primary goal of our management philosophy is not to bait deer for hunters to harvest. In fact, we love to see big bucks live another year. We believe more time on the hoof means good genetics can be passed on for a longer period of time resulting in better bucks. Our goal is to provide "monster nutrition" for "monster bucks". As nature takes its course, a healthy doe herd will provide adequate opportunities to harvest mature bucks in ethical hunting conditions. Meaning, you will see the buck of your dreams.

How We Do It

We have invested great amount of time, research, and energy to achieve a feeding program that maximizes the potential of our deer herd as well as our turkey population. Our hunting areas have plentiful natural hardwoods that produce tons of mast crop for browsing. Our
management program takes into account the needs of wildlife during all season of the year. During the spring and summer our plots flourish with clover blends, lespedeza, chickory, alfalfa, sunflower, and naturally occurring black berries and honeysuckle. The winter
plots consist of brassicas, chufa, carrots, turnips, winter peas, rye and birdsfoot trefoil that reach their maximum draw potential during the hunting season.  These components of our feeding program are geared toward improving nutrition during the rut and providing high sources of protein during the early spring for antler development.

On average, our plots consist of 30-35% available protein.  Corn and soybean are readily available through the late summer and fall in our highly agricultural area providing adequate carbohydrates, as well as, the supplemental feeders that are maintained throughout the winter months.  All of our hunting areas are supplemented with deer specific mineral licks.

By providing year around nutrition, our healthy doe herd breeds to healthy bucks and produce healthy fawns. Properly nourished fawns have a higher survival rate affording the opportuinity to become the next generation of trophy whitetail bucks. We also utilize habitat
sanctuaries with their own food plots to serve as a haven for deer during times of high stress that occur due to injury, during gestation, or when other outside pressure has been particularly high.