Whitetail Journal readers know that deer hunting is a 12-month-long proposition, a labor of love that begins in the spring and yields a harvest of animal health, herd expansion, and hefty antlers in the fall. Innovative equipment for food plots allows sportsmen to use small tractors and ATVs to do the work that formerly required large farm machines to plant food plots in remote sections in the heart of deer habitat. Most gear multitasks, making a successful food plot easy and fun to plant while seeds, plants, weed control, minerals, supplements and attractants grow healthy deer — and huge trophy racks. Here’s 2013’s bumper crop of great deer management products:

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Adams Briscoe Seed

ABC Georgia Wildlife Delight Seed blends are specially mixed for either spring or fall planting that will yield both food and cover for quail, doves, deer, turkey and rabbits. MSRP $100 per 50-pound bag, but smaller packaging and custom blends are available; www.abseed.com

AGGRAND

AGGRAND Fertilizer Organic Series 4-3-3 (OSF) is a multipurpose liquid concentrate that promotes vigorous growth, increased root development and improved stress- and disease tolerance in vegetables, fruits, nut trees and field crops. It is listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic production. AGGRAND Fertilizer stimulates microbial activity in the soil and provides essential macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in a ratio of 4-3-3. MSRP 2.5 gallons for $77; www.goorganictoday.com

Big & J

Big & J Long Range Attractants introduces The CUBE — a compressed block of protein-based, nutrient-rich and moisture-tolerant deer attractant that’s designed to last longer in the field while maintaining a strong aroma and range. The longer-lasting CUBE is especially ideal for hunters who are unable to check their hunting grounds as often as they might like. MSRP $27; www.bigandj.com

Big Tine

Big Tine is a premium blend of grains, vitamins and minerals that promote good health and enhance growth. With 11 minerals, Big Tine helps antlers reach their maximum potential and provides antioxidants and essential fatty acids to improve health and longevity. It is scientifically formulated to be easily digested and utilized by whitetail deer and proven to promote antler growth. MSRP $10-$21; www.bigtine.com

Branson Tractor

The 00 series Branson tractors are available in manual or hydrostatic transmission with 24- or 28-horsepower motors. The 2800 model tractors feature a turbo-charged engine. They are fuel efficient and provide a quick turn radius. Many attachments can fit these tractors, including snow blowers, mid-mount mowers, loaders, backhoes and food plot implements. MSRP (without attachments) $12,699-$14,449; www.bransontractor.com

Brillion Farm Equipment

The Food Plot Seeder is designed to operate under a wide variety of conditions and plants numerous grasses, legumes, small grains and other blends and mixes. The FPS Series has the features to provide the necessary seedbed preparation, seed metering and placement, as well as seedbed finishing, all of which provide a state-of-the-art food plot. MSRP: $7,957-$10,184; www.brillionfarmeq.com

Brown Manufacturing

The Brown Offset Farm & Ranch Disc Harrow has a rugged design to deliver durability to meet the needs of even large food plots. This harrow gives you adjustable gang angles, front and rear split axles, spring mounted A-frame brace, triple sealed bearings, 22-inch, seven-gauge, high carbon notched blades on 1 1/8-inch axles, and a standard weight rack, and it’s available in three widths. There are also additional options for front and rear, and rear-only blade scrappers. MSRP $3,495; www.brownmfgcorp.com

Buck Lunch

Buck Lunch is now offering their premium quality sugar beet seed in a 4-pound bag or in 5-, 10- and 20-pound resealable plastic pails. Wildlife browses the protein-rich leaves during the spring and summer ,and as the weather becomes cooler, they dig up and feed on the sweet carbohydrate-rich tap roots. MSRP $52 per 4-pound bag of seed; www.bucklunch.com

D&D Farm Supply

HB protein feeders are built of heavy gauge steel and their innovative design keeps feed dry and fresh. Angled skids provide for easy maneuvering in this four-tube model, perfect for placement on ranches, in small breeding pens, or in remote places you can’t easily return to. They hold more than half a ton. MSRP: $1,150; www.d-dfarmranch.com

Day 6 Outdoors

Just wet it, hang it and forget it. The Mineral Mizer Bag provides a constant fresh drip of nourishing minerals to the surface of the ground with the help of an occasional rain shower, enticing deer to remain in the area so they can have constant access. The bag makes any mineral last longer than conventional pour-and-stir methods. MSRP $21; www.mineralmizer.com

Evolved Habitats

With EZ Plot Crush, hunters can plant a food plot in hard-to-reach areas. Endorsed by hunting duo Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, it’s designed to create a personal food plot any place you desire. This food plot seed is easy to plant and easy to grow. The blend consists of clover, brassica and rye grass. A 10-pound bag will plant up to 11,000 square feet. MSRP $26; www.evolved.com

Extreme Hunting Solutions

Extreme Hunting Solutions Big Buck Mineral is formulated with chelated minerals. These patent-pending antler growth granules have faster absorption in the digestive system, which in turn grows longer tines and antler mass. Big Buck Mineral averages at least seven more vitamins than the leading competitors while adding no fillers. The mineral content of whitetail deer antlers have been found to be composed of 19 percent calcium, 10 percent phosphorus and one percent magnesium; Big Buck Minerals support this ratio. MSRP $27; www.extremehuntingsolutions.com

GrassWorks

The GrassWorks Weed Wiper weed control system turns in the opposite direction you are traveling, so you get a wiping action on the plants that you are trying to get rid of. It costs pennies per acre in chemical use, is quick and easy to apply, and kills only the weeds, not your crop, allowing no drip or drift of chemicals. Normal operating speeds are 8-12 mph and the chemical of choice is Round-Up glyphosate at a 20:1 ratio of water to chemical. MSRP $2,700-$5,000; www.weedproblems.com

Heartland Wildlife Institute

Rack Maker Plus is extremely drought tolerant with high levels of protein produced with this alfalfa, clover and chicory mix. It’s suited for frigid northern latitudes, yet tolerates the extreme heat of the South. In addition to providing a high protein nutritional source, it is a strong attraction for fall hunting plots. With a little care this perennial plot should last six years. MSRP $36; www.heartlandwildlifeinstitute.com

John Deere

Frontier Plotmaster Food Plot Seeders are affordable, versatile, easy-to-operate machines that come in three-point or pull-type models that can be used with a variety of utility vehicles and compact tractors. Select from four different models, all with a variety of seedbed prepping and attachment options to help you successfully establish food plots based on your soil conditions, all in one pass. MSRP from $4,028-$6,236; www.BuyFrontier.com

Kasco Manufacturing

The Plotters Choice Seeder is designed for food plots and for use behind an ATV or compact tractor. All components are rolling, which allows the implement to cut through debris and trash without balling up. It’s available in four-foot, five-foot, and eight-foot widths with a broadcast seeding option or a seeding option to deliver seed in a row. MSRP begins at $6,405. www.kascomfg.com

Knutson Irrigation

BigSprinkler.com introduces portable irrigation kits and sprinkler stands complete with gas-powered pump, suction hose with strainer, flexible discharge hoses with quick connects, and the original BigSprinkler irrigation carts for large area coverage. Sprinkler carts start at $189 and complete kits start at $990; www.bigsprinkler.com

Kunz Engineering

Working ground with an ATV or UTV is fast and effective with the Till-Ease Model 543 chisel plow/field cultivator. The model 543 is capable of 6-inch tillage depths and is extremely aggressive in hard ground conditions and sod thanks to rigid shanks, which maintain an optimum sweep attack angle on the ground, allowing for abundant ground penetration, ease in pulling and deeper seedbeds. Standard features include an electric lift system, adjustable and removable shanks and weight racks. MSRP $2,195; www.kunzeng.com

Moultrie

The ATV Spreader-Electric Gate is a multipurpose piece of equipment that can spread seed, feed or fertilizer effortlessly with a push of a button. There are six different output levels on the hand controller. The 100-pound capacity tapered hopper prevents waste by funneling contents into the spinner. It also has a built-in quick-release system for easy detaching. The ATV mounting bracket is compatible with most ATV models and includes a ratchet strap. MSRP $329; www.moultriefeeders.com

Mossy Oak BioLogic

BioMass All Legume is a specialized blend of peas, soybeans and lablab to provide nutritious forage for whitetails during the spring and summer months and becomes a high-protein food source that stimulates antler development when deer need it most. BioMass All Legume is easy to plant and fast-growing, and it can be sprayed with grass-specific herbicide to control weeds. MSRP $60; www.plantbiologic.com

Northwest Crop Protection

Charge and Arrow 2 EC are often used together for post-emergent grass control in alfalfa, chicory, peas, beans and many other related crops in the deer food plot family. They also work well in the family garden on vegetables. Arrow 2 EC herbicide kills most grasses and is similar to select herbicides and trigger herbicides. MSRP $85; www.keystonepestsolutions.com

Pennington Seed

Durana contains over 90 percent more stolons per square foot than conventional ladino clovers and is university proven to last three times longer than conventional ladino types. It produces up to 150 pounds per acre of nitrogen per year, reducing the need for commercial nitrogen and makes an excellent pure stand or combination planting for any food plot to feed, attract and hold game all year round. MSRP $7 per pound; www.penningtonusa.com

Plotmaster

The Plotmaster’s patented design allows you to disc, plow, plant, cover and cultipack all at the same time, saving an enormous amount of time, money and effort. It is ideal for planting wildlife food plots in a variety of settings, including rough, hard-to-get-to places such as firebreaks, utility rights of way, and small forest openings. MSRP $3,999; www.theplotmaster.com

Quadivator

ATV implements must adjust to varying soil conditions, and the Quadivator excels in this area with a 66-inch cutting width at an 18-degree angle, 16-inch notched 11-gauge disks on seven-inch spacing and two sets of dual 15x6 Turf Wheels on a pivoting axle. Additional features include transport lift with electric/hydraulic cylinder, mechanical depth control adjustment and Quick-Easy hitch height adjustment. MSRP $2,800; www.quadivator.com

Rack One

Rack One offers the scientifically engineered IGNITE Whitetail Hunting System for 365 days of whitetail nutrition and attraction for your herd. Hunters must supplement the animals’ nutrition year-round, and more importantly, hunters must target their specific requirements based on the current time of the year. IGNITE meets these needs year round. Rack One’s IGNITE Whitetail Hunting System is comprised of four specific phases — Condition, Grow, Scout and Hunt. MSRP $15-30; www.huntrack1.com

Ranews Outdoor Equipment

The Firminator is a three-in-one land management tool that combines a heavy frame disc harrow, a precision seeder and a robust, cast-iron cultipacker. The Accu-Seed system will deliver seeds as small as clover and as large as chufa, while the heavy cast-iron cultipacker smoothes and firms the seed bed which greatly increases germination rates and comes in 4-, 6- and 8-foot widths to fit any size food plot. MSRP $7,999; www.thefirminator.com

RoughRidge/D&D Food Plot Enterprises

Whether you need to spread aglime, sand, peat moss, or salt on the driveway in the winter, a GroundBusters Drop Spreader can help you get the job done. Four- and 5-foot-wide models are designed to be pulled with a 500cc or larger ATV while the 6-foot unit is designed to be pulled with a 30hp tractor. MSRP $1,295-$3,950; www.groundbusters.com

Tecomate Seed

Tecomate GREENFIELD mix is designed to attract and concentrate fall deer for great hunting, yet it also provides vital fall and winter nutrition needed to keep rutting bucks in good shape. Premium cereal grains and high-protein winter peas combine with forage turnips and a bulb-producing rape/turnip hybrid to generate attraction during hunting season after “frost-curing” causes the brassica’s sugar content and palatability to increase and after the sugar-loaded bulbs mature. Plant spring or fall in the North and fall in the South. MSRP $35; www.tecomate.com

Wildgame Innovations

Acorn Rage is produced by collecting and crushing naturally grown acorns and then blending them with a special oil-enriched roasted soybean meal through an extensive extrusion process. The secret to Acorn Rage lies in quickly preserving and stabilizing the fresh oils and flavors found in real ripening acorns that just hit the ground. Acorns are high in fat and carbohydrates, are easily digestible and are readily absorbed and processed through the body. Acorn Rage provides both nutrition and attraction. MSRP $15; www.wildgameinnovations.com

Zoysia Farms

If you want to attract deer to your back yard, consider Amazoy. Its vigorous root system is deep and extensive, so grass rarely if ever needs watering once established and stays green all summer long. It forms a dense carpet of grass that literally crowds out summer weeds. Amazoy thrives in porous, sandy, stony and clay soils, and even salty soils in beach areas or beside roadways treated with winter salt. MSRP $15-100; www.zoysiafarm.com