Muddy, even though I grew up on farms I'm not a farmer by any means. I am in on a lease in Illinois for the 4th year now. That property consist of 800 acres & is surounded by large CRP areas & some large tracks of timber. No one hunts there except for the farmers son & son-in-law. Managing the deer herd was always done by letting the 3 1/2 year olds walk & mange the does. We are working with the farmer to improve the buck qualtiy even more by paying him to plant some clover & alfalfa, there are other choices for food plots but they need extra care & only last a couple of years before needing reseeding. The number one factor in getting larger buck when it comes to food source is protein rich suculent plants which they prefer over anything else. Deer are like humans, they like a variety of food but do become selective depending on whats available. Mineral suppliments are not necessary if the ground is rich in minerals such as it is in Iowa, Illinois, etc. If you do plant food plots keep them at least two acres in size if possible or the deer will never give it a chance to reach it's potential. As we all know the other factors are age & genetics. Try to plant something with at least 18% protein & they will come!