RESEARCH = RESULTS

single weekend. That’s what I did growing up. I’d go to the racetrack and I’d hunt — and because of him, both are a big part of who I am today.”

WI: Do you target specific bucks on your property?

Burton: “I’m definitely targeting certain deer — looking for old, mature bucks. Each year, we have a hit list of the deer we’ve been watching through the years and target the ones that meet our criteria. If we’re hunting with a kid or something like that, it’s a little bit different. But us older guys, we’ve been there, done that, and we are a little more picky about the deer we shoot. But basically, we’re managing our properties for mature bucks.”

WI: Is there a buck or a hunt that stands out as your most memorable?

Burton: “I would have to say the one this year with my dad. We watched that buck for five years, and we have his sheds from the past two years. We could have killed him a hundred times during the past two years, but we waited until this year and got it all on video. We shot him over a Whitetail Institute Imperial No-Plow field and it made a real cool story.”

IMPERIAL WHITETAIL NO PLOW®

■ No tillage equipment required.

■ Available in 5 pounds (plants .25 acre), 9 pounds (plants .5 acre) and 25 pounds (plants 1.5 acres).

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(Note: Jeb said details and video of the hunt will be on Crossroads with the Burtons later this year.)

WI: What’s on the horizon for you? Racing plans for 2023?

Burton: “I’m actually racing with a new team this year, Jordan Anderson Racing. We have so many great partners that have stood behind me for so long, and I hope to be able to deliver them a great season this year. I’m excited to get the season started at Daytona. And with Crossroads, we’re working every day to keep growing the show on the Sportsman Channel to make it as successful as we can. Our goal is to give back to the sport — that hopefully when people watch our show they learn something, and not just about hunting, but how to create and improve habitat on their own property. We have a ‘Conservation Corner’ on every episode with my dad, and we talk about wildlife and property management.”

WI: What’s your daily driver?

Burton: “Actually, I drive a Tahoe I got from a local dealership, Capital Chevrolet.”

Food plots offer so much more than just nutrition for deer and better hunting. More land managers have found purpose beyond simply harvesting venison.

Food plots offer so much more than just nutrition for deer and better hunting. More land managers have found purpose beyond simply harvesting venison.

■ by Kristopher M. Klemick