Duane Hopkins

Role: recurring guest
Appears in 5 episodes

Duane Hopkins appeared on the show five times between February 2021 and September 2025, on mic each time, and is associated with Real World, which he says aimed from the start to become the biggest food plot company and has grown every year since. He discusses forage choices in detail: alfalfa as productive but high-maintenance and prone to potato leafhopper, clover’s resilience and chicory’s calcium boost, and perennials’ lower upkeep. He gives specific planting and troubleshooting advice, including corn spacing and weed timing, soil-testing recommendations, and answers to listener questions on plot rotation, mineral use, and Miscanthus establishment.

Appearances

What they said

alfalfa

• Duane describes alfalfa as the ‘queen of forages’—very productive but high-maintenance, and it doesn’t tolerate constant grazing pressure well. 7:44 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Duane explains alfalfa is subject to the potato leafhopper, a tiny insect that survives at southern frost lines and rides wind currents back into the Midwest. 9:59 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options

chicory

• Duane says chicory offers above-average calcium compared to clover, adding a nutritional boost within a blend. 12:56 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options

company-growth

• Duane says Real World’s goal from day one was to become the best and biggest food plot company, and it has grown every year since starting. 3:53 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options

corn

• Duane explains that weed pressure on corn at the three-to-four-leaf stage will cause the crop to fail. 27:55 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Duane explains row-planted corn needs even spacing so each plant gets equal sunlight, water, and nutrition. 30:21 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options

food-plot

• Duane Hopkins says perennials are valued for ease of management since they don’t require yearly soil prep and seed bed work. 48:12 — Episode #160 - Live with Dr. Bronson Strickland at Whitetail Master Class
• Duane Hopkins notes clover is resilient and will return in fall even after a summer slump if not overly abused. 16:05 — Episode #160 - Live with Dr. Bronson Strickland at Whitetail Master Class

food-plot-diversity

• Duane Hopkins compares food plot diversity to a buffet, saying more variety and choice makes for a better spread for deer. 16:36 — Episode #160 - Live with Dr. Bronson Strickland at Whitetail Master Class

soil-testing

• Duane recommends food plotters use private soil-testing labs such as KSI Labs in Shelbyville, Illinois, since ag testing kept operating through COVID. 74:31 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Duane recommends spending $7 to $10 on a soil sample, calling it the best money a food plotter can spend. 74:45 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options

Questions they asked

• Duane Hopkins jokingly asked whether, as land consultants, Don and Terry foresee recommending a string of security lights through the timber to improve antler development. 55:14 — Faith, Hunting & Courage After Tragedy | Chasing Giants Podcast Ep. 290
• Duane Hopkins asks whether it’s better to plant Miscanthus early and let it sit dormant in the ground versus a refrigerator. 36:37 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
• Duane Hopkins asks whether Atrazine or Simazine-type herbicides can be applied to an existing Miscanthus or switchgrass stand. 38:22 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO

Questions they answered

• Austin Raisor asked whether drilling alfalfa seed into 10-foot bare spots in his neglected alfalfa field would actually fill them back in.
  Duane Hopkins explained that since Austin’s stand is under a year old, the toxin blocking reseeding hasn’t built up yet, giving him a window through next spring to fix it. 69:47 — Faith, Hunting & Courage After Tragedy | Chasing Giants Podcast Ep. 290
• What food plot products would you recommend for hunters on a low budget?
  Duane recommends winter-green brassica blends as a low-budget, high-return cold-weather crop. 84:15 — EPISODE #109 SHED HUNTING and LIVE FROM MASTER CLASS #2
• Jared Barr from Meadville, Pennsylvania asks whether, with proper fertilizer, Real World’s clover blend would grow in his very rocky soil or if he should plant something else.
  Duane recommends the deep-rooted Real World clover and chicory blend as a good choice for rocky soil, alongside a proper soil test. 57:49 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Lee De Smith asks what to plant in the spring to keep his Deadly Dozen plot from lying fallow until fall, and when to eventually rotate out of Deadly Dozen.
  Duane suggests planting soybeans in spring, since Deadly Dozen can later be drilled right over the top of them in late summer. 60:10 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Lee De Smith asks what to plant in the spring to keep his Deadly Dozen plot from lying fallow until fall, and when to eventually rotate out of Deadly Dozen.
  Duane says by year three, Deadly Dozen’s quality begins to decline, making that the point to swap in something else for a season. 61:05 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Ryan Wisecock asks whether frost seeding clover across all 13 acres would waste time and money given he’ll no-till drill beans and Deadly Dozen later, and if COBRA would help.
  Duane says the clover could offer early ground cover and help control weeds ahead of the no-till beans. 69:22 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Ryan Wisecock asks whether frost seeding clover across all 13 acres would waste time and money given he’ll no-till drill beans and Deadly Dozen later, and if COBRA would help.
  Duane says his only concern is the added expense of frost seeding clover before killing it off to plant soybeans. 69:43 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Rich Highly asks whether it makes sense to spread Maximizer Deer Mineral onto food plots like a fertilizer so deer get nutritional benefit.
  Duane recommends keeping fertilizer and mineral programs separate, using a targeted fertilizer analysis for the plants rather than spreading mineral as fertilizer. 65:07 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options

Unofficial fan project. AI-synthesized from public episodes; may contain errors.