Mel

Seen: 2020-11-01 – 2026-05-31
103 references across 79 episodes

Timeline

What the hosts said

• Don states his farm has produced three 200-inch class bucks in recent years: Smoky at 206 inches, Male at 221 inches, and Doubting Thomas at 203 inches. 33:05 — CULLING BUCKS: Why Shooting 3½-Year-Old 8-Points Actually Works | Chasing Giants #310
• Don opposes expandable broadheads because although they leave a bigger hole on a good hit, they perform poorly on shoulder hits, as with his buck Mel. 44:27 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
• Don recalls that at two years old, Mel was a clean six-by-six that would have scored around 160 inches. 24:59 — Episode #269 - Genetics, Nutrition, or Age (which is more important)
• Don says Mel and Smokey are two perfect examples showing that without the right genes, age and nutrition don’t matter. 27:56 — Episode #269 - Genetics, Nutrition, or Age (which is more important)
• Don recalls shooting his buck Mel on October 30, 2020, right before a warm spell shut down daylight deer activity in early November. 35:27 — Episode #246 - Don Says - Best November Hunting in 50 Years
• Don states this buck is his first harvested in three seasons, his last being the Joey Buck in November 2020 shortly after shooting Mel in October 2020. 20:28 — Episode #193 - Babe is Down!
• Terry said Steve Shields, who produced the Mel video the audience watched, is the best in the business at video production. 4:16 — Chasing Giants #155 - Hilarious Episode Live from Middlefield, OH
• Don recalled that a buck named Mel scored a 216-inch rack at three and a half years old, though people doubted it at the time. 46:35 — Episode #147 - Winter Buck Inventory… More Important than Summer?
• Don plans to hunt Brent at the stand where he shot the buck Mel last year, going all out to get him a good buck. 12:35 — Episode #85 - The Ones That Got Away… New Series by Don
• Don picked up taxidermy replicas of his bucks Smokey and Mel at Old Barn Taxidermy in Fort Madison, Iowa, and met fellow hunter John Mulligan there. 5:33 — Episode #79 - Bachelor Group Dispersal and Iowa Update
• Terry announces that Don Higgins appears on the August 2021 North American Whitetail cover with his buck Mel. 1:30 — Episode #74 Don denied access to hunt and more velvet talk (how does weather affect growth?)
• Terry drove to the taxidermist and picked up Don’s mounted buck Mel, hauling him to the master class for attendees to see for the first time. 2:00 — Episode #58 - Burning Native Grass Tips and Great Questions from 3rd Master Class
• Don says the older he gets, the more important the chase becomes to him and the less the actual kill means. 40:28 — Episode #43 - Making Good Stand Great, Broadhead Debate Update, How We Celebrate a Kill, and Customer Service
• Don announces that both Terry and Al Foster appear in the Mel video, releasing on YouTube Thanksgiving morning. 48:29 — Episode #39 - SPECIAL EDITION - DON SHOOTS ANOTHER GIANT! 2 Bucks = 400”+ of Antler in 2020
• Terry announces that the video of Mel’s harvest will be released on Don’s YouTube channel on Thanksgiving Day. 19:53 — Episode #38 Terry Kills a Illinois 8 Pointer and Don gets wound up on some industry topics! REALLY WOUND UP!
• Terry noted that attendees of the master class will see where Smokey was killed and where Don and Terry saw the buck as a 216-inch deer without shooting him. 59:59 — Episode #35 - Don shoots his 3rd 200”+ Buck - The story of Mel - A 220” World Class Whitetail

Questions about this deer

• Adrian Nestle asked why Don dislikes expandable broadheads if shots are close, since a bigger hole would make the deer die faster. 43:44 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
• What do Don and Terry each consider their greatest accomplishment in the deer woods and in life outside of deer hunting? 48:24 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
• Casey asks whether Don has noticed a difference in antler size between bucks that bed in switchgrass versus timber. 28:40 — Episode #229 - Final Thoughts on the Buck Named Babe and Cameras are Out!
• Zach Hoffman from Shawnee, Kansas asks how to evaluate a buck’s rack to predict next year’s score, and the biggest single-year antler jump Don has seen. 19:11 — Episode #195 - Wes Delks Shoots a Giant and Crossbow Controversy
• Terry asks Don whether Babe travels as far as Mel did. 50:38 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• Jesse Vandenberg asks whether Don’s goal this year is to document and harvest his up-and-coming buck with potential to score 200 inches. 29:39 — Episode #165 - Farmers Planting Early Creates New Opportunities - EARLY SPRING
• Tom Campbell asked whether the new buck Don is chasing, called the Chasing Giant 200, is genetically related to Mel. 54:02 — Episode #163 - The Hype of Chestnut Trees…
• An audience member jokingly asked whether Don would wait for Mel to finish breeding a doe or shoot him mid-act. 52:39 — Chasing Giants #155 - Hilarious Episode Live from Middlefield, OH
• Terry asked whether Don had shot any does the year before Mel and a similar buck were fawns. 23:23 — Episode #135 - Buck Dispersal - What does it mean?
• Andre Miller from Auburn, Kentucky asks how Don ages deer from trail camera photos, referencing Mel being aged at four years old. 63:05 — Episode #122 - Extreme Heat Really Hurts the Doe and Fawns!
• Jesse Decker asks how to differentiate an abnormally large two-year-old buck from an average three-year-old, since body shape is hard to judge. 60:18 — Episode #119 - Memorial Day Tribute and Aging Bucks on Trail Cam Pics
• Trey asks whether Mel and Smokey were fawns born on Don’s farm. 37:49 — Episode #108 - Mind Blowing Deer Management with Dr. Bronson Strickland
• Larry Beachy asked how long Don managed his wild deer population before starting to cull younger bucks. 21:48 — Episode #105 Live from Shipshewana, IN - 2 Episodes in One!
• As a father who did this to help sick kids rather than win a hunt, what does it mean to watch your son’s successful hunt with Don? 17:24 — Episode #87 - BUCK DOWN! Lester’s Feet Raffle Winner Got it Done!
• Grant Watson asks whether Don would tell neighboring landowners to pass on a promising 2.5-year-old buck or stay quiet about it. 55:11 — Episode #79 - Bachelor Group Dispersal and Iowa Update
• Don asks Terry how likely it is that his two biggest bucks, Smokey and Mel, were related. 29:38 — Episode #48 - Antler Genetics (what is a super doe?) When Do Sheds Fall? And Peeing Out of Your Stand…
• Terry asked Don to explain to listeners how the mature buck Mel reacted to small amounts of human intrusion in two seminar-discussed incidents. 10:27 — Episode #47 - Hunting Ethics, Annual Cycle Of Whitetail, Should we leave Social Media?
• Terry asks Don to restate the quote he taped to his gun cabinet door, referenced in the Mel video. 27:12 — Episode #44 - New Year’s Resolutions, Bedding Cover, Hunting Cold Temps, and Sharing Hunting Property with Family
• Logan DeGroote asks how Don and Terry celebrate after harvesting a target buck: quiet reflection, a party with friends, or immediately planning the next hunt. 35:51 — Episode #43 - Making Good Stand Great, Broadhead Debate Update, How We Celebrate a Kill, and Customer Service
• John Ziegler asked why Don hasn’t sent teeth from Mel or the Joey Buck to be aged and whether he doubts the aging science. 58:28 — Episode #40 - Transition to Late Season and Picking a Contest Winner- Also, Thoughts about Mel Video

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