EPISODE #111 COURAGE or ARROGANCE?

Published: 2022-04-04
Episode page
Duration: 76 min

In this episode

antler-shedding

• James Phipps asked whether a delay in antler shedding impacts a buck’s antler growth the following year. 20:37

broadhead-debate

• Terry announced that Don is planning to do a mechanical broadhead debate with sponsor Joe Miles. 17:58
• Don said neither he nor his debate opponent will change their minds about broadheads, but both are mature enough to debate respectfully. 18:16

consulting

• Don stated flatly that anyone charging clients just to look at an aerial photo and give advice is ripping them off. 69:19
• Don said obvious stand sites on an aerial photo take about two minutes to identify, so a big fee for that means the consultant doesn’t have the client’s best interest at heart. 71:20
• Don said he learned confidentially at the show of someone charging clients just to mark aerial photos, calling it the most ridiculous thing to charge for. 72:41
• Clayton Kraft asked if Don has ever visited a property and quickly told the client he couldn’t provide enough value to justify the cost. 63:41

consulting-trip

• Don plans an extended consulting trip through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, likely his longest consulting trip of the year. 73:49

credibility

• Terry said the hosts aim to be credible and help people achieve their hunting dreams rather than take advantage of them. 73:02

family

• Terry plans to attend his son’s two symphony concerts this weekend. 74:32

farm-projects

• Terry plans to post aerial photos in future episodes showing farm project progress and to showcase new equipment. 16:44

firearms

• Terry finished building a long-range 6.5 Creedmoor rifle with a Vortex scope and a suppressor painted to match the barrel color. 15:07

food-plots

• Terry plans a new home-farm strategy this year with much more food in different areas and relocated bedding to improve downwind stand options. 16:10
• Don advised it’s always better to feed deer with a food plot rather than a feeder whenever possible. 16:36

giant-miscanthus

• Don urged listeners that time is running out to order Miscanthus rhizomes before the plant breaks dormancy and can no longer be dug. 46:05

habitat-work

• Don planted new fruit trees in his orchard areas earlier in the week. 13:53
• Don also trimmed several shooting lanes this week. 14:06

herbicide-shortage

• Terry explained Real World feared food plotters wouldn’t plant at all amid a herbicide shortage, prompting the company to source chemical pallets to sell. 46:30

hunter-advocacy

• Terry said staying silent won’t secure a place for kids and grandkids to hunt, urging listeners to find courage and get involved. 12:18
• Don repeated the saying that evil prevails when good men do nothing, insisting hunters must at least try to make a difference. 13:15

hunter-unity

• Don urged deer hunters to stop being selfish and quit infighting between bow versus gun hunters and trophy versus meat hunters for the sake of unity. 10:26

hunting-pressure

• Brett Petty asked how much hunting with two family members would reduce their chances of killing mature bucks compared to hunting alone. 35:17

illinois-deer-classic

• Don noted the organizers of the Iowa Deer Classic took over running the Illinois Deer Classic for the first time in an effort to revive the show. 3:04
• Don’s Illinois Deer Classic presentation traced the history of the Illinois deer herd starting in 1800. 5:31
• Don’s booth at the show ended up placed between a tree saddle booth and an expandable broadhead booth, prompting comments from passersby. 19:11
• Don joked that a dealer at the show tried to get him into a ‘love swing’ to snap a picture of him. 19:35 (light moment)

illinois-whitetail-alliance

• Don said the Illinois Whitetail Alliance formed after the 2012 EHD outbreak, and he was a founding member before stepping away after two or three years. 6:58
• Don shared that Jared Gilliaman is stepping up to lead the effort and offered his phone number to interested hunters wanting to help. 8:31

lesters-feet

• Terry announced Lester’s Feet raffle tickets cost $25 each or 5 for $100, with no limit on how many can be purchased. 30:14
• Terry directed listeners to lester’sfeetfoundation.org as the easiest way to buy raffle tickets online. 29:54
• Terry said the raffle includes 75 different prizes valued at over $150,000. 30:39
• Terry stressed raffle checks must be made out to Solid Rock Chapel. 31:46
• Terry gave the mailing address for raffle entries: Lester’s Feet Foundation, PO Box 250, Dry Ridge, Kentucky 41035. 32:12
• Terry thanked Chris Yates and Midwest Land Group for donating a truck as a raffle prize. 32:58
• Terry announced Steve Shields is producing a promotional video for the Lester’s Feet raffle to share on social media and YouTube. 33:49
• Don asked whether the Lester’s Feet raffle drawing would be in October or on July 4th. 33:29

listener-experience

• A listener wrote that thanks to the hosts’ videos she was able to harvest two bucks in her first year hunting. 49:25

listener-feedback

• A listener jokingly told the hosts they were pretty easy on the eyes. 49:33

master-class

• Terry suggested that hunters who don’t want to hire Don as a consultant should consider the master class as their next best option. 68:19

new-equipment

• Terry announced both he and Don have new equipment for their properties and plan to share those experiences with listeners. 74:40

public-land

• Don said this could be the year he finally kills a big buck on public land. 75:29

real-world

• Terry announced Real World only has two shipments of Giant Miscanthus rhizomes left this year before sales stop. 45:07

sawmill

• Terry picked up cherry and oak logs from Todd Covey’s farm, a property Don had consulted on, and got them milled at the sawmill. 14:42

scent-control

• Joanne Thompson asked if it matters whether she walks away to relieve herself while hunting, and how to control her scent en route to her stand. 50:10

season-prep

• Matt Montag asked what the hosts focus on first each spring to prepare for the next hunting season. 41:20

soil-test

• Terry recommended food plotters get a soil test done right now, calling the roughly $12-20 investment vital given high fertilizer prices. 43:56
• Don said nobody on the planet can tell you the right fertilizer without a soil test, urging listeners to always get one. 44:47

suppressor

• Terry said he and others were amazed at how much his new suppressor reduced noise when he shot the rifle. 15:22

technical-difficulties

• Terry announced the episode had technical difficulties and would be uploaded later than usual that night. 0:59
• Don explained they had nearly finished recording the whole episode, lost the recording, and had to start over from scratch. 1:20

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (harvest) 22:23

Listener questions

Question: James Phipps asked whether a delay in antler shedding impacts a buck’s antler growth the following year. 20:37 — asked by James Phipps

• Answer: Don said his captive research herd showed no meaningful link between late shedding and reduced antler growth the following year, if any effect at all. 21:47
• Answer: Terry agreed there’s no clear year-to-year trend, noting there are always exceptions to the rule. 22:09
• Answer: Don added that a buck holding antlers late signals it hasn’t been stressed and may be in better shape for its next rack. 22:49

Question: Brett Petty asked how much hunting with two family members would reduce their chances of killing mature bucks compared to hunting alone. 35:17 — asked by Brett Petty

• Answer: Don said the best deer hunters he’s known hunt alone, calling mature buck hunting an inherently selfish pursuit. 35:37
• Answer: Don explained added human intrusion from extra hunters cuts success well beyond a simple even split. 36:38
• Answer: Terry added you can have both camaraderie and trophy hunting goals, just not typically on the same property. 38:08
• Answer: Don said neither approach to deer hunting is wrong, but achieving both camaraderie and consistent trophy success is genuinely difficult. 39:54

Question: Matt Montag asked what the hosts focus on first each spring to prepare for the next hunting season. 41:20 — asked by Matt Montag

• Answer: Don said his top focus is taking inventory of which bucks survived and have shooter potential. 41:30
• Answer: Don evaluates which surviving bucks have the most potential to become a hit-list or shooter buck for the coming season. 41:50
• Answer: Terry said the worst outcome is identifying a target buck on a property without a tree stand already set up and ready. 43:23

Question: Joanne Thompson asked if it matters whether she walks away to relieve herself while hunting, and how to control her scent en route to her stand. 50:10

• Answer: Don said he pees right out of his tree stand and doesn’t believe it spooks bucks, though results may vary. 51:45
• Answer: Don admitted he has no experience or knowledge of whether female urine specifically attracts deer. 51:58
• Answer: Terry said he has no personal experience with this and joked they should ask wildlife expert Bronson Strickland. 52:16
• Answer: Don said scent control starts with choosing an access route to the stand that deer are very unlikely to cross. 53:01
• Answer: Don said rubber boots are probably about as effective as anything for eliminating ground scent. 53:33
• Answer: Terry summarized that the best stand is accessible without leaving ground scent while staying downwind of deer the whole time. 54:04

Question: Clayton Kraft asked if Don has ever visited a property and quickly told the client he couldn’t provide enough value to justify the cost. 63:41 — asked by Clayton Kraft

• Answer: Don recalled one property already so thoroughly rigged with six-foot funnel fencing that little could be added. 65:00
• Answer: Don told that client he didn’t see how he could add anything further given what was already done. 65:29
• Answer: Don explained the situation and left without charging anything, the only time that’s happened in his years consulting. 66:04
• Answer: Don said most issues can be caught from an aerial photo and his standard 10 client questions before ever visiting. 66:14
• Answer: Terry said Don regularly turns down work when he can’t meet a client’s goals. 68:06

Question: Don asked whether the Lester’s Feet raffle drawing would be in October or on July 4th. 33:29

• Answer: Terry confirmed the raffle drawing will be on July 4th. 33:33

Sponsors this episode

• QuietKat

Don recapped the Illinois Deer Classic, now run by Iowa Deer Classic organizers reviving the show, where his talk traced Illinois deer herd history since 1800. He discussed the Illinois Whitetail Alliance, formed after the 2012 EHD outbreak, noting he co-founded it before stepping back, with Jared Gilliaman now leading and offering his number to volunteers. Don and Terry urged hunters to end infighting between bow/gun and trophy/meat camps for unity’s sake. Farm updates included new fruit trees, trimmed shooting lanes, milled logs, and Terry’s finished 6.5 Creedmoor build with suppressor. They pushed soil testing given fertilizer prices and warned Miscanthus rhizome supplies were nearly gone. Don criticized consultants who charge just to mark aerial photos. Listener questions covered late antler shedding, hunting in groups versus alone, spring buck inventory, scent control while relieving oneself, and a property Don left without charging after finding it already fully rigged.

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