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

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