Episode #112 - Chasing Giants in the Big North Woods

Published: 2022-04-10 Episode page Duration: 87 min

In this episode

antler-injury

• Was a mature buck’s big antler-size drop caused by a shoulder injury, or was it just age-related decline? 28:37

antler-peak-age

• At what age do most bucks reach their peak in antler development? 28:54

charity

• Terry announces that every dollar raised through the raffle goes back to the families supported by Lester’s Feet. 56:17

consulting

• Don gave two clients a plan designed to let them kill the biggest buck in their neighborhood year after year if they follow it. 13:51
• Besides hunting less and running more trail cameras, what have you started doing or learned that helps you kill giant bucks? 65:24

deer-aging

• How do you decide which bucks are worthy of harvest on new farms before you can build trail-camera history, or when a new buck moves in? 22:43

dixie-deer-classic

• Terry recalls his best memory from the Dixie Deer Classic was how phenomenal and kind the people at the show were, despite not liking trade shows. 71:35

fruit-trees

• Don recommends Gingerich Tree Farm as a good source for buying quality fruit trees. 55:03

lesters-feet

• Terry describes speaking with a mother, through Lester’s Feet, who has an autistic nonverbal four-year-old child she calls a handful and a blessing. 78:00

mast-nutrition

• Are certain mast tree species nutritionally better for deer than others? 49:47

mast-trees

• Do you plant mast trees mainly to hold deer on your property, or do you also hunt over them for mature bucks? 49:27

predation

• A client relayed to Don that wolves are extremely hard on game in the area. 20:36

prescribed-burning

• Terry recommends burning Miscanthus stands starting around year three since sales of the product have been booming. 42:02
• Don advises anyone nervous about burning tall Miscanthus to mow it down first so the resulting flames stay low. 42:30
• What wind conditions do you look for before a prescribed burn, and why start burning opposite the wind direction? 40:14

sacrifice

• Don states that killing big deer requires sacrifices even for owners of prime property, since ownership alone doesn’t guarantee results. 8:43

salvation-poem

• Don announces they have Mathews’ permission to close the podcast with Matt McPherson’s salvation poem, sung by McPherson himself. 76:44

sanctuary

• Don insists hunters must get target bucks bedding on their own property rather than allowing them to bed on the neighbor’s land. 5:53
• Don clarifies that a true sanctuary means total avoidance, not even a mowed path through it from one side of the property to the other. 7:07

weakest-link

• Don explains that while cover is the weakest link back home, in the bigger northern woods food becomes the weakest link deer need. 4:35

wildlife

• A consulting client told Don he has seen black bear, timber wolf, pine marten, and fishers all on his big-woods property. 20:02

youtube

• Terry announces that Don made two videos on the Chasing Giants YouTube channel about mast and fruit trees. 53:59

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (harvest) 8:16
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 20:57
• unnamed buck (history) 27:47
• unnamed buck (management) 31:27

Listener questions

Question: How do you decide which bucks are worthy of harvest on new farms before you can build trail-camera history, or when a new buck moves in? 22:43 — asked by Easton McNeil

• Answer: Don says if a buck looks mature with a rack worthy of his time he’ll shoot it, regardless of whether he later learns it was four or ten years old. 23:21
• Answer: Terry adds that on farms hunted for years, brand-new mature bucks rarely appear during the rut; most inventory can be traced back through prior photos. 23:59
• Answer: Don notes it’s extremely rare to gain permission on a brand-new property that already holds a true shooter buck. 24:33

Question: Was a mature buck’s big antler-size drop caused by a shoulder injury, or was it just age-related decline? 28:37 — asked by Levi Rosenthreader

• Answer: Don believes the injury caused the antler-inch loss, and confirms he has seen bucks bounce back in antler size after recovering from such injuries. 29:58

Question: At what age do most bucks reach their peak in antler development? 28:54 — asked by Levi Rosenthreader

• Answer: Don says bucks rarely peak before age six, usually peaking between six and seven years old. 30:20
• Answer: Don notes he has seen wild Illinois bucks hit their best rack as late as nine and a half years old. 30:28
• Answer: Terry frames the answer as a bell curve, noting exceptions exist but most bucks peak where the curve centers. 30:43

Question: What wind conditions do you look for before a prescribed burn, and why start burning opposite the wind direction? 40:14 — asked by Greg Schimberger

• Answer: Don says he wants a light but steady wind, avoiding variable wind that causes loss of fire control. 40:33
• Answer: Don explains he first burns into the wind along the downwind edge to create a firebreak before lighting the far side to burn with the wind. 40:46

Question: Do you plant mast trees mainly to hold deer on your property, or do you also hunt over them for mature bucks? 49:27 — asked by Sam Carrozza

• Answer: Don says he does hunt near some fruit trees, but the biggest reason for planting them is to hold deer on his property. 50:39

Question: Are certain mast tree species nutritionally better for deer than others? 49:47 — asked by Sam Carrozza

• Answer: Don says every food species has a different nutrient makeup, so diversifying mast and plot species lets deer balance their diet. 51:01
• Answer: Don adds a deer can balance its own diet as long as it has access to the range of plants it needs. 51:24

Question: Besides hunting less and running more trail cameras, what have you started doing or learned that helps you kill giant bucks? 65:24 — asked by Brandon Hurley

• Answer: Don says he now covers far more territory than ever before rather than focusing on just a few farms. 65:44
• Answer: Don explains he keeps buying more trail cameras and spreading them across more properties and states to locate rare giant bucks. 66:43
• Answer: Terry adds Don has honed in on annual buck patterns far more precisely, a skill built from running so many cameras. 67:44

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