Episode #137 - Tree Season or Deer Season?

Published: 2022-10-03
Episode page
Duration: 104 min

In this episode

banter

• Terry jokes that seeing Don hunt from a tree saddle in a sleeveless shirt with a crossbow made him a better hunter. 97:40 (light moment)

buck-patterning

• Paul Gould asks how Don and Terry pattern a target buck from trail camera pictures and decide which tree stand to hunt him from. 87:49

deer-browse

• Jay explains he raises protective field fencing about 18 inches off the ground so deer cannot reach over the top to eat young trees. 42:25
• Terry asks what young transplanted trees need protection from, given that deer browse fresh growth. 41:21

deer-hunting

• Terry recounts an unbelievable week of hunting with two sits where his target buck came within bow range twice. 2:14

dream-team

• Brian Woodward asks why Don’s review of Dream Team habitat plans is better than a plan based on an aerial view, given he never visits the properties. 63:09

false-accusation

• Don says a false accusation was made against him to law enforcement, requiring him to meet with a conservation officer to clear the air. 10:22

friendship

• Don credits Terry with keeping him from flying off the handle this week, more so than in past years. 18:02

gingerich-tree-farm

• The speaker recounts that Jay and his wife Loretta bought Higgins Tree Farm and renamed it Gingerich Tree Farm, growing the business to at least triple its size. 59:23

habitat

• Terry shares that he has struggled for years balancing habitat improvement projects with worry about disturbing his hunting property. 1:20

habitat-services

• Terry asks Jay to describe the other habitat-related services his tree business offers throughout the year. 54:37

hunting-goals

• Don advises that hunters who want to kill bigger bucks must stick to their goals instead of compromising them. 7:40

hunting-guests

• Terry plans to host other hunters on his farm and hopes someone takes the two other mature bucks if they show up. 8:33

hunting-plan

• Terry invites Don to help him access a new property next weekend where they have trail camera pictures of a good buck. 99:36

listener-feedback

• Don says he loves hearing about other hunters’ success when they credit his articles or videos, calling it gratifying. 97:22

mature-buck

• Don assesses that Terry’s odds remain good since the buck got close without being spooked, crediting the habitat work. 4:31
• Terry worries about how long he can keep three bucks aged five-and-a-half or older on such a small property before something changes. 6:31

opening-day

• Don says he had never felt so down on the eve of opening day as he did this year, due to the week’s negative incidents. 17:33

opening-weekend

• Don says that although it is opening weekend, he has not yet set his tree stand and had a frustrating week. 1:50

operator-error

• Terry admits he was devastated after failing to draw on the buck, calling it complete operator error rather than the deer detecting him. 4:23

personal-anecdote

• Don says he has the best mailman in the world, who picks up packages directly from his garage instead of the mailbox. 102:19

planting-equipment

• Terry asks Jay whether trees are sensitive to planting equipment, or if a shovel works just as well. 39:06

podcast-controversy

• Don recounts people flooding him with links to a podcast where a host he never met was publicly bashing him. 10:59

podcast-policy

• Don states that he and Terry have already decided to use the podcast to represent the hunting community rather than the hunting industry. 17:14
• Terry announces they will separate themselves from other platforms that create drama in the hunting community for the sake of clickbait. 23:30

public-conflict

• Don recounts having four separate negative incidents this week with deer hunters he did not know. 9:28

public-perception

• Terry states that he and Don are not putting themselves on a pedestal but are brutally honest that they face the same struggles as other hunters. 8:54
• Don says what bothers him most is that he has never tried to present himself as better than anyone else. 18:19
• Don reports that critics wrongly assume he was born rich with hundreds of acres of hunting ground and that success comes easy for him. 16:32
• Don says the worst part is when people spread false information and judge him based on it. 21:50

public-support

• Terry states the amount of overall support they received far outweighs any criticism after they made their statement. 19:50

self-improvement

• Don asserts that repeating the same hunting mistake year after year keeps a bow hunter from improving. 5:50
• Don says he tries to minimize his own mistakes and learn from both past mistakes and successes to keep improving. 5:59

sermon

• Terry recounts his father’s sermon retelling how a father in Mark 9 told Jesus, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.’ 71:59
• Terry relays his father’s sermon conclusion that one should never doubt God’s ability to do anything, but must pray that he will act. 73:17

shipping

• Terry asks what trees Jay can ship versus what customers need to pick up themselves. 53:28

site-preparation

• Terry asks Jay how to prepare a planting site for a potted tree, including whether herbicide spraying is needed first. 40:09

social-media

• Terry reveals that he and Don received over 1,000 combined messages about the controversy, with more than 700 landing on his own social media alone. 22:41
• Don says he receives over 100 messages a day across texts, calls, social media, and email. 82:09

stand-exit

• Andrew Meyer, a 16-year-old hunter from Northern Missouri, asks what techniques Don uses to exit a stand undetected when deer are feeding nearby. 74:50

stand-placement

• Terry plans to move his stand or add an obstacle to prevent the same right-side shooting problem next year. 4:48

steve-blackmire

• Don relays that his friend Steve Blackmire lost his wife, lost his daughter, and has a son living with serious health issues in a wheelchair. 15:59
• Don relays that a young man Steve Blackmire was mentoring in his logging business was killed by a falling tree. 14:16
• Don relays that Steve Blackmire, from a town of about 6,000 people in Robinson, Illinois, had a dream of building a church that would hold a thousand people. 13:25
• Don relays that Steve Blackmire’s church, built to hold a thousand people, has drawn over a thousand attendees to services more than once. 13:43
• Don relays that Steve Blackmire ran an underground cable business with five crews but lost his shirt on the deal. 15:21

target-buck

• Terry commits that this specific mature buck is the only deer he will take on opening day or the last day of the season. 7:01
• Terry acknowledges his chances of shooting this specific buck are shrinking due to travel plans but says he will not compromise his standards. 7:25

tree-disease

• Terry asks whether planting diverse tree varieties helps protect against losing everything to a single disease outbreak. 36:57

tree-diversity

• Terry asks whether it is better to plant a diverse mix of tree species in a mini orchard or stick to one kind. 35:30

tree-planting

• Terry announces the episode includes a segment with Jay Gingerich about planting trees in the fall. 1:15
• The speaker explains that a tree’s roots keep growing even after dormancy until soil temperature drops below about 35 degrees, giving fall-planted trees a head start. 27:44
• The speaker notes that not having a shooter buck this year meant no worry about spooking deer while doing tree-planting work. 28:14
• The speaker recounts finding about 80 trees to plant on the property and completing the job in half a day. 28:28

tree-protection

• Jay recommends only buying as many trees as you plan on protecting, since unprotected trees will be destroyed by deer. 42:44

tree-provenance

• Terry asks what buyers should watch for regarding tree provenance and variety when shopping for trees. 48:40

tree-species

• Terry asks Jay what type of tree is most popular among people managing their land for wildlife. 34:40

tree-tubes

• Terry asks what purpose the tube around a young tree serves — growth stimulation, protection, or both. 43:24

whitetail-master-academy

• Don announces that the Whitetail Master Academy went live on October 1 at whitetailmasteracademy.com. 94:22
• Terry announces the first 500 Whitetail Master Academy subscribers will be entered in a drawing to be his and Don’s guest at a Master Class this fall. 95:19

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (hunt) 2:47
• unnamed buck (hunt) 3:47
• unnamed buck (history) 8:02
• unnamed buck (hunt) 8:25
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 32:30
• unnamed buck (harvest) 60:40

Listener questions

Question: Brian Woodward asks why Don’s review of Dream Team habitat plans is better than a plan based on an aerial view, given he never visits the properties. 63:09 — asked by Brian Woodward

• Answer: Don clarifies that Dream Team consultants create each habitat plan themselves on-site; he only reviews the finished plan before it’s sent to the client. 64:16
• Answer: Terry adds that the Dream Team needs experienced consultants like Mark Lester, Bobby Worthington, and Wes Delks, each bringing different expertise. 65:48

Question: Andrew Meyer, a 16-year-old hunter from Northern Missouri, asks what techniques Don uses to exit a stand undetected when deer are feeding nearby. 74:50 — asked by Andrew Meyer

• Answer: Don says he has howled like a coyote to push deer off, and has sat in his stand an hour or more past last shooting light before descending. 76:26
• Answer: Don advises hunting the transition zone between bedding and food in pressured areas, staying as close to bedding cover as possible. 78:15
• Answer: Terry says he keeps a Fox Pro wireless predator call staked about 65 yards from his tree stand to blow deer out if needed when exiting. 79:44
• Answer: Terry adds that the key lesson is not to overhunt a spot, entering only when conditions are truly right to kill a deer. 80:12

Question: Paul Gould asks how Don and Terry pattern a target buck from trail camera pictures and decide which tree stand to hunt him from. 87:49 — asked by Paul Gould

• Answer: Don says patterning a buck also means patterning the property, since he already knows where to kill any mature buck on farms he has hunted for years. 88:33
• Answer: Don emphasizes that a mature buck relies on his nose while traveling, only using a route that also gives him a wind advantage, key to picking a stand. 89:54
• Answer: Terry says on his small farm he has gotten a shot at three different bucks over five years old on nearly every hunt, missing only once. 91:53

Question: Terry asks Jay what type of tree is most popular among people managing their land for wildlife. 34:40 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay says cedar and oak trees for cover, then chestnuts and persimmons, are most popular, along with apple and pear trees for added food sources. 34:51

Question: Terry asks whether it is better to plant a diverse mix of tree species in a mini orchard or stick to one kind. 35:30 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay recommends planting the same species but different varieties, such as three or four apple varieties, since it aids cross-pollination. 35:53

Question: Terry asks whether planting diverse tree varieties helps protect against losing everything to a single disease outbreak. 36:57 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay confirms diversity helps, noting that varieties less resistant to diseases like scab can lower production in a bad year. 37:31

Question: Terry asks Jay whether trees are sensitive to planting equipment, or if a shovel works just as well. 39:06 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay says he specializes in fall-planted potted trees, which are more forgiving, but confirms a shovel works great too. 39:17

Question: Terry asks Jay how to prepare a planting site for a potted tree, including whether herbicide spraying is needed first. 40:09 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay says to prep a site by spraying planned fall planting spots with Roundup in summer to kill vegetation ahead of time. 40:51

Question: Terry asks what young transplanted trees need protection from, given that deer browse fresh growth. 41:21 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay confirms fencing protects against deer browse, and adds wrapping the trunk prevents rabbits from girdling fruit trees in winter. 41:56

Question: Terry asks what purpose the tube around a young tree serves — growth stimulation, protection, or both. 43:24 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay explains tubes give a mini greenhouse effect and protection; a 60-inch tube keeps deer from browsing the top growth. 43:31

Question: Terry asks what buyers should watch for regarding tree provenance and variety when shopping for trees. 48:40 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay warns that home center trees often come from the Deep South, which grows faster but may not suit northern climates. 48:50

Question: Terry asks what trees Jay can ship versus what customers need to pick up themselves. 53:28 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay says most of his trees are too large to ship affordably, so he travels to deliver or arranges freight and pickup. 53:49

Question: Terry asks Jay to describe the other habitat-related services his tree business offers throughout the year. 54:37 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Jay says besides trees, they do Miscanthus and switchgrass planting, CRP projects, and pollinator programs, plus winter TSI work. 55:12

Terry recounted a near-miss on a mature buck, missing a bow shot twice due to operator error rather than the deer detecting him; Don credited habitat work for keeping the buck calm and argued that hunters must avoid repeating mistakes and stick to their standards rather than compromise. Terry described a rough week fielding false accusations, podcast bashing, and over 1,000 combined messages about a controversy, though support outweighed criticism; he and Don said they’d distance themselves from drama-driven platforms. Don shared hardships facing his friend Steve Blackmire. A segment with Jay covered fall tree planting, including root growth after dormancy, fencing and tubing to protect against deer and rabbits, variety diversity for disease resistance, site prep with herbicide, and other habitat services like Miscanthus and CRP work. Listener questions covered Dream Team habitat plan reviews, undetected stand exits, and buck patterning by property and wind. The Whitetail Master Academy launch was announced.

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