Episode #144 - Where Did All The Bucks Go?

Published: 2022-11-20
Episode page
Duration: 82 min

In this episode

black-friday-sale

• Terry announced QuietKat’s Black Friday sale offering savings up to $1,200 on their electric bikes. 42:12
• Terry announced Vortex’s Black Friday sale running from the twenty-second through the twenty-seventh. 42:59

bowhunting

• Terry passed on a close 20-yard shot at a low-to-mid 170s buck rather than take an ethically questionable shot through netting. 8:30

buck-dispersal

• Research showed a buck fawn is far less likely to disperse from his birth area if his mother is killed before he turns one. 50:20
• Steve Martinez asked whether Don agreed that bucks commonly disperse up to 20 miles from their birth range. 48:55

buck-inventory

• Don reported that of his 17 target bucks from last year, nine disappeared or couldn’t be found with no evidence of them. 68:48
• Don predicted he’ll have roughly eight target bucks this year, about half of last year’s total of 17. 72:41

buck-movement

• Don tracked a mature buck via trail camera at 7:21 a.m., then spotted the same buck chasing a doe over three miles away by noon. 4:07

business-tips

• Terry explained that trading a work truck for a $5,000 annual expense can be written off while still depreciating the vehicle. 18:17

charity

• Don relayed that Karen Ward and her daughters organize gift-giving for kids at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, which he found inspiring. 75:03

charity-event

• Don announced a December 16 benefit supper for an Amish school at Maple View School in Vestaburg, Michigan, open to everyone with donation-based admission. 16:57

comedy-bit

• Terry jokingly insisted that ‘Separatech’ underwear has been life-changing and urged listeners to buy it as a stocking stuffer. 40:11 (light moment)

consulting

• Don announced that all five Dream Team consultants, including Wes Delks, Bobby Worthington, and Mark Lester, have openings and are starting winter scheduling. 13:35
• Terry said the Dream Team consultants prioritize doing what’s right for clients over convenience, though scheduling logistics remain the biggest challenge. 15:13

consulting-schedule

• Don plans to finish all consulting visits by March 1 so he can begin habitat work on a new property this spring. 14:19

deer-management

• Don plans to shoot a badly limping buck he’d normally pass if he determines it likely won’t survive the winter. 10:53
• Don planned to target and shoot two does on his property known to have twin buck fawns as part of his management strategy. 11:31

episode-timing

• Don explained he delayed the recap episode because several target bucks did not show up in his fall range until right before the rut. 1:29

gift-recommendation

• Clint Cross asked Don and Terry to recommend a good product unrelated to deer hunting or their sponsors. 36:40

habitat-management

• Terry asked what strategies Don uses to avoid pushing deer off his property while doing late-season habitat work like clear cuts. 31:37

hunter-conflict

• Don described a fellow hunter who stole his tree stand off public land and then filed a false DNR complaint accusing him of illegal activity. 71:39

hunting-philosophy

• Don said he’s reconsidering his big-buck chasing approach after a season of soul-searching. 70:19

land-ownership

• Don plans to gradually buy small tracts of land, even just 20 acres, so he doesn’t have to answer to anyone for permission. 72:53

late-season-strategy

• Peter Shell asked whether Don agreed with Lee Lakosky’s theory that holding late-season bucks until spring green-up encourages them to become permanent residents. 28:39

lesters-feet

• Terry announced he’s booked to speak at four churches this winter about Lester’s Feet, preaching from Ephesians chapter four. 16:05

lockdown-phase

• Terry said lockdown is the hardest time to hunt but stressed hunters never know when a locked-down buck might suddenly show up. 6:53

ozonics

• A consulting client of Don’s reported that a mature buck stopped and locked up on its third pass only after Ozonics was turned on. 21:38
• Don explained he skips Ozonics because he already carries enough gear to the woods and doesn’t want another gadget box hanging in the tree. 22:01
• Terry cautioned that scent-elimination technology like Ozonics is not an excuse to hunt the wrong wind. 23:12
• Brian Toliver asked how deer reacted to Ozonics this season, whether it works from a tree stand, and if it affects his health in an open environment. 19:47

rut-behavior

• Don warned that many deer hunters wrongly assume their local observations reflect the rut stage across the entire whitetail range. 7:02

sponsorship-policy

• Terry announced any sponsor not aligned with the podcast’s ministry mission and support of Lester’s Feet will be dropped regardless of payment. 79:00

trophy-standards

• Terry stated he set a personal buck-hunting goal and is willing to wait as long as six years to achieve it rather than compromise. 10:13

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (sighting) 4:07
• unnamed buck (hunt) 8:06
• unnamed buck (management) 10:32
• unnamed buck (sighting) 21:38
• unnamed buck (history) 54:09
• unnamed buck (harvest) 56:06
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 57:12
• unnamed buck (sighting) 57:48
• unnamed buck (harvest) 59:21
• unnamed buck (harvest) 60:54
• unnamed buck (harvest) 61:54
• unnamed buck (history) 62:44
• unnamed buck (sighting) 66:19
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 67:03
• unnamed buck (harvest) 67:52

Listener questions

Question: Brian Toliver asked how deer reacted to Ozonics this season, whether it works from a tree stand, and if it affects his health in an open environment. 19:47 — asked by Brian Toliver

• Answer: Don admitted he bought a new $600 Ozonics unit before the season but never used it even once. 20:19
• Answer: Don offered to sell his unused Ozonics unit for $400 to whoever contacts him first. 20:41
• Answer: Don said he avoids Ozonics because he already carries enough gear and prefers to just play the wind correctly. 22:01

Question: Peter Shell asked whether Don agreed with Lee Lakosky’s theory that holding late-season bucks until spring green-up encourages them to become permanent residents. 28:39

• Answer: Don said he does see new bucks show up in late season that return in future years, but his smaller property differs from Lakosky’s larger operation. 30:21

Question: Terry asked what strategies Don uses to avoid pushing deer off his property while doing late-season habitat work like clear cuts. 31:37

• Answer: Don explained he waits until after March 1 to do habitat work like clear cuts, avoiding disturbance during the stressful late-winter period. 32:22

Question: Clint Cross asked Don and Terry to recommend a good product unrelated to deer hunting or their sponsors. 36:40 — asked by Clint Cross

• Answer: Don jokingly suggested a subscription to the Whitetail Master Class as a Christmas gift, drawing accusations of shameless self-promotion. 37:10
• Answer: Terry recommended buying a suppressor now since prices and tax-stamp wait times are about as low as they’ll ever be. 38:58

Question: Steve Martinez asked whether Don agreed that bucks commonly disperse up to 20 miles from their birth range. 48:55

• Answer: Don agreed 20 miles is a reasonable average dispersal distance, citing Illinois research on yearling buck movement. 49:56

Sponsors this episode

• ASIO Gear
• BuyAFarm.com
• Mathews Archery

Don explained he delayed this recap because several target bucks hadn’t shown up until just before the rut, and warned hunters against assuming local observations reflect the rut everywhere. He described tracking a buck by trail camera at 7:21 a.m. and then seeing it chasing a doe three miles away by noon. Of 17 target bucks from last year, nine had vanished with no evidence, prompting him to say he’s reconsidering his big-buck chasing approach and considering buying small tracts of land to avoid needing permission. He predicted roughly eight target bucks this year. Terry described passing a close shot at a low-to-mid 170s buck due to netting, and said he’s set a personal goal he’s willing to wait up to six years for. Listener questions covered Ozonics effectiveness, late-season buck residency, avoiding disturbance during habitat work, and buck dispersal distances, with Don noting he bought but never used a $600 Ozonics unit.

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