Episode 159 - Captive Deer Breeding… Why Don Got Out

Published: 2023-03-05
Episode page
Duration: 79 min

In this episode

antler-score

• Don estimated the Chasing 200 buck now scores between 183 and 185 inches based on comparing old sheds to this year’s footage. 5:49

antlers

• An audience member asked what causes a buck with one deformed antler one year to return to a normal giant frame the next. 27:49

buck-limit

• Don said a one-buck limit forces a hunter to commit fully once the arrow is released, since the season ends there. 25:28
• Don said a two-buck limit lets a hunter take an early ‘mulligan’ buck while still holding out for a trophy on the second tag. 25:37

captive-deer

• Don said within five minutes of leaving that sale, he knew he was done with the captive deer business for good. 38:52
• An audience member asked how many years Don ran pen-raised deer loose before it affected local wild genetics. 36:14

chasing-200

• An audience member asked why Don is now posting pictures and video of the buck he’s chasing, contrary to his past practice. 31:29

contest

• Don announced three fan contests tied to the featured buck: naming him, guessing his gross score, and guessing the date he’s shot. 6:30
• Don announced the three contest winners will come spend a weekend at his house doing Whitetail stuff next March. 7:19

deer-management

• Don predicted the South will start producing giant bucks as regional deer management continues to improve. 9:01
• Don said his farm’s average top-end buck went from about 150 inches when he started to around 170 inches now. 10:17
• Terry observed that hunters managing thousands of acres get a far larger sample size of deer than the average hunter. 10:54
• An audience member asked whether Tennessee’s improving deer herd is from cutting the buck limit from three to two, or just natural growth. 18:28

deer-processing

• An audience member asked whether easy local deer processing makes hunters pull the trigger quicker, and its effect on the population. 46:14

dream-team

• Don said he trusts his ‘dream team’ enough that he’d climb into any stand they hung for him without question. 12:30

faith

• Don said introducing someone to Christ, with generational ripple effects, matters far more than teaching someone to kill a big buck. 16:34
• Terry said a person is the average of the five people they surround themselves with, applying it to spiritual growth. 17:28
• An audience member asked Don to compare good soil producing nutritious food plots to the Christian walk and leading others to Christ. 12:56

farm

• An audience member asked if there’s one thing Don wishes he could change about his farm that’s outside his control. 55:54

farm-buying

• An audience member asked what specifically to look for, beyond overall beauty, when buying an out-of-state hunting farm. 29:19

food-plots

• An audience member asked whether feeder pellets or food plots are better for antler growth. 73:57

genetics

• An audience member asked what causes an extra-big buck to appear only every three or four years, and whether that timing can be increased. 9:25

hunting-access

• Don said he doesn’t like that hunting has become a rich man’s sport, even though it’s trending that way regardless. 23:41

illinois

• Don said Illinois has taken giant steps backward in its deer herd from what it once was due to unlimited nonresident tag sales. 22:20
• Terry said he spends about a thousand dollars a year on Illinois bow and shotgun tags, a habitat stamp, and a license. 24:31
• Terry said he’s only filled one of his four Illinois buck tags over the past two years. 24:41

kentucky

• A Kentucky hunter asked what would make Kentucky the best deer state on the planet. 47:59

land-acquisition

• Don said he recently bought another 40 acres adjoining his farm. 56:19

master-class

• Don announced Master Class dates of March 9th, 11th, 16th, and 18th, alternating Thursday and Saturday sessions. 4:22
• An audience member asked whether Don plants sheds ahead of time at Master Classes for advertising purposes. 62:27

moon-phase

• An audience member asked Don’s opinion on hunting by moon phases. 75:03

podcast

• Terry announced episode 159 of the Chasing Giants podcast was being recorded live in Tennessee. 0:49

podcast-guest

• Don said they’d try to get the injured hunter on the podcast to share the story. 66:28

shed-hunting

• Terry asked Don to explain his strategy for shed hunting his sanctuary from each direction. 67:01

trail-cameras

• An audience member asked for advice after having trail cameras stolen off his own property. 64:16

travel

• Don recounted that flooding, overturned semis, and a detour added about an hour and forty-five minutes to the drive to the live show. 1:42

turkey-hunting

• An audience member asked whether spring turkey hunting on Don’s farms pressures the deer. 68:07

weather

• Don said severe weather closed roads with overturned semis on the night of the live show. 77:35

wind

• An audience member asked Don to explain how mature bucks use quartering wind. 50:20

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (history) 2:27
• unnamed buck (history) 2:53
• unnamed buck (history) 5:32
• Tucker Buck (history) 8:42
• unnamed buck (harvest) 27:32
• unnamed buck (hunt) 46:46

Listener questions

Question: An audience member asked what causes an extra-big buck to appear only every three or four years, and whether that timing can be increased. 9:25

• Answer: Don said the factor is simply genetics. 9:42
• Answer: Don said he doesn’t think anything can be done to make an extra-big buck appear more often. 9:58

Question: An audience member asked Don to compare good soil producing nutritious food plots to the Christian walk and leading others to Christ. 12:56

• Answer: Don said big bucks are a result of the environment they grew up in. 13:15
• Answer: Don said the Christian walk works the same way: a seed planted young eventually grows. 13:46
• Answer: Don said using his platform to introduce people to Christ matters more than being remembered as a great deer hunter. 15:54

Question: An audience member asked whether Tennessee’s improving deer herd is from cutting the buck limit from three to two, or just natural growth. 18:28

• Answer: Don said it’s a combination of factors, including that deer management is catching on and spreading. 18:42
• Answer: Don said the South is roughly a generation behind the Midwest in deer management. 20:15

Question: An audience member asked what causes a buck with one deformed antler one year to return to a normal giant frame the next. 27:49

• Answer: Don said that pattern is extremely rare and he doesn’t have a good explanation for it. 28:04
• Answer: Don said he’s never seen an antler recover like that before. 28:39

Question: An audience member asked what specifically to look for, beyond overall beauty, when buying an out-of-state hunting farm. 29:19

• Answer: Don said what surrounds a farm matters more than what’s on it, since interior habitat can be changed but neighboring land can’t. 30:26

Question: An audience member asked why Don is now posting pictures and video of the buck he’s chasing, contrary to his past practice. 31:29

• Answer: Don said he wanted to do something never done before in the hunting industry. 31:50
• Answer: Don said he wanted to show people the truth about the daily effort he puts into chasing big deer. 33:02

Question: An audience member asked how many years Don ran pen-raised deer loose before it affected local wild genetics. 36:14

• Answer: Don deflected, saying his critics would have an answer for that. 36:25
• Answer: Don recalled that a pen-raised buck he sold was shot within two minutes of being released, which disgusted him. 38:19

Question: An audience member asked whether easy local deer processing makes hunters pull the trigger quicker, and its effect on the population. 46:14

• Answer: Don relayed that a cameraman for a famous hunter filmed him shooting a 135-inch buck. 46:46
• Answer: Don relayed that the hunter left the buck unprocessed, saying he’d rather keep hunting for something bigger. 47:02

Question: A Kentucky hunter asked what would make Kentucky the best deer state on the planet. 47:59

• Answer: Terry said Kentucky’s rifle season should be moved out of the rut. 48:16
• Answer: Terry said limiting out-of-state hunters to a draw system would let much of Kentucky rival any other state. 49:21

Question: An audience member asked Don to explain how mature bucks use quartering wind. 50:20

• Answer: Don said hunters need to give a buck a wind he feels safe with so he’ll move in daylight. 51:23
• Answer: Don said there are three steps to properly playing the wind. 52:43

Question: An audience member asked if there’s one thing Don wishes he could change about his farm that’s outside his control. 55:54

• Answer: Don said more land, citing a couple of adjoining pieces of ground he wishes he owned. 56:03

Question: An audience member asked whether Don plants sheds ahead of time at Master Classes for advertising purposes. 62:27

• Answer: Don said across all the Master Classes, only two sheds were ever found. 62:39
• Answer: Don said no shed has ever been planted for a class. 62:51

Question: An audience member asked for advice after having trail cameras stolen off his own property. 64:16

• Answer: Don suggested hanging an obvious camera while hiding a second camera nearby to catch the thief. 64:26

Question: Terry asked Don to explain his strategy for shed hunting his sanctuary from each direction. 67:01

• Answer: Don said they start at one end of the property and only push about halfway through. 67:33
• Answer: Don said the approach avoids pushing the deer entirely off the property. 67:51

Question: An audience member asked Don’s opinion on hunting by moon phases. 75:03

• Answer: Don said weather trumps the moon and he doesn’t pay attention to moon charts. 76:01
• Answer: Terry said he’d rather hunt the right cold front or weather pattern regardless of what the moon is doing. 76:50

Question: An audience member asked whether spring turkey hunting on Don’s farms pressures the deer. 68:07

• Answer: Don said turkey hunters should stay on green fields along the edge. 68:31
• Answer: Don said to stay out of the deer sanctuary regardless. 68:39

Question: An audience member asked whether feeder pellets or food plots are better for antler growth. 73:57

• Answer: Don said if forced to choose, he’d rather deer feed from a food plot than a feeder. 74:24

Recorded live in Tennessee for episode 159, delayed by flooding and road closures. Don estimated the buck he’s chasing now scores 183-185 inches, based on comparing old sheds to current footage, and announced naming, gross-score, and shoot-date contests with winners visiting his farm next March. He discussed deer management, saying his farm’s top-end buck rose from about 150 to around 170 inches, criticized Illinois for unlimited nonresident tags weakening its herd, and said the South lags the Midwest by roughly a generation but is catching up. He reflected on leaving the captive deer business and said introducing people to Christ matters more to him than being remembered as a great hunter, drawing a parallel between fertile soil and spiritual growth. Listener questions covered buying out-of-state farms, quartering wind strategy, shed-hunting technique on his sanctuary, moon-phase hunting, stolen trail cameras, and Kentucky’s rifle season timing.

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