Episode #160 - Live with Dr. Bronson Strickland at Whitetail Master Class

Published: 2023-03-12
Episode page
Duration: 90 min

In this episode

antler-injury

• What causes part of a buck’s skull to break off along with a shed antler? 26:46

bedding-areas

• What does Don think of the theory that does and bucks use separate, layered bedding areas? 80:44

browse-species

• What shrub species would you recommend planting to help jump-start deer browse? 39:41

captive-deer

• Don recalls that overfeeding his captive deer a rich, high-protein diet like fattening cattle gave them chronic diarrhea for nearly two years. 61:48
• Don observed his captive deer preferred drinking from muddy rain puddles over clean water in their stock tank. 34:27

chris-yates

• Terry relays that Chris Yates thanked everyone for their concern following his heart surgery and asked him to make the announcement on the show. 22:23

consulting-schedule

• Don plans two local consulting jobs, two classes next week, and a flight to Ohio to look at properties before the end of March. 88:01

cwd

• Don compares CWD to mad cow disease, noting mad cow started from feeding slaughterhouse byproducts to cattle. 67:27
• Don states his opinion that CWD is a political disease exaggerated by government similar to COVID. 71:58
• Bronson cites survival data showing only about thirty percent of CWD-positive tracked deer are alive twelve months later, versus eighty percent of CWD-negative deer. 77:23
• Don notes Wisconsin’s hired CWD advisor, Doctor Crowell, holds opinions closer to his own than to Bronson’s, which makes conflicting PhD opinions confusing for laypeople. 78:29
• After a CWD-positive test led to an earlier rifle season, is that something hunters should worry about? 70:34
• Do harsher winters play a role in CWD-related deer mortality? 85:11

cwd-management

• Don says Illinois sends sharpshooters to kill every deer in a two-mile radius for five years after a CWD-positive deer is found. 73:34

deer-diet

• Bronson says a story of deer bypassing a lush food plot to eat briars demonstrates that browse is simply what deer are meant to eat. 51:10
• Bronson says deer voluntarily restrict their diet by about half even with abundant food, because their metabolism and focus shift in fall and winter. 65:20

deer-feed

• Bronson says it’s a bad idea to feed animal byproduct to an herbivore like deer since they aren’t designed to eat it. 67:11
• Is there a point where too much protein or minerals in deer feed becomes wasteful or harmful? 60:14

deer-funneling

• What materials do you prefer for funneling deer, and does it change with location or terrain? 52:10

deer-nutrition

• What percentage breakdown of browse versus forbs makes up a whitetail’s diet? 34:53

doe-hunting

• Bronson recalls that before killing his first deer he badly wanted to shoot any doe he saw, since it represented a rare hunting opportunity. 9:07

family-hunting-history

• Was Don’s father a hunter early in his life? 18:36
• Was Bronson’s family into hunting when he was growing up? 18:43

feed-tags

• Terry warns listeners to read deer feed tags closely, since animal byproduct hidden in fine print is the current gimmick of the feed industry. 70:12

fence-height

• Don recommends a funnel fence be at least six to eight feet tall, with six feet as an absolute minimum. 54:02

food-plot

• Duane Hopkins says perennials are valued for ease of management since they don’t require yearly soil prep and seed bed work. 48:12
• Duane Hopkins notes clover is resilient and will return in fall even after a summer slump if not overly abused. 16:05
• Bronson recommends blending both perennial and annual food plots together rather than relying on just one type. 15:37

food-plot-acreage

• How does food plot acreage factor into achieving planting diversity? 14:28

food-plot-diversity

• Duane Hopkins compares food plot diversity to a buffet, saying more variety and choice makes for a better spread for deer. 16:36
• Don says he wants maximum food plot diversity, listing greens, grains, legumes, cereal grains, brassicas, and fruit trees. 14:01

fruit-tree-planting

• Should fruit trees be grouped by species in one area or mixed together across a property? 86:09

genetics

• Could a herd’s wide-but-thin-tined genetics and an eight-point dominated herd combine to eventually produce a dream buck? 22:49

hardwood-management

• Is there a preferred ratio of oaks, hickory, walnuts, and beech when managing hardwoods for deer? 38:57

high-grading

• What does the term “high grading” mean when applied to a deer herd or local hunters? 24:26

hinge-cutting

• Don says he is not a fan of hinge cutting because most people cannot even tell a white oak from a red oak before hacking with a chainsaw. 43:13

hunting-lessons

• What hunting lesson from Don’s dad has stuck with him throughout his life? 17:34

mathews-archery

• Terry announces that Mathews Archery owner Matt McPherson and his wife released a gospel album, viewable on their YouTube channel. 88:43

neighbor-management

• If you let young bucks go but the neighbor keeps shooting them, what’s the best thing to do? 21:21

ohio

• In Ohio, what’s the challenge of raising five-year-old deer? 20:53

parasites

• What role do worms and parasites play as stress on a deer herd, and should hunters worry about it? 19:05

podcast-announcement

• Terry announces next week’s episode will also be a live podcast with special guest surprises. 89:11

property-access

• Terry says a property’s success speed depends heavily on access, noting one that day’s gravel-road perimeter access. 58:42

property-asset

• Terry frames a three-year-old buck with superstar potential as a financial asset for a property, borrowing the term from investment language. 6:55

property-management-timeline

• How many years does it typically take for a property to reach its full potential following Don’s written plan? 56:12

real-estate

• Don notes real estate listings are often priced based on the caliber of bucks a property has historically produced. 7:12

shed-hunting

• What are the survival chances and antler prospects for a shed-hunted buck with a gooey, infected antler base? 37:55

trail-camera-aging

• Don describes backtracking through years of trail-camera pictures at the same location to determine a specific buck’s exact age. 44:55

trail-camera-management

• How can a hunter’s mindset change with trail camera data to not only pick which buck to shoot? 5:05

trail-camera-organization

• Terry organizes trail-camera photos in hard-drive directories by camera location so he can track individual bucks over time. 45:25

trail-camera-software

• How do you keep track of individual bucks from year to year? 43:41

water-access

• When a creek freezes and deer leave in winter, is there anything to do to keep water accessible on the property? 29:21

water-needs

• Don believes cattle require pound-for-pound far more water than deer do, based on his lifelong livestock experience. 34:43
• How much water does a whitetail need per day, and does that change seasonally? 32:13

wildlife-management-history

• If you could go back and pick anyone’s brain about deer management or hunting, who would it be? 83:26

youth-hunting

• Bronson argues youth hunters shouldn’t be allowed unlimited harvest of any buck for years, since only a limited number of quality young bucks exist before herd quality suffers. 10:03
• Is it good practice for young or beginning hunters to learn there are deer they should not shoot? 7:57

Deer activity

• Joey Buck (harvest) 3:06
• unnamed buck (sighting) 37:26
• Trump (harvest) 44:23

Listener questions

Question: How can a hunter’s mindset change with trail camera data to not only pick which buck to shoot? 5:05

• Answer: Bronson says he and clients build both a hit list and a do-not-shoot list to protect bucks with future trophy potential. 5:27

Question: Is it good practice for young or beginning hunters to learn there are deer they should not shoot? 7:57

• Answer: Don says kids shouldn’t be made instant trophy hunters and should be turned loose to shoot deer and raise the bar over time. 8:18

Question: How does food plot acreage factor into achieving planting diversity? 14:28

• Answer: Don explains a mix like Deadly Dozen packs 12 plant species into a small plot, so diversity doesn’t require more acreage. 14:38

Question: What hunting lesson from Don’s dad has stuck with him throughout his life? 17:34

• Answer: Don says his dad taught him to do things the right way or not do them at all, after Don tried to game the tag lottery. 17:42

Question: Was Don’s father a hunter early in his life? 18:36

• Answer: Don says his father hunted some but not a great deal. 18:39

Question: Was Bronson’s family into hunting when he was growing up? 18:43

• Answer: Bronson says his parents’ generation hunted quail and rabbits since deer barely existed in the area at the time. 18:52

Question: What role do worms and parasites play as stress on a deer herd, and should hunters worry about it? 19:05

• Answer: Bronson says parasites naturally fluctuate but have never been documented to regulate a free-ranging deer population. 19:42

Question: In Ohio, what’s the challenge of raising five-year-old deer? 20:53

• Answer: Don says the challenge everywhere is the same: getting hunters to stop shooting bucks at two, three, and four years old. 20:59

Question: If you let young bucks go but the neighbor keeps shooting them, what’s the best thing to do? 21:21

• Answer: Don bluntly suggests building a fence or selling the property and buying another one. 21:25

Question: Could a herd’s wide-but-thin-tined genetics and an eight-point dominated herd combine to eventually produce a dream buck? 22:49

• Answer: Bronson says it sounds like either nutrition is limiting antler expression or the best bucks are being systematically harvested. 24:01

Question: What does the term “high grading” mean when applied to a deer herd or local hunters? 24:26

• Answer: Bronson defines high grading as taking the best and leaving the rest, borrowed from forestry, applied to systematically removing the best bucks. 24:31

Question: What causes part of a buck’s skull to break off along with a shed antler? 26:46

• Answer: Bronson’s educated guess is that fighting-related injury weakens the skull structure, causing bone to come off with the shed. 27:29

Question: What are the survival chances and antler prospects for a shed-hunted buck with a gooey, infected antler base? 37:55

• Answer: Bronson says the infection likely means the buck will develop a brain abscess and may not survive to the next season. 38:18

Question: Is there a preferred ratio of oaks, hickory, walnuts, and beech when managing hardwoods for deer? 38:57

• Answer: Don says he’d manage almost entirely for white oaks, since hickory and beech provide little value to deer. 39:08

Question: What shrub species would you recommend planting to help jump-start deer browse? 39:41

• Answer: Don recommends hazelnuts, gray and silky dogwoods, American plum, and elderberry depending on the site. 39:55

Question: How do you keep track of individual bucks from year to year? 43:41

• Answer: Don uses Reconyx’s BuckView software, sorting pictures by camera location in automatic chronological order for comparison year to year. 43:52

Question: What materials do you prefer for funneling deer, and does it change with location or terrain? 52:10

• Answer: Don says for longer distances there’s no substitute for a wire fence, since deer eventually find gaps in piled brush. 52:43

Question: How many years does it typically take for a property to reach its full potential following Don’s written plan? 56:12

• Answer: Don says the average plan takes about five years to complete habitat improvements and get herd management on track. 56:45

Question: Is there a point where too much protein or minerals in deer feed becomes wasteful or harmful? 60:14

• Answer: Don says free-ranging deer balance excess protein themselves with woody browse, though captive deer with no alternative can be overfed. 60:50

Question: After a CWD-positive test led to an earlier rifle season, is that something hunters should worry about? 70:34

• Answer: Bronson says CWD is something to be concerned about but not worry about, since impacts take a decade or more to appear. 70:44

Question: Do harsher winters play a role in CWD-related deer mortality? 85:11

• Answer: Bronson says tracked CWD-positive deer have been found to freeze to death during cold snaps, a new mortality source. 85:23

Question: What does Don think of the theory that does and bucks use separate, layered bedding areas? 80:44

• Answer: Don doubts deer distinguish doe versus buck bedding zones, saying a deer simply beds wherever it feels safest. 81:19

Question: When a creek freezes and deer leave in winter, is there anything to do to keep water accessible on the property? 29:21

• Answer: Don says water availability for deer is overrated, citing a bachelor group that stays in a section with no water source all summer. 33:01

Question: What percentage breakdown of browse versus forbs makes up a whitetail’s diet? 34:53

• Answer: Bronson says summer diets run about 30-40% browse and 30-40% forbs, shifting to 50-60% browse in fall and winter. 35:23

Question: How much water does a whitetail need per day, and does that change seasonally? 32:13

• Answer: Bronson admits he can’t recall the exact figure from a physiology class decades ago and will look it up. 32:24

Question: If you could go back and pick anyone’s brain about deer management or hunting, who would it be? 83:26

• Answer: Bronson would choose Aldo Leopold, considered the father of wildlife management. 83:41
• Answer: Don would choose Fred Bear as the deer hunter he’d most want to talk to. 84:35

Question: Should fruit trees be grouped by species in one area or mixed together across a property? 86:09

• Answer: Don prefers grouping fruit trees by species, both for cross-pollination and to create predictable, huntable feeding patterns. 86:20

The episode covered aging and tracking individual bucks, food plot diversity, feeding practices, and CWD. Don and Terry described sorting trail-camera photos by location (using Reconyx’s BuckView software) to age bucks over years, and Bronson explained keeping hit lists and do-not-shoot lists with clients. Duane Hopkins and Don discussed valuing perennials for low upkeep, clover’s resilience, and building diverse food plots across greens, legumes, brassicas, and fruit trees, with Bronson favoring blending perennials and annuals. Don shared captive-deer experience showing overfeeding rich protein caused prolonged diarrhea and that his deer preferred puddle water over clean tanks. On CWD, Don called it politically exaggerated, while Bronson cited survival data showing lower one-year survival for CWD-positive deer and noted cold-related deaths among tracked positives. Listener questions addressed high grading, hardwood management favoring white oaks, and fencing for funnels. Terry closed with news of Chris Yates’s recovery from heart surgery.

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