Episode #176 - Don’s Advice for Battery High Prices

Published: 2023-07-03
Episode page
Duration: 69 min

In this episode

announcement

• Terry announced next week’s episode will cover property improvement projects, including a new addition Don built on his home farm. 68:15
• Don gave the mailing address for submitting podcast questions: Real World Wildlife Products, PO Box 55, Arthur, Illinois 61911. 64:36

antler-genetics

• Don recalled a six-year-old buck he once shot that always had short G2 tines but excellent G3 tines. 36:29

babe

• Don noted Babe currently shows that same short-G2, strong-G3 antler pattern as a buck he shot years earlier. 36:36
• Don guessed Babe’s rack will score under 200 inches this year. 34:12
• In a Whitetail Master Academy scoring contest for Babe, 52% of guesses were over 200 inches and 48% were under. 33:34

battery-costs

• Don recommends not deploying cameras too early, using solar power when practical, and running fewer cameras to cut battery costs. 21:27

budget

• Don and Terry say their goal is helping hunters with limited budgets use their existing camera and battery resources as efficiently as possible. 29:49

corn

• Don cited research that corn develops a stronger root system when planted in drier early conditions rather than wet ones. 14:26

creek-crossing

• Justin Garber from Lebanon, Missouri asked how to get deer to cross a creek at a chosen spot where he can’t cut trees or alter banks. 55:55

drought

• Don recalled that after the 2012 drought left his soybeans under knee-high, a hurricane’s rain made the plants triple in size within sixteen days. 13:59
• Don referenced a study showing the 2012 drought significantly reduced antler growth and body weights in bucks compared to other years. 62:14
• Kurt Myers from Washington, Pennsylvania asked whether this year’s drought will positively or negatively affect antler growth. 59:36

food-plots

• Terry and Don plan to send information to their dealers about blending leftover soybeans into fall food plots as an early season attractant. 43:11

genetics

• Don believes his current target buck is related to a buck he harvested in 2019. 36:19

herbicide

• Terry reported a strong herbicide kill on his property, with almost no weeds surviving in his Nutri-Crave Corn field from the residual application. 15:38

merchandise

• Don announced new Chasing Giants T-shirts in an ASIO Camo pattern have arrived and are sent free with every used listener question. 65:35

mineral

• Joseph Miller from Hopkinton, Iowa asked why his horses eat Maximizer Plus deer mineral he’d set out for deer, and whether it’s safe for horses. 49:10

minnesota

• Terry noted Minnesota endured a brutal, prolonged winter followed immediately by drought, a combination he believes compounds stress on deer. 62:53

missouri

• Grant Flipping from Jefferson City, Missouri asked why Missouri, despite bordering top whitetail states, is never mentioned as a hot spot, blaming state mismanagement. 43:59

quietkat

• Terry recommends attaching the QuietKat’s rear fender before riding in wet conditions to avoid getting sprayed with mud. 66:41

rope-scrape

• Don recommends placing a trail camera directly on an established rope scrape as a reliable spot to concentrate deer movement. 25:15
• Don recommends buying rope scrape material well before season and letting it weather in a tree all year rather than deploying it fresh. 27:14

soybeans

• Rob Effingham asked whether it’s worth planting soybeans in drought-affected early July for deer forage, or waiting to plant cereal grains later. 39:38

texas

• Don explained that in Texas, unlike northern regions, summer heat rather than winter is the most stressful season for deer. 63:34

trail-cameras

• Terry and Wes hung 13 or 14 trail cameras across several properties together during a visit near Indianapolis. 10:39
• Terry recalled how lowering an old fence created a single low crossing point that funneled every deer from a thicket through one spot, ideal for a trail camera. 24:45
• Don advises a general rule of one trail camera per 40 acres, enough to photograph every deer on that acreage. 20:51
• Don plans to hang cameras on at least three properties he can access without leaving muddy ATV tracks. 66:22
• Terry asked how to build a trail camera site as deliberately as a stand site, given how deer are funneled through certain travel routes on Don’s farm. 22:28

weather

• Don’s farm received about five inches of rain over three days (Thursday through Saturday), ending the drought at his house. 3:26
• A storm that hit while Don was away in Ohio wiped out a bunch of trees in a nearby grower’s orchard. 2:30
• Don relayed that a local factory clocked derecho winds of 106 miles per hour during the storm that hit near his area. 2:43

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (sighting) 8:57
• Smokey (history) 35:15
• Mel (history) 35:15
• unnamed buck (harvest) 36:19
• unnamed buck (harvest) 36:29
• Babe (history) 36:36
• Babe (trail-camera) 67:57

Listener questions

Question: Terry asked how to build a trail camera site as deliberately as a stand site, given how deer are funneled through certain travel routes on Don’s farm. 22:28

• Answer: Don said the key is forcing deer through a restricted travel area with fewer route options rather than a broad zone with multiple trails, which reduces cameras needed. 22:41

Question: Rob Effingham asked whether it’s worth planting soybeans in drought-affected early July for deer forage, or waiting to plant cereal grains later. 39:38 — asked by Rob Effingham

• Answer: Don said it depends on moisture: without rain, skip planting soybeans now, but with adequate moisture it’s fine to plant and expect a decent fall crop. 40:09

Question: Grant Flipping from Jefferson City, Missouri asked why Missouri, despite bordering top whitetail states, is never mentioned as a hot spot, blaming state mismanagement. 43:59 — asked by Grant Flipping

• Answer: Don agreed Missouri’s poor deer management, not habitat, is to blame, citing its rifle season during the rut and lenient crossbow and multi-buck rules. 46:06

Question: Joseph Miller from Hopkinton, Iowa asked why his horses eat Maximizer Plus deer mineral he’d set out for deer, and whether it’s safe for horses. 49:10 — asked by Joseph Miller

• Answer: Don said it’s safe, noting he personally feeds Maximizer Plus deer mineral to his own cows even though it’s formulated for deer. 49:43

Question: Justin Garber from Lebanon, Missouri asked how to get deer to cross a creek at a chosen spot where he can’t cut trees or alter banks. 55:55 — asked by Justin Garber

• Answer: Don said the hunter must make one crossing spot easier than the rest and the other crossing points harder, since felling trees or altering banks isn’t allowed. 57:50

Question: Kurt Myers from Washington, Pennsylvania asked whether this year’s drought will positively or negatively affect antler growth. 59:36 — asked by Kurt Myers

• Answer: Don said ideal antler growth conditions are close to average, slightly warmer and wetter than normal, since warmth boosts blood flow and moisture spurs new plant growth. 60:12

Don and Terry focused on trail camera strategy, recommending one camera per roughly 40 acres, placement on established rope scrapes weathered for a year, and funneling deer through restricted travel routes (like a lowered fence) rather than covering broad areas, all aimed at helping budget-conscious hunters use limited cameras and batteries efficiently. Terry described hanging 13 or 14 cameras near Indianapolis with Wes. Weather and drought effects came up repeatedly: heavy rain ended Don’s drought, a derecho hit near his area, Minnesota’s harsh winter-then-drought combo was flagged as stressful for deer, and Don cited past research linking the 2012 drought to reduced antler growth. Listener questions covered planting soybeans in drought conditions, Missouri’s deer management being blamed for its low reputation, deer minerals being safe for horses, and directing deer to a chosen creek crossing. Don also discussed his target buck Babe, noting its short-G2, strong-G3 antler pattern matched an older buck he’d shot, and guessed Babe would score under 200 inches.

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