Episode #18 - Taking Advantage During The Bad Times

Published: 2020-03-23
Episode page
Duration: 58 min

In this episode

bedding

• Can too much bedding create a doe sanctuary where mature does drive out mature bucks, and would those bucks return during the October rut? 25:57

buck-factory

• Can a property become a buck factory with so many young 2-3 year old bucks that social stress pushes mature bucks off it? 36:09

buck-management

• Don said his property now regularly produces 170-inch bucks every year, matching what 150-inch bucks used to be when he started managing decades ago. 55:49

deer-density

• Don said his 120-acre property holds roughly 40 or more antlerless deer and 20 or more antlered deer at once, including does and their fawns. 38:00

deer-management-myths

• Terry called claims that switchgrass can be too thick or that land only holds one mature buck per 14 acres complete garbage. 29:23

ehd

• Don recalled that after the 2012 EHD outbreak killed over 75% of his deer herd, reduced browse pressure let him plant many trees the following spring. 18:58

food-plots

• Don said he tested forage soybeans against Real World Soybeans for five years and concluded he was wasting plot space he needed for winter food. 50:03

habitat-management

• Don described spraying cut locust stumps in his sanctuary to stop the thorny locusts from resprouting after he cut the canopy there. 3:42
• Don used his skid loader to move fallen trees into position to create deer travel routes right where he wants them past his stands. 4:25
• Don plans to burn off underperforming native grass plots, then spray and replant them with Real World Switchgrass and Miscanthus to add bedding cover. 5:46

human-intrusion

• Don said the single most important factor in managing a property for deer costs nothing and no time: minimizing human intrusion. 32:55

joke

• Don joked that he voted for Hillary for prison. 58:03 (light moment)

native-grass

• Don said the thicker and taller a native grass field is, the more deer utilize it, not less. 47:16

property-management

• Don has a two-year project plan intended to make his property twice as good for growing mature bucks as it already is. 7:12

real-estate

• Two real estate brokers told Don that land prices and demand will increase once the economy recovers from the coronavirus situation. 14:01

shed-hunting

• Don spent a day walking his property scouting shed antlers while using his phone to note spring projects he wants to complete this season. 2:40

stand-setup

• Terry plans to drop trees so their tops funnel deer away from a point where they could otherwise slip in behind his stand. 9:50

switchgrass

• Don said his property has the thickest switchgrass he’s ever seen and that he’s walked Whitetail Master Course students directly into it. 44:28
• When planting switchgrass, is it important to have pockets of forbs and browse for daytime feeding to make the switchgrass more effective for holding deer? 42:10

turkey-hunting

• Terry jokes he hopes turkey hunters get a record harvest this year since he despises turkeys. 11:44 (light moment)

Deer activity

• fork time buck (hunt) 5:00
• unnamed buck (hunt) 28:02
• t three (harvest) 31:23

Listener questions

Question: Can too much bedding create a doe sanctuary where mature does drive out mature bucks, and would those bucks return during the October rut? 25:57 — asked by John Dockendorf

• Answer: Don said his property keeps its does and fawns through summer, but by the October 1 season opener a ton of bucks, including mature ones, are also present. 27:42

Question: Can a property become a buck factory with so many young 2-3 year old bucks that social stress pushes mature bucks off it? 36:09 — asked by Wes Fox

• Answer: Don flatly said no, he has never seen young bucks push mature bucks off a property. 37:02

Question: When planting switchgrass, is it important to have pockets of forbs and browse for daytime feeding to make the switchgrass more effective for holding deer? 42:10 — asked by Bruce Nelson

• Answer: Terry said bedding should be kept free of food entirely, used only as thermal cover and security, forcing deer to travel to a food source where he can hunt them. 43:08
• Answer: Don agreed, saying he keeps bedding totally separate from food so a hungry buck must get up and move, making him vulnerable to hunting pressure. 43:53

Sponsors this episode

• BuyAFarm.com
• 360 Hunting Blinds
• QuietKat
• Real World Wildlife Products
• Vortex Optics
• Lone Wolf Treestands
• Mathews Archery

Don and Terry discussed spring habitat projects on Don’s property. Don had scouted sheds while planning work, treated cut locust stumps in his sanctuary to stop resprouting, and used a skid loader to reposition fallen trees to funnel deer past his stands. He described plans to burn and replant underperforming native grass plots with Real World Switchgrass and Miscanthus, part of a two-year plan to double the property’s potential for mature bucks. Don said his 120 acres holds roughly 40-plus antlerless and 20-plus antlered deer, now regularly producing 170-inch bucks, and credited minimizing human intrusion as the most important, cost-free management factor. He also recalled how the 2012 EHD outbreak, which killed over 75% of his herd, ironically let him plant more trees the next spring. Listener questions addressed whether heavy bedding or many young bucks could push mature bucks off a property; both Don and Terry said no, and agreed bedding should stay free of food to force deer to travel for hunting opportunities.

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