Episode #185 - Bucks are starting to shift - Fall Plots, GET THEM IN

Published: 2023-09-03
Episode page
Duration: 73 min

In this episode

buck-management

• Terry explains their approach isn’t culling bucks but managing the buck herd the same way they manage the doe herd. 69:56

cancer

• Don’s daughter Andrea was diagnosed with breast cancer that had already spread to her lymph nodes. 2:29
• Doctors reportedly dismissed Andrea’s concerns in January, calling it nothing and telling her to return in two years. 2:57
• The oncologist reportedly plans an aggressive treatment combining chemotherapy, radiation, and estrogen-blocking drugs for Andrea. 5:58

charity

• Terry explains Hunters Bash proceeds help local families in need, with Lester’s Feet also supporting that effort. 23:48

clover

• Zoe Jones asked when the last clover mowing of the season should be — thirty to forty-five days before frost, or a different schedule? 38:38

content-plan

• Terry says the story of Babe and the buck-herd management plan will unfold this season on the Whitetail Master Academy. 70:02

cwd

• Zach Zimmerman asked whether rope scrapes and licking branches spread CWD via nose-to-nose contact more than a mineral site would. 41:30

faith

• Don described being struck by a Hebrews chapter about faith days after Andrea’s diagnosis, reading only that chapter that evening. 8:06
• Terry says this hunting season is less about deer and more about focusing on being fathers, husbands, and Christians. 16:05

family

• Don reflects that your kids remain your kids no matter their age. 7:08
• Don says his family situation has really refocused his priorities. 15:07
• Don’s daughter Alicia and her husband Clint Long had a baby boy, giving Don a new grandchild. 16:56

food-plots

• Terry thanks Kyle Heuerman for planting a Deadly Dozen and Harvest Salad plot and changing trail camera batteries on his Illinois property. 70:18
• Heath Jones asked how late is too late to plant fall food plots when there’s no rain forecast for two weeks. 50:18

giveaway

• Don announces he’ll sign and give away his new Mathews phase-four bow at the men’s retreat. 22:19

human-intrusion

• Don says the single best thing a hunter can do for a property is stay off of it. 58:29

hunt-strategy

• Terry plans to avoid pushing into his target buck’s area if hot weather returns, preferring to stay back and glass instead. 30:17
• Don advises hunters to strike carefully on early hunts and avoid tipping off deer to human intrusion, since unfavorable conditions usually ruin future chances. 31:40

insurance

• The insurance company reportedly denied Andrea’s immediately scheduled PET scan. 4:31

lesters-feet

• Terry describes mailing Amish schoolkids’ hand-drawn postcards to struggling families as part of the Lester’s Feet ministry. 12:41
• Families receiving Lester’s Feet postcards reportedly said it was a blessing to know a stranger was praying for them. 12:54

podcast-plan

• Terry says that if needed, Joe Miles or Wes Delks could fill in on the podcast while Don focuses on his family, though that’s not happening yet. 13:32

prayer-time

• Terry announces the Chasing Giants podcast held its first weekly prayer time on the new YouTube channel, with Corey’s permission to discuss it. 11:47
• Terry calls launching the weekly Sunday prayer time on the Chasing Giants channel a leap of faith that’s gotten positive feedback. 71:55
• Terry announces Wes Delks’ pre-recorded devotion and prayer segment is featured this week on the channel. 72:16

rope-scrapes

• Don scents his rope scrapes with an entire bottle of Smokies lure just once a year, right when he moves cameras for fall. 58:05
• Terry asked whether hunters should aim for fewer, better scrapes rather than scattering many random scrapes across a property. 63:52

scent-drippers

• Drew Peterson asked what experience Don and Terry have using scent drippers on mock scrapes to simulate more deer, and whether they’d recommend it. 54:42
• Terry asked whether scenting a scrape could hurt anything if it were done with zero human intrusion. 59:38

scrapes

• Carter Lang asked whether putting out 750 scrapes across his property in one day might be doing more harm than good. 61:19

social-media

• Don’s social media post about Andrea’s diagnosis drew over 1,300 likes and 600 comments. 10:21

speaking-engagement

• Don announces his home church, Solid Rock Chapel in Sullivan, Illinois, is hosting a men’s retreat where he’ll speak. 19:56
• Terry announces the fifth annual Hunters Bash tag-out-technique charity event is September 12 and urges listeners to RSVP soon. 23:24

sponsorship

• Terry announces the show is finalizing a new sponsor deal they’ve been negotiating for a while. 13:44

trail-camera

• Don’s trail camera photo counts crashed from over 1,000 per day to under 100 once a hot spell hit. 26:07
• Zach Zimmerman also asked how sensitive Don is about wind direction when pulling SD cards from his trail cameras. 41:49

weather

• Terry notes two hurricanes moving through the eastern U.S. could unpredictably shift local weather and food-plot planting conditions. 32:28

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 25:16
• unnamed buck (history) 27:20
• unnamed buck (hunt) 30:44
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 32:10
• Babe (management) 69:02
• Babe (management) 69:24

Listener questions

Question: Zoe Jones asked when the last clover mowing of the season should be — thirty to forty-five days before frost, or a different schedule? 38:38 — asked by Zoe Jones

• Answer: Don mows clover in early September, roughly three weeks before his October opener, then avoids the property entirely. 39:07
• Answer: He typically finishes mowing around Labor Day weekend or the following week, then stays off the plots for the fall. 39:54

Question: Zach Zimmerman asked whether rope scrapes and licking branches spread CWD via nose-to-nose contact more than a mineral site would. 41:30 — asked by Zach Zimmerman

• Answer: Don predicts wildlife agencies will gradually shut down all supplemental feeding and baiting nationwide over the next couple decades, calling it sad. 42:25
• Answer: Don agrees a licking branch draws more concentrated nose contact than a mineral pile, since every buck rubs its face there. 45:18

Question: Zach Zimmerman also asked how sensitive Don is about wind direction when pulling SD cards from his trail cameras. 41:49 — asked by Zach Zimmerman

• Answer: Don says he becomes much more cautious about camera checks as hunting season nears. 46:24
• Answer: He prefers checking cameras on windy days since blowing vegetation and noise help mask his approach. 46:51

Question: Heath Jones asked how late is too late to plant fall food plots when there’s no rain forecast for two weeks. 50:18 — asked by Heath Jones

• Answer: Don advises planting cereal grains forty-five to sixty days before the first expected frost. 51:07
• Answer: He says if it’s time to plant, plant regardless of forecast — seed can sit dry for weeks before germinating. 51:48

Question: Drew Peterson asked what experience Don and Terry have using scent drippers on mock scrapes to simulate more deer, and whether they’d recommend it. 54:42 — asked by Drew Peterson

• Answer: Don has tried scent drippers before and says the experience was not good. 55:07
• Answer: He dismisses the idea that scent can trick resident deer into believing an unfamiliar deer has joined the property. 55:51

Question: Carter Lang asked whether putting out 750 scrapes across his property in one day might be doing more harm than good. 61:19 — asked by Carter Lang

• Answer: Don doubts two people could realistically place 750 scrapes in a day and says that much activity leaves human scent everywhere. 62:25

Question: Terry asked whether hunters should aim for fewer, better scrapes rather than scattering many random scrapes across a property. 63:52

• Answer: Don concentrates scent on a few rope scrapes because a stand and a camera are set up there to inventory bucks. 65:02

Question: Terry asked whether scenting a scrape could hurt anything if it were done with zero human intrusion. 59:38

• Answer: Don says it’s possible if the scent wasn’t handled properly and could spook a buck. 59:45

Sponsors this episode

• BuyAFarm.com

Don opened by sharing that his daughter Andrea had been diagnosed with breast cancer that had already spread to her lymph nodes, after doctors reportedly dismissed her concerns in January and an insurer denied an immediate PET scan; her oncologist reportedly plans aggressive chemo, radiation, and estrogen-blocking treatment. Don described being struck by a Hebrews passage on faith and said the situation had refocused his priorities, with Terry noting the season was becoming less about deer and more about faith and family. Terry also covered the new weekly YouTube prayer segment, the Lester’s Feet postcard ministry, the upcoming Hunters Bash charity event, and a men’s retreat where Don would speak and give away a bow. Listener questions covered clover mowing timing, CWD risk from licking branches, wind considerations when checking cameras, food-plot planting deadlines, scent drippers, and how many scrapes to use, with Don favoring fewer, camera-monitored rope scrapes over many scattered ones.

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