Episode #193 - Babe is Down!

Published: 2023-10-29
Episode page
Duration: 67 min

In this episode

babe

• Don recounts shooting the buck named Babe on Wednesday evening after calling his shot in advance. 1:18
• Don noticed the buck consistently bedded in a specific switchgrass patch, entering and exiting near the same spot each time. 10:43
• Terry recalls that as a three-year-old the buck already had a massive frame despite small antlers barely the size of pinkies. 16:20

bachelor-group

• Terry notes Don ended up harvesting three bucks from the same bachelor group, crediting Don’s age-structure management for the deer staying around. 17:36

bowhunting-progression

• A teenage listener with little hunting experience asks how much experience is needed before hunting mature bucks with a compound bow. 51:18

deer-recovery

• Don recommends waiting a minimum of two hours before trailing a deer that runs out of sight, even after a seemingly perfect hit. 14:48

drone-recovery

• A listener asks about using drones versus dogs for deer recovery, noting drones are illegal in Illinois. 44:04

drought

• Terry and Don believe the buck scored smaller this year than last due to a regional drought that suppressed antler growth in mature bucks. 21:55

family

• Terry admits he told Andrea and Corey that Don had already arranged to pay so they would let him cover the dinner check. 64:09
• Terry reports Don’s daughter Andrea has another round of chemo on Monday in Indianapolis, with Corey staying home with the boys. 65:03
• Terry plans to leave the next morning to take his kids to the state marching band competition after they won regionals. 66:12

harvest-history

• Don states this buck is his first harvested in three seasons, his last being the Joey Buck in November 2020 shortly after shooting Mel in October 2020. 20:28

hunting-philosophy

• Don reflects that the older he gets, the less the kill means to him and the more the chase itself matters. 19:31
• Don states that deer hunting means different things to different people and no one should be pressured into someone else’s standards. 55:48

hunting-vacation

• A listener with only farm history (no trail cameras) and one week of vacation asks which seven-day window is best to hunt hard. 34:39

listener-engagement

• Terry proposes that listeners check their own trail cameras for October 23 to see if the deer movement spike was widespread across the country. 6:39

morning-hunting

• Don advises against hunting October mornings unless it’s late in the month with a cold front, since bumping a target buck can ruin future chances unknowingly. 13:01

new-job

• Terry apologizes for being slow to respond while adjusting to the demands of his new job. 31:47

podcast-milestone

• Terry states the podcast has surpassed 2,000,000 downloads since it began. 59:57

podcast-plans

• Terry and Don plan to record a couple of in-person episodes together in Illinois when Terry visits for hunting season. 66:38

property-management

• A hunter on a new lease unhunted for 25 years, seeing only 120-145 inch bucks, asks what his goals should be. 38:09

rut-report

• Don announces a new five-week video series called Own the Rut, starting Sunday October 29, previewing each week’s rut hunting tactics and weather. 28:27
• Don announces the rut report will expand to YouTube and TikTok this year since it’s being produced as a video series. 30:05

scouting

• Don plans to scout an unfamiliar piece of public land the next day. 3:56

shooting-lanes

• A listener asks whether trimming limbs for shooting lanes or observation after season starts impacts mature buck movement. 47:46

social-media

• Don recounts that after posting pictures of the buck he saw not a single negative comment and over 5,000 likes, despite an earlier hateful email. 58:30

tag-management

• Don intends to keep his remaining tag reserved until a truly special buck comes along rather than using it quickly. 4:16

tractor-dealership

• Terry offers podcast listeners deals on tractors and mowers from several brands to help clear year-end dealership inventory. 32:52

whitetail-master-academy

• Steve is producing a video covering the full history of the buck for the Whitetail Master Academy. 9:57

youth-season

• Don passed on shooting the buck three evenings in a row right before youth season because he was saving it for his grandsons to hunt first. 2:16

Deer activity

• Babe (harvest) 1:18
• Babe (trail-camera) 4:56
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 8:08
• Mel (harvest) 10:24
• Babe (history) 10:24
• Babe (hunt) 10:43
• Joey Buck (harvest) 20:32
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 40:33
• Babe (harvest) 45:52
• trunk buck (harvest) 46:11

Listener questions

Question: A listener with only farm history (no trail cameras) and one week of vacation asks which seven-day window is best to hunt hard. 34:39 — asked by Mark Zoke

• Answer: Don says if he had to pick one week to maximize odds of killing a good buck, he’d choose November 5 through 12, especially including the 7th and 8th. 34:49
• Answer: Terry plans to travel to Illinois after work on November 3 and hunt the 4th through 8th, splitting his vacation into two separate trips. 36:17

Question: A hunter on a new lease unhunted for 25 years, seeing only 120-145 inch bucks, asks what his goals should be. 38:09 — asked by John Coons

• Answer: Don doubts the property truly went unhunted for 25 years, suspecting undisclosed pressure explains the modest buck sizes, and advises learning what the property can typically produce. 39:57
• Answer: Terry says the goal should be defined by the hunter’s own standards, not by what the property produces, since it’s about personal journey. 43:13

Question: A listener asks about using drones versus dogs for deer recovery, noting drones are illegal in Illinois. 44:04 — asked by Walker Goodwin

• Answer: Don believes Illinois banned drone-assisted recovery mainly to prevent hunters from using drones to locate and scout target bucks rather than just recover wounded deer. 44:55
• Answer: Don appreciates that Illinois requires recovery dogs to stay on a lead of no more than 50 feet, keeping the practice controlled. 46:25

Question: A listener asks whether trimming limbs for shooting lanes or observation after season starts impacts mature buck movement. 47:46 — asked by Jake Camera

• Answer: Don says the bigger concern with trimming shooting lanes isn’t the cutting itself but the human scent left behind and leaving cut branches for deer to smell. 48:41
• Answer: Terry says if a stand tree has grown a stray limb since last season, he’ll simply trim it with a handsaw on the first hunt without concern. 50:35

Question: A teenage listener with little hunting experience asks how much experience is needed before hunting mature bucks with a compound bow. 51:18 — asked by Aiden Miller

• Answer: Don recommends mastering each skill level, like consistently killing eight-pointers, before raising the bar rather than jumping straight to mature bucks. 52:14
• Answer: Terry adds that hunters must set their own pace based on their situation rather than social media, family, or peer pressure. 54:33

Sponsors this episode

• ASIO Gear

Don recounted finally harvesting the buck known as Babe on a Wednesday evening, after passing on it three straight evenings before youth season to let his grandsons hunt first, and calling his shot beforehand. He described tracking the deer’s consistent switchgrass bedding pattern and needing a dog brought in afterward since it wasn’t bleeding well. Terry noted the buck had been part of a bachelor group Don harvested three deer from, and the two speculated a regional drought had suppressed antler growth compared to the previous year. Don reflected that this was his first harvest in three seasons, since the Joey Buck in November 2020, and that the chase now mattered more to him than the kill. Listener questions covered picking a best week to hunt hard, evaluating a long-unhunted lease, drone versus dog recovery rules, trimming shooting lanes, and how much experience was needed before pursuing mature bucks.

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