Episode #194 - 2nd Target Buck Harvested by Special Guest

Published: 2023-11-05
Episode page
Duration: 77 min

In this episode

deer-genetics

• Don argues that poor deer management is reflected in surviving genetics, describing it as high-grading each age class of bucks. 14:05

deer-management

• Don wanted both mature bucks removed from his farm before the rut and before breeding began this season. 10:05
• Don says his selective-culling strategy works because his property is isolated, surrounded by miles of open agricultural fields. 17:03

faith

• Don sees his property as a blessing, having developed it into one of the best deer properties in North America. 19:10

food-plots

• Adam Katz asks what became of Don’s plan to plant a pumpkin patch for deer, noting deer love pumpkins. 40:21
• Matt Fueling asks whether he wasted his money now that his standing soybeans are shattering and whether the fallen beans will rot. 43:43

hunter-recruitment

• Don opposes recruiting more hunters, arguing habitat is disappearing and his county doesn’t need a hundred more deer hunters. 68:17

hunting-adversity

• The mailman, Steven Polk, asks whether an incident ever made Don or Terry consider walking away from deer hunting, and what stopped them. 53:21

mathews-bow

• Levi Yoder asks why Don chose to shoot an older bow instead of his new Mathews bow in a recent photo with Babe. 34:41

mentorship

• Don decided to first require a commitment from young men before mentoring them, choosing Kent Taber, a young man from his church, as an example. 21:46

prayer-time

• Terry announces the Sunday Night Prayer Time on the Chasing Giants TV YouTube channel, with Wes Delks back this week. 75:01

public-land

• Terry says he isn’t wired for public-land hunting and can’t do it, even though he respects hunters who take on that extra challenge. 63:16

pumpkins

• Terry jokingly suggested bursting pumpkins open with a suppressed rifle so deer could eat them more easily, calling it redneckish. 42:49 (light moment)

rut-report

• Don observed more midday deer movement on his trail cameras yesterday than he had ever seen in a single midday period. 1:35
• Don notes that November 7th and 8th historically see more giant bucks killed than any other dates, when big bucks typically move. 71:51

scent-control

• Tim from Millington asks whether hunting upwind while using cover scents like buck balm or vanilla would mask his scent while still attracting deer. 48:51

sponsorship

• Don calls Mathews a fantastic sponsor. 38:58

vacation-timing

• Terry advises hunters with flexible schedules to hold their vacation days open, since flexibility is a huge advantage when weather shifts. 4:46

weather

• Don states that weather trumps rut movement, noting the same pattern is playing out again this year. 5:17

wes-delks

• Don believes God has big plans for Wes Delks as a young man. 75:34

whitetail-master-academy

• Don announces weekly rut-forecast videos releasing every Sunday evening on the Whitetail Master Academy. 73:47

writing

• Don’s first book, written after the 2004 confiscation controversy, sold out its first printing in less than six months. 58:46

Deer activity

• Babe (management) 10:47
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 25:03
• unnamed buck (harvest) 25:51
• Babe (history) 33:22
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 61:06

Listener questions

Question: Levi Yoder asks why Don chose to shoot an older bow instead of his new Mathews bow in a recent photo with Babe. 34:41

• Answer: Don explained that his new Mathews bow was actually a year old, given to him early, and that he doesn’t sell such gifted bows but donates the old one to charity instead. 36:14
• Answer: Facing a shipping delay, Don grabbed his old bow just days before season and started shooting it again to make sure it was still accurate. 36:53
• Answer: Don believes hunters owe it to the game to be as proficient as possible with their weapon rather than learning a new bow mid-season. 39:22

Question: Adam Katz asks what became of Don’s plan to plant a pumpkin patch for deer, noting deer love pumpkins. 40:21 — asked by Adam Katz

• Answer: The pumpkins failed because of residual herbicide Don had applied to his corn, so the pumpkin patch plan didn’t work out. 40:43
• Answer: Don decided the Nutri-Crave Corn on his farm was too important for getting deer through winter, so he wasn’t willing to sacrifice corn acreage for pumpkins. 42:00

Question: Matt Fueling asks whether he wasted his money now that his standing soybeans are shattering and whether the fallen beans will rot. 43:43 — asked by Matt Fueling

• Answer: Don explained that ‘shatter’ is when soybean pods burst open and the grain falls to the ground, which is why Matt’s beans were dropping. 44:21
• Answer: Real World soybean blends combine three or four different varieties to hedge against any single variety shattering in bad conditions. 45:15
• Answer: Don confirmed that fallen soybeans left on the ground will indeed rot and swell rather than grow. 46:28

Question: Tim from Millington asks whether hunting upwind while using cover scents like buck balm or vanilla would mask his scent while still attracting deer. 48:51 — asked by Tim

• Answer: Don said the deer will still smell the buck balm along with the hunter’s scent — the cover-scent trick won’t fool the deer. 49:41
• Answer: Don illustrated that a deer’s refined nose breaks scent mixtures into individual components rather than blending them like a human smelling soup. 50:19
• Answer: Don’s overall opinion is that nothing effectively covers human scent from a deer. 51:19

Question: The mailman, Steven Polk, asks whether an incident ever made Don or Terry consider walking away from deer hunting, and what stopped them. 53:21 — asked by Steven Polk

• Answer: Don recounted that in 2004 he was falsely accused of wrongdoing and had his first 200-inch buck confiscated by the Illinois DNR, requiring a lawyer to get it back. 53:48
• Answer: Don said that after a few days, resolve took over — he had done nothing wrong shooting that deer and refused to let someone else’s issue destroy his passion. 55:03
• Answer: Don emphasized he holds no ill will toward those involved, noting it happened almost twenty years ago. 59:13

Sponsors this episode

• ASIO Gear

Don and Terry discussed how weather was again overriding rut movement, with Don noting unusually heavy midday trail-camera activity and citing November 7th-8th as historically strong dates for big buck movement. Don explained his selective-culling philosophy, wanting both mature bucks removed before breeding, aided by his isolated, agriculture-surrounded farm, and reflected on mentoring young men like Kent Taber. Listener questions covered scent control, with Don arguing no cover scent, including buck balm, truly fools a deer’s nose; failed pumpkin plots due to herbicide residue, prioritizing Nutri-Crave Corn instead; and shattering soybeans, which Don confirmed rot rather than regrow once fallen. Steven Polk’s question prompted Don to revisit the 2004 confiscation of his first 200-inch buck by Illinois DNR, saying resolve carried him through and he holds no lingering ill will. Terry announced Sunday Night Prayer Time with Wes Delks, and Don previewed weekly rut-forecast videos.

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