Episode #197 - Don’s Grandson Kills His First Buck!

Published: 2023-11-26
Episode page
Duration: 64 min

In this episode

360-blinds

• Jacob Schulte asked how Don manages windows in his 360 blinds, and whether he opens them early or waits until he sees deer. 55:51

andrea-cancer

• Don recalled that Robin called him while he was riding in the truck with Steve to tell him Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer. 6:59
• Terry recalled that watching Corey tell Andrea ‘I love you’ in the video brought back the emotions from when his own wife had cancer. 9:37
• Terry recalled that Don once said he wished he could take on the cancer himself instead of it being his daughter. 10:03
• Don explained he still felt sick and didn’t want to risk exposing Andrea, the family’s top priority right now, to illness. 15:04

asio-spotlight

• Terry explained an Amish hunter who wasn’t comfortable being photographed submitted his buck photo with his ASIO jacket laid beside it instead. 15:31
• Don estimated the ASIO spotlight buck is a typical six-by-six with extra brows, scoring in the 180s. 16:30
• Matt Schmucker described harvesting his target buck, named Splits, as the hunt of a lifetime, aided by favorable wind and weather. 17:08

babe-video

• Don published a video called Babe, produced by Steve Shields, on Thanksgiving morning. 1:36
• Terry noted the 20-minute Babe video aired Thanksgiving morning and had almost 20,000 views by the time they recorded the podcast Saturday evening. 3:09
• Don gave Steve Shields no direction for the Babe video, trusting Steve understood his heart from months of filming together. 2:03
• Don said the Babe video’s message is totally different from a typical hunting video, which was exactly his intent. 2:59
• Don praised how Steve blended countless clips with music so the video could touch the emotions of every person who watches it. 11:34

buck-range

• Francis Stark asked whether supplemental feeding after season could keep a specific mature buck from shifting to its separate summer range. 48:40

community

• Terry said the power of the podcast community goes far beyond hunting mature bucks, especially when it can support a grieving family. 63:24

consulting

• Terry said he plans to arrange equipment discounts as a blessing to people who support the podcast’s outreach efforts. 29:57
• Don recommended making sure a consultant you hire has actually achieved what you’re striving for before hiring them. 40:56
• Terry said his consulting calendar is almost full and urged anyone wanting a Dream Team member to book as soon as possible. 41:32
• Kirk Gibson asked how to convince his dad and brother that hiring a Chasing Giants consultant would be worth the financial investment for their Michigan property. 35:31

crossbow-debate

• Don clarified he’s only against crossbows in archery season for able-bodied hunters, not for people with physical limitations. 46:25
• Don said he invited a gentleman he knows will bring a crossbow to hunt his farm, and it doesn’t bother him at all. 47:40

drone-debate

• Terry said some listeners are passionate about using drones to pattern deer bedding, even though his own opinion is completely opposite. 47:20

fawn-behavior

• Nicholas Cross asked whether buck fawns would attach to another doe if their mother were killed, and whether that doe would kick them out. 30:36

fawn-weaning

• Terry asked when a fawn actually weans off its mother, a topic they hadn’t discussed before on the podcast. 31:37

harvest

• Terry reported that Amber Harrison killed a buck she and Andy had reportedly been tracking since 2017 or 2018. 59:13
• Terry said he loved seeing the picture of Amber posing behind the big mature buck she killed. 59:31
• Don noted this was Amber’s second buck of the season, and she still had an Iowa gun tag for the following weekend. 59:44

hunting-ethics

• Don noted some hunters consider trail cameras unethical, yet he uses them himself, showing that ethical standards vary among hunters. 44:32
• Don said what’s in a man’s hand matters far less than what’s in his heart when it comes to hunting ethics. 45:19
• Chad Horetzky asked what they would do if a target buck came into range with half its rack broken off. 41:57

lesters-feet

• Don said Steven made a huge contribution to a Lester’s Feet raffle a couple of years ago. 28:13

listener-shoutout

• Terry gave a shoutout to listener Steven Stolphos, though not a sponsor, for sending them a calendar made for his company, Stormy Ridge Metal Roofing. 24:48

personal-story

• Don recalled shooting his first buck while with his own dad and said he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. 13:28
• Terry said he quit hunting a deer last year after it broke off part of its rack, and it later disappeared, likely taken by another hunter. 43:24
• Don recounted glassing two fawns from his stand and identifying them as button bucks before they wandered off. 33:14

prayer-intent

• Terry said instead of discussing it publicly, he and Don would privately pray for a young individual facing important decisions. 29:26

prayer-request

• Don shared that his friend Kyle Birch’s 27-year-old son, Hunter, died this past week, and asked listeners to pray for the family. 60:56

rut-report

• Don said Saturday, November 18, was probably the premier day of the rut, with activity off the charts across the whole Midwest. 18:38
• Terry said Saturday morning was among the top five hunting mornings of his career, with roughly 20 deer and 12 bucks seen chasing. 19:06
• Patrick Simpson and Brandon Epperson, visiting from Kentucky, both shot bucks that Saturday morning during the rut. 18:59
• Terry heard that several deer processors were so overwhelmed after the rut weekend that their freezers were completely full. 19:51
• Don said his trail cameras show a lot of mature buck cruising activity in the days right after the rut peak. 20:52
• Don predicted bucks will taper off and lay up in early December to recover from the rut until cold weather triggers renewed movement. 21:24
• Don announced he posted his final rut report of the season since the daily pattern isn’t expected to change much now. 21:45

switchgrass

• Justin Rue asked why Babe and other bucks always exit through that same spot in the switchgrass field. 51:11

thanksgiving

• Don said he had a fantastic Thanksgiving with family, and everyone had plenty to eat and was doing well. 1:11

walker-first-buck

• Don announced that his grandson Walker shot his first buck, an eight-point, while hunting with his dad Corey in Indiana. 12:06

weather

• Terry said he’s watching for a stretch of really cold weather to set in following the rut for their food plot programs to pay off. 20:07

wildlifefarming

• Terry said he is already talking with WildlifeFarming about working together and hopes to have news on that soon. 30:18

Deer activity

• Babe (history) 1:37
• unnamed buck (harvest) 12:06
• unnamed buck (history) 13:28
• Splits (harvest) 17:04
• unnamed buck (sighting) 33:14
• unnamed buck (sighting) 42:20
• unnamed buck (hunt) 43:24
• unnamed buck (history) 48:47
• Babe (history) 51:21
• Smokey (harvest) 53:42
• unnamed buck (harvest) 53:48
• unnamed buck (harvest) 53:53
• Mel (history) 54:18
• unnamed buck (harvest) 59:13
• unnamed buck (harvest) 59:44

Listener questions

Question: Nicholas Cross asked whether buck fawns would attach to another doe if their mother were killed, and whether that doe would kick them out. 30:36 — asked by Nicholas Cross

• Answer: Don said it would be very rare for another doe to fully adopt orphaned buck fawns, and she would not show maternal aggression by kicking them out. 31:07

Question: Terry asked when a fawn actually weans off its mother, a topic they hadn’t discussed before on the podcast. 31:37

• Answer: Don said fawns typically wean in late winter, around January, though many are still nursing this time of year. 31:42
• Answer: Don added fawns can generally survive independently by about three months of age, sometimes earlier under ideal conditions. 32:30

Question: Kirk Gibson asked how to convince his dad and brother that hiring a Chasing Giants consultant would be worth the financial investment for their Michigan property. 35:31 — asked by Kirk Gibson

• Answer: Don said if the finances are there, the selling point is a consultant can quickly build a plan shaving years off the learning curve toward shooting the property’s biggest bucks. 38:40

Question: Chad Horetzky asked what they would do if a target buck came into range with half its rack broken off. 41:57 — asked by Chad Horetzky

• Answer: Don agreed with Chad, saying it’s up to each hunter, but he personally sees no need to shoot a buck with a busted-up rack. 43:05

Question: Francis Stark asked whether supplemental feeding after season could keep a specific mature buck from shifting to its separate summer range. 48:40 — asked by Francis Stark

• Answer: Don said once a mature buck’s home range and pattern are established, there’s almost nothing a hunter can do to shift it elsewhere. 50:08

Question: Justin Rue asked why Babe and other bucks always exit through that same spot in the switchgrass field. 51:11 — asked by Justin Rue

• Answer: Don explained the dominant buck beds in a swale within the switchgrass for security, exiting there with a favorable quartering wind. 53:01

Question: Jacob Schulte asked how Don manages windows in his 360 blinds, and whether he opens them early or waits until he sees deer. 55:51 — asked by Jacob Schulte

• Answer: Don said when entering his 360 blind he typically opens at least two windows facing where he most expects a shot. 56:53

Sponsors this episode

• Whitetail Master Academy
• QuietKat

Don shared that his Thanksgiving video Babe, filmed by Steve Shields, aired Thanksgiving morning and neared 20,000 views by Saturday, carrying a message distinct from typical hunting content tied to Andrea’s cancer diagnosis. Don’s grandson Walker took his first buck, an eight-point, hunting with his dad Corey in Indiana. Terry and Don discussed a standout rut weekend, calling that Saturday among the season’s best mornings, with Terry seeing roughly 20 deer and 12 bucks chasing; visiting hunters Patrick Simpson and Brandon Epperson also connected. They noted Amber Harrison’s harvest of a long-tracked buck, her second of the season. Don asked listeners to pray for Kyle Birch’s family after the death of his son Hunter. Listener questions covered fawn weaning age, orphaned buck fawns, whether feeding can hold a mature buck’s range, and why bucks like Babe exit through the same switchgrass spot.

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