Episode #2 - Update on Opening Week and Targeting Don’s First Booner of 2019

Published: 2019-10-06
Episode page
Duration: 55 min

In this episode

big-buck-hunters

• Don says the trait he wants to discuss this week is that big buck serial killers all tend to be loners. 22:17

bowhunting-challenge

• Don says slipping in and killing a mature buck with a bow without it ever knowing he was there is a real accomplishment. 24:57

dedication

• Terry observes that Don’s mind is constantly working on crop rotations, hunting pressure, and new properties. 25:56

discipline

• Don says discipline is what separates hunters who succeed at chasing mature bucks. 18:03

episode-frequency

• Terry announces the show will move to releasing episodes roughly every week to ten days during hunting season instead of every two weeks. 47:36
• Don confirms that, as Terry said, episodes will come more frequently during hunting season to help listeners tag the buck of their dreams. 53:54

episode-preview

• Terry says the next episode will cover another trait from Don’s big buck serial killers research. 27:44
• Terry previews future episode content: Jonathan pursuing a buck nicknamed “t t two,” Don hopefully tagging his first booner, and a sponsor possibly getting a buck. 47:53

farm-management

• Don owns a 120-acre farm managed exclusively for whitetails, letting target bucks reach about six years old before he harvests them. 6:06

food-sources

• Don recommends focusing on green food sources like alfalfa or green food plots until a hard frost changes deer feeding patterns. 51:31

higginsoutdoors

• Terry directs listeners to higginsoutdoors.com to buy Don’s books and see his land consulting projects. 54:28

hunting-goals

• Don’s 2019 goal is to kill three “booner” bucks from three different properties during three different phases of the season, which he says requires being a well-rounded hunter. 7:01

hunting-philosophy

• Don believes anyone who puts the same heart and effort into it could achieve what he has in deer hunting. 9:05

hunting-privacy

• Don says he now has his wife drop him off at hunting spots because if his truck is seen, people assume a big buck must be there and try to get access. 38:36

lease-property

• Don pays farmers a few hundred dollars for exclusive access to small lease properties so other hunters won’t ruin the setups he scouts. 6:47

listener-questions

• Terry announces that listeners who submit a question through higginsoutdoors.com that gets used on the show will receive a free Chasing Giants T-shirt. 3:17
• Don plans to save unused submitted listener questions and answer as many as possible in a dedicated Q&A segment near the end of each episode. 3:48

mast-crop

• Don reports an especially good acorn crop and about the best persimmon crop he has ever seen this year. 51:13

opening-day

• Don skipped the first two days of Illinois’s opener because temperatures were in the 90s, unusual weather in his forty-second year of deer hunting. 10:25

patience

• Don advises patience and discipline early in the season, believing rushing into the stand on opening day often does more harm than good. 10:49

podcast-goals

• Don says his goal is for Chasing Giants to become the best whitetail hunting podcast out there, which will take listener support. 53:43

podcast-growth

• Terry recommends that listeners download the podcast, subscribe, and rank it, saying that helps other people find the show more quickly. 4:35

priorities

• Don states deer hunting is his only interest outside of God and his family. 26:25

public-land

• Chris Andrews asks how to locate a target buck on public land, the main obstacles there, mobility versus private land, and dealing with pressure from others. 41:01

scouting

• Terry recommends driving around or calling farmers to find out where winter wheat is being planted, since it will shape late-season strategy. 51:46

shared-permission

• How do you share a property you’ve had access to for years with someone who just got granted permission right before bow season? 37:18

social-media

• Terry tells listeners to follow Higgins Outdoors and Terry Peer on Instagram and Facebook. 54:02

solo-hunting

• Don argues a solo hunter leaves less scent and noise than one bringing a partner, who also then needs stands for extra wind directions. 24:11

sponsor-hunt

• Don’s sponsor Mark Fisher, owner of 360 Hunting Blinds, is traveling from Pennsylvania to hunt with Don for three or four days. 45:55

stand-discipline

• Don warns hunters can burn out a stand for a mature buck, so they must capitalize when conditions are right and stay away when they’re not. 19:51

stand-placement

• Terry recommends hanging a minimally invasive “lone wolf” stand now near identified winter wheat fields in preparation for the late season. 52:08
• Don plans to hang a stand near a winter wheat field this week, before the wheat even sprouts, to keep the spot fresh for later hunting. 52:52
• Don advises hunters to plan ahead and get a stand ready as soon as they spot an opportunity, rather than waiting until deer start using a food source. 53:09

standing-crops

• How do standing crops observed while scouting properties affect where deer are located and how you hunt them? 48:50

trail-footage

• Kyle Heuerman of Team Radical hunted with Don last year and captured video footage of the target buck. 16:17

trophy-mounts

• Don keeps the mounts of the only two 200-inch bucks he has ever shot in his living room and often finds himself staring at them. 1:31

trophy-standards

• Don only targets exceptionally rare mature bucks and is willing to go the whole season without filling a tag rather than settle for a lesser buck. 8:12

wind-check

• Don jokes that his wind sock at home, used only for hunting, could make him look like an amateur pilot to passersby. 18:58 (light moment)
• Terry says no matter what a weather app says, it comes down to watching the actual wind flag on the pole outside the house. 18:35

writing-career

• Don has written close to 500 articles for various hunting publications over his career. 21:34

youth-hunting

• What tips should be kept in mind getting an eight-year-old son started hunting this year, to make it memorable and spark the same passion? 32:59

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (history) 11:39
• unnamed buck (sighting) 11:53
• unnamed buck (hunt) 12:57
• unnamed buck (history) 15:02
• the fork time buck (history) 15:39
• unnamed buck (history) 16:11
• unnamed buck (history) 16:39
• unnamed buck (history) 17:11
• unnamed buck (hunt) 18:07
• t t two (hunt) 47:55

Listener questions

Question: What tips should be kept in mind getting an eight-year-old son started hunting this year, to make it memorable and spark the same passion? 32:59 — asked by Brad Wendy

• Answer: Don recommends starting young kids on small game like squirrel hunting first, rather than jumping straight into deer hunting. 33:51
• Answer: Don advises keeping early hunts fun without pressuring kids, letting their interest build gradually rather than forcing it. 34:22

Question: How do you share a property you’ve had access to for years with someone who just got granted permission right before bow season? 37:18 — asked by Sam Heller

• Answer: Don answers that if someone already has permission, hunters should step back rather than compete, guided by treating others the way you’d want to be treated. 38:17
• Answer: Terry adds that if the two hunters can’t reach an agreement, Sam should move on and find another property to hunt. 39:55

Question: Chris Andrews asks how to locate a target buck on public land, the main obstacles there, mobility versus private land, and dealing with pressure from others. 41:01 — asked by Chris Andrews

• Answer: Don locates public-land bucks by gathering intel from trusted friends, then verifying leads with trail cameras. 42:01
• Answer: Don says the biggest obstacles on public land are other hunters and the fact that pressured deer don’t hold consistent patterns. 42:37
• Answer: Don says he stays far more mobile on public land, abandoning a spot if it doesn’t produce after two or three hunts. 44:22

Question: How do standing crops observed while scouting properties affect where deer are located and how you hunt them? 48:50

• Answer: Don explains that deer use standing crops as cover and food, so as fields are harvested, deer get pushed into the small wood lots where he hunts. 49:09
• Answer: Don notes that access matters as much as the stand itself, since a difficult walk through standing corn can spook deer and ruin an otherwise good stand. 50:10

Sponsors this episode

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

Don discussed his approach to targeting mature bucks, describing his 120-acre whitetail farm where he lets target bucks reach about six years old, plus small leased properties he pays farmers a few hundred dollars to access exclusively. His 2019 goal was killing three “booner” bucks from three properties across three season phases, and he said he’d rather go tagless than settle for a lesser buck. He framed this week’s “big buck serial killer” trait as loner behavior, arguing solo hunters leave less scent and noise. He and Terry recommended locating winter wheat fields now and hanging minimally invasive stands ahead of the late season, and Don planned to hang one before the wheat even sprouted. He reported strong acorn and persimmon crops and recommended green food sources until a hard frost. Listener questions covered starting an eight-year-old on small game first, sharing hunting access respectfully, and locating public-land bucks through trusted intel and mobility.

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