Episode 200 - Journey to 200

Published: 2023-12-17
Episode page
Duration: 78 min

In this episode

business-integrity

• Don honored a price commitment made to a deceased consulting client, charging the client’s sons the same rate their father paid years earlier rather than current pricing. 24:40

business-philosophy

• Terry recounts that his company’s owner told him his main priority was to minister to employees and the community, trusting the business to take care of itself. 20:52

business-strategy

• Don says Real World intentionally avoids big-box retailers like Walmart, choosing to sell through privately owned mom-and-pop stores instead. 5:03

business-values

• Terry says when they rebranded as Real World Wildlife Products, they chose an organic growth approach over quickly buying business, staying true to their Christian values. 3:51

deer-management

• Don says he currently has more deer on his property in late season than the rest of his entire township combined, thanks to secure cover and abundant food. 70:59

discounts

• Don announces Jay Gingerich is offering a 10% discount code this week for Whitetail Master Academy members and Real World consulting clients. 39:14

family

• Terry shares that his mother suffered a bad fall at the hospital during a heart-procedure follow-up, shattering her femur near an old knee replacement. 76:15

habitat

• Don announces Jay Gingerich’s new website is live, with some previously discussed apple trees available to order now, though others won’t be available until later. 37:35

humic-acid

• Don announces a presentation on humic acid and Real World’s new product will be featured at their dealer event in March. 65:09
• Chad Corte asks whether Don or Terry have heard of humic acid helping to prevent CWD. 59:27

hunter-recruitment

• Bob Longo asks whether declining hunter numbers threaten hunters’ political voting power on hunting-related issues. 50:17

hunting-industry

• Don criticizes the Archery Trade Association, saying it doesn’t genuinely care about conservation and mainly wants more hunters recruited so it can sell more products. 51:23

hunting-philosophy

• Don says that after 200 episodes, chasing big deer has become more important to him personally than actually killing them. 12:48

iowa

• Norman Nestle asks why Iowa is the best state for growing giant bucks and what regulation changes Don thinks Iowa should make. 66:29

land-consulting

• Don advises that a property’s hunting potential cannot be accurately judged from an aerial photo alone; an in-person site visit is essential for solid advice. 75:24
• Don recounts a property that looked like a bottom-25% site on an aerial photo but blew him away in person, illustrating why aerials alone are unreliable. 74:40

land-prices

• Chase Harris asks for thoughts on where the recreational land and farmland market is heading given recent rapid price appreciation. 41:26

misinformation

• A commenter on the podcast’s YouTube channel claimed wind turbines pay for themselves in two to four years, which Don dismissed as likely a troll post. 40:15

personal-growth

• Terry asks how Don’s view of the hunting community, and his personal hunting journey, have changed over 200 episodes. 8:05

personal-life

• Terry shares that he changed jobs this year for his family and has been caring for his mother, who has been hospitalized again. 16:13

podcast-history

• Terry recalls the podcast was originally planned as a biweekly or monthly show but quickly grew into a weekly show that has now reached 200 episodes. 1:50

podcast-schedule

• Terry announces the podcast will take a one-week vacation after episode 200 and return after New Year’s. 72:50
• Don confirms Joe Miles and Jay Gingerich will each appear on separate episodes in early January. 73:08

property-management

• Norman Nestle asks whether Don would prefer owning a farm in a managed neighborhood versus an unmanaged one. 66:40

social-media

• Don states they have never purchased social media likes or followers, even though many companies do to impress sponsors. 4:38

social-media-reception

• Don recounts that a Thanksgiving video got well over a thousand comments and messages, with only one negative message among them. 9:52

speaking-events

• Don announces a January 5 speaking event in Fredericksburg, Ohio, with limited seating. 29:51
• Don announces a January 20 speaking event in Lake Butler, Florida. 30:48
• Don says the January 20 Lake Butler, Florida event costs $10 per ticket, which includes dinner. 31:05
• Terry announces a January 15 Men’s Fellowship Banquet in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, on a Monday night. 32:17

sponsorship

• Terry notes Nick Carpenter, a former consulting client, now represents Brenton USA, a Michigan-based AR-style hunting rifle company the podcast partnered with this year. 33:40

sponsorship-integrity

• Don says they’ve turned down or dropped more sponsors than they’ve kept, insisting on high integrity from any partner before accepting sponsorship. 2:57
• Don praises sponsors Joe Miles and Chris Yates as humble and grounded despite their success, always remembering the people who helped them. 17:08

trail-cameras

• Don says that when he has hunting permission on a property, he’ll deploy enough trail cameras to eventually identify every buck living there. 57:07
• Ethan Jansen asks where to draw the line on not hunting a spot due to no shooter bucks on camera, and on trusting trail cameras too much. 53:55

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 58:16

Listener questions

Question: Terry asks how Don’s view of the hunting community, and his personal hunting journey, have changed over 200 episodes. 8:05

• Answer: Don believes most people in the hunting community, like society generally, are good-hearted, even though a loud negative minority can seem louder than it really is. 8:52
• Answer: Don says his priorities have shifted—killing big deer matters less now, while relationships and habitat consulting bring him growing enjoyment each year. 13:11

Question: Chase Harris asks for thoughts on where the recreational land and farmland market is heading given recent rapid price appreciation. 41:26 — asked by Chase Harris

• Answer: Don says land has historically appreciated about 7% a year over forty years per Midwest Land Group research, but jumped roughly 17% last year, and he doesn’t expect prices to fall given strong investor demand. 41:44
• Answer: Terry predicts appreciation will settle back toward the long-term 7-10% average once the current interest-rate compression works through, as investors keep bidding up land as a stable asset. 45:50

Question: Bob Longo asks whether declining hunter numbers threaten hunters’ political voting power on hunting-related issues. 50:17

• Answer: Don argues recruiting more hunters brings no voting benefit since hunters are always a small minority, while new recruits with money would just outbid current hunters for land access. 52:37
• Answer: Terry adds that even with a voting majority, opposing interests would still find ways to push their agenda through. 53:30

Question: Ethan Jansen asks where to draw the line on not hunting a spot due to no shooter bucks on camera, and on trusting trail cameras too much. 53:55 — asked by Ethan Jansen

• Answer: Don says he won’t seriously hunt a spot unless he has firsthand confirmation, via photo or sighting, that a shooter buck is actually using the property. 54:10
• Answer: Terry says trail cameras are a vital management tool, though average hunters may over-rely on them since cameras can miss deer that are actually present. 55:58

Question: Chad Corte asks whether Don or Terry have heard of humic acid helping to prevent CWD. 59:27 — asked by Chad Corte

• Answer: Don says Real World’s new website will feature a humic acid video, and offers his opinion that nutrition, not radical herd eradication, could be key to addressing CWD. 60:20
• Answer: Terry says he’s increasingly convinced controlling pH is pivotal to plant, animal, and possibly human health, and could play a role in CWD symptom control, though it’s speculative. 61:06

Question: Norman Nestle asks why Iowa is the best state for growing giant bucks and what regulation changes Don thinks Iowa should make. 66:29 — asked by Norman Nestle

• Answer: Don says Iowa’s light hunting pressure produces older, bigger bucks, and recommends eliminating both the three-buck limit and the late muzzleloader season, which makes vulnerable bucks easy targets on soybean fields. 68:30

Question: Norman Nestle asks whether Don would prefer owning a farm in a managed neighborhood versus an unmanaged one. 66:40 — asked by Norman Nestle

• Answer: Don says he’d rather own property in an unmanaged neighborhood, since it lets him easily set his land apart rather than competing with equally managed neighboring properties. 69:59

Sponsors this episode

• Brenton USA
• Whitetail Master Academy

This milestone 200th episode had Terry and Don reflecting on the podcast’s growth from a planned biweekly show into a weekly one, and on how their views have shifted—Don said chasing big deer now mattered less to him than relationships and habitat consulting, while still seeing most of the hunting community as good-hearted. Terry shared personal news about changing jobs and his mother’s hospitalization after a bad fall. Listener questions covered land market trends, with Don citing roughly 7% historical annual appreciation versus about 17% last year; declining hunter numbers and political influence; trusting trail cameras versus firsthand buck sightings; humic acid’s possible role in CWD; and why Iowa produces giant bucks, with Don recommending eliminating the three-buck limit and late muzzleloader season. Several speaking events and product announcements were also mentioned, along with Terry’s account of Real World’s organic-growth rebranding.

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