Episode#203 - Post Season Scouting and Project Advice

Published: 2024-01-14 Episode page Duration: 81 min

In this episode

antler-drop

• Eric asked whether drought-related stress could cause bucks to drop antlers earlier, similar to its effect on overall antler growth. 54:34

banter

• Don jokes that despite heading to Florida for a seminar, he definitely will not be wearing shorts. 80:24 (light moment)

buck-behavior

• Jordan asked what he could do to get a specific big buck that only shows up on his property after season ends onto his land during season. 49:58

consulting-schedule

• Don says his consulting schedule is completely booked this winter, staying full all the way until about May 1st. 1:24

corn-management

• Brent asked how Don and Terry manage corn plots for hunting, including whether they knock corn down to direct deer movement past stands. 69:54

dealer-summit

• Real World is hosting a dealer summit for all its dealers on March 4-5 in Arthur, Illinois. 11:29
• Don announces Dr. Bronson Strickland will give a seminar the first evening of the Real World dealer summit. 11:37

food-plots

• Dustin asked what food source works best for maximum draw on a 10-acre plot surrounded by hundreds of acres of timber during late season. 34:43

long-term-habitat

• Don recalls always thinking his property would be good ‘in five years,’ until one day he realized it already was pretty good. 53:47

master-class

• Don is teaching two remote master classes this spring: March 23 in Spencerville, Indiana, and April 6 in New Richmond, Wisconsin. 13:07

new-property

• Michael asked what to do on 600 newly-accessed acres where bucks are young with poor antlers and there are three or four does per buck. 58:42

nutricrave-corn

• Don states Real World holds exclusive rights to NutriCrave corn from their breeder, and no one else legitimately sells authentic NutriCrave corn. 71:03

podcast-production

• Terry thanks Steve Shields for creating a new podcast intro that debuted on this episode. 79:28

property-history

• Terry recounts learning that the original owners of a steep Southeast Indiana property he consulted on were moonshiners who hid stills in the woods. 7:00
• Don recalls finding old tombstones and abandoned vehicles deep on properties, evidence of history predating the current landowners. 7:43

rope-scrape

• Terry recommends buying rope material now, in winter, to build rope scrapes and hang them in the yard so chemical scent weathers off before spring. 29:51
• Don explains rope scrape material holds scent deep in its fibers and takes months of weathering to fully remove the chemical smell. 30:25

speaking-engagement

• Terry will speak Monday night at his home church, the Sherman Church of Christ, in Dry Ridge, Kentucky. 9:12
• Don will hold his first-ever Florida seminar on Saturday, January 20, in Lake Butler with a catered evening meal. 9:39

switchgrass

• Don warns Real World Switchgrass supply will be limited this year and is likely to sell out, urging listeners to order early. 23:37

timber-history

• Don says a timber stand dominated by hickory trees is a reliable sign the land was once used as cattle pasture, since cattle avoid young hickories. 69:22

timber-stand-improvement

• Jacob asked whether to replant oaks in newly-thinned wooded cover once sunlight reaches the forest floor, or let natural regeneration fill in instead. 64:39

trade-shows

• Don jokes that at 60 he’s nearly ‘deer showed out’ and wouldn’t mind never seeing another deer, though he still gets the appeal. 1:50 (light moment)
• Don describes exhibiting at trade shows as physically grueling, standing on concrete for three or four days until his back, legs, and feet ache. 3:07

tsi

• Terry advises putting a strategic, prioritized plan together and going in to finish TSI cutting quickly rather than dragging the project out. 27:19

whitetail-summit

• A Whitetail Management Summit with Don speaking is being held February 9-10 at Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. 14:07
• Don will speak March 9 in Greenwood, Delaware with Eastern Outdoors, marking his first time ever presenting in that state. 14:58

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (harvest) 16:04
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 49:43
• unnamed buck (sighting) 56:19

Listener questions

Question: Dustin asked what food source works best for maximum draw on a 10-acre plot surrounded by hundreds of acres of timber during late season. 34:43 — asked by Dustin Ward

• Answer: Don says for a heavily wooded 10-acre plot, soybeans are the single best late-season food source since deer clean out corn before winter. 36:26
• Answer: Don recommends not tearing up an aging clover plot; instead frost-seed more clover on top of it each spring to keep it going indefinitely. 39:04
• Answer: Don explains alfalfa is highly nutrient-dense, but Real World avoids selling it because most food plotters can’t maintain the fertility and cutting it requires for success. 42:13

Question: Jordan asked what he could do to get a specific big buck that only shows up on his property after season ends onto his land during season. 49:58 — asked by Jordan Schmidt

• Answer: Don explains that if a buck’s home range doesn’t include your property, there’s often no reliable way to draw him in. 51:01
• Answer: Don encourages patience, saying new habitat work takes years for local deer to key into, and the property will keep improving. 52:21

Question: Eric asked whether drought-related stress could cause bucks to drop antlers earlier, similar to its effect on overall antler growth. 54:34 — asked by Eric Billington

• Answer: Don explains early antler drop results from stress, which can stem from injury or harsh weather like ice storms. 54:47

Question: Michael asked what to do on 600 newly-accessed acres where bucks are young with poor antlers and there are three or four does per buck. 58:42 — asked by Michael Carlson

• Answer: Don advises against heavy hunting pressure since it would educate the property’s young bucks to stand locations before a shooter buck arrives. 59:49
• Answer: Don recommends immediately flooding the new 600-acre property with trail cameras to inventory every buck using it before hunting begins. 58:58

Question: Jacob asked whether to replant oaks in newly-thinned wooded cover once sunlight reaches the forest floor, or let natural regeneration fill in instead. 64:39 — asked by Jacob Cooper

• Answer: Don recommends planting potted oak trees, protected with tube shelters, into thinned timber you plan to own long-term rather than relying on natural regeneration. 67:36

Question: Brent asked how Don and Terry manage corn plots for hunting, including whether they knock corn down to direct deer movement past stands. 69:54 — asked by Brent Fry

• Answer: Don explains he directs deer past his stand in a corn plot by mowing sections of standing corn, since deer prefer feeding where it’s knocked down. 74:16
• Answer: Don applies urea before discing, then sprays liquid nitrogen with residual herbicide right after planting corn so he never has to treat the plot again all season. 78:24

Unofficial fan project. AI-synthesized from public episodes; may contain errors. Report an issue with this page