Episode #207 - Was Don a Hippie?

Published: 2024-02-11
Episode page
Duration: 72 min

In this episode

advocacy

• Jeremy O’Donnell asked whether Don believes his efforts, including podcasting and opposing poor legislation, have positively impacted deer quality and hunting. 56:55

bedding-cover

• Adam Kersey asked how large an area is needed for effective bedding cover and whether one acre is sufficient. 48:30

bobby-worthington

• Don states that if forced to name the best whitetail bowhunter alive today, he would say Bobby Worthington. 14:47

consulting

• Don visited six properties in the first four days of that week, across Southern Indiana and Ohio. 1:43

crp

• Tyler Garrig asked whether Real World Wildlife Products offers a shorter grass blend suitable for walking through with kids while still holding bedding deer. 35:42

cwd

• Rick Maga asked whether state agency deer-culling programs effectively increase available food per deer, similar to supplemental feeding. 44:13

farm-history

• The barn owner told Don that only six of these antique hay presses exist in the world, and he owns one of them. 10:06
• The property’s client told Don that the stone used to build the fence’s rock wall was hauled by horse-drawn sled from across the mountain. 11:27

food-plots

• Scott Barkman asked about Don’s first food plot: who inspired it, whether it succeeded, what he planted, and if he killed a buck over it. 23:16
• Michael Gruber asked what plant population per acre results from planting 50, 60, 75, and 90 pounds of soybeans per acre with a planter. 27:40

hiking

• Terry found an old John boat abandoned on the side of a mountain while hiking in Eastern Kentucky. 6:32

lesters-feet

• Terry announced a major upcoming announcement about Lester’s Feet that will be revealed at the Shipshewana show. 21:57

property-sale

• Don announced they have listed a 174-acre property in Washington County, Ohio, that they developed over the past two years. 39:24
• Don announced that bidding on the Washington County, Ohio property closes March 14 at 6PM via the Kaufman auction. 41:40
• Don warned that anyone caught on the Washington County property without permission will be arrested. 42:10

property-tour

• Don recalled finding an old Volkswagen bus abandoned in the woods on a client’s property during a filming trip. 4:52
• Don spent the day on John Ritter’s Ohio property, touring it in a cabbed John Deere Gator driven by Ritter, Grant Nicodemus’s father-in-law. 2:06

real-world-soybeans

• Don and Terry received an email from seed expert Duane Hopkins, who was excited about the analysis of one of the beans in their soybean blend. 34:26
• Don states Real World soybean sales have grown every year for fifteen straight years since the product launched. 32:19
• An acquaintance who planted Real World and a competitor’s soybeans side by side found deer devoured the Real World beans first and barely touched the other brand. 32:54

shipshewana

• Terry announced they’ll be visiting sponsor booths at Shipshewana including Cloverleaf, Brenton Firearms, Gingerich Tree Farm, and ASIO rather than hosting their own booth. 71:10
• Terry announced the podcast will record live in Shipshewana on Thursday night next week, planned for use as a YouTube update. 69:16
• Terry announced the Legends Roundtable event happens Friday night in the big arena at Shipshewana. 69:51

soybeans

• Don recommends planting 50 pounds of soybeans per acre with no browse pressure, about 60 pounds with light pressure, and up to 100 pounds per acre under heavy deer browse pressure. 30:38

speaking-engagement

• Terry announced he will moderate a Legends event at the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic in Shipshewana the following week. 12:54

supplemental-feed

• Rick Maga asked what cost-effective supplemental feed options exist besides plain corn. 44:23

trail-cameras

• Don has 12 Reconyx cell cameras across properties in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, and the single camera on the new Ohio property produces more pictures than the other eleven combined. 39:50

travel

• Don plans to travel from Ohio to Missouri, return home for about a day and a half, then head to Michigan for a couple of properties. 0:56

values-based-business

• Don recommends supporting Chick-fil-A, praising it as cleaner and more pleasant than other fast food restaurants. 68:06

wensel-brothers

• Don calls Gene and Barry Wensel living legends of the whitetail world who were largely responsible for starting the modern whitetail hunting craze. 13:29
• Don jokingly recounted how Barry Wensel once walked past an open door and saw another celebrity standing naked in front of a mirror at a 1980s Buckmasters Classic event. 20:57 (light moment)

whitetail-master-academy

• Rick Maga asked whether the Whitetail Master Academy benefits public land hunters or is only useful for landowners. 44:31

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (sighting) 24:48
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 40:41

Listener questions

Question: Scott Barkman asked about Don’s first food plot: who inspired it, whether it succeeded, what he planted, and if he killed a buck over it. 23:16 — asked by Scott Barkman

• Answer: Don got the idea for food plots from his friend Todd Hewing, one of the first people doing serious wildlife management. 23:38
• Answer: Don never killed a buck over that first food plot. 25:04

Question: Michael Gruber asked what plant population per acre results from planting 50, 60, 75, and 90 pounds of soybeans per acre with a planter. 27:40 — asked by Michael Gruber

• Answer: Don explained a 50-pound bag of Real World soybeans contains roughly 135,000 to 140,000 seeds, letting growers calculate population from that figure. 28:14
• Answer: Terry cautions that planting soybeans in 30- or 36-inch rows with a planter requires close attention to herbicide program and weed control. 28:39

Question: Tyler Garrig asked whether Real World Wildlife Products offers a shorter grass blend suitable for walking through with kids while still holding bedding deer. 35:42 — asked by Tyler Garrig

• Answer: Don explained deer prefer bedding in taller grass, but Real World does offer a shorter CRP grass blend with shorter grasses. 35:48
• Answer: Don suggests adding a small amount of Real World Switchgrass, no more than about one pound per acre, to create bedding clumps while keeping it walkable. 37:17

Question: Rick Maga asked whether state agency deer-culling programs effectively increase available food per deer, similar to supplemental feeding. 44:13 — asked by Rick Maga

• Answer: Don argues state deer-culling programs do nothing to improve deer nutrition and calls the approach ridiculous. 45:19

Question: Rick Maga asked what cost-effective supplemental feed options exist besides plain corn. 44:23 — asked by Rick Maga

• Answer: Don recommends the Real World Maximizer Concentrate Pellet, mixed with corn or other grains, as a cost-effective way to add complete nutrition to supplemental feed. 46:16

Question: Rick Maga asked whether the Whitetail Master Academy benefits public land hunters or is only useful for landowners. 44:31 — asked by Rick Maga

• Answer: Don agrees the Whitetail Master Academy is mainly geared toward land management and offers little direct benefit to public land hunters. 46:57

Question: Adam Kersey asked how large an area is needed for effective bedding cover and whether one acre is sufficient. 48:30 — asked by Adam Kersey

• Answer: Don recommends using the whole property for bedding cover rather than a small patch, turning 40 acres into a 40-acre bedding area, not just one acre. 49:06
• Answer: Don suggests planting low-maintenance pear trees near stand locations to give deer an added food draw without annual upkeep. 50:06

Question: Jeremy O’Donnell asked whether Don believes his efforts, including podcasting and opposing poor legislation, have positively impacted deer quality and hunting. 56:55 — asked by Jeremy O’Donnell

• Answer: Don answers a resounding yes; his advocacy efforts have positively impacted deer quality and hunting. 57:21
• Answer: Don states the only way to enact real policy change is to raise money and hire a lobbyist. 59:20

Don and Terry covered property trips, business updates, and a run of listener questions on food plots and management. Don described visiting six Southern Indiana and Ohio properties in four days, touring John Ritter’s Ohio ground, and finding an old Volkswagen bus in the woods, while Terry recalled a John boat abandoned in Eastern Kentucky. They announced a 174-acre Washington County, Ohio property up for auction through March 14, plus Shipshewana show plans including a Legends Roundtable and a teased Lester’s Feet announcement. Don named Bobby Worthington the best living whitetail bowhunter and called the Wensel brothers pioneers of modern whitetail hunting. Listener questions covered soybean planting rates and seed counts, a shorter CRP grass blend for walkable bedding, criticism of state deer-culling programs, the Maximizer Concentrate Pellet as supplemental feed, and using whole properties rather than small patches for bedding cover.

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