Episode #21 - Working on Food Plots and Watching the Weather - Lots and Lots of Questions

Published: 2020-05-18
Episode page
Duration: 75 min

In this episode

announcement

• Terry announces episode 22 will feature the show’s first-ever guest, secured through a prize giveaway tied to an online contest run by John Mulligan of Arrow Wild. 73:36

apple-trees

• Don advises choosing disease-resistant apple varieties suited to your region rather than picking apples deer find tastier, since deer will eat any apple. 20:36

banter

• Terry jokingly professes shock that Don would plant anything sourced from China on his property. 3:43 (light moment)
• Terry jokes that being called a liberal is the one thing that would actually cause real friction between him and Don. 71:55 (light moment)

chestnut-trees

• Don now plants Chinese chestnuts instead of pricier Dunstan chestnuts, saying they perform just as well or better and save money. 23:06
• Two chestnut experts, from Ohio State University and University of Missouri, told Don the Dunstan chestnut is essentially just a Chinese chestnut with clever marketing. 22:50
• Don recalls squirrels breaking into his greenhouse and digging up every planted chestnut to eat, while leaving several species of acorns untouched. 24:47

clover

• Don advises planting clover/chicory mix at the first opportunity, noting it can be frost-seeded while dormant. 38:56
• Don says frost-seeding is his favorite way to plant clover. 39:10
• Robert asks how long he can wait, given a wet cold spring, to plant Real World Clover and Chicory mix and still have it mature. 38:33

clover-maintenance

• Don recommends mowing rather than herbicides to maintain a clover plot, since mowing stimulates clover growth while setting back weeds. 42:24
• Terry asks Don to confirm that clover shouldn’t be allowed to fully mature and seed out, and should instead be mowed for tender regrowth. 40:03

cover

• Don says in his ag-heavy area cover is the weakest link, so having enough cover is the priority for holding deer. 31:32

faith

• Bob asks Don and Terry for one or two favorite Bible verses that help them through daily life. 59:56

fence-removal

• Don had Wes Delks of Real World, James Morgan, and son-in-law Corey Hamilton help him tear down about two acres of old high fence. 4:56

food-plot-diversity

• Terry credits food plot diversity as the biggest factor in his progression from harvesting 120-inch bucks to consistently taking deer over five years old. 35:02
• Don promotes a well-balanced, diverse food plot program that keeps high-quality food available to deer year-round. 33:03

food-plot-percentage

• Jeremy asks whether there’s a standard percentage of a property for food plots/bedding, and what perennial-versus-annual ratio to use. 29:24

food-plots

• Don says he just finished planting all of his food plots this week. 9:57
• Based on Real World’s seed sales, Don believes more food plots get planted on Memorial Day weekend than any other time of year. 13:10

frost-damage

• Terry recounts that a hard frost damaged early-germinated crops and cleared local nurseries out of garden plants like cucumbers and zucchini. 11:37

fruit-trees

• Don describes planting apples, crab apples, pears, chestnuts, and persimmons inside a former captive-deer enclosure, protected from wild deer by the old fence. 3:11

future-episode

• Don and Terry plan a future episode focused on advice for listeners who want to break into the hunting industry. 74:38
• Don plans a future episode dedicated to deer herd management and culling bucks, drawing on listener questions he has saved for that topic. 74:47

habitat-improvement

• Don reports he finished this year’s two-year property improvement list and is already well into next year’s projects. 1:56

habitat-planning

• Don says there is no hard-and-fast rule for what percentage of a property should be food plots, since it depends on the individual property and area. 31:08
• Don says that in Terry’s timber-heavy area, getting even half a property into food would be a fantastic outcome, illustrating how ratios depend on local conditions. 31:54

hunting-season-prep

• Terry says his hunting-season preparation and his farm have never looked better than this year. 1:20

life-lessons

• Bob asks Don and Terry what their biggest life lesson has been from deer hunting. 51:26

mast-trees

• Don recommends planting mast-bearing trees around the edges of a food plot instead of scattering them randomly across the property, to concentrate deer feeding. 25:54
• Don recommends grouping mast trees together by species, saying it boosts pollination and fruit production. 27:18

native-grasses

• Terry warns that native grass seed like switchgrass is expensive, so buyers should research thoroughly before planting rather than treating it like ordinary food plot seed. 47:34

pear-trees

• Don says he actually prefers pears to apples since pears need far less maintenance, and he’s observed deer prefer eating pears on his property. 22:06

perennials-annuals

• Don rejects fixed formulas like a 50% annual/50% perennial rule, saying the mix should be based on what’s locally available. 33:23

persimmon-trees

• Don recommends planting a grove of persimmons in northern regions where they’re rare, since being the only persimmon trees around will draw deer in like a magnet. 25:43

planting-timing

• Terry recommends planting based on actual weather conditions rather than by calendar date. 11:54

pollination

• Terry asks Don the minimum number of each fruit-tree species needed for effective cross-pollination in a food plot. 27:31

selflessness

• Terry says that shifting his focus from personal gain to helping others has made him more successful as an outdoorsman and opened more opportunities. 57:50

soybeans

• Don worries that heavy rain after planting may crust the ground and force him to replant his soybeans. 10:12

stand-placement

• Don narrowed a wide deer travel corridor to a 30-yard funnel with a new fence, creating a tight pinch point past his stand. 6:39
• Don estimates he traded one stand for another and invested roughly a hundred man-hours making the new stand site better than the one he lost. 9:14
• Terry suggests repurposing old scrap fence or downed trees to funnel deer movement can be a game-changer for turning an ordinary spot into a great stand site. 8:29

switchgrass

• Zach asks whether burning switchgrass benefits habitat, whether it regrows on its own, or whether replanting is needed. 43:20

tree-planting

• Brandon asks what trees Don and Terry like to plant to improve deer habitat, and which apple or fruit trees deer prefer. 18:51

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (sighting) 5:27
• the Brewster Buck (harvest) 49:53
• unnamed buck (hunt) 50:01
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 50:20

Listener questions

Question: Brandon asks what trees Don and Terry like to plant to improve deer habitat, and which apple or fruit trees deer prefer. 18:51 — asked by Brandon Ericsson

• Answer: Look for disease-resistant apple varieties suited to your region rather than a variety deer find tastier. 20:36
• Answer: Don personally prefers pears over apples since pears need less upkeep and deer seem to favor them. 22:06
• Answer: Don now just plants cheaper Chinese chestnuts instead of Dunstan chestnuts. 23:06

Question: Jeremy asks whether there’s a standard percentage of a property for food plots/bedding, and what perennial-versus-annual ratio to use. 29:24 — asked by Jeremy Sluder

• Answer: There’s no fixed percentage rule; it depends entirely on the property and surrounding area. 31:08
• Answer: In Don’s ag-dominated area, cover is the weakest link and thus the priority. 31:32
• Answer: In a timbered area like Terry’s, getting even 50% of a property into food would be fantastic. 31:54
• Answer: For perennial/annual mix, aim for a diverse, balanced program providing quality food year-round. 33:03
• Answer: A fixed 50/50 annual-perennial split makes no sense; base the mix on what’s already available locally. 33:23

Question: Robert asks how long he can wait, given a wet cold spring, to plant Real World Clover and Chicory mix and still have it mature. 38:33 — asked by Robert Bergerson

• Answer: Plant it at the first chance you get, since it can be frost-seeded while dormant. 38:56
• Answer: Frost-seeding is Don’s favorite method for planting clover. 39:10

Question: Terry asks Don to confirm that clover shouldn’t be allowed to fully mature and seed out, and should instead be mowed for tender regrowth. 40:03

• Answer: Don confirms clover and alfalfa should never fully mature since maturing causes them to lose nutrient value. 40:33
• Answer: Don mows his clover about once every 30 days through summer to keep it nutrient-dense. 40:51

Question: Zach asks whether burning switchgrass benefits habitat, whether it regrows on its own, or whether replanting is needed. 43:20 — asked by Zach Roller

• Answer: Yes, burning switchgrass is beneficial and accomplishes three things for the stand. 44:07
• Answer: Switchgrass will grow back on its own after burning, without needing to be replanted. 46:01
• Answer: For a new planting, Don’s favorite method is preparing the plot a year ahead and frost-seeding it. 46:32

Question: Bob asks Don and Terry what their biggest life lesson has been from deer hunting. 51:26

• Answer: Terry says everyone’s goals and stage in the sport differ, so hunters should enjoy the process instead of comparing themselves to others. 52:37
• Answer: Don says deer hunting has slipped in his priorities over the years, and he’s realized people matter far more than deer hunting. 56:13

Question: Bob asks Don and Terry for one or two favorite Bible verses that help them through daily life. 59:56

• Answer: Don says his favorite verse came from interviewing devout Christian Matt McPherson of Mathews Archery. 60:26
• Answer: Don’s favorite verse, from Luke, is “to whom much is given, much is expected.” 60:55
• Answer: Terry cites Acts 15’s account of Paul and Barnabas’s sharp falling-out, noting they still each accomplished the shared mission despite splitting up. 65:11

Question: Terry asks Don the minimum number of each fruit-tree species needed for effective cross-pollination in a food plot. 27:31

• Answer: Don recommends planting at least five or six trees of each species together for good pollination. 28:08

Sponsors this episode

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

Don and Terry discussed property and food plot work ahead of the season. Don finished his two-year property improvement list, planted fruit and nut trees inside an old captive-deer enclosure, and tore down about two acres of high fence with help from Wes Delks, James Morgan, and Corey Hamilton, using the new fence to narrow a travel corridor into a 30-yard funnel near a stand he estimated took roughly a hundred man-hours to improve. He finished planting food plots but worried rain could crust the soil and force replanting soybeans. Listener questions covered tree choices for habitat (disease-resistant apples, pears over apples, cheaper Chinese chestnuts over Dunstan), food plot percentages, clover mowing and frost-seeding, and burning switchgrass. Bob’s questions prompted personal reflections: Terry said hunters should focus on enjoying their own process, Don said people matter more than deer hunting, and both shared favorite Bible verses.

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