Episode #213 - Turning old cow pasture in deer sanctuary

Published: 2024-03-24
Episode page
Duration: 62 min

In this episode

amish-community

• Terry attended an Amish youth group’s fundraiser breakfast and said the community center parking lot had more tractors than a tractor dealership. 16:42

austin

• Wes reportedly nicknamed Austin ‘the samurai with a chainsaw’ after Austin got days’ worth of work done for him in just two days. 5:03

call-in-service

• Don announced that one call-in service dropped Chasing Giants, but he confirmed the Emtek call-in service still carries the podcast for Amish listeners. 10:55
• Terry gave out the call-in phone number and PIN details and asked listeners to spread the word so Amish listeners without other access could find the podcast. 12:32

cattle-pasture

• Nelson Burkholder asked whether it’s beneficial to spray grasses on a regenerating cattle pasture hill to promote more broadleafs and briars. 42:09

consulting

• Don consulted on a property in Illinois and two in Iowa this week and planted a bunch of trees. 3:36
• Don said groups that buy and flip hunting properties use his consulting plan as a marketing tool and report gaining $500 to $1,000 per acre in premium value. 33:09

consulting-price

• Michael Riggs asked how Don justifies charging other deer hunters $10,000 for consulting services, saying the price seems ridiculous. 30:44

family

• Don shared the family’s tentative plan for Andrea’s recovery: about six weeks to recover from tumor-removal surgery, followed by six weeks of radiation five days a week. 7:20
• Don planned to plant trees, look for shed antlers, and do tree stand work with his grandkids during their spring break visit. 8:43

food-plot

• Matthew from Roanoke, Virginia asked for both hosts’ thoughts on intercropping Nutri-Crave corn on 30-inch rows with Gen-two soybeans filling the gaps. 17:49

hunting-pressure

• Jordan Barry asked how long the effects of hunting pressure and human intrusion last before deer that moved off a property might return. 58:13

kentucky-basketball

• Terry joked that Kentucky has an annual ‘fire John Calipari season’ when the whole state gets upset after Kentucky loses early in the tournament. 1:04 (light moment)

march-madness

• Terry filled out his NCAA bracket by picking the winner based on which school’s name came first alphabetically. 2:08

rut-hunting

• Barry Wensel reportedly said at the legends debate that the first cold, frosty morning of fall is fantastic for hunting, every single year. 27:04
• Garrett Larson asked how to split six hours of rut hunting between morning and evening, and how to allocate ten hours across a full day. 22:47

sanctuary

• Don said he and about eight others combed through his sanctuary last weekend and ran every deer out to test how quickly they would return. 59:21

timber-harvest

• Dave Robbins asked whether Don has a minimum diameter for oaks he tells loggers to spare for future timber value when logging his 40-acre stand. 51:22

tractors

• Terry’s new New Holland 75-horsepower cab tractor arrived this week, and he switched away from green tractors because his new employer doesn’t allow them. 5:48
• Don says his all-time favorite tractor was a New Holland he used years ago for his tree-planting service. 6:19

tree-protection

• Don recommends Tree Pro brand tree tube shelters, based in Lafayette, Indiana, to protect newly planted oaks from deer browsing. 45:29

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 59:34

Listener questions

Question: Matthew from Roanoke, Virginia asked for both hosts’ thoughts on intercropping Nutri-Crave corn on 30-inch rows with Gen-two soybeans filling the gaps. 17:49 — asked by Matthew

• Answer: Don said he prefers to keep corn and soybeans in separate plots because it’s easier to manage weeds with herbicides when they aren’t mixed. 18:47
• Answer: Terry said intercropping sacrifices soybean pod yield, since the plants compete during the first couple feet of growth when double-planted together. 20:34

Question: Garrett Larson asked how to split six hours of rut hunting between morning and evening, and how to allocate ten hours across a full day. 22:47 — asked by Garrett Larson

• Answer: Don said with six hours to hunt during the rut, he’d spend four hours in the morning and the last two hours of the afternoon. 26:08

Question: Michael Riggs asked how Don justifies charging other deer hunters $10,000 for consulting services, saying the price seems ridiculous. 30:44 — asked by Michael Riggs

• Answer: Don said he did over 50 consulting visits this year, and less than half of those clients paid the full $10,000 fee. 31:19
• Answer: Terry explained that Don deliberately prices close to other consultants, sacrificing deals to push clients toward Terry and others to help establish their businesses. 36:37

Question: Nelson Burkholder asked whether it’s beneficial to spray grasses on a regenerating cattle pasture hill to promote more broadleafs and briars. 42:09 — asked by Nelson Burkholder

• Answer: Don recommended planting potted oak seedlings rather than bare-root stock, since bare-root seedlings won’t compete well against dense sod in an old cattle pasture. 43:33

Question: Dave Robbins asked whether Don has a minimum diameter for oaks he tells loggers to spare for future timber value when logging his 40-acre stand. 51:22 — asked by Dave Robbins

• Answer: Don said he generally recommends about a 16-inch diameter for oaks worth saving during a timber harvest, as long as there’s a market for that size. 55:17

Question: Jordan Barry asked how long the effects of hunting pressure and human intrusion last before deer that moved off a property might return. 58:13 — asked by Jordan Barry

• Answer: Don said a property hunted hard for years or decades takes much longer for local deer to accept as a safe zone, unlike a former sanctuary that deer return to quickly. 58:43

Terry and Don opened with light talk on NCAA bracket picks and an Amish youth fundraiser breakfast before covering business updates: one call-in service dropped the podcast, though Emtek still carries it for Amish listeners, and Terry’s new New Holland tractor arrived. Don shared that Andrea’s recovery plan involved about six weeks post-surgery followed by six weeks of daily radiation. Listener questions drove most of the discussion: Matthew asked about intercropping corn and soybeans, with Don preferring separate plots for weed control and Terry noting yield competition; Garrett asked about splitting rut-hunting hours; Michael questioned Don’s $10,000 consulting fee, which Don and Terry defended by explaining pricing and client volume; Nelson asked about spraying pasture grasses; Dave asked about minimum oak diameter to spare when logging, with Don citing about 16 inches; and Jordan asked how long hunting pressure keeps deer away before they return to a property.

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