Episode #22 - Special Contest Winner Bryan Medinger and Don has big announcement

Published: 2020-06-01
Episode page
Duration: 72 min

In this episode

deer-management

• Bryan asks Don what his number one deer management technique has been. 21:01

food-plots

• Don says rabbits and pheasants, not deer browse, are destroying his soybean food plots this year and he may need to replant. 2:24
• Don notes a fence can address deer browse pressure on a food plot, but he isn’t sure how to solve rabbit damage. 2:59
• Duane Hopkins explained that a soybean plant nipped by a deer will keep growing as long as two leaves remain on it. 3:21
• The Deadly Dozen fall food plot blend is recommended as the best fall plot option because it provides forage throughout hunting season into spring. 34:57
• Bryan says his plan this year is food plots going in this week followed by trail cameras shortly after. 37:07

human-intrusion

• Curtis Harms asks what habitat work Don recommends to improve his 18 acres of timber sanctuary as bedding cover. 42:10

hunting-biography

• Terry asks Bryan whether he started hunting at a young age. 17:40

hunting-properties

• Bryan hunts three properties across Wisconsin, including sites in Central Wisconsin and near La Crosse in the western part of the state. 17:02
• Terry asks Bryan whether his three hunting properties are owned, leased, or accessed by permission. 18:21

outdoor-tv

• Don believes outdoor hunting TV is a dying format, saying he hasn’t watched one himself in about three years. 65:36

podcast-format

• Terry says the podcast may add video content and asks listeners to message him on Facebook or Instagram if they want to see video with the audio. 63:46

stand-access

• Bryan asks whether Don has buddies drop him at a stand by ATV so the ATV keeps moving rather than parking. 30:54

stand-strategy

• Austin Hepburn asks how often Don strays from established stand setups to hunt more mobile if stands need to move. 53:36

trail-cameras

• Terry bought a bulk order of lithium batteries from Amazon and is prepping about 40 trail cameras. 4:16
• Don is seeking an economical trail camera model that still takes good night pictures for higher-risk locations. 4:46
• Don plans to keep testing multiple trail camera brands throughout the whole hunting season before settling on a favorite model. 6:32
• Don observes that some mature bucks that spot a camera once will never walk in front of it again. 7:42
• Terry asks whether Don is putting a few trail cameras out earlier than usual this year because of his camera test. 6:47
• Bryan asks whether Don has a favorite trail camera placement, like pinch points or over food plots. 22:57

treestand-placement

• Bryan asks if there are specific geographical features Don looks for when placing treestands. 25:26
• Bryan asks whether Don hangs stands at a certain fixed height or bases it on the cover available. 28:46

turkey-hunting

• Bryan Medinger serves as president of his local NWTF chapter in Grafton, Wisconsin. 16:47

youtube

• Don announces he launched a new YouTube channel called Higgins Outdoors featuring his hunting footage. 56:31
• Terry urges listeners to like, subscribe, and comment on the new channel’s videos to help its algorithm engagement. 62:20

Deer activity

• fork time buck (hunt) 29:23
• Trump (harvest) 29:41

Listener questions

Question: Terry asks whether Don is putting a few trail cameras out earlier than usual this year because of his camera test. 6:47 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Don explains the test cameras are only on his home farm and areas away from his stands with heavy nighttime deer traffic, not near mature-buck spots. 7:05

Question: Terry asks Bryan whether he started hunting at a young age. 17:40 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Bryan says he started hunting at age 12, the legal minimum age in Wisconsin at the time. 17:44

Question: Terry asks Bryan whether his three hunting properties are owned, leased, or accessed by permission. 18:21 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Bryan says two of his properties are owned by his father-in-law and his wife’s grandfather. 18:30

Question: Bryan asks Don what his number one deer management technique has been. 21:01 — asked by Bryan Medinger

• Answer: Don says limiting human intrusion is the number one deer management factor since intrusion ruins properties more than anything else. 22:12

Question: Bryan asks whether Don has a favorite trail camera placement, like pinch points or over food plots. 22:57 — asked by Bryan Medinger

• Answer: Don says he favors pinch points such as gaps in old fences where deer funnel through as prime camera locations. 23:09

Question: Bryan asks if there are specific geographical features Don looks for when placing treestands. 25:26 — asked by Bryan Medinger

• Answer: Don says inside corners of fields are one of the obvious terrain features he looks for when placing stands. 25:36

Question: Bryan asks whether Don hangs stands at a certain fixed height or bases it on the cover available. 28:46 — asked by Bryan Medinger

• Answer: Don says stand height is all about the cover, and as he’s gotten older he prefers not to hang stands very high. 28:54

Question: Bryan asks whether Don has buddies drop him at a stand by ATV so the ATV keeps moving rather than parking. 30:54 — asked by Bryan Medinger

• Answer: Don says on the days he actually hunts he wants stealthy access to the stand so deer never know a human was on the property. 31:23

Question: Curtis Harms asks what habitat work Don recommends to improve his 18 acres of timber sanctuary as bedding cover. 42:10 — asked by Curtis Harms

• Answer: Don tells Curtis the ATV path has to stop and human intrusion on the property must be cut down. 44:28
• Answer: Don suggests Curtis look into CRP programs for the 50 killable acres to gain more bedding cover and get paid. 44:34
• Answer: Terry advises making the 18-acre timber as thick as possible and hunting its downwind sides with good entrance and exit access for the rut. 45:54

Question: Austin Hepburn asks how often Don strays from established stand setups to hunt more mobile if stands need to move. 53:36 — asked by Austin Hepburn

• Answer: Don says on established properties he rarely moves stands, but on new public hunting land he stays much more mobile. 55:30

Sponsors this episode

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

Don and Bryan Medinger, president of an NWTF chapter in Grafton, Wisconsin, discussed food plots, trail cameras, and deer management. Don reported rabbits and pheasants, not deer, were destroying his soybean plots, while Duane Hopkins had noted a nipped soybean plant survives if two leaves remain. Terry prepped about 40 trail cameras with bulk lithium batteries, and Don sought an economical camera with good night images, planning to test several brands all season. Don named limiting human intrusion his top deer management priority, favored pinch points like old fence gaps for cameras, and looked for inside field corners when placing stands, keeping height low as he’d aged. He advised Curtis Harms to end ATV use and consider CRP for bedding cover, while Terry suggested thickening timber and hunting its downwind sides. Don also announced a new YouTube channel, Higgins Outdoors.

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