Episode 225 - Big Antlers this Spring Mean Big Decisions this Fall!

Published: 2024-06-09
Episode page
Duration: 62 min

In this episode

antler-biology

• Don explained that heat increases blood flow to growing antlers, which act almost like radiators cooling the blood. 4:03

antler-growth

• Don predicted young bucks could see a huge antler jump this year but might regress next year without similarly ideal growing conditions. 4:54
• Terry recalled the winter of 2022-23 as the worst antler growing season he could remember, with nearly every buck they tracked declining. 5:54
• Don noted an out-of-state client’s buck was already starting its G4 points in the first week of June, unusually advanced growth. 12:18
• Don estimated antler growth this year is running about three weeks ahead of the normal cycle. 12:34
• Don said this antler growing season is unlike anything he’s ever seen set up before. 13:28

buck-management

• Terry predicted many exceptional 3-year-old bucks in the 145-150 inch range will get shot this year because of accelerated growth. 9:09
• Tim Heath told Don that the main thing keeping hunters from killing great bucks is their inability to pass up a 130-inch buck. 9:48
• Don argued that letting a mature five-year-old buck go risks losing him for nothing if next year’s antler growth doesn’t repeat this year’s conditions. 17:04

business

• Don plans to travel to Mississippi Monday with Duane Hopkins to meet a potential company to expand Real World products in the South. 57:52

captive-deer

• Captive deer breeders reportedly favored hot, shade-free days for growing antlers on their bucks. 3:37

crimper-rollers

• Have you changed your mind on crimper rollers and will you ever buy one? 35:51

early-spring

• Don observed that deer emerged from a mild winter into an early spring with timely rains ever since, promoting strong plant growth. 3:09

feeders

• What would you feed the deer through feeders, since you’re not fond of a corn pile? 46:56

fruit-trees

• What do you recommend for us habitat managers in terms of fruit trees? 26:29

hunting-pressure

• Don stated that human intrusion ruins more hunts than anything else. 18:20

mentorship

• Don learned from mentor Al Foster years ago that hunters should really start cashing in on a new property by the third season. 43:54

mild-winter

• Don experienced one of the mildest winters of his life, with only a handful of truly cold days at the end of Illinois’s season. 1:20

mineral

• Terry said this time of year is the most pivotal period for mineral application for both antler growth and doe lactation. 19:39
• Terry recommended having mineral out since January or February since deer consumption peaks right now. 20:24
• Terry advised against hunters mixing their own mineral ingredients like garlic into feed, saying it’s usually a waste of time. 55:16

nutricrave-corn

• Should NutriCrave corn be planted in the same field as regular ag corn? 42:01

parenting

• Don reflected that daughters raised with strong values tend to marry men who share those same values. 59:34

permission-hunting

• Don described sending about a dozen permission letters and knocking on a dozen doors this spring seeking new hunting access. 23:22

personal

• Terry announced his daughter is getting married next weekend, which will require recording the podcast earlier that week. 59:03
• Terry announced he and his wife have a major long-term career opportunity and asked listeners to keep them in prayer. 60:25
• Don announced his daughter Andrea is finishing her last two of 30 radiation treatments this week and asked for prayers. 60:59

politics

• What will happen in this country if they put Trump in jail? Will we have a civil war? 35:57

product-development

• Don said Real World paid a substantial sum to secure the rights to the Expect Healthy Deer technology for its products. 56:22

property-scouting

• How long does it take to gather enough data on a new hunting property to consistently be successful on it? 43:16

ticks

• Are heavy ticks on deer something to worry about, and can anything be added to feeders to help? 52:28

trail-cameras

• Terry recommended waiting until around July 4 to put out trail cameras rather than pressuring properties with early scouting. 18:05
• Don noted trail cameras both contribute to losing big bucks and help hunters avoid pressuring their properties since users tend to stay away otherwise. 18:30

water-sources

• What difference does it make to only occasionally fill feeders versus a water hole? 47:01

whitetail-life-magazine

• Don plans to finish editing several more articles for the next issue of Whitetail Life magazine this week. 58:45

Deer activity

• Brandon Efferson’s buck (history) 6:22
• unnamed buck (harvest) 9:43
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 12:15
• Babe (management) 17:18
• unnamed buck (history) 21:24

Listener questions

Question: What do you recommend for us habitat managers in terms of fruit trees? 26:29 — asked by Drew Peterson

• Answer: Don recommends disease-resistant apple varieties like Freedom, Liberty, Yates, Enterprise, and Gold Rush. 27:54
• Answer: Don treats his fruit trees as survival of the fittest, giving minimal care after the first two years. 30:16
• Answer: Don discourages plastic weed mats around trees because roots grow along the surface under the plastic and get exposed when it deteriorates. 33:27

Question: Have you changed your mind on crimper rollers and will you ever buy one? 35:51 — asked by William

• Answer: Don has not changed his mind and still won’t buy a crimper roller. 37:47
• Answer: Don explained crimpers only work if the crop is at the exact right maturity stage, making good timing hard for weekend food plotters. 36:28

Question: What will happen in this country if they put Trump in jail? Will we have a civil war? 35:57 — asked by William

• Answer: Don doesn’t believe a civil war would happen because it couldn’t become organized against the federal government. 39:02
• Answer: Don predicted Trump would win at least 45 of the 50 states in the fall. 40:01
• Answer: Terry agreed there won’t be a civil war because Americans today aren’t willing to sacrifice the way earlier generations did. 40:11

Question: Should NutriCrave corn be planted in the same field as regular ag corn? 42:01 — asked by Mylan King

• Answer: Don advises not planting NutriCrave in the same field as regular ag corn. 42:07
• Answer: Don explained cross-pollination will definitely occur and bring nutrient levels down. 42:32

Question: How long does it take to gather enough data on a new hunting property to consistently be successful on it? 43:16 — asked by Bo Findlay

• Answer: Don said mentor Al Foster’s rule was that the third year on a property is when you should really start cashing in. 44:08
• Answer: Don agreed the questioner’s third-season estimate was essentially correct, though some properties can be learned faster. 45:11
• Answer: Terry added that beyond learning the property, hunters also benefit from controlling what gets shot as pressure is removed. 45:25

Question: What would you feed the deer through feeders, since you’re not fond of a corn pile? 46:56 — asked by Mylan Yoder

• Answer: Don said he’d use Real World’s complete feed. 47:26

Question: What difference does it make to only occasionally fill feeders versus a water hole? 47:01 — asked by Mylan Yoder

• Answer: Don believes water is way overrated as a limiting factor on most Midwest properties. 49:00
• Answer: Don clarified his real objection isn’t water sources themselves but the human intrusion caused by refilling them. 49:48

Question: Are heavy ticks on deer something to worry about, and can anything be added to feeders to help? 52:28 — asked by John Stewart

• Answer: Don said Real World’s Expect Healthy Deer technology has antiparasitic ingredients that can help with ticks. 53:18
• Answer: Don noted the key challenge is getting deer to regularly ingest the product, which is hard with wild deer. 53:52

Don and Terry discussed an unusually mild winter followed by an early, wet spring, which Don said pushed antler growth roughly three weeks ahead of normal, with heat driving increased blood flow to growing antlers. Terry recalled 2022-23 as the worst growing season he could remember by contrast, and both predicted many strong young bucks would be shot this year, with Don warning that passing a mature five-year-old buck risks losing him if conditions don’t repeat. Terry advised delaying trail cameras until around July 4 to limit pressure, and stressed this period as critical for mineral use, recommending mineral be out since winter. Don described sending out permission letters seeking new hunting ground, citing his mentor Al Foster’s rule that the third season is when a property starts paying off. Listener questions covered fruit tree varieties, crimper rollers, NutriCrave corn cross-pollination, feeders versus water holes, and ticks. Terry asked for prayers over a career opportunity, and Don asked for prayers as his daughter neared the end of radiation treatment.

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