Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots

Published: 2024-07-21
Episode page
Duration: 77 min

In this episode

antler-growth

• Terry asked what observers should look for on trail camera photos this time of year to judge how much bigger a buck will still grow. 14:27

business-announcement

• Terry and his wife signed papers to acquire 50% ownership of a company that distributes and sells Masac machines. 70:42

canada-launch

• Terry announced Real World products are now available in Canada, with a kickoff event planned in Ontario. 20:15
• Don announced sales manager James Hyden will represent Real World at Canada’s kickoff event on Tuesday, July 30, marking their first Canadian dealer. 20:31

deadly-dozen

• Tim Gwen asked whether he could mix clover and chicory into his Deadly Dozen fall plot planting. 53:20

ehd

• Terry said the 2012 EHD outbreak near his Illinois hunting grounds still hasn’t fully recovered twelve years later. 60:42
• Chase Myers asked why his New Jersey deer herd is still recovering slowly from a bad EHD outbreak years ago and how to bring more deer back to his property. 59:00

fall-food-plots

• Don warned that planting fall food plots too early causes plants to over-mature and lose palatability, making them far less attractive to deer by hunting season. 27:45
• Terry explained planting fall plots too early causes them to mature and die rather than going dormant and regrowing productively in spring. 28:34
• Don recommended planting brassicas like turnips, radish, and sugar beets roughly 75 to 90 days before the area’s expected first frost. 30:31
• Don recommended planting cereal grains closer to the first frost date, about 45 to 60 days ahead. 30:44
• Don said he would rather see a fall food plot planted a little later than too early. 31:41
• Don noted that plots primed for late October, when bucks show more daylight movement, improve the odds of catching a buck on the plot. 31:59
• Terry cautioned that Don’s fall-plot example was based on Wisconsin’s October 15 frost date, not a literal calendar date for all listeners. 32:11
• Terry’s own fall-plot timing in Kentucky runs about a month behind Don’s Wisconsin example, targeting the second week of November. 32:29
• Terry recommended mixing leftover soybeans into fall food plots to attract deer early, since frost will kill the beans within weeks anyway. 32:58
• Terry asked how many pounds per acre of leftover soybeans Don typically mixes into his fall plots. 34:01

fawn-mortality

• Terry said they kept hearing reports of hay mowing and combine harvesting killing many fawns this year. 11:50

fawn-survival

• Don attributes this year’s strong fawn crop to crops being harvested before fawns dropped and far fewer coyotes seen on his cameras than usual. 10:53

fawns

• Don reported an unusually high number of fawns this year, both on his trail cameras and around his house. 10:01

harvest-standards

• Terry set a personal harvest standard of only targeting bucks at least five-and-a-half years old and over 160 inches unless helping a specific management program. 74:18

hunting-goals

• Terry has not shot a target buck in three years, having shot a wounded buck two years ago and passed on shooting last year. 73:22
• Fred Zorich asked what deer hunting and life goals Don and Terry have for this coming season and the rest of their hunting days. 66:53

joe-miles

• Don said Joe Miles kills more bucks in a season than Don kills in five. 16:44

midwest-sportsmans-classic

• Terry announced the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic, sponsored by FAE, will continue in Northern Indiana. 22:23
• Attendees at the show wanted more time with the Wensel brothers, Bobby Worthington, Al Foster, Don, and Joe. 22:32
• The Midwest Sportsman’s Classic is scheduled for February 13 through 15. 22:47
• Jay Gingerich of Brenton USA sold a lot of product with his tree business at last year’s Midwest Sportsman’s Classic. 26:00

milford-hills

• Donald Trump Jr. and Ted Nugent appeared at Milford Hills, the Wisconsin hunting facility, on the Monday before Don’s seminar there. 2:05

minerals

• Emery Miller asked why his deer ignore the Maximizer mineral and always choose Trophy Rock when offered side by side. 39:11

ministry

• Terry plans to use his new company as a ministry outlet, similar to how he approached Lester’s Feet and the podcast. 71:21

outdoors-with-the-morgans

• Terry recommended watching the Outdoors With The Morgans YouTube live feed for an unbiased account of the rally shooting. 8:35

public-land

• An anonymous Pennsylvania listener asked whether Don only kills big bucks because of a special property, and how successful he’s been off his own farm. 62:10

real-world-products

• Milford Hills, where Don spoke, is a Real World Wildlife Products dealer that sold a lot of product after the event. 3:05

reed-canary-grass

• Tony Lambrecht asked what advice Don has for dealing with reed canary grass on his 120-acre Northern Missouri property to improve deer habitat. 34:28

retail-distribution

• Don advised that seed and mineral products sold in big chain stores are inherently low quality because high-quality products can’t sustain the required profit margins. 51:00
• Michael Scott asked why Real World hasn’t pursued major retail chains or Amazon to make its products more available and increase sales. 45:39

seminar-tour

• Don announced a six-day seminar tour starting Monday, July 22, with stops across New York and Pennsylvania. 18:00

trophy-room

• Terry has 17 mounted bucks aged five-and-a-half years or older in his trophy room, including one that was four-and-a-half. 73:46

whitetail-life

• Whitetail Life sold more magazine subscriptions at the three-day Shipshewana show than at the nine-day Harrisburg show, which draws about a million attendees. 25:07

whitetail-master-academy

• Tim Gwen said he felt sold out and distraught after the Whitetail Master Academy ownership change and asked how Don would reassure members it’s worth investing in. 52:32

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 9:42

Listener questions

Question: Tony Lambrecht asked what advice Don has for dealing with reed canary grass on his 120-acre Northern Missouri property to improve deer habitat. 34:28 — asked by Tony Lambrecht

• Answer: Don recommended burning the reed canary grass in spring when dormant, then planting potted trees—especially pin oak, which withstands flooding and holds leaves through winter. 36:38
• Answer: He added the grass’s dense root system means new trees need surrounding areas sprayed with glyphosate repeatedly for the first three to five years to survive. 37:19

Question: Emery Miller asked why his deer ignore the Maximizer mineral and always choose Trophy Rock when offered side by side. 39:11 — asked by Emery Miller

• Answer: Don explained Trophy Rock is roughly 98% salt with only trace nutrients, functioning like candy that attracts deer without real nutritional benefit. 39:57
• Answer: He recommended gradually weaning deer onto Maximizer by mixing decreasing ratios of Trophy Rock with increasing Maximizer over successive refills. 41:06

Question: Michael Scott asked why Real World hasn’t pursued major retail chains or Amazon to make its products more available and increase sales. 45:39 — asked by Michael Scott

• Answer: Don said Real World tried major retail before but found the profit margins big box stores and Amazon demand are too high without sacrificing product quality. 46:18

Question: Tim Gwen said he felt sold out and distraught after the Whitetail Master Academy ownership change and asked how Don would reassure members it’s worth investing in. 52:32 — asked by Tim Gwen

• Answer: Don said Tim misunderstood — Jake will not be the one providing content on the videos. 54:06
• Answer: Don clarified Jake is the new owner bringing in other experienced hunters, like Bobby Worthington, to provide the actual content. 54:23

Question: Tim Gwen asked whether he could mix clover and chicory into his Deadly Dozen fall plot planting. 53:20

• Answer: Don confirmed Tim can mix clover and chicory directly into his Deadly Dozen planting. 53:36
• Answer: He advised continuing to mow the plot each spring, eventually leaving a stand of straight clover and chicory. 53:51

Question: Chase Myers asked why his New Jersey deer herd is still recovering slowly from a bad EHD outbreak years ago and how to bring more deer back to his property. 59:00 — asked by Chase Myers

• Answer: Don said recovery comes down to hunters simply quitting shooting the depleted deer. 59:25
• Answer: Don added his own Illinois herd took eight to ten years to recover from a similar EHD outbreak. 59:37

Question: An anonymous Pennsylvania listener asked whether Don only kills big bucks because of a special property, and how successful he’s been off his own farm. 62:10

• Answer: Don said only seven of the 21 deer heads on his wall came off his home farm, while 14 came from other properties. 63:07
• Answer: He added his top five bucks came from four different properties — only two off his own farm and three from permission-only land. 63:47

Question: Fred Zorich asked what deer hunting and life goals Don and Terry have for this coming season and the rest of their hunting days. 66:53 — asked by Fred Zorich

• Answer: Don’s top hunting goal is to shoot a public-land buck scoring at least 180 inches, which he called extremely difficult at 61. 67:55
• Answer: His other goal is two more 200-inch-plus bucks to reach five total, with at least one coming from somewhere other than his home farm. 68:22

Question: Terry asked what observers should look for on trail camera photos this time of year to judge how much bigger a buck will still grow. 14:27

• Answer: Don explained a rounded, bulbous tine tip and dark coloration indicate a buck is still growing antlers, while pointed, lighter-colored tips mean growth stopped. 14:53
• Answer: Don added antler velvet shifts from deep black-gray to brown or tan as it dries and stops growing, signaling maturity alongside tip shape. 15:42

Question: Terry asked how many pounds per acre of leftover soybeans Don typically mixes into his fall plots. 34:01

• Answer: Don said he mixes maybe 10 pounds per acre of soybeans at most. 34:06

The episode covered fall food plot timing, warning that planting too early causes plants to over-mature and lose palatability; Don suggested brassicas roughly 75-90 days before first frost and cereal grains 45-60 days out, while Terry noted his own Kentucky timing runs about a month behind Don’s Wisconsin example. Don reported an unusually high fawn crop, which he linked to early crop harvest and fewer coyotes on camera, though Terry noted reports of mowing and combines killing fawns elsewhere. Terry announced acquiring 50% ownership of a Masac machine distributor, intended partly as a ministry outlet. Listener questions covered reed canary grass habitat management, why deer prefer Trophy Rock over Maximizer, why Real World avoids big box retail, concerns about the Whitetail Master Academy ownership change, EHD herd recovery, and Don’s harvest history and season goals, including a 180-inch public-land buck and reaching five 200-inch bucks. Trail camera antler-growth indicators were also discussed.

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