Episode #235 - Is EHD Back in 2024? Bucks Dead in Indiana!

Published: 2024-08-18
Episode page
Duration: 84 min

In this episode

autographs

• Don jokes that fans can trade one Little Debbie snack for one of Terry’s autographs at the show. 16:10 (light moment)

big-buck-hunting

• Terry recalls that when the giant nontypical was killed, many locals at the steakhouse that night were visibly upset, showing how widely known the buck was. 42:45
• Don admits he has hunted more individual giant bucks over 200 inches without ever laying eyes on them than he has actually killed. 45:27
• Dave Armstrong asks whether Don’s reduced obsession with big bucks, compared to the past, will affect his ability to kill another 200-inch buck. 33:27
• Elijah Bagwell also asks how Don stays motivated the season after killing a great buck, when he may not see that caliber again. 50:05

bow-equipment

• Matt McPherson published a letter addressing limb failures and splintering on the Mathews Lift bow, assuring hunters warranties will be honored. 13:34

child-development

• Don cites having read that a child learns more in the first three years of life than in the rest of their life combined. 50:57

clover

• Jay Hart from Owensboro, Kentucky asks how to properly terminate and restart his declining three-year-old clover plot. 27:40
• JC Whitet asks whether to kill his drought-stressed two-year-old clover and chicory plot or wait for it to recover with rain. 30:23

customer-service

• Don advises that customer service builds successful businesses, and taking care of people leads to the money taking care of itself. 27:30

deer-feeders

• Customers report that the Coonless Deer Feeder’s raised feed heads keep bucks from entering a frame and damaging antlers while in velvet. 6:38
• Terry notes strong community support for Austin and Anne’s new Coonless Deer Feeder business venture. 6:49
• Austin sold out the first production run of the Coonless Deer Feeder within a day. 7:39
• Terry clarifies the Coonless Deer Feeders will already be for sale before the Shipshewana Show, though Austin will still bring one to display. 16:37

ehd

• Don identifies Wabash County, Indiana, as the location of the recently reported EHD deer die-off. 17:18
• Terry stresses that nutrition is a herd’s best defense against EHD, and supplementation must start in winter and continue through spring. 18:51
• Terry warns that stockpiling nutrition products now, in a panic over EHD, is already too late to meaningfully help the herd this season. 19:06
• Don advises getting supplemental nutrition to deer weeks or months ahead of an EHD outbreak, not after it appears. 19:13

faith

• Don reflects that a sparrow’s tiny legs never get frostbitten in winter, seeing it as evidence of God’s design that deepens his faith while hunting. 53:51
• Elijah Bagwell asks how Don balances being a man of God, a father, and a serious whitetail hunter. 50:00

food-plots

• Don recommends drilling clover with a G Series drill instead of broadcasting, since it places seed about a quarter inch deep for a much better stand. 2:35
• Don prefers planting cereal-grain food plots a little late rather than too early, since early growth can get tall and tough and lose attraction before season. 3:26
• Terry plans to terminate portions of his standing soybean fields to plant Deadly Dozen and cereal grains in those areas. 4:41
• Terry plans to stick with his food-plot schedule without panicking despite a dry forecast, keeping his property ready to plant if rain arrives. 61:17

gatormade-trailers

• Terry recounts that after he backed out of a trailer deposit due to losing his job, Sid at Gatormade Trailers responded by offering to help him find work. 25:40

habitat-management

• Terry says habitat and land management work becomes more addictive than hunting itself, since it’s rewarding to see tangible improvement in a deer herd. 57:08

land-buying

• Mike from Steedman, Missouri asks whether it’s better to walk property boundaries watching for red flags on neighboring land before buying a farm. 46:57

land-management

• Don says that even when he thinks he’s done improving his property, he can’t stop and always finds new projects to do. 57:29

land-purchase

• Don plans to fly to Ohio with a business partner to evaluate another property for possible purchase. 7:13

legends-roundtable

• The February show will host the next Legends Roundtable with the Wessel brothers, Bobby Worthington, Joe Miles, Don, and Al Foster. 15:06

mens-retreat

• Don announces a men’s retreat at his church, Solid Rock Chapel in Sullivan, Illinois, on September 27-28. 12:03
• Don plans to give away his new Mathews lift bow as a door prize at the retreat, as he did with a bow last year. 12:59

real-world

• Don is preparing the next Real World land management guide for 2025, with a strong focus on herd health and nutrient-dense foods. 19:56

seminars

• Don announces he will speak at a dealer event in Eaton, Ohio on August 30, one of his final two fall seminar appearances. 9:48
• Don announces a second event the next day, August 31, in Coldwater, Michigan. 10:42
• Andy Andreas, breeder of specialty apple trees sold at Gingerich Tree Farm, will give a seminar at the Coldwater, Michigan event. 11:01

sunday-night-prayer-time

• Terry announces Chasing Giants will now air the Sunday Night Prayer Time at the end of every episode, also posted separately on YouTube. 31:56

trade-show

• Terry announces the FAE Midwestern Sports Classic trade show in February, featuring a dedicated Chasing Giants section. 14:48
• Don mentions that 360 Blinds will be at the trade show unveiling a new product they’ve been developing. 15:40
• Don jokes that ‘the great Terry Peer’ will be at the show signing autographs. 15:55 (light moment)

trail-cameras

• Don plans to pick up his grandson Walker and spend the visit checking trail cameras he hasn’t looked at yet. 61:34
• Casey Larson asks why Don didn’t leave trail cameras on the Ohio dream buck’s property in case he survives and grows into a record. 38:24
• Kyle from Oakland City, Indiana asks how to find a target buck’s rut range once you know his velvet summer range. 57:51

tree-stand

• Terry plans a trip to Illinois this week to finally hang a tree stand he still needs up, taking advantage of mild weather. 62:29

weather

• Don predicts an early fall this year based on various weather forecasts and websites showing a mid-to-late September pattern in mid-August. 5:20

whitetail-life

• Terry commends Don, Derek, and the Whitetail Life magazine staff for producing an old-school, neutral, nuts-and-bolts hunting publication. 20:26
• Whitetail Life features regular columnists Dwayne Hopkins on food plots and Dr. Bronson Strickland on whitetail science. 22:33

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (harvest) 8:35
• unnamed buck (hunt) 36:23
• Brewster buck (harvest) 38:01
• unnamed buck (history) 41:42
• Trump buck (harvest) 58:25

Listener questions

Question: Jay Hart from Owensboro, Kentucky asks how to properly terminate and restart his declining three-year-old clover plot. 27:40 — asked by Jay Hart

• Answer: Don explains a declining clover plot can be kept going for years by frost seeding in early spring rather than terminating and replanting. 28:09
• Answer: Don recommends frost-seeding clover at half the normal rate every other year to maintain the plot long-term. 28:35

Question: JC Whitet asks whether to kill his drought-stressed two-year-old clover and chicory plot or wait for it to recover with rain. 30:23 — asked by JC Whitet

• Answer: Don compares it to the 2012 drought when his own clover looked dead and brown, but sprang back to life once fall rains came, predicting the same recovery. 31:17

Question: Dave Armstrong asks whether Don’s reduced obsession with big bucks, compared to the past, will affect his ability to kill another 200-inch buck. 33:27 — asked by Dave Armstrong

• Answer: Don says a 200-inch buck is no harder to kill than a 150 if they’re the same age. 34:26
• Answer: Don adds the real difficulty is finding the buck and gaining hunting access to the property where he lives. 34:40

Question: Casey Larson asks why Don didn’t leave trail cameras on the Ohio dream buck’s property in case he survives and grows into a record. 38:24 — asked by Casey Larson

• Answer: Don explains he skipped leaving trail cameras because the Ohio property was six hours from home; he’d have left cameras if it were within an hour or thirty minutes. 38:52

Question: Mike from Steedman, Missouri asks whether it’s better to walk property boundaries watching for red flags on neighboring land before buying a farm. 46:57 — asked by Mike

• Answer: Don says seeing lots of tree stands lined up on the neighboring side of a property’s boundary is a major red flag. 47:32

Question: Elijah Bagwell asks how Don balances being a man of God, a father, and a serious whitetail hunter. 50:00 — asked by Elijah Bagwell

• Answer: Don says it’s possible to balance faith, family, and hunting if kept in proper balance, without hunting every free daylight moment. 52:05

Question: Elijah Bagwell also asks how Don stays motivated the season after killing a great buck, when he may not see that caliber again. 50:05 — asked by Elijah Bagwell

• Answer: Don says the bigger the buck he kills, the happier he is, but the bigger the letdown after, since finding another like it may take years, if ever. 55:41

Question: Kyle from Oakland City, Indiana asks how to find a target buck’s rut range once you know his velvet summer range. 57:51 — asked by Kyle

• Answer: Don says the secret is trail cameras, since knowing a buck’s summer range doesn’t mean you know where he goes in fall. 58:17
• Answer: Don adds hunters may need cameras in all four directions, since visual sightings or trail camera photos are really the only ways to relocate the buck. 59:53

Prayer Time

Scripture: 1 Peter
Theme: submission to authority
Eric opens with 1 Peter 2:13-17, teaching that Christians must submit to human authority and government ordinances for the Lord’s sake, not using freedom as a cover for sin, especially amid political tension. 66:26

Scripture: Romans
Theme: government and divine authority
Turning to Romans 13, Eric explains all governing authorities are appointed by God, even Nero who persecuted Christians, so resisting authority resists God’s ordinance. 71:27

Scripture: Revelation
Theme: faithfulness unto death
Citing Revelation 2:10, Eric reminds listeners we’re called to be faithful unto death, not merely faithful up to the point our constitutional rights are threatened. 69:42

Scripture: Habakkuk
Theme: trusting God’s sovereignty
Eric points to Habakkuk, where the prophet cries out over injustice in Israel, illustrating that God appoints rulers for His own providential purposes, not necessarily the most righteous ones. 74:56

Scripture: 1 Timothy
Theme: praying for authority
From 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Eric teaches Christians are commanded to pray for all in authority, from the president down to local government, so we may live peaceable, godly lives. 77:01

Scripture: Titus
Theme: peaceable and considerate speech
Citing Titus 3, Eric urges Christians to be subject to authorities, speak evil of no one, and be peaceable and gentle toward everyone, even amid political disagreement. 78:25

Scripture: Romans
Theme: unashamed of the gospel
Referencing Romans 1:16, Eric affirms Christians should stand firm and unashamed in their beliefs while remaining considerate and peaceable with others, not slandering opponents. 79:55

Scripture: Acts
Theme: obeying God rather than men
From Acts 5:29, Eric notes the apostles obeyed God rather than men after being jailed for preaching, teaching Christians resist government only when it commands sin. 80:12

Theme: closing prayer of thanksgiving
Eric closes in prayer, thanking God for blessings, asking that his teaching be true and pleasing to God, and praying for national, state, and local leaders to put God first in their decisions. 83:20

Don covered food-plot timing, recommending drilling clover about a quarter inch deep rather than broadcasting, planting cereal grains a bit late, and frost-seeding declining clover plots at half rate every other year instead of restarting them. He predicted an early fall based on weather sites and discussed an EHD die-off in Wabash County, Indiana, with Terry stressing nutrition supplementation must start well before an outbreak, not once one appears. Business updates included the Coonless Deer Feeder’s strong debut and community support, upcoming seminar stops in Eaton, Ohio and Coldwater, Michigan, and a men’s retreat at Solid Rock Chapel. Listener questions addressed clover and chicory drought recovery, finding a target buck’s fall range through trail cameras in multiple directions, red flags when scouting neighboring land before buying property, and balancing faith, family, and hunting. The episode closed with a prayer built around Romans 13 and related passages on submission to authority.

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