Episode #242 - Stop Hunting October Mornings

Published: 2024-10-06
Episode page
Duration: 72 min

In this episode

buck-genetics

Damon Marling asked how giant buck genetics could stay concentrated in certain areas if does drive off their yearling buck offspring to disperse widely. 47:55

buck-movement

Cody Urban asked why mature bucks with ideal food, cover, does, and low pressure on a property don’t live there year-round rather than appearing only after the fall shift. 35:19

burnout

Terry found that hunting October too hard in past years left him exhausted and unable to put in the long hours needed during the rut. 32:45

captive-deer

Don recalled that during roughly 25 years of keeping captive deer, only one doe ever came into heat in October, and never in September. 14:40

chasing-giants-tv

Terry announced Chasing Giants TV content will run on only a two-to-three day lag, keeping posted footage current rather than saved for the following year. 60:26

consulting

Don announced he is nearly at capacity for property consulting bookings for next winter and urged interested listeners not to delay. 47:13

content-plan

Don plans to produce a hunt video documenting the buck if he manages to harvest him this season, following years of trail-camera and video history. 8:13

crop-harvest

Don reported that after a slow, damp start every farmer in his area was harvesting crops simultaneously once conditions dried out. 9:12

deer-management

Terry observed that passing on a mature 150-160 inch three-year-old buck can give a hunter a chance at a 190 inch deer in a later season. 7:52

doe-harvest

Don made a clean heart shot on a doe during his third hunt of the season, and she only ran about 60 yards before dying. 3:37

doe-management

Don plans to prioritize getting several does shot early in the season, choosing doe-friendly stands over some of his better trophy-buck spots. 5:00

ehd

Terry reported that one of his Illinois farms appears to have been hit hard by EHD, based on neighbors finding dead deer. 9:50

food-sources

Don advised hunters this week to focus on active food sources, since deer are still hitting acorns and green soybean leaves amid warm temperatures. 59:53

habitat-management

Ben Lawrence asked whether to make minimally invasive habitat improvements on his 30-acre property before gun season or leave it alone. 56:16

hunting-advice

Don argued hunters should back up their opinions with proof of mature bucks killed rather than just repeating unproven advice about tactics. 18:50
Don said that when someone gives advice about mature bucks, listeners should ask how many five-year-old bucks that person has actually killed following it. 31:51
Don advises that who a hunter takes advice from is critical, and listeners should only seek guidance from people who have already achieved what they’re pursuing. 43:11

hunting-mindset

Joe Boesing told Terry that getting married and having kids made him a better hunter because it forced him to hunt only when conditions were exactly right. 30:36
Don said he’s more fired up than ever this season and now prioritizes getting video footage of bucks over killing one. 33:43

hurricane

Don described seeing news footage of entire towns washed away by the hurricane flooding. 1:16

october-hunting

Don now only hunts an October morning during a cold front in the last ten days of the month, after decades of avoiding October mornings entirely. 29:37

ohio-dnr

An anonymous listener asked what Don would do about baiting and supplemental feeding regulations in Ohio if he oversaw the ODNR. 50:43

podcast-trust

Andy Hendrix asked how much stock listeners should put in advice from average podcast hosts, given overlapping guests across different hunting podcasts. 39:14

prayer-request

Don announced that Gene Burkholder’s nine-year-old daughter in Bremen, Indiana has health issues and asked listeners to keep her in their prayers. 16:45

rubs

Don observed unusually few rubs this fall, estimating he could count on one hand the number he’s seen despite normal time spent in the woods. 12:58

scent-control

Don learned that mature bucks scent-check their bedding area before entering even in the dark, making pre-dawn stand access largely ineffective if downwind of any approach. 28:50

Don reported gaining about 300 new followers within 24 hours after posting to grow Chasing Giants TV’s social media presence. 6:02
Don explained that posting trail-camera photos online won’t get the buck killed, since local hunters won’t change their hunting patterns because of his posts. 10:42

Deer activity

unnamed buck (sighting) 2:56
unnamed buck (harvest) 3:28
Zacchaeus (history) 6:31
Zikia (history) 7:32
unnamed buck (trail-camera) 14:00
unnamed buck (hunt) 27:25
Zikias (history) 60:04

Listener questions

Question: Cody Urban asked why mature bucks with ideal food, cover, does, and low pressure on a property don’t live there year-round rather than appearing only after the fall shift. 35:19 — asked by Cody Urban

Answer: Don answered that it doesn’t matter to him if bucks summer elsewhere, since it’s simply the whitetail’s nature to leave fall range in spring. 36:26
Answer: Terry added that in big ag country deer disperse widely while crops stand, then concentrate back into cover once fields are picked. 37:02

Question: Andy Hendrix asked how much stock listeners should put in advice from average podcast hosts, given overlapping guests across different hunting podcasts. 39:14 — asked by Andy Hendrix

Answer: Don said podcast hosts aren’t a tight-knit group and listeners must judge advice by what a person has actually accomplished, not just repeated hearsay. 40:51

Question: Damon Marling asked how giant buck genetics could stay concentrated in certain areas if does drive off their yearling buck offspring to disperse widely. 47:55 — asked by Damon Marling

Answer: Don answered that both genetics and sanctuary, which allows bucks to reach older age, combine to keep giant buck genes concentrated in certain areas. 48:27

Question: An anonymous listener asked what Don would do about baiting and supplemental feeding regulations in Ohio if he oversaw the ODNR. 50:43

Answer: Don said Ohio would become a top state for giant bucks within a few years if it outlawed baiting during season, since too many young bucks get shot over bait. 51:54
Answer: Don added he’d want Ohio to outlaw bait piles during season while still allowing supplemental feeding outside of season, unlike the stricter proposal being pushed by lobbyists. 55:29

Question: Ben Lawrence asked whether to make minimally invasive habitat improvements on his 30-acre property before gun season or leave it alone. 56:16 — asked by Ben Lawrence

Answer: Don recommended staying off the property entirely rather than doing improvements now, since disturbance could push away good bucks arriving in November. 56:53
Answer: Terry agreed, adding to stay out, rest up, and be ready for all-day sits once November arrives. 58:08

Sponsors this episode

Midwest Land Group

Don and Terry discussed the season’s slow, wet crop harvest that suddenly had every farmer in Don’s area combining at once, and Terry noted one of his Illinois farms seemed hard-hit by EHD based on neighbors finding dead deer. Don shot a doe with a clean heart shot that ran only about 60 yards, part of his plan to prioritize does early using doe-friendly stands over trophy spots. He noted unusually few rubs this fall and said he now only hunts October mornings during late-month cold fronts, having learned mature bucks scent-check their bedding area before dawn. A recurring theme was judging hunting advice by results: Don argued listeners should ask how many mature bucks an advice-giver has actually killed. Listener questions covered why bucks don’t stay year-round despite good habitat, podcast-host credibility, and Ohio baiting rules, with Don favoring a season-time bait ban. Don asked for prayers for Gene Burkholder’s daughter, who has health issues.

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