Episode #243 - Target Giant Non-Typical Buck Success - Don Higgins

Published: 2024-10-13
Episode page
Duration: 83 min

In this episode

archery-vs-gun

• Eric Shankster asked what made Don choose archery over gun hunting and wanted his take on the pros and cons of each. 61:34

blood-trail

• Don explained the exit wound had a fist-sized chunk of fat hanging out, which plugged the hole and suppressed blood trail evidence. 12:11

bobby-worthington

• Terry highlighted Bobby Worthington’s Whitetail hunting philosophy video series on Chasing Giants TV, noting its second episode released October 10. 31:13

brandon-efferson

• Terry announced Brandon Efferson’s Kentucky hunt video would drop October 11. 20:06

broadhead-choice

• Don admitted that an expandable broadhead would likely have produced a bigger exit hole and better blood trail on this particular hit. 13:19

deer-recovery

• Don advised finding a deer in its first bed and letting it die there, warning that jumping it from that bed sharply lowers recovery odds. 15:00

ehd

• Don and Terry concluded the area holding his prior target buck got decimated by EHD, lowering the odds the deer survived. 22:36
• Don relayed that Todd Ewing told him his area was totally wiped out by EHD, though nearby areas showed no dead deer. 34:00

food-plot-management

• Don announced a project with Duane Hopkins of Real World Wildlife Products, planning a secret side-by-side tissue analysis test on fall food plot products. 68:20

hunting-ethics

• Terry stressed that no deer is worth letting a stand get between friends, saying integrity and character outlast any buck. 45:49
• Kurt Myers asked whether it’s ethical to pay landowners or use tipster networks to access a specific giant buck, bypassing local hunters. 35:55

kentucky-hunt

• Don said he plans to climb into a Kentucky tree stand for the first time this season on October 11 to help a friend fill a buck tag. 69:01

lesters-feet

• Terry announced a video aired earlier that week from Lester’s Feet describing how the foundation is helping hurricane victims, encouraging listeners to help. 0:32

mathews

• Don revealed Mathews now sends him their newest model bow before it’s released publicly, as part of his two-decade pro staff relationship. 16:52
• Don stated the new 2025 Mathews bow’s public release date is expected around November 19. 17:09

mathews-bow

• Don recounted hitting the bull’s-eye with the very first arrow shot from the new bow after only mounting the sight. 17:55

mega-giants

• Terry observed an unusually large number of mega giant bucks, including several 200-inch deer, killed on social media that week. 33:34

small-cover-hunting

• Brett Coach asked for tips on hunting small, isolated timber patches surrounded by open agricultural land. 55:38

stand-access

• Clayton Carroll asked for advice on when to enter stands, morning or evening, depending on the time of year. 58:47

sunday-night-prayer-time

• Terry announced Ty Miller from Small Acre Hunting would lead that week’s Sunday Night Prayer Time segment. 70:10

tree-stand-vs-blind

• Steve Myers asked why Don is hunting Zacchaeus from a tree stand instead of a scent-free blind if playing the wind is what matters most. 49:03

video-production

• Terry described how Steve pieced footage into a storyboard, including rotating 3D topographic models of Brandon’s farm to show how the plan changed based on the buck’s movements. 26:29

youth-season

• Don said his grandson Walker is coming to hunt with him during youth season this weekend. 23:02

zacchaeus-hunt

• Don recounted that it was only his fourth hunt of the season when he ended up shooting his target buck. 7:35
• Don described that after the shot, the buck ran straight away roughly 60 yards before stopping and standing still. 10:38

Deer activity

• Zacchaeus (harvest) 6:51
• unnamed buck (harvest) 24:55
• unnamed buck (sighting) 37:35
• unnamed buck (sighting) 38:40
• unnamed buck (history) 40:44
• Zacchaeus (hunt) 50:43

Listener questions

Question: Kurt Myers asked whether it’s ethical to pay landowners or use tipster networks to access a specific giant buck, bypassing local hunters. 35:55 — asked by Kurt Myers

• Answer: Don said ethics is a personal decision each hunter must make, though he now tries to consider other hunters’ perspectives before chasing tipped-off deer. 45:05

Question: Steve Myers asked why Don is hunting Zacchaeus from a tree stand instead of a scent-free blind if playing the wind is what matters most. 49:03 — asked by Steve Myers

• Answer: Don explained the added challenge was giving up his seven prime blind locations, not scent control, since he plays the wind regardless of blind or stand. 50:37

Question: Brett Coach asked for tips on hunting small, isolated timber patches surrounded by open agricultural land. 55:38 — asked by Brett Coach

• Answer: Don recommended hanging stands months ahead, in spring before green-up, since bucks in tiny cover patches usually only allow one entry mistake before leaving. 56:22

Question: Clayton Carroll asked for advice on when to enter stands, morning or evening, depending on the time of year. 58:47 — asked by Clayton Carroll

• Answer: Don said his access route matters more than exact arrival timing, though he typically enters two hours before dark in evenings and fifteen to twenty minutes before shooting light in mornings. 61:01

Question: Eric Shankster asked what made Don choose archery over gun hunting and wanted his take on the pros and cons of each. 61:34 — asked by Eric Shankster

• Answer: Don said he took up archery mainly because Illinois’s firearm deer season was only six days long, which wasn’t enough time in the woods for him. 62:00

Prayer Time

Scripture: Colossians
Theme: identity in God’s design
Ty reflected on his late friend Justin, who lived with spina bifida and once told him he wasn’t made to walk this earth. Ty shared Colossians 3:2 about setting minds on heavenly things and prayed listeners would trust they were made without mistake. 78:14

Don recounted killing his target buck, Zacchaeus, only his fourth hunt of the season, after it ran about 60 yards before stopping; he explained a chunk of fat plugged the exit wound and suppressed the blood trail, and admitted an expandable broadhead likely would have helped. He advised leaving a downed deer in its first bed rather than pushing it. Don also described giving up his prime blind locations to hunt from a stand, and Terry and Don discussed EHD likely wiping out the area holding a prior target buck. Other topics included a preview of Mathews’ 2025 bow, Brandon Efferson’s upcoming Kentucky hunt video, and Bobby Worthington’s hunting philosophy series. Listener questions covered ethics of paid buck access, timber-patch stand placement, entry timing, and archery versus gun hunting. Ty Miller led a prayer segment reflecting on a late friend’s outlook on life with spina bifida.

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