Episode #245 - Halloween Hunting Should Be Great! Weather and Hunting Forecast from Don Higgins

Published: 2024-10-27
Episode page
Duration: 120 min

In this episode

brent-henderson

• Terry highly recommends Brent Henderson as a speaker for churches, men’s events, or wild game dinners. 51:05

brenton

• Nick reveals Brenton will release a black rifle option, something the company never expected to produce. 111:19
• Nick names 22 ARC, six ARC, and 400 Legend as Brenton’s big platform pushes for the year. 110:42
• Evan gives out Brenton’s shop phone number for listeners with questions or dealer interest. 117:47

brenton-firearms

• Terry announces this week’s episode is a double release featuring their friends at Brenton Firearms. 1:36

buck-behavior

• Ryan Richardson asked whether a buck’s evening exit route from his bed differs from how he entered it that morning. 35:55

calibers

• Terry asks Nick and Evan whether niche caliber fads are driven by the ammunition side or the firearm manufacturing side. 82:38

chasing-giants

• Terry reveals the team is developing a Chasing Giants edition Brenton rifle dipped in ASIO camo. 113:56

doe-fawn-breeding

• Don states doe fawns typically enter estrus around 80 pounds body weight, and based on his experience most bred doe fawns conceive in January. 7:59
• Terry asks Don to explain what causes a doe fawn to come into her first estrus cycle as early as February. 7:01
• Terry asks whether scarce food availability in a hard winter delays when doe fawns reach breeding weight. 9:08

field-dressing

• Don describes using a skid loader bucket to haul whole deer back to his old farmstead before field dressing them there. 27:55
• Dan Schultz asked whether Don field-dressed Zacchaeus where he fell or moved the gut pile away from his sanctuary to limit predator impact. 27:00

firearm-partnership

• Terry asks Don why a bowhunting podcast, hosted by someone who hasn’t gun hunted in years, decided to partner with a firearm manufacturer. 76:32

forecast-segment

• Terry proposes making the extended weather-forecast walkthrough a regular weekly segment if listeners find it interesting. 22:26

gear

• Terry recommends keeping a camo deer sled in the truck year-round to make loading deer into truck beds much easier. 31:06

herd-management

• Don plans to fill his four firearm doe tags this season as part of herd management. 2:51
• Don explains he needs to reduce doe numbers on his farm and finds a firearm far more efficient for that than a bow. 2:31

human-intrusion

• Don insists freedom from human intrusion is the single most critical, cost-free factor in managing property for mature bucks. 41:38
• Don admits he ruined dozens of properties in his younger years through his own excessive human intrusion while bow hunting. 42:00
• An anonymous Ohio listener asked how many deer property management activities push off a property through human intrusion. 40:14

illinois

• Don notes Illinois, where he lives, has now legalized rifle use during firearm deer season. 3:30

magazines

• Terry asks Nick to walk through Brenton’s magazine options so hunters can stay compliant with varying state laws. 106:56

mature-bucks

• Don clarifies their advice centers on Midwest hunting of mature bucks age five and older, whose behavior differs from younger deer. 9:52

midwest-sportsmans-classic

• Terry announces the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic trade show in Shipshewana this February and urges listeners to mark calendars. 26:16

nick-carpenter

• Don recalls meeting Nick Carpenter roughly ten years ago as guest speaker at a QDMA event Nick hosted on his Michigan farm. 78:27
• Nick recounts researching straight-wall cartridges, buying a Brenton rifle, then having a friend buy the company, drawing him deeper in. 80:10

property-management

• Tyler Thompson asked whether any consulting properties were already well set up for hunting when Don arrived. 32:21

rut-report

• Don explains the rut report will now include other Chasing Giants TV team members reporting their own sightings to him. 11:53
• Wes Delks reported opposite deer activity in Central Indiana compared to what Don saw that day. 12:12

rut-timing

• Don predicts the last days of October and first days of November could see more deer activity than November 15 if the weather stays cool. 23:28
• Don says temperature plays as large a role in daylight rut activity as anything else hunters will witness. 23:34
• Alex Dunlavy asked when hunters should start getting aggressive and hunting their rut stands close to bedding. 45:33

six-arc

• Terry asks Nick why the six millimeter ARC round is actually a military-developed cartridge. 86:14

straight-wall-cartridges

• Terry asks Nick and Evan to compare advantages and disadvantages of 350, 450, and the new 400 Legend straight-wall calibers. 91:19

tiktok

• Terry jokes that their TikTok account has already been put on probation three times for talking about deer hunting. 13:52 (light moment)

triggers

• Terry asks Nick and Evan what trigger characteristics best suit deer hunters compared to other shooting applications. 98:09
• Terry asks what signals a quality, reliable trigger beyond just the three-and-a-half-pound pull weight. 101:46

video-production

• Don mentions videographer Steve Shields is staying at his house filming footage over several days. 36:36

video-release

• Don says they are trying to time release of the Zacchaeus hunt video with the new Mathews Bow launch on November 19. 39:02

weather

• Don asserts that weather, not the moon or other factors, is the single biggest driver of daylight deer activity. 19:46
• Don reads a rising barometric line on the forecast chart as a great sign for fantastic hunting that weekend. 17:27
• Don explains that cold fronts dropping temperatures below normal make deer activity extremely hot regardless of calendar date. 19:58

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (sighting) 5:32
• unnamed buck (history) 5:50
• unnamed buck (harvest) 8:20
• Zacchaeus (harvest) 26:55
• Zacchaeus (hunt) 36:47

Listener questions

Question: Terry asks Don to explain what causes a doe fawn to come into her first estrus cycle as early as February. 7:01

• Answer: Don explains a doe fawn typically comes into her first heat once she reaches about eighty pounds body weight. 7:21
• Answer: He adds that based on his experience most bred doe fawns reach that weight and conceive in January. 7:59

Question: Terry asks whether scarce food availability in a hard winter delays when doe fawns reach breeding weight. 9:08

• Answer: Don notes a single doe fawn getting all her mother’s milk grows faster than a fawn from twins or triplets. 9:24

Question: Dan Schultz asked whether Don field-dressed Zacchaeus where he fell or moved the gut pile away from his sanctuary to limit predator impact. 27:00 — asked by Dan Schultz

• Answer: Don leaves gut piles by the hydrant and says stray cats, possums, and other critters clean them up quickly. 29:56
• Answer: He has no experience with wolves or bears but says he’d still remove the whole deer before dressing it regardless of predators present. 30:29

Question: Tyler Thompson asked whether any consulting properties were already well set up for hunting when Don arrived. 32:21 — asked by Tyler Thompson

• Answer: Don says he has never visited a property without finding at least some suggested changes to make. 32:38
• Answer: He adds he has never seen a property he didn’t believe could be improved somehow. 34:37

Question: Ryan Richardson asked whether a buck’s evening exit route from his bed differs from how he entered it that morning. 35:55 — asked by Ryan Richardson

• Answer: Don says bucks rarely have only one exit route from a bed, since a single escape route would leave them too vulnerable. 36:11
• Answer: He adds the more hunting pressure a buck has faced, the less likely he is to give up favorable wind when exiting his bed. 38:08

Question: An anonymous Ohio listener asked how many deer property management activities push off a property through human intrusion. 40:14

• Answer: Don reiterates that freedom of human intrusion is the single most critical piece of managing a deer hunting property. 40:49

Question: Alex Dunlavy asked when hunters should start getting aggressive and hunting their rut stands close to bedding. 45:33 — asked by Alex Dunlavy

• Answer: Don plans to wait until Halloween morning to start hunting morning rut stands this year. 46:25

Question: Terry asks Don why a bowhunting podcast, hosted by someone who hasn’t gun hunted in years, decided to partner with a firearm manufacturer. 76:32

• Answer: Don explains a serious doe overpopulation problem on his farm is pushing him to use a firearm this season for the first time in years. 76:50
• Answer: He adds his grandsons are starting to hunt, and it’s much easier to introduce a youth to hunting with a gun than a bow. 77:21

Question: Terry asks Nick and Evan whether niche caliber fads are driven by the ammunition side or the firearm manufacturing side. 82:38

• Answer: Nick says caliber fads are 100 percent driven by the ammunition side of the industry. 82:47
• Answer: He cites the 224 Valkyrie as an example of a caliber fad that flopped quickly. 83:16

Question: Terry asks Nick why the six millimeter ARC round is actually a military-developed cartridge. 86:14

• Answer: Nick explains the military contacted Brenton about magazine function for the 6 ARC as they developed it into a sniper rifle round. 86:23

Question: Terry asks Nick and Evan to compare advantages and disadvantages of 350, 450, and the new 400 Legend straight-wall calibers. 91:19

• Answer: He explains the 450 hits hardest but arcs more at distance, while the 400 Legend falls in between it and the flatter 350. 92:04
• Answer: Nick adds the 400 Legend should still be a lethal round out to about 250 yards. 93:53

Question: Terry asks Nick and Evan what trigger characteristics best suit deer hunters compared to other shooting applications. 98:09

• Answer: Evan says Brenton found a three-and-a-half-pound trigger pull is the ideal balance of predictability and safety for deer hunters. 99:37

Question: Terry asks what signals a quality, reliable trigger beyond just the three-and-a-half-pound pull weight. 101:46

• Answer: He points to using a reputable manufacturer, noting Brenton chose Trigger Tech for its strong reputation in bolt-action triggers. 102:51

Question: Terry asks Nick to walk through Brenton’s magazine options so hunters can stay compliant with varying state laws. 106:56

• Answer: Nick explains Brenton mags ship with orange limit blocks capping capacity at five rounds by default. 107:19
• Answer: He adds every state differs and Brenton has a specific compliance solution for hunters in Illinois. 107:40

Prayer Time

Scripture: Ephesians
Theme: identity in Christ
Brent teaches that believers receive their one true identity the moment they believe, when God places His promised Holy Spirit in their spirit as described in Ephesians. 63:39

Scripture: Luke
Theme: root versus behavior modification
Brent contrasts surface-level behavior modification with real heart change, using Luke’s teaching that fruit reveals the condition of the root. 66:17

Scripture: Galatians
Theme: identity in Christ despite sin
Brent explains, referencing Galatians, that a believer’s identity in Christ never changes because of sin, though consequences still follow. 67:51

Theme: closing prayer for identity and grace
Brent closes in prayer, asking God to help believers wield truth and love rather than judgment and thanking Him for their identity in Christ. 71:30

This double-release episode paired Chasing Giants with Brenton Firearms. Don discussed shifting to firearm hunting this season to address doe overpopulation on his farm, planning to fill four doe tags and noting Illinois had legalized rifle use during firearm season; he also mentioned his grandsons starting to hunt as easier with a gun. He covered rut biology, including doe fawns entering estrus around eighty pounds and often conceiving in January, and argued weather, especially cooling temperatures, drives daylight deer activity more than the moon. He reiterated that freedom from human intrusion is the top factor in managing property for mature bucks, admitting he’d once ruined properties through his own intrusion. Listener questions addressed bedding exit routes, gut-pile placement, and when to hunt rut stands close to bedding. Nick and Evan of Brenton discussed straight-wall calibers, the military-linked 6 ARC, trigger specs, and magazine compliance options. Brent closed with a prayer on identity in Christ.

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