Episode #269 - Genetics, Nutrition, or Age (which is more important)

Published: 2025-04-20
Episode page
Duration: 81 min

In this episode

aaron-gaines

• Don announces they’ll have doctor Aaron Gaines on the show probably next week if the schedule allows. 46:14
• Terry says Aaron brings both formal nutrition science from captive deer and success as a very accomplished whitetail hunter. 49:05

captive-deer

• Don claims people who raise captive deer are, on average, far more knowledgeable about deer than the average deer hunter. 33:09

cedar-trees

• Terry suggests doing a walk-around video as he and Austin plant cedar trees this coming week. 44:27

chasing-assurance

• Terry announces the Chasing Assurance podcast is officially a go after a planning meeting with his dad this week. 38:51
• Terry says the new Chasing Assurance podcast release looks to be set for mid-June. 39:19

faith

• Don says his mother-in-law Sharon is now with the Lord, describing her as dancing on streets of gold. 3:58
• Don reflects that if he had married a woman without a strong Christian upbringing, he might not be a Christian today. 4:34
• Terry reflects on wanting to have the same positive spiritual impact on his kids and grandkids through his own actions. 5:14
• Terry asks whether young Don Higgins would be more surprised by his record deer or by his current podcast ministering to young men about faith. 34:55

family

• Terry recalls his grandfather Lester got him into whitetail hunting and wishes he could come back to see everything since. 37:03

fruit-orchards

• Don says he has come to love fruit orchards on his farm because they’re a great spot during the early rut. 6:59

fruit-trees

• Don recommends watching the Andy Andreas apple presentation because those disease-resistant tree varieties are cutting edge for wildlife plantings. 8:15
• Because his apple trees hadn’t bloomed yet, a 26-degree freeze that would have destroyed a blooming crop caused no damage this year. 8:56
• Don says he lost his pear crop last year because his pear trees bloom slightly earlier than his apple trees. 9:09

genetics

• Don states that captive deer today commonly produce 200-inch yearlings. 16:30
• Don asserts every wild buck that ever scored over 170 inches did so because of its genetics. 16:04
• Don says two captive bucks he examined, raised illegally from wild fawns, scored in the 180-190 range on nothing but wild genetics. 19:02
• Don says seeing those two poorly-fed captive bucks grow giant racks proved to him a deer can produce a giant rack without proper nutrition. 20:53
• Don insists it never happens without genetics, no matter how much nutrition or age a buck is given. 21:40
• Jay Gueing pointed out that giant bucks show their true potential by three and a half years old; average deer at that age tend to stay average. 23:56
• Don says Mel and Smokey are two perfect examples showing that without the right genes, age and nutrition don’t matter. 27:56
• Don says he has never seen a single buck reach giant antler status without having the genetics for it. 30:09
• Don compares it to a person with the genetic ability to reach seven feet tall, where good nutrition and age simply help realize that potential. 30:19
• Terry argues that if genetics didn’t matter, horse breeders wouldn’t pay huge sums for artificial insemination from a specific bloodline like they do for the Kentucky Derby. 31:18
• Terry asks Don to walk through his social-media series debating whether genetics, age, or nutrition matters most for a deer herd. 13:57

mel

• Don recalls that at two years old, Mel was a clean six-by-six that would have scored around 160 inches. 24:59

midwest-sportsmans-classic

• Terry says the plan is that once footage from the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic legends round table is available, Derek will let Chasing Giants air it. 12:11

mikes-mighty-micros

• Terry plans to have Mike from Mike’s Mighty Micros on the show the following week to discuss plant micronutrients. 50:16

mineral-supplements

• Andy Yoder from Fresno, Ohio asks whether Don has experience using amino-acid mineral supplements for antler growth. 45:00

screening

• Matt from Louisville, Tennessee asks why Don is planting cedar trees instead of giant Miscanthus for a screen. 40:35

smokey

• Terry asks Don to trace Smokey’s estimated rack score from age two through the year Don harvested him. 22:24

tree-planting

• Terry plans to plant his newly arrived trees this week while also taking Joe and Al turkey hunting. 6:17

tree-quality

• Don recommends ordering quality nursery stock, even from a specialty grower like Gingerich Tree Farm, over cheap trees, for long-term success. 10:17

turkey-hunting

• Terry plans to have Austin come out and have Al and Joe visit over Easter to turkey hunt for three or four days. 57:35
• Don plans to try turkey hunting with his bow after buying decoys and calls, once Austin’s visit wraps up. 58:22

water-hole

• Don says he is strongly considering putting a plastic waterhole near his new three-sixty Chasing Giants blind. 54:54

water-holes

• Don states that deer, for whatever reason, prefer drinking from pools of water over a running stream or creek. 56:28
• Nicholas Workman from Andover, Kansas asks whether a watering hole counts as a food source before the rut. 53:44

weather

• Don notes there was a cold spell about a week prior where the temperature dropped to 26 degrees one night. 8:36

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (history) 18:11
• Smokey (history) 22:24
• Mel (history) 24:24
• unnamed buck (sighting) 25:56
• unnamed buck (harvest) 26:55
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 27:09
• unnamed buck (harvest) 27:48

Listener questions

Question: Terry asks Don to walk through his social-media series debating whether genetics, age, or nutrition matters most for a deer herd. 13:57

• Answer: Don says he originally posted that genetics were the biggest or most important of the three factors, age, nutrition, and genetics. 14:26

Question: Terry asks Don to trace Smokey’s estimated rack score from age two through the year Don harvested him. 22:24

• Answer: Don recalls Smokey scored around 120 at two, was confirmed over 170 at three and four via shed antlers, then reached 186 at five and 206 at six. 23:04

Question: Terry asks whether young Don Higgins would be more surprised by his record deer or by his current podcast ministering to young men about faith. 34:55

• Answer: Don says he’d be more surprised by the deer on the wall, since the Christian seed his grandfather planted in him as a child eventually grew into his faith and ministry. 35:15

Question: Matt from Louisville, Tennessee asks why Don is planting cedar trees instead of giant Miscanthus for a screen. 40:35 — asked by Matt

• Answer: Don explains that Miscanthus would screen better and faster, but since this planting sits close to the property line near existing pines, cedars save more tillable ground here. 42:47

Question: Andy Yoder from Fresno, Ohio asks whether Don has experience using amino-acid mineral supplements for antler growth. 45:00 — asked by Andy Yoder

• Answer: Don says captive-deer breeders are sometimes cutting edge, such as on managing CWD, but he defers a full answer on amino-acid minerals to nutritionist Aaron Gaines next episode. 46:43

Question: Nicholas Workman from Andover, Kansas asks whether a watering hole counts as a food source before the rut. 53:44 — asked by Nicholas Workman

• Answer: Don says he wouldn’t call a water hole a food source, but does consider it a great hunting spot, especially early season. 54:04

Prayer Time

Theme: Christ’s self-giving love reflected through a family health scare on Easter
Ty Miller shares that his wife had a frightening cardiac emergency the day he was to give the Easter prayer, and reflects that her love for her son mirrors the love that kept Jesus on the cross for his children, praying listeners know they are loved and can reach out for support. 66:34

Sponsors this episode

• 360 Hunting Blinds

Don and Terry devoted most of the episode to Don’s social-media debate over whether genetics, age, or nutrition matters most for antler growth, with Don arguing genetics is the biggest factor. He cited two illegally-raised captive bucks that scored 180-190 on wild genetics despite poor feed, contrasted Mel and Smokey’s antler histories as proof age and nutrition can’t overcome weak genes, and likened it to human height potential. Terry backed the genetics case by comparing it to horse breeders paying for bloodlines like the Kentucky Derby. Listener questions covered cedar versus Miscanthus screening, amino-acid mineral supplements (deferred to nutritionist Aaron Gaines next episode), and whether a watering hole counts as a food source, which Don said it doesn’t though it’s a strong early-season hunting spot. Don also discussed orchard management, a recent cold snap sparing his apple bloom, and nursery stock recommendations. Terry announced the upcoming Chasing Assurance podcast and a family-focused Easter prayer from Ty Miller closed the show.

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