When Managing Deer Means Saying NO to Giants | Chasing Giants Podcast #304

Published: 2025-12-21 Episode page Duration: 64 min

In this episode

360-blinds

Merrill of 360 Blinds told Terry the Chasing Giants metal-wrapped ASIO blinds sold better than expected, prompting increased production. 26:53

antler-shedding

Terry asked what triggers antler shedding—testosterone drop or photoperiod. 20:19

asio-puffy-jacket

Terry confirmed the ASIO puffy jacket is fully reversible, letting wearers flip it to a plain black jacket. 31:42
Don recommended the ASIO Puffy Jacket as a gift, calling it one of his favorite warm, lightweight items. 30:10

buck-management

Don had three bucks on his property he wanted removed by season’s end, including a three-year-old eight-point management buck. 1:19
Don chose to fill his second Illinois tag on a management-class eight-point buck rather than his top target buck going into the season. 6:52

crossbow-hunting

Listener Corey asked whether Don would ever let his grandsons hunt with a crossbow before a compound bow. 35:37

dealer-event-rsvp

Don said Real World’s dealer event limits attendance to two people per dealership due to space constraints. 14:43

dealer-event-speakers

Don announced Dr. Clifford Shipley and Dr. Aaron Gaines will speak at the dealer event on captive deer science and Expect Healthy Deer technology. 49:17

deer-nutrition

Terry asked whether hunters need to watch their deer’s food situation more closely given how early this cold winter arrived. 21:29

deer-reproduction

Listener Duane Yoder asked if does with twins or triplets tend to have fawns that also produce twins or triplets. 41:02
Terry followed up asking whether a doe’s single fawn results from losing a twin fetus or starts that way from conception. 43:58

doe-harvest

Listener Jabin Walker asked what Don does with excess doe meat and for advice on handling surplus harvests. 53:36

gift-ideas

Don’s under-$50 gift suggestions included a Whitetail Life subscription, a Real World Wildlife Products gift certificate, and boxes of Little Debbie’s. 28:52 (light moment)

hunter-education

Don recommended kids serve an apprenticeship as small-game hunters before carrying a weapon deer hunting, to build anticipation and real skills. 38:11

illinois-deer-herd

Don said Illinois’s deer herd has become so mismanaged that it would take major regulatory changes to restore it, which he doesn’t expect. 52:36

lesters-feet

A listener offered a large donation to Lester’s Feet if Don performs a rain dance, jokingly dubbed a ‘Trump dance,’ on stage at Shipshewana. 25:56 (light moment)

live-podcast-event

Terry announced he and Don will record a live podcast at the 360 Blinds dealer event in Pennsylvania after the ATA Show. 13:10

mathews-arc

Don has taken five animals with his new Mathews Arc bow, killing and passing clean through every one, making it his new favorite over his Z9. 10:15

ministry-partnership

Terry announced Chasing Giants is partnering with a nonprofit, launching the first week of January, connecting hunters’ deer donations to church-based hunger ministries. 55:16

party-hunting

Listener Jeff Sparks asked what Don thought of allowing party hunting for does only in Illinois. 51:26

podcast-demographics

Don noted he’s 62 and has over twenty years more experience than the podcast’s average listener, who is around 40 or younger. 8:49

property-size

Listener Drew Wright asked the smallest acreage needed to produce and hold mature bucks on an isolated property. 32:53

real-world-dealer-event

Don announced the Real World Dealer event will be held February 25-26, covering detailed science behind the company’s products. 49:09

rut-intensity

Don said he’s seen more scrapes and more bucks with busted-up antlers on his farm this year than ever before. 17:36

rut-timing

Don said this fall’s rut activity started unusually early, right around November 1st instead of the usual mid-to-late November timing. 16:46

Don said people have contacted his sponsors to complain when they disagreed with his stated opinions on hunting topics. 37:16

supplemental-feeding

Don recommended feeding a complete, well-balanced ration rather than straight corn when supplemental feeding deer in winter. 47:18
Listener Montana Moritz asked about winter supplemental feeding regimens and whether feeding could do more harm than good. 44:31

trail-camera

Don recommended the WiseEye trail camera, saying it has proven itself as a Reconyx-comparable option this year. 31:10

weather

Terry asked Don to script the ideal weather for the next six months to maximize antler growth on his property. 24:22

winter-weather

Don reported snow had been on the ground in Central Illinois continuously since November, an unusually long and early stretch. 19:38

Deer activity

unnamed buck (harvest) 2:27
Doubting Thomas (harvest) 2:52
Turning Point (sighting) 4:22
Smokey (history) 6:34
Doubting Thomas (history) 7:16
Turning Point (trail-camera) 16:08

Listener questions

Question: Terry asked what triggers antler shedding—testosterone drop or photoperiod. 20:19

Answer: Don said stress—from injury, weather, or other causes—triggers shedding, in addition to naturally declining testosterone in a normal winter. 20:29

Question: Terry asked whether hunters need to watch their deer’s food situation more closely given how early this cold winter arrived. 21:29

Answer: Don said this is the time high-carbohydrate, high-fat food sources matter most for helping deer through winter. 22:07

Question: Listener Drew Wright asked the smallest acreage needed to produce and hold mature bucks on an isolated property. 32:53 — asked by Drew Wright

Answer: Don said 40 acres, managed well with good habitat, could attract and let hunters kill some of the area’s best bucks. 34:00

Question: Listener Corey asked whether Don would ever let his grandsons hunt with a crossbow before a compound bow. 35:37 — asked by Corey

Answer: Don said he personally opposes kids shooting crossbows, believing they should earn the right and grow into it. 37:44

Question: Listener Duane Yoder asked if does with twins or triplets tend to have fawns that also produce twins or triplets. 41:02 — asked by Duane Yoder

Answer: Don said there’s no such pattern—healthy does typically have twins regardless of their own birth type. 41:20

Question: Terry followed up asking whether a doe’s single fawn results from losing a twin fetus or starts that way from conception. 43:58

Answer: Don said it typically starts as a single fertilized egg from the beginning. 44:02

Question: Listener Montana Moritz asked about winter supplemental feeding regimens and whether feeding could do more harm than good. 44:31 — asked by Montana Moritz

Answer: Don said he has no regimen since Illinois bans supplemental feeding, relying on food plots instead. 45:07

Question: Listener Jeff Sparks asked what Don thought of allowing party hunting for does only in Illinois. 51:26 — asked by Jeff Sparks

Answer: Don said he dislikes party hunting entirely, regardless of the doe-only framing. 51:29

Question: Listener Jabin Walker asked what Don does with excess doe meat and for advice on handling surplus harvests. 53:36 — asked by Jabin Walker

Answer: Don said he processes deer and gives them away to a waiting list of people who ask to be added. 53:54

Question: Terry asked Don to script the ideal weather for the next six months to maximize antler growth on his property. 24:22

Answer: Don said he’d want near-normal to slightly above-normal winter temperatures with limited snow but average rainfall. 25:02

Prayer Time

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians Theme: praying without ceasing and beyond personal needs Terry reflects on a video asking what if God answered all prayers from the past week, prompting him to consider bigger unprayed-for needs like homelessness, cancer, and unreached people, and cites 1 Thessalonians 5:17’s call to pray without ceasing as a challenge to widen his prayer life. 61:20

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