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

social-media-backlash

• 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

Don discussed unusual fall/winter conditions on his Illinois property, noting the rut kicked off around November 1st instead of the typical mid-to-late November window, more scrapes and busted-up bucks than ever, and continuous snow cover since November. He filled his second Illinois tag on a management-class eight-point rather than his top target, and had culled bucks planned for the season. He credited his Mathews Arc bow with five clean pass-through kills. Listener questions covered antler shedding triggers (stress plus normal testosterone decline), minimum acreage for holding mature bucks (40 acres if well managed), doe litter patterns, crossbows for kids, party hunting, and handling surplus meat via a giveaway waiting list. Don also gave winter feeding guidance favoring balanced rations and food plots over straight corn, since Illinois bans supplemental feeding. Terry announced a January hunger-ministry partnership and upcoming dealer events.

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