Don Shares Personal News + The #1 Mistake Hunters Make | Chasing Giants Podcast 322

Published: 2026-04-26
Episode page
Duration: 56 min

In this episode

apple-trees

• A listener asks whether Don prunes the lower branches off his apple trees and how high off the ground the first branch is left. 33:07

boone-brothers

• Terry announced that Chasing Giants purchased one of the refrigerated trailers needed for the Boone Brothers program. 24:52
• Nick Carpenter of Brenton USA texted Terry pledging to buy trailer number eight for the Boone Brothers program. 25:14

cancer-diagnosis

• The ER doctor reported finding a mass on Robin’s left ovary that was cancer. 5:22
• Don recounted that when he asked if there were three tumors in all, his daughter Alicia confirmed that’s exactly what the scan meant. 9:25

chasing-assurance

• Terry announced that his dad started a new Chasing Assurance series called ‘Parents of a Prodigal.’ 21:59

clover

• A listener asks how big is too big for a clover food plot. 42:26

cwd

• Don noted that Illinois backed away from its CWD sharpshooter program, reportedly because it was having no effect. 41:02

deer-management

• Don recommends adding diverse food sources like pumpkins to make a farm stand out to deer, helping hold them and keep them from wandering off and getting shot elsewhere. 17:04

deer-minerals

• Don recommends clearing leaves to bare dirt and pouring deer mineral straight onto the ground, saying there’s no real disease concern. 40:35
• A listener asks whether it’s true that pouring deer mineral directly on the ground or stumps exposes deer to disease. 38:15

family-health

• Don explained that his wife Robin had not been feeling well since around January and had unintentionally lost over 20 pounds. 2:03

food-plots

• Don planted pumpkin seeds in about eight spots in the middle of his corn plot, protecting them with cardboard before spraying herbicide. 15:35
• Terry plans to plant a bunch of blackberries this year as a new food source for deer on his property. 18:19
• Don recommends putting a large corn and soybean plot along one edge of a big tillable field, saying it’s impossible to have too big a food plot. 44:27

gear-recommendation

• Terry said five or six listeners sent screenshots showing they’d bought the socks Joe Miles recommended on last week’s show. 1:00

hunting-pressure

• Don said the most common mistake his consulting clients make is putting too much pressure on their hunting property through human intrusion. 29:07

lesters-feet

• Terry announced Chasing Giants finally received a Kentucky gaming permit, letting them start planning the Lester’s Feet Texas hunt. 23:03

mayo-clinic

• Don texted his friend Todd Hewing, who had visited Mayo Clinic many times, to ask if he had any contacts there. 6:12
• An unnamed hunting-industry contact told Don he had a guest house twenty minutes from Mayo Clinic where Don and Robin could stay. 7:34
• Don announced he won’t be able to record next week’s episode since he’ll be at Mayo Clinic, so Terry will host a special guest. 51:02

mushroom-plots

• A listener asks whether Don has tried mushroom food plots and how well they worked. 46:54

pancreatic-cancer

• Don said his research showed pancreatic cancer is essentially a death sentence, with an average survival of about three and a half months after diagnosis. 4:02

podcast

• Terry thanked Joe Miles for stepping in to guest-host last week’s episode. 0:42

shed-hunting

• A listener asks whether shed-hunting videos showing hunters quickly finding lots of sheds on camera are staged for content. 45:01

turkey-hunting

• Terry said the turkey hunting video will be titled ‘Redemption’ because Al closed the deal on a huge bird he nicknamed Turkeyzilla. 19:39

Listener questions

Question: A listener asks whether Don prunes the lower branches off his apple trees and how high off the ground the first branch is left. 33:07 — asked by Russell Morris

• Answer: Don said he prunes the bottom branches on his apple trees, leaving the first branch roughly two and a half to three feet off the ground. 33:26

Question: A listener asks whether it’s true that pouring deer mineral directly on the ground or stumps exposes deer to disease. 38:15 — asked by Rob Effingham

• Answer: Don said the claim that ground mineral placement spreads disease to deer is total nonsense. 38:56

Question: A listener asks how big is too big for a clover food plot. 42:26 — asked by Josh Combs

• Answer: Don said he doesn’t think there’s such a thing as too big of a food plot for deer. 43:09

Question: A listener asks whether shed-hunting videos showing hunters quickly finding lots of sheds on camera are staged for content. 45:01 — asked by Hunter O’Leary

• Answer: Don said he believes a lot of shed-hunting content on YouTube showing quick, easy finds is staged for the camera. 45:50

Question: A listener asks whether Don has tried mushroom food plots and how well they worked. 46:54 — asked by Marvin Beachy

• Answer: Don said this ties into his earlier answer and admitted he has never actually tried a mushroom food plot himself. 47:11

Prayer Time

Theme: healing and comfort for Don and Robin’s cancer journey
Aaron Gaines led Sunday Night Prayer Time, sharing that a friend’s wife was diagnosed with cancer and reflecting on faith through Matthew’s account of Peter walking on water. He then prayed for his friend’s wife, and for Don, Robin, and their family as they face Robin’s cancer diagnosis, asking for trust, comfort, and healing. 56:19

The episode centered on Don sharing that his wife Robin had been unwell since around January with unexplained weight loss of over 20 pounds, culminating in an ER finding a cancerous mass on her ovary; Don recounted his research on grim pancreatic cancer survival odds, reaching out to friend Todd Hewing about Mayo Clinic contacts, and a hunting-industry contact offering a nearby guest house. Aaron Gaines led a prayer segment for Don, Robin, and their family. Don announced he’d miss next week’s episode for a Mayo Clinic visit, with Terry hosting a guest instead. Deer management topics included Don’s pumpkin plantings amid corn, his view that food-plot size can’t really be too big, pruning apple trees, dismissing disease concerns from ground-placed mineral, and skepticism that quick shed-hunting finds on YouTube are genuine. Terry covered housekeeping: thanking Joe Miles, a turkey-hunting video titled ‘Redemption,’ and Boone Brothers trailer progress.

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