Why Most Hunters NEVER Kill Big Bucks (Bryhn Craft Tells the Truth) | Chasing Giants #325

Published: 2026-05-17
Episode page
Duration: 64 min

In this episode

agent-centric

• Bryhn Craft says Midwest Land Group is agent-centric rather than broker-centric, which he considers one of the biggest differences from other brokerages. 25:04

big-deer

• Terry Peer calls Bryhn Craft a major deer killer, noting that both he and his son consistently take down giant bucks. 2:15

business-growth

• Bryhn Craft says his goal is 300 agents across the United States, and at their current pace they expect to reach that in three years. 29:03
• How does Bryhn decide when and where to expand Midwest Land Group’s growth strategy? 23:12

buyer-mistakes

• Bryhn Craft says the biggest buyer mistake is having too long a wish list, since a property with everything they want doesn’t exist. 43:49
• What have you seen buyers seeking a forever home or homestead, rather than a flip, struggle with? 43:45

clay-craft

• Bryhn Craft says he started filming his son Clay hunting at age seven, and Clay went on to appear on Heartland Bowhunter for about ten seasons. 12:35

deer-hunting-advice

• Bryhn Craft says the simplest way to kill big deer is to just lock your gate and stay off the property. 52:22

deer-hunting-mistakes

• What are the biggest mistakes keeping hunters from killing big deer despite years of trying? 51:15

episode-format

• Terry Peer explains this special episode also helps take pressure off Don Higgins so he can spend time with his wife Robin. 3:42

full-time-agents

• Bryhn Craft says one of his company’s major requirements is that agents work full time, since clients can’t be served around another job. 21:18

funny-story

• Terry Peer recounts pulling up behind a Midwest Land Group truck driven by one of Bryhn Craft’s agents, who happened to be leaving church with his family. 34:12

habitat-philosophy

• Bryhn Craft says he stays neutral on debates like switchgrass versus other cover or feeding versus not feeding, preferring to gather all available knowledge. 5:27

habitat-plans

• Bryhn Craft says after implementing habitat plans, his farms went from holding one booner-class buck a year to six or seven within five seasons. 7:28

hiring

• Bryhn Craft says his company receives almost 5,000 applications a year but only hires about 50 of those candidates. 23:54

human-intrusion

• Bryhn Craft says human intrusion ruins more hunting farms than anything else, more so even than habitat quality. 51:33

land-investment

• Bryhn Craft advises buying the best piece of ground you can afford rather than a cheap one, since top properties yield much better returns. 39:52

land-purchase

• Bryhn Craft bought a 100-acre cow-pasture farm as an experiment to test how productive a small property could become. 4:33

land-sales

• Bryhn Craft says his company sells farms about 10 to 12 percent above comps on average because they know which buyers are looking for specific properties. 30:52

lesters-feet

• Terry Peer describes Bryhn Craft as a major supporter of Lester’s Feet and a close friend of Don Higgins and Chasing Giants. 2:31

real-estate-commissions

• Bryhn Craft says the average licensed real estate agent earns about $5,000 in commissions a year, while his agents average almost ten times that. 19:16

real-estate-industry

• Bryhn Craft says every real estate agent should be assumed bad until proven otherwise, reflecting the industry’s poor reputation. 18:04

real-estate-mistakes

• Bryhn Craft says nine times out of ten, a ‘deal’ on a property exists because the property itself is below average. 37:54
• Terry asks Bryhn to identify common mistakes among sellers and buyers and to profile different types of property buyers. 36:50

stand-access

• Bryhn Craft agrees with Don Higgins that having reliable access in and out of food sources without alerting deer is a huge factor for killing big bucks. 53:15

switchgrass

• Bryhn Craft met Don Higgins after calling him for advice on switchgrass, which turned into a lesson that started their friendship. 4:55
• Bryhn Craft recalls walking through a switchgrass field and seeing more deer sign there than he had ever seen in his life. 11:09

tagline

• Bryhn Craft says their tagline is that they can sell a client’s land for more money in less time with less headache. 31:02

timber-cutting

• Bryhn Craft says he didn’t start cutting timber and burning until about five years ago, and it has proven an incredible habitat tool. 11:56

trigger-control

• Bryhn Craft says trigger control, more than any other factor, is the biggest problem keeping hunters from killing big deer. 9:50
• Bryhn Craft describes passing a legit 180-inch four-year-old buck on his farm because he was instead hunting an older, lower-scoring deer. 56:40

trophy-hunting

• Bobby reportedly said the real reason a hunter didn’t kill a big deer is simply that one never walked under his tree. 55:55

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (harvest) 6:30
• unnamed buck (harvest) 6:37
• unnamed buck (harvest) 13:12
• unnamed buck (harvest) 13:32
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 56:40
• unnamed buck (harvest) 56:55

Listener questions

Question: Terry asks Bryhn to identify common mistakes among sellers and buyers and to profile different types of property buyers. 36:50

• Answer: Bryhn explains that nine times out of ten a ‘deal’ on land exists because the property itself is below average, since truly great properties rarely sell cheap. 37:54

Question: What have you seen buyers seeking a forever home or homestead, rather than a flip, struggle with? 43:45

• Answer: Bryhn says the biggest problem is buyers having too long a wish list, since a property with every desired feature simply doesn’t exist. 43:49

Question: What are the biggest mistakes keeping hunters from killing big deer despite years of trying? 51:15

• Answer: Bryhn says human intrusion ruins more hunting farms than anything else, more than habitat or any other single factor. 51:33

Question: How does Bryhn decide when and where to expand Midwest Land Group’s growth strategy? 23:12

• Answer: Bryhn says they receive almost 5,000 applications a year but only hire about 50 people from that pool. 23:54

Prayer Time

Scripture: John
Theme: eternal life through Christ
Aaron Gaines reflects on a tech billionaire’s costly quest to reverse aging and live forever, contrasting it with the eternal life freely offered through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, citing John 6:51 that those who eat the living bread will live forever, then prays thanking God for salvation. 63:31

Terry Peer hosted Bryhn Craft of Midwest Land Group, describing him as a major supporter of Lester’s Feet and a close friend of Don Higgins, and noting the episode let Higgins spend time with his wife Robin. Craft traced meeting Higgins through a switchgrass question, and described turning a 100-acre cow-pasture farm into a habitat experiment, later citing a jump from one booner-class buck a year to six or seven within five seasons through burning, timber cutting, and trigger control on his own hunting choices. He discussed his real estate business, including agent-centric structure, roughly 5,000 yearly applications against about 50 hires, a growth goal of 300 agents within three years, and selling farms about 10 to 12 percent above comps. He advised buyers against long wish lists and cheap ‘deals,’ and said human intrusion, more than habitat, ruins hunting farms. Aaron Gaines closed with a prayer on eternal life through Christ.

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