#330 - Can Supplemental Feeding Add 15”+ to a Buck? Don Higgins Answers

Published: 2026-06-21
Episode page
Duration: 76 min

In this episode

captive-deer

• Don recalled that when he had captive deer, he once acquired seven sets of twin buck fawns to run a mineral-supplementation antler growth experiment. 45:01

coyotes

• Edward Miller asked whether habitat projects or low fencing around sanctuaries could discourage coyotes from living on or traveling through a property. 53:44

encouragement

• Jason Peachy asked Don to tell his daughter she is beautiful, comparing her post-illness journey to roses that still bloom after a hailstorm. 19:47

faith

• Don encouraged listeners to dream big because God’s reality is bigger than anything they can imagine. 16:39

fetal-programming

• Don relayed Bronson Strickland’s analogy that a doe acts like a switchboard, signaling her fawn what kind of nutritional environment it will be born into. 40:49

food-plots

• Terry described his own plots this week: corn waist-high, but late-planted soybeans only a few inches tall with weeds emerging despite residual herbicide. 4:33
• Terry raised concerns about food plotters whose soybean plots aren’t growing, prompting discussion of soil testing, fertilizer, and lime for browse pressure issues. 5:15
• Drew Harmon asked how long soybean plots need before dropping the fence to let deer in, especially timing before hunting season. 56:10

grief

• Listener Jason Peachy wrote that he had recently watched his sister-in-law’s body lowered into the ground as her children cried. 18:43

health

• Don shared that he has been busy taking his wife Robin to doctor’s appointments in recent weeks. 14:49

hunting-books

• Ben Byler asked Don and Terry to recommend books for young or starting hunters looking to sharpen their skills for bigger bucks. 59:13

joe-miles

• Terry relayed that Joe Miles plans to hunt with traditional archery equipment next year. 13:40

lesters-feet

• Terry announced Lester’s Feet now has a new, shortened website address, lester’sfeet.org, making it easier for people to find. 23:20
• Terry announced Lester’s Feet is selling raffle tickets for a South Texas hunt opportunity coming up in January 2027. 24:43
• Terry announced the Lester’s Feet raffle donations close in mid-August, with the winning ticket drawn in early September. 25:11
• Don stated that every penny donated to Lester’s Feet has gone directly to families in need. 26:48
• Don shared that Lester’s Feet, overseen by Terry, has distributed over $2,000,000 to families in need so far. 27:01
• Terry explained that he, Don, and Joe Miles personally pay for their own trips to the Texas hunt rather than using raffle proceeds. 28:06
• Terry announced Lester’s Feet raffle tickets for the Texas hunt cost $100 each. 28:27

linemen

• Terry mentioned his son-in-law used to work as a lineman climbing utility poles immediately after storms. 2:28

listener-letter

• A listener named Ben wrote that a speech where Don said to follow your dream changed his life and led him to start a successful business. 16:05

listener-questions

• Don shared that listeners without internet access can mail questions to Real World Wildlife Products, PO Box 55, Arthur, Illinois 61911. 14:40

mineral-supplementation

• Don concluded from his captive deer trial that mineral supplementation could boost a mature buck’s antler score by roughly 10-15%, not just 10-15 inches. 46:33
• Don said Bronson Strickland agreed that mineral supplementation, especially in poor-soil areas, could meaningfully increase antler growth. 47:27
• Terry noted Real World may be the only hunting-industry mineral seller willing to admit their product alone won’t make a buck bigger overnight. 51:27

personal-achievements

• Don shared that he never dreamed he’d host a podcast, write two books, kill deer scoring over 200 inches, and publish 500 magazine articles. 16:50

prayer

• Don shared that he has prayed for his daughter and, more recently, his wife amid health struggles. 21:35

product-development

• Don explained Real World develops products by giving customers a chance to test them through a pilot program and provide feedback before bringing items to market. 11:04

product-lineup

• Ben Byler asked whether Real World sells any products they don’t personally think are the best, just due to customer demand. 59:26

scrapemagnet

• Terry explained ScrapeMagnet originated as an existing product whose rights Real World acquired, then rebranded after extensive testing. 11:15

soybeans

• Don announced Real World Wildlife Products is developing a new soybean-related product to cut browse pressure, planned for heavy testing next year. 9:41

storm-damage

• Don described major storms and tornadoes overnight that caused severe hail damage to crops around Arthur, Lovington, and Bethany, while his own farm mostly escaped serious damage. 0:38
• Terry reported a state of emergency was issued in Williamstown, near the Ark exhibit, which was hit especially hard by the storm’s tornadoes. 1:22
• Don noted the tornadoes at Charleston and Effingham were probably the worst, staying on the ground for a considerable distance. 2:02

supplemental-feeding

• Don said the National Deer Association’s biologists oppose supplemental feeding, claiming it spreads CWD, which he calls nonsense. 52:48
• Don argued that supplemental feeding actually makes deer healthier rather than spreading disease, contrary to some biologists’ claims. 53:05
• Danny Sanders asked if perfect habitat alone could match a buck fed high-quality supplemental feed, expecting 10-15 inches more antler growth by year five. 38:38

texas-hunt

• The Texas hunt camp will include Joe Miles, Don Higgins, Terry, and Christian music artist Emerson Day. 24:53

trail-cameras

• Neil Compton asked whether bucks shift summer ranges or avoid areas used by does with newborn fawns, since bachelor groups vanished from his cameras after fawns dropped. 62:21

utilization-cage

• Terry found that placing a utilization cage in his alfalfa this year showed deer browsing had reduced growth by roughly 10 inches. 9:02
• How do you make a makeshift utilization cage to gauge deer browse pressure on food plots? 7:44

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (management) 45:01

Listener questions

Question: Terry raised concerns about food plotters whose soybean plots aren’t growing, prompting discussion of soil testing, fertilizer, and lime for browse pressure issues. 5:15

• Answer: Don explained there are no shortcuts with food plots—skipping soil testing and fertilizing, like a farmer never would with his crop, will cost you in the long run. 5:27

Question: How do you make a makeshift utilization cage to gauge deer browse pressure on food plots? 7:44

• Answer: Don explained that a utilization cage keeps deer off a small fenced area so you can compare growth and see exactly how much browse pressure your plot is really getting. 8:33

Question: Danny Sanders asked if perfect habitat alone could match a buck fed high-quality supplemental feed, expecting 10-15 inches more antler growth by year five. 38:38 — asked by Danny Sanders

• Answer: Don said Danny could realistically gain 10-15 inches or more by year five, especially in bucks conceived from does already on supplemental feed. 42:14
• Answer: Don concluded that Danny’s 10-15 inch estimate was very conservative given Georgia’s poor soils. 50:20

Question: Edward Miller asked whether habitat projects or low fencing around sanctuaries could discourage coyotes from living on or traveling through a property. 53:44 — asked by Edward Miller

• Answer: Don shared that hanging a killed coyote on the fence can make other coyotes associate the area with danger and avoid it, though it works better on smaller properties. 54:27

Question: Drew Harmon asked how long soybean plots need before dropping the fence to let deer in, especially timing before hunting season. 56:10 — asked by Drew Harmon

• Answer: Don advised that if Drew drops his deer fence before hunting season, deer will pour into the small plot and wipe it out well before the rut. 56:55
• Answer: Terry added that if acorns are dropping, deer are less likely to reach the soybean plot before dark once the fence comes down, since they’re drawn to the mast crop first. 58:32

Question: Ben Byler asked Don and Terry to recommend books for young or starting hunters looking to sharpen their skills for bigger bucks. 59:13 — asked by Ben Byler

• Answer: Don recommended Roger Rothhaar’s books, especially his favorite, Whitetail Magic, as great reads for young hunters. 59:40
• Answer: For heavily wooded, mountainous terrain, Don recommended Bobby Worthington’s book as being as good as it gets. 60:20

Question: Ben Byler asked whether Real World sells any products they don’t personally think are the best, just due to customer demand. 59:26 — asked by Ben Byler

• Answer: Don admitted Real World sells an annual screen product due to demand even though he believes their Miscanthus screen is far superior. 60:49

Question: Neil Compton asked whether bucks shift summer ranges or avoid areas used by does with newborn fawns, since bachelor groups vanished from his cameras after fawns dropped. 62:21 — asked by Neil Compton

• Answer: Don explained the pattern reflects survival instinct: nature has geared deer for survival of the species, not just each individual animal, during summer. 62:49
• Answer: Don added that does take over the best available habitat to hide and nurse fawns, often pushing bucks out of the area during summer. 63:14

Prayer Time

Scripture: Exodus
Theme: the compassionate fatherhood of God
For Father’s Day, Emerson reflected on God’s self-description in Exodus 34 as compassionate, gracious, and slow to anger, then paralleled it with the father’s compassion in Luke 15’s prodigal son story, concluding that this love should model earthly fatherhood and everyday relationships, and prayed for fathers to draw strength and presence from God. 67:33

Don and Terry opened discussing storm damage across Illinois, with tornadoes near Charleston and Effingham probably the worst and a state of emergency declared near Williamstown by the Ark exhibit. Farm talk covered Terry’s uneven plots and a utilization cage showing deer had cut his alfalfa growth by roughly 10 inches, tying into a listener question on building such cages. Don discussed a captive-deer trial with seven sets of twin buck fawns testing mineral supplementation, claiming it could raise mature buck antler score by 10-15%, a view he said Bronson Strickland shared. He defended supplemental feeding against National Deer Association biologists’ CWD concerns. Listener questions covered soybean plot fertility, fence timing before season, coyote deterrence, book recommendations including Roger Rothhaar’s Whitetail Magic, and Real World’s honesty about product limits. They also promoted Lester’s Feet raffle tickets for a January 2027 Texas hunt and read emotional listener letters, including one from Jason Peachy about his sister-in-law’s death.

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