Episode #44 - New Year’s Resolutions, Bedding Cover, Hunting Cold Temps, and Sharing Hunting Property with Family

Published: 2020-12-28
Episode page
Duration: 77 min

In this episode

2020-recap

• Don says despite people calling 2020 a terrible year, it was fantastic for him personally and professionally, including as a deer hunter. 1:14

bedding

• Don explains the best bedding cover for mature bucks is typically very thick cover, partly because thicker cover reduces the odds deer encounter human intrusion. 47:25
• Nathan Kelsey from Kirksville, Missouri asks how to determine whether a property has enough quality bedding cover or needs added switchgrass. 44:39
• Terry asks whether there’s a standard acreage ratio between food and bedding, or if it depends on the property and deer density. 47:42

beginner-advice

• Terry advises beginning hunters to set realistic goals aligned with their situation rather than expecting to reach an expert’s level quickly. 57:43

broadhead-debate

• Don reports their Instagram poll on the mechanical-versus-fixed broadhead debate showed 79% wanted the debate versus 21% who didn’t. 19:51
• Terry says scheduling the broadhead debate with a big-name guest likely won’t happen for a couple episodes, tentatively landing late January or February. 21:04

coaching

• Terry shares he’ll be coaching around 46 young women in varsity, JV, and travel volleyball, hoping to be a positive Christian influence. 66:05

compound-bow

• Terry sets a goal to return to hunting full-time with a compound bow, revealing he already hunted this past December with a compound despite no shot. 67:36

consulting

• Don announces that this coming week he’ll be consulting in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa depending on weather, visiting a property nearly every day. 14:31
• Don recounts a consulting client with 40 acres and four hunters whose goal was a booner every year — an impossible situation given the pressure. 59:54

consumer-caution

• Terry cautions listeners to verify any planted species is properly tested and certified rather than trusting unverified claims. 43:45

covid

• Don shares that though he, his wife, daughters, and son-in-law all had COVID, they recovered fairly well with no major issues. 1:31

episode-preview

• Terry previews an upcoming update on the mechanical versus fixed broadhead debate and the final installment of the good-stand-to-great-stand series. 2:37
• Terry announces the episode will close with Don revealing his New Year’s resolution. 2:54

faith

• Don states their ultimate purpose is sharing the message of salvation through Jesus Christ with listeners. 74:57

film-school

• Don announces he and Steve Shields are hosting a film school at his farm. 18:26
• Don shares the film school will run one session in May and one in August, with students already signed up for both. 19:01

food-plots

• Don relays that his son-in-law hunted his farm and saw plenty of deer in the food plots, mainly soybeans, seeing about 40 deer on one cold-weather sit. 3:54
• Terry explains a September drought delayed fall food plot germination, leaving fall plots unestablished by season’s start. 4:35
• Terry adds that the delayed germination caused unusually young, tender plot growth later in the season than normal. 4:52
• Terry notes deer heavily browsed the tender growth and clover until the recent cold snap pushed them toward protein sources like soybeans. 5:07
• Don recommends planting high-oil soybeans since deer strongly prefer them over regular soybeans on cold days for the extra fat content. 5:40
• Don recommends Real World’s Deadly Dozen 12-species blend because it always has something deer crave regardless of season, keeping them returning to the same plot. 7:22
• Don adds that small food plots can still pull deer over from a nearby travel corridor for a shot, even though big plots provide the real pulling power. 12:21
• Don jokes that a plot the size of a two-car garage isn’t even a McDonald’s — it’s a vending machine that will only give a deer a bag of potato chips. 13:50 (light moment)
• Terry asks whether, starting from scratch, Don would prefer four micro food plots for wind versatility or one large diverse plot huntable in multiple winds. 10:54

giant-miscanthus

• Don explains that the Giant Miscanthus Real World sells is a sterile hybrid and not invasive, unlike some other invasive species within the broader Miscanthus genus. 42:27

habitat-diversity

• Terry suggests zooming out on Google Earth to identify what a property is missing compared to neighboring land, making it different from the surrounding checkerboard. 48:06

hunting-ethics

• Terry asks Don to restate the quote he taped to his gun cabinet door, referenced in the Mel video. 27:12
• Terry asks whether Don would rather be known for passing a 216-inch buck on camera over maturity doubts, or for killing three 200-inch deer on unfenced land he didn’t own. 28:11

hunting-solo

• An anonymous listener asks how to tell a close friend or family member they can no longer hunt on his property after losing trust in his ethics. 51:24

invasive-species

• Don explains Russian olive spreads because birds eat its red berries and deposit seeds elsewhere, making it a self-perpetuating invasive. 40:09
• Drew Sturma from Evansville, Illinois asks whether Russian olive is beneficial security cover on hunting property or something to remove. 37:47

joke

• Terry jokes that humans aren’t much different from deer, since he goes and gets a Mountain Dew and a bag of Cheetos when he craves them. 10:16 (light moment)

lease

• Terry notes their shared lease has cover on nearly every acre except cleared food plots, so clearing more for switchgrass wouldn’t make sense there. 48:50

legacy

• Don states he’d rather be remembered for helping others experience the thrill of big buck hunting than for the size of bucks he personally killed. 29:35

live-podcast

• Don confirms they’ll record a live podcast with audience questions at the Shipshewana show. 16:14

master-class

• Terry confirms with Don whether his master classes are now completely full. 16:55

mentorship

• Terry uses a golf analogy, arguing that improving as a hunter requires surrounding yourself with more skilled, challenging people. 62:23

merchandise

• Don announces T-shirts are shipping out to listeners who submitted questions or ordered online, with mailman Steven Pope picking them up. 36:02
• Terry announces they’re fielding listener requests for Chasing Giants hats and sweatshirts and will share ordering details soon. 36:27

new-years-resolution

• Terry’s New Year’s goal is to invest more time with his wife and two children still at home, having realized time with kids is limited. 65:21
• Don’s resolution is to keep striving to be a better husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, son, brother, and friend to those closest to him. 68:23
• Don’s hunting-related resolution is to handle online negativity better while staying humble about positive attention. 70:11

nutrition

• Don explains wildlife and livestock can balance their own diets when given diverse plant options, letting deer get everything they need. 8:32
• Terry recalls Dr. Strickland describing deer eating woodland brush that puzzled researchers until tissue analysis revealed a nutrient deficiency. 9:00
• Don uses the analogy of horses or cattle chewing bark off pen trees as a sign of nutrient deficiency, similar to deer seeking missing nutrients. 9:31

personal-experience

• Terry mentions that despite blowing his knee this year, it hasn’t been too bad overall. 1:52
• Terry shares he’s had to walk away from hunting family property because it no longer aligned with his hunting goals. 58:37
• Terry shares that though he doesn’t regret hunting with less serious partners in his late teens, he now only shares a property with two or three people who fully align with his goals. 63:50

personal-history

• Don reveals he taped that quote to his gun cabinet door back in the 1970s as an eighth grader. 27:42
• Terry recalls his first deer, shot with a bow, was hit poorly because he knew little at the time. 56:35 (light moment)
• Terry reveals for the first time that he’s used a crossbow for about four years due to injuries requiring three shoulder surgeries. 66:50

podcast-format

• Don explains he invited Terry as cohost specifically because Terry hunts a different region, bringing a different perspective. 55:42

podcast-mission

• Terry states the podcast isn’t a selfish venture; they do it to be a positive influence, share Christ with hunters, and help people learn. 73:17

seminar

• Don announces a mid-January appearance at the Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show in Mount Hope, Ohio, a three-day Thursday-through-Saturday event. 15:27
• Don announces a mid-February appearance at the MECC Center in Shipshewana, Indiana. 15:58
• Don announces he’ll be speaking at the Iowa Deer Classic the first weekend of March. 16:35

social-media

• Don recounts blocking the camera company owner and a supporter online without argument after being attacked, part of handling negativity better. 72:22

sponsorship

• Don states they’ve turned down new sponsors so they can stay independent and speak honestly on the show. 74:17

stand-prep

• Don recommends taking notes on stand improvements while hunting, then following up during the off-season to get those fixes done, making stands better the next year. 24:08
• Terry recalls that he and Wes lost a ladder stand leg pin while hanging stands in Illinois and forgot to note it. 25:06

switchgrass

• Don clarifies switchgrass works best as a bedding solution on open, cover-lacking properties, creating thick cover faster than timber ever could. 48:30

trail-camera

• Don recounts testing a trail camera from a company whose owner later soured on him, though Don never publicly bashed the poor-quality product. 71:35

youtube

• Terry asks listeners to subscribe to the Chasing Giants with Higgins Outdoors YouTube channel and share videos with friends to help grow the show. 75:59

Deer activity

• Joey (hunt) 24:30
• Mel (history) 27:04
• unnamed buck (hunt) 30:49
• unnamed buck (hunt) 50:10
• unnamed buck (harvest) 56:35

Listener questions

Question: Terry asks whether, starting from scratch, Don would prefer four micro food plots for wind versatility or one large diverse plot huntable in multiple winds. 10:54

• Answer: Don answers that small plots only catch pass-through deer, while fewer, bigger plots have real drawing power, likening small plots to a McDonald’s. 12:04

Question: Terry confirms with Don whether his master classes are now completely full. 16:55

• Answer: Don confirms his master classes are 100% booked, though he has room for up to three private weekday group sessions for groups of up to 20. 17:02

Question: Terry asks Don to restate the quote he taped to his gun cabinet door, referenced in the Mel video. 27:12

• Answer: Don states his gun-cabinet quote: hunters should be judged more by what they choose not to shoot than by what they do shoot. 27:23

Question: Terry asks whether Don would rather be known for passing a 216-inch buck on camera over maturity doubts, or for killing three 200-inch deer on unfenced land he didn’t own. 28:11

• Answer: Don answers that, forced to choose, he’d rather be known as the guy who let the 200-inch deer walk because it hadn’t met his age-based maturity goal. 30:49

Question: Drew Sturma from Evansville, Illinois asks whether Russian olive is beneficial security cover on hunting property or something to remove. 37:47 — asked by Drew Sturma

• Answer: Don answers that Russian olive and similar exotics are so well established across the Midwest that removal is essentially an unwinnable battle. 38:42

Question: Nathan Kelsey from Kirksville, Missouri asks how to determine whether a property has enough quality bedding cover or needs added switchgrass. 44:39 — asked by Nathan Kelsey

• Answer: Don answers that freedom from human intrusion is the most important factor in bedding quality, more so than any specific cover ratio. 46:52

Question: Terry asks whether there’s a standard acreage ratio between food and bedding, or if it depends on the property and deer density. 47:42

• Answer: Don answers simply that there needs to be a balance between bedding cover and food rather than a fixed ratio. 47:58

Question: An anonymous listener asks how to tell a close friend or family member they can no longer hunt on his property after losing trust in his ethics. 51:24

• Answer: Don answers he’s observed over decades that the most successful mature-buck hunters hunt alone, since bringing others doubles scent and noise. 52:06
• Answer: Don adds that since it’s the listener’s first year hunting, he should decide his personal goals, as hunting can be solitary or social depending on priorities. 53:28

Sponsors this episode

• BuyAFarm.com
• 360 Hunting Blinds
• QuietKat
• Vortex Optics
• Lone Wolf Treestands
• Mathews Archery
• Real World Wildlife Products

Don and Terry opened by reflecting on a rough-but-personally-good 2020, including COVID recoveries and Terry’s knee injury, before covering food plot strategy: a September drought delayed fall germination, producing tender growth deer browsed heavily until cold weather pushed them to soybeans. Don recommended high-oil soybeans and diverse blends like Deadly Dozen, arguing bigger, diverse plots draw deer better than small ones. They discussed bedding cover, agreeing freedom from human intrusion matters more than any fixed food-to-bedding ratio, and that switchgrass suits open properties lacking cover. Listener questions covered Russian olive as security cover, judging bedding adequacy, and how to end a hunting relationship with an untrustworthy friend, with Don favoring solitary hunting for scent control. Don restated his gun-cabinet philosophy about being judged by what’s passed on rather than shot, and said he’d rather be known for passing a mature buck than killing several. The episode closed with New Year’s resolutions: Terry on family time and coaching volleyball, Don on humility and handling online negativity.

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