Episode #53 - Iowa Deer Classic, Deer Foundering, Cull Bucks, and Don gets fired up about politics at the end

Published: 2021-03-01
Episode page
Duration: 73 min

In this episode

buck-culling

• Should hunters cull a smaller-antlered one-year-old buck instead of a bigger one-year-old, or is predicting future antler growth still a crapshoot? 53:55
• Can a yearling-culling approach be effective with six hunters sharing over 300 acres? 59:34

captive-deer

• Don recalled that with his captive deer herd there was a clear, stable social pecking order led by a dominant doe. 22:49

charity

• Rich Hixson arranged for a Rambo electric bike to be purchased for Tate Hale, a former college athlete who lost his leg to illness. 17:59

consulting

• Don reported visiting 25 different properties in February for consulting visits, working from a motel room much of the month. 1:17
• Don says he can usually tell within about thirty minutes whether a consulting client will engage with his plan or struggle the whole way. 6:46

doe-behavior

• Are does fighting more because they’re concentrated at feeders as the only food source, or because does get territorial over scarce food? 21:59

exodus-trail-cameras

• Terry thanked Exodus Trail Cameras’ Chad, Cameron, and Jake, noting Exodus is now also a Real World dealer. 36:59

faith

• Tate Hale’s blog recounts that a stranger, a rabbit hunter, brought him to faith after knocking on his door during a personal crisis, leading him to now inspire others. 20:15

fawn-development

• Does a doe’s first-year reproduction cycle produce fawns that underperform compared to fawns from her later, more mature pregnancies? 57:40

food-plots

• Don recommends the Extreme Spreader attachment on a leaf blower for spreading small seeds like switchgrass and clover much farther than by hand. 25:29

frost-seeding

• Don spent a half day frost seeding clover plots, fire breaks, a switchgrass field, and a pasture, saying he did more seeding in one day than he normally would in three years. 24:33

iowa-deer-classic

• Larry Haren will have a Real World dealer booth next to Don’s at the Iowa Deer Classic. 9:48

master-class

• Terry explained that through March, episodes will be recorded live on Friday nights at Don’s master class events instead of Sunday nights. 68:28

property-evaluation

• Don observed that some properties, despite being well-suited for growing big deer, are poorly laid out for actually hunting them. 2:50

raffle-fundraiser

• Justin Nice of Tina’s Taxidermy agreed to donate a deer mount for the charity raffle. 11:50
• The EZ Climb Treestand/Treestep company donated a bunch of trail cameras to the charity raffle. 12:05
• QuietKat and Lone Wolf both agreed to donate items to the charity hunt raffle. 12:34
• Terry says the hunts on his and Don’s farms will be the only hunts included in the raffle since those are the only ones they control. 14:40

real-world-dealer

• Don noted Rich has become a new Real World dealer for the Southeast Ohio area. 19:05

sd-card-holders

• Terry reported they had just passed 100 SD card holders sold for the Lester’s Feet fundraiser. 36:32

shed-hunting

• When shed hunting a football-field-sized area with cover on both sides, should you walk end to end, start in the middle, or walk halfway and circle back? 30:19

stand-access

• Should stand access always go through open areas like a hay field, or is cutting through woods to a landlocked spot near a bean field acceptable? 39:20

supplemental-feeding

• Terry bought a 25-pound bag of peanuts at Rural King for $30 while testing peanuts as a supplemental feed. 51:48
• What are the pros and cons of using rice bran and cotton hulls as deer feed, and how does it affect deer health? 45:08

tree-steps

• Don says he has used EZ Climb tree steps for about forty years and calls them the best tree step ever made. 12:16

vengeance-camo

• Terry announced they will be wearing Vengeance Camo this year and that the brand’s website is now live. 72:00

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (hunt) 8:45
• unnamed buck (history) 26:35
• unnamed buck (history) 26:42
• unnamed buck (sighting) 27:23
• unnamed buck (harvest) 66:26
• unnamed buck (harvest) 67:07

Listener questions

Question: Are does fighting more because they’re concentrated at feeders as the only food source, or because does get territorial over scarce food? 21:59

• Answer: Don says he isn’t certain, but believes the increased doe fighting stems from limited food sources concentrating deer around feeders, with a pecking order forming. 22:10

Question: When shed hunting a football-field-sized area with cover on both sides, should you walk end to end, start in the middle, or walk halfway and circle back? 30:19

• Answer: Don explains he walks from one end to the 50-yard line and turns back, only covering half the property so pushed deer relocate to the undisturbed half. 30:38

Question: Should stand access always go through open areas like a hay field, or is cutting through woods to a landlocked spot near a bean field acceptable? 39:20 — asked by Michael Riley

• Answer: Don says access is everything; hunters must know whether a buck moves from bedding to feeding or vice versa and set up in between, rather than defaulting to open ground or woods. 41:23

Question: What are the pros and cons of using rice bran and cotton hulls as deer feed, and how does it affect deer health? 45:08 — asked by Jody Hooks

• Answer: Don sees no problem with feeding rice bran and cotton hulls as part of a balanced feed mix, since rice bran offers fat and cotton hulls offer protein and fiber. 46:40

Question: Should hunters cull a smaller-antlered one-year-old buck instead of a bigger one-year-old, or is predicting future antler growth still a crapshoot? 53:55 — asked by Clayton Rent

• Answer: Don advises against culling yearling bucks for management purposes, noting birth-date variation skews first-year antlers, though the best buck in an age class tends to stay best. 54:15

Question: Can a yearling-culling approach be effective with six hunters sharing over 300 acres? 59:34

• Answer: Don doubts the culling approach will meaningfully affect the local herd given surrounding cover and deer movement, but still supports shooting smaller bucks and prioritizing fun for kids. 60:15

Question: Does a doe’s first-year reproduction cycle produce fawns that underperform compared to fawns from her later, more mature pregnancies? 57:40

• Answer: Don explains a yearling doe bred before her first birthday is still growing herself, so much of her nutrition goes toward her own growth rather than fully supporting her fetuses. 58:20

Don recapped a heavy February of consulting visits to 25 properties, noting some places well-suited to growing big deer are still poorly laid out for hunting them, and that he can usually tell within about thirty minutes whether a client will engage with his plan. He described a half day frost seeding clover, fire breaks, a switchgrass field, and a pasture, and recommended an Extreme Spreader attachment for throwing small seed farther than by hand. Charity raffle donations were covered, including a deer mount, trail cameras, and items from other sponsors, along with an electric bike arranged for Tate Hale, whose blog credits a stranger’s visit with bringing him to faith. Listener questions addressed doe fighting around feeders, a shed-hunting search pattern, stand access routes, rice bran and cotton hulls as feed, culling yearling bucks, and whether a doe’s first pregnancy produces weaker fawns.

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