Episode #57 - Discussion about Ethics Continues as guest at the 2nd Master Class put Don on the spot with live questions.

Published: 2021-03-22
Episode page
Duration: 68 min

In this episode

antler-growth

Terry wants to explore whether Dr. Strickland has studied if bucks holding antlers longer into spring affects their antler growth the following year. 5:13

antler-shedding

Terry says nobody has figured out why some bucks hold their antlers longer into spring than others. 5:00

banter

Terry jokes that Wes had a short modeling career before joining Real World, appearing on a billboard. 57:05 (light moment)
Wes Delks clarifies he has never been a model and never will be, correcting Terry’s joke. 63:42
Terry admits he once called the billboard company to price out a mock-up ad just to see how much it would cost. 67:10

buck-behavior

Jason asks how hunting November mornings differs from October if mature bucks are still j-hooking into their bedding area before dawn. 54:00

company-history

Don says when Real World Wildlife Products started, they were beginners just trying to get their foot in the door of the outdoor industry. 18:37

content-integrity

Terry announces he’s decided to stop blowing up or shooting trail cameras for views, saying it doesn’t reflect the show’s integrity. 17:48

deer-management

Don explains EHD hit his property in 2012, wiping out about 25% of his deer herd. 62:39

doe-management

Matt asks whether Don and Terry have a doe management plan and whether shooting does matters for growing big bucks. 61:53

e-bikes

Dean asks Terry and Don how they use e-bikes for hunting access and whether they’ve ever taken a fall on one. 58:14
An audience member asks whether they park e-bikes at the base of the tree or stand, or leave them elsewhere. 60:48

ethics

Don says the best deer hunters he’s known are the most ethical, going beyond what the law allows rather than letting politicians dictate their standards. 13:03
Don concludes the law is just a starting point for ethical behavior, not the ultimate standard. 13:46
Don says the biggest change in his ethics between hunting years ten-to-twenty and thirty-to-forty is thinking beyond what the law allows. 14:15

fandom

Don says a young fan has watched every video he’s put out and knows the history of every buck Don has shot as well as Don does. 40:51

grandkids

An audience member asks whether Don lets his grandkids shoot whatever deer comes by or has rules about it. 38:28

habitat-priorities

Terry asks whether, between bedding, food plot, or water hole investment, water hole would rank last. 49:17

humor

An audience member jokingly asks what you do if you get hit with a “code brown” while 30 feet up in a love swing. 37:24

hunting-blinds

Don says he likes 360-style blinds because their construction is quieter than other blinds and the windows keep hunters from being seen. 41:48
Don reveals he once tried to buy the 360 blind company after falling in love with the product, but the owners declined to sell. 43:14
Sean asks if a hunting blind helps with swirling winds and contradicting thermals when hunting bottoms in timber country. 50:20

industry-ethics

Don criticizes an industry attitude of demanding money and product without giving anything back in return. 22:38

integrity

Terry says he knows for a fact some people refuse to buy Real World Wildlife Products items simply because they dislike Don. 15:17
Don states his integrity has never been for sale and he won’t jump from one sponsor to a competing one just for more money. 15:29

lesters-feet

Terry says supporters donated lumber, MDF, and other materials for the Lester’s Feet wood shop, covering all future material costs. 7:23
Terry announces an online raffle where he and Don will each donate a hunt, including a velvet hunt on Don’s farm opening weekend of September. 7:58
Terry explains they had to be an established nonprofit to legally run the raffle because of state gambling laws. 8:16
Terry announces Amish listeners following on Emtek will be able to submit raffle entries by mail without needing a website. 8:50
Terry reports Lester’s Feet already paid the Ward family’s March house and farm payments. 9:14
Terry reports Lester’s Feet is paying full travel expenses for a Kentucky family so their special needs daughter can have a procedure done in Charleston, South Carolina. 9:29
Terry explains Lester’s Feet pays sick kids’ families’ actual bills directly rather than handing over cash. 11:33

master-class

Don lists the states represented at the Master Class, including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. 1:18
Terry announces the group already had dinner and will tour two properties the next day with several presentations from Don. 5:42

mentorship

Wes Delks asks Terry how his deer hunting has changed since meeting Don. 63:54

podcast-plans

Terry announces the guest will appear on the podcast later this year to discuss the antler-holding theory. 5:31

property-access

Don says snow prevented his planned Iowa property visit, so the landowner suggested he wait a week for the fields to firm up. 3:19

property-management

Marlon asks if it’s possible to make a small property too busy by cramming in too many stands, plots, and cameras. 43:52

raffle

Terry says Don will come to his place for opening weekend hoping to get a velvet buck on the ground for a raffle winner. 10:09

real-world

Terry reveals Wes is a tree saddle expert and partial owner of Real World, though many people just recognize him. 56:44

shed-hunting

Don says he and his grandson only found four or five sheds on a recent hunt, far fewer than the 20-plus they usually find in mid-March. 4:06
Joe Johnson asks Don about the “same time, same place” shed-hunting pattern, referencing a buck he tracked via sheds for years. 50:57

sponsorship

Terry says they have an obligation to their sponsors, acting as field sales guys for those companies. 19:47
Don says he turned down trail camera companies wanting to sponsor him because he wouldn’t endorse a camera he didn’t believe was the best. 21:04
Don recalls that early in his career he took free products and later realized much of it was junk, leaving him feeling obligated to companies. 20:41
Don says he told Chris he’d mention the truck deal once on the podcast before taking any money, to see what happened. 21:59
Chris reportedly told Don that 26 trucks sold in the first five days after the podcast mentioned his dealership. 22:15

trail-cameras

Terry says the cell camera segment started as a way to give unbiased data to listeners. 17:02
Al Foster asks how Don catalogs and tracks bucks over time as they grow up, and when he starts focusing on hunting a specific one. 28:27
Terry asks whether Don categorizes trail camera photos by location, by the individual buck, or both. 30:47

water-management

Ivan asks how important water holes are, where to place them, and how many per 100 acres. 47:17

weather

Don reports the forecast for the farm tour is 56 degrees and sunny, calling it lucky since rain usually interferes with these classes. 5:58

wind

Bailey McGuire asks what one thing Don would tell his younger self at the start of his hunting journey, and why. 32:48

Deer activity

unnamed buck (sighting) 4:42
unnamed buck (sighting) 4:52
Mel (harvest) 29:53
Joey (harvest) 30:15
Trump (trail-camera) 31:34
Joey Buck (history) 52:10
Trump (harvest) 66:37

Listener questions

Question: Al Foster asks how Don catalogs and tracks bucks over time as they grow up, and when he starts focusing on hunting a specific one. 28:27 — asked by Al Foster

Answer: Don uses Reconyx BuckView software to organize trail camera photos, and doesn’t focus on a buck until it survives gun season at three and a half years old. 29:23

Question: Terry asks whether Don categorizes trail camera photos by location, by the individual buck, or both. 30:47 — asked by Terry

Answer: Don says he categorizes all his trail camera photos by location rather than by buck. 30:55

Question: Bailey McGuire asks what one thing Don would tell his younger self at the start of his hunting journey, and why. 32:48 — asked by Bailey McGuire

Answer: Don says he would tell himself from day one how critical playing the wind is to killing mature bucks. 36:16

Question: An audience member jokingly asks what you do if you get hit with a “code brown” while 30 feet up in a love swing. 37:24

Answer: Terry jokes he’s never been in a love swing but has gotten a code brown, so he can’t fully answer the question. 37:35

Question: An audience member asks whether Don lets his grandkids shoot whatever deer comes by or has rules about it. 38:28

Answer: Don says regardless of what buck walks by, if his grandkids are hunting with him, they get to shoot it. 39:11

Question: Marlon asks if it’s possible to make a small property too busy by cramming in too many stands, plots, and cameras. 43:52

Answer: Don says human intrusion is the quickest way to ruin a property, and smaller properties need even less activity on them. 44:54

Question: Ivan asks how important water holes are, where to place them, and how many per 100 acres. 47:17 — asked by Ivan

Answer: Don says water holes are overrated in the Midwest since deer seem to find water sources on their own. 47:38

Question: Terry asks whether, between bedding, food plot, or water hole investment, water hole would rank last. 49:17 — asked by Terry

Answer: Don confirms a water hole would always be the last priority of the three. 49:24

Question: Sean asks if a hunting blind helps with swirling winds and contradicting thermals when hunting bottoms in timber country. 50:20 — asked by Sean

Answer: Don says a blind will help cut down scent dispersal, though it’s not a 100% foolproof solution. 50:34

Question: Joe Johnson asks Don about the “same time, same place” shed-hunting pattern, referencing a buck he tracked via sheds for years. 50:57 — asked by Joe Johnson

Answer: Don confirms a buck follows the same annual pattern his whole life, so his shed locations recur in the same spot each year. 52:33

Question: Jason asks how hunting November mornings differs from October if mature bucks are still j-hooking into their bedding area before dawn. 54:00 — asked by Jason

Answer: Don says catching a mature buck on his feet before sunrise is extremely rare in October, but a few more mornings in November offer that chance. 54:43

Question: Dean asks Terry and Don how they use e-bikes for hunting access and whether they’ve ever taken a fall on one. 58:14 — asked by Dean

Answer: Terry says he’s never fallen, and last season was his first using an e-bike, which helped him hunt while recovering from knee surgery. 58:23
Answer: Don says he never goes past third gear on his eight-gear e-bike because it already goes faster than he wants to fall. 60:23

Question: An audience member asks whether they park e-bikes at the base of the tree or stand, or leave them elsewhere. 60:48

Answer: Terry says he usually leaves his e-bike away from the stand, but would drive right up to a brushy stand if the situation allowed. 60:56

Question: Matt asks whether Don and Terry have a doe management plan and whether shooting does matters for growing big bucks. 61:53 — asked by Matt

Answer: Don says he doesn’t shoot many does on his property because the herd isn’t at a point requiring it. 62:03

Question: Wes Delks asks Terry how his deer hunting has changed since meeting Don. 63:54 — asked by Wes Delks

Answer: Terry says the biggest change is hunting less but only in the right conditions, which improved his success killing mature bucks. 64:16

The episode centered on a Master Class gathering with attendees from nine states, including a farm tour with two properties and presentations from Don. Terry detailed Lester’s Feet charity work, including covering the Ward family’s house and farm payments, funding a Kentucky family’s travel for their daughter’s medical procedure, and an online raffle offering hunts from Don and Terry. Don and Terry discussed industry ethics, with Don saying his integrity wasn’t for sale and describing turning down trail camera sponsors and a truck dealership deal he only mentioned once. Terry said he’d stop destroying trail cameras for views. Listener questions covered trail camera cataloging by location, playing the wind, human intrusion ruining small properties, water holes being overrated, blind use against swirling winds, recurring shed patterns, November mornings, e-bike access, and doe management. Terry credited hunting less but in better conditions for improved success since meeting Don.

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