Episode #59 - Habitat Projects like Water Holes, Food in Bedding, Structure in Bedding along with other topics

Published: 2021-04-05
Episode page
Duration: 70 min

In this episode

access-trails

Kyle will clear brush to create an entrance path to a new 360 blind on a great spot on Terry’s lease. 21:22

april-fools

A friend named Guy played an April Fools prank on Don and Terry by sending a photoshopped bow that shoots two arrows at once. 6:18 (light moment)

bedding-cover

Shane Finch asked whether to keep American beech alive for cover in his bedding area or remove it, since deer don’t eat its beechnuts. 38:27

broadheads

Linden Derstein asked whether patiently waiting for a perfect low-risk shot, more than broadhead type, is the real key to Don’s success. 43:53

business

Don states he already has more consulting business than he can handle and doesn’t need more. 60:56

chestnut-trees

Don plans to plant a few American chestnut trees on his property within the next week. 20:34

consultants

Don urges hunters to do their homework before hiring a consultant, since there are plenty of good ones but also plenty of bad ones. 61:43

consulting

Don recalls Alan Foster asking what frustrates him most about consulting, which is the garbage information clients have already bought into. 64:14

consulting-industry

Terry describes gimmicky consulting groups that will tell members over the phone which direction to hang a tree stand, without ever seeing the property. 65:30

consulting-schedule

Don plans a busy week ahead consulting on jobs in Illinois and one more in Wisconsin. 66:37

deer-behavior

Terry describes that deer will bed against the varied-height switchgrass and Miscanthus structure while using height variance to form a travel corridor. 17:50

dough-factory

Colby Koonan asked whether most does stay in their summer range through fall, and whether avoiding summer food plots could reduce doe numbers during hunting season. 50:50

easter

Don states that Easter is the day that defines their beliefs, because Jesus rose from the dead. 1:26

equipment

Don’s new Genesis drill from WildlifeFarming was delivered to his farm on Friday. 7:29
Don had WildlifeFarming bring him a set of pallet forks for his tractor loader. 8:19
Terry’s friend Kyle Harman of Team Radical will use his new mulching head to clear entrance trails to a new blind on Terry’s lease. 20:59

faith

Terry paraphrases his father’s Easter sermon: Jesus lived on earth as a servant, was crucified as a criminal, but arose as a king. 3:00

family

Terry recounts that his father is a minister who got his first preaching job at 16, still in high school, and has preached every Sunday since. 1:40
Terry describes having his whole family together this Easter morning to see his dad preach. 2:07
Terry’s mom surprised him with a hand-knitted, camo-colored Afghan for his man cave on Easter. 3:24
Don shares that both his daughters were home from Indiana with his grandsons for a great Easter weekend with family. 2:22

film-school

Don announces upcoming film school classes in May and August, with details at chasinggiants.com. 22:02
Steve Shields will teach the film school class at Don’s farm. 22:13

food-plots

Russ Casda asked whether planting fruit trees within a clover food plot would give him more efficient dual food sources. 35:34

hinge-cutting

Don criticizes hinge cutting as overused, noting many people can’t identify tree species before doing it despite its having some place. 27:18

humor

Terry jokingly predicts one arm of the new switchgrass planting will point conveniently toward a 360 blind. 18:03 (light moment)
Terry jokingly claimed his neighbor’s ornamental grass, planted 20 years ago and barely grown 12 inches wider, must be an invasive species. 19:10 (light moment)

hunting-blinds

Don replaced his old six-by-six blinds with new, roomier seven-by-seven 360 blinds on his farm. 7:53

lesters-feet

Terry announces the Lester’s Feet raffle should launch within a week or two, hopefully before Shipshewana. 22:40

master-class

Terry values that master classes’ small groups of about 30 guys allow real conversation about properties and hunting styles. 4:44
Don ran his first private master classes this year for two groups of business owners and associates at a special price. 5:18
A master class client told Don that seeing his property firsthand made the plan Don designed for his own farm finally make perfect sense. 5:50
Don states everyone at this year’s master classes would say human intrusion was the lesson he drove home most. 30:25

merchandise

Don announces the Chasing Giants hats are back in stock after selling out, with orders shipping the next day. 33:32

miscanthus

Don plans to plant Miscanthus rows off an existing strip to break his switchgrass field into sections and add structure. 17:38

no-till

Don plans to no-till his food plots this spring using a custom front-loader sprayer that lets him spray and plant in one pass. 9:49

plant-identification

Colby Koonan also asked for tips on identifying plants, trees, and shrubs, since apps like LeafSnap and PictureThis frustrate him. 51:02

schedule

Don plans that after two more weeks of consulting and the Shipshewana show, his summer is free except for his youngest daughter’s wedding. 4:21

sd-card-holder

Terry directs listeners wanting an SD card holder soon to buy from Exodus Trail Cameras, who bought an allotment to resell. 23:33

shipshewana

Terry plans that he and Don will do a live podcast the night of the sixteenth at the Shipshewana show hall. 68:16

supplemental-feeding

Terry describes that when he fills feeders the same way every time, his deer learn to expect it happening in that spot. 29:24

switchgrass

Don decided to stick with his proven method of disc, cultipack, broadcast, cultipack again for replanting switchgrass rather than experiment further. 12:21
Don states seed depth is the most common mistake made when planting switchgrass. 13:22
Don advises an eighth of an inch is the ideal switchgrass seed depth, with a quarter inch as the maximum. 13:29
Don warns that weed competition is the second major issue with switchgrass plantings, requiring a clean slate to establish. 14:41
Don explains a sacrifice-year soybean strategy: burn down and no-till soybeans into killed vegetation before later planting switchgrass. 15:30
Terry warns that a heavy drill’s weight makes it hard to control seed depth in loose late-spring dirt, so frost seeding is better with a drill. 16:15
Don notes that seed producers in the Plains States often drill switchgrass seed onto frozen ground in winter. 16:41
Don explains frozen ground keeps a drill from planting too deep while its coulters still cut through debris to place seed against the soil. 16:47

turkey-hunting

Terry mentions friends Al Foster and Joe Johnson will come turkey hunt on his place at the end of the month. 67:11

water-holes

Don states he isn’t opposed to water holes themselves, but sees the human intrusion needed to maintain them as a real negative. 26:58
Don concludes he doesn’t think a waterhole itself is bad, but the human intrusion required to keep many waterholes full is the real problem. 28:55

wildlifefarming

Terry recommends listeners check wildlifefarming.com, noting local dealers likely carry their implements nationwide. 9:21

youtube

Terry announces plans to ramp up YouTube content, especially during planting season. 10:41
Terry asks for a videographer local to Don to help with more Chasing Giants content, to be contacted via social media. 10:48

Listener questions

Question: Russ Casda asked whether planting fruit trees within a clover food plot would give him more efficient dual food sources. 35:34 — asked by Russ Casda

Answer: Don calls it a fantastic idea, saying he does it himself since clover is a great, shallow-rooted legume companion crop for fruit trees. 36:17

Question: Shane Finch asked whether to keep American beech alive for cover in his bedding area or remove it, since deer don’t eat its beechnuts. 38:27 — asked by Shane Finch

Answer: Don says he strongly prefers separating food and bedding, since the travel a deer must make between bed and food is what makes it vulnerable to hunting pressure. 38:54

Question: Linden Derstein asked whether patiently waiting for a perfect low-risk shot, more than broadhead type, is the real key to Don’s success. 43:53 — asked by Linden Derstein

Answer: Don agrees shot selection is critical, but argues that since a hunter will eventually not hit exactly where expected, a mechanical broadhead is far inferior to a fixed blade. 44:22

Question: Colby Koonan asked whether most does stay in their summer range through fall, and whether avoiding summer food plots could reduce doe numbers during hunting season. 50:50 — asked by Colby Koonan

Answer: Don dismisses the ‘dough factory’ idea as a clickbait catchphrase pushed by people chasing video views. 51:28
Answer: Don counters that his own property actually has more does in fall than summer despite providing summer food. 52:32

Question: Colby Koonan also asked for tips on identifying plants, trees, and shrubs, since apps like LeafSnap and PictureThis frustrate him. 51:02 — asked by Colby Koonan

Answer: Don says he has no shortcut tip; he simply learned species gradually over years, a few each year, until he could identify most trees and plants. 62:15

The episode opened with Easter reflections, including Terry’s account of his preacher father’s sermon and family gathering, before turning to farm and hunting content. Don and Terry discussed master classes’ small-group format and new equipment from WildlifeFarming, including a drill, pallet forks, and larger blinds. Don detailed switchgrass planting technique, stressing shallow seed depth and weed control, plus plans for Miscanthus rows and American chestnut trees. Terry mentioned Kyle Harman clearing trails to a new blind on his lease, and both discussed film school classes, a Lester’s Feet raffle, and restocked hats. Don criticized overused hinge cutting and reflected on human intrusion as the main lesson from his consulting work, distinguishing good consultants from gimmicky phone-based advice. Listener questions covered pairing fruit trees with clover plots, whether to keep beech trees near bedding areas, doe movement between summer and fall ranges, and tips for identifying plants and trees.

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