Episode #80 - Don’s 2021 Buck Forecast

Published: 2021-08-30
Episode page
Duration: 64 min

In this episode

afghanistan

Don’s worst news of the week was the marines and others killed in Afghanistan. 29:40

brassicas

Don explained that if brassicas like turnips, radish, or sugar beets are planted too thick, the bulbs get crowded and lack the space to reach full size. 13:21

buck-forecast

Don forecast a down year for big bucks, having seen fewer bucks over 170 inches this summer than in about six or seven years. 19:53

buck-mortality

Don said he has lost more mature three-year-old bucks in the past two years than ever before. 22:08

crossbow

Don attributes his recent losses of good three-year-old bucks mainly to increased crossbow hunting pressure. 22:32

customer-service

Terry advised listeners to email Real World Wildlife Products directly for faster, more detailed answers on food plot and product questions. 7:06

cwd

Don suspects CWD is concentrated in older mature bucks and that the DNR may be discouraging an older age class because of CWD concerns. 23:07

doctor-strickland

Don teased that when Dr. Strickland returns to the podcast in about a week and a half, they will announce big news. 26:04

faith

How do Sunday mornings work for you guys in the fall, and how do you balance faith, hunting, work, and family? 52:25

food-plots

Don’s food plot along a creek was washed away when floodwaters surged through it during a heavy rainstorm. 9:35
Terry warned that after weather disrupts a food plot planting, people should avoid overseeding brassica products because leftover seed can cause overly thick, stunted stands. 12:51
Terry recalled that on an Indiana property, buddies who wanted to reseed a dry Deadly Dozen plot held off, and it ended up being one of their best late-season stands. 14:40
Don said food plot seed can lie dormant in dust for weeks and then explode with growth once moisture arrives, so hunters shouldn’t give up on a plot. 15:32

herbicide

Terry said spraying 2,4-D and Glide behind his Enlist beans helped control marestail and waterhemp glyphosate-resistant weeds on his plot. 17:37

hunting-gear

Terry found a hunting-specific tree-stand backpack that is finally in stock and plans to share it on social media once he receives it this week. 58:44

kentucky

Terry plans to hunt in Kentucky next Saturday night despite expecting hot early-September weather. 62:06

lesters-feet

Terry plans to let his Lester’s Feet raffle-winning guest hunt a saved farm the second weekend of September after a scheduling delay. 63:00

mature-buck

How did the 10-year-old buck Terry shot keep slipping through the cracks for so many years? 43:48

moon-phase

Is the idea that the moon phase affects deer movement fact or fiction? 44:06

new-property

If you acquire a new property to hunt, is there a point where you should not go in and scout it before hunting? 35:54

peanuts

Terry announced he found a bulk peanut supplier for listeners in states that still allow supplemental feeding and offered to connect people with the source. 18:28

pennington

Terry reported that listeners are messaging them saying Pennington Seed appears to be rebranding its wildlife seed company and using the podcast’s theme music. 2:03
Don noticed Pennington Seed added the words ‘Wildlife Products’ to the end of its name, similar to Real World Wildlife Products. 2:36

seed-germination

Duane Hopkins told Terry that a small pop-up shower can swell and crack a seed shell without enough follow-up moisture, causing the sprouting plant to burn up. 16:11

tag-fallback

If unable to locate a world class whitetail, what would you be willing to fill a tag on? 40:05

trail-cameras

When do you start transitioning cameras from summer locations to fall scrapes and funnels? 39:52

victory-chevrolet

Chris Yates at Victory Chevrolet told Terry he can now order any truck spec since the earlier shortage restrictions have eased. 61:06

wiseeye-cameras

Don noted that WiseEye Cameras is closing its shop ahead of the hurricane but is staying in the area to help others rather than leaving. 28:10

wives-segment

Terry proposed a future episode segment where their wives answer listener-submitted questions, contingent on getting enough submissions. 26:29

world-class-buck

What do you consider a world class buck? Anything that scores Boone and Crockett? 40:00

Deer activity

Smokey and Trump (harvest) 41:57
unnamed buck (harvest) 48:29
11 pointer (hunt) 49:41
Uno (harvest) 57:44

Listener questions

Question: If you acquire a new property to hunt, is there a point where you should not go in and scout it before hunting? 35:54 — asked by Cody Walker

Answer: Don would hang a stand and camera right away, then stay out until camera intel confirmed a buck was using the area before hunting it. 36:49

Question: When do you start transitioning cameras from summer locations to fall scrapes and funnels? 39:52

Answer: Don typically starts moving cameras to fall scrape and funnel locations around Labor Day weekend. 40:25

Question: What do you consider a world class buck? Anything that scores Boone and Crockett? 40:00

Answer: Don considers a typical buck over 180 net inches or a nontypical over 200 inches to be world class, a bit better than Boone and Crockett minimums. 41:22

Question: If unable to locate a world class whitetail, what would you be willing to fill a tag on? 40:05

Answer: Don says it varies year to year and some seasons he’ll settle for a cull buck if no giant turns up. 41:48

Question: How did the 10-year-old buck Terry shot keep slipping through the cracks for so many years? 43:48 — asked by Casey Larson

Answer: Don explains the buck Terry eventually shot at 10 years old simply kept falling through the cracks for reasons he can’t fully pin down. 46:06

Question: Is the idea that the moon phase affects deer movement fact or fiction? 44:06 — asked by Casey Larson

Answer: Don pays little attention to the moon and focuses on weather fronts instead, though he allows the moon may have some minor effect. 50:56

Question: How do Sunday mornings work for you guys in the fall, and how do you balance faith, hunting, work, and family? 52:25 — asked by Hunter Simmons

Answer: Terry gave up other hobbies like fishing, turkey hunting, and golf so he can devote time to hunting and family without missing church. 53:34
Answer: Don treats church as a priority equal to hunting, rarely missing service even during the season. 54:41

Terry and Don opened discussing a Pennington Seed rebrand that listeners flagged as resembling Real World Wildlife Products, and Terry pointed people to email the company directly for detailed answers. Don recounted losing a creek-side food plot to floodwater, prompting advice from both hosts against overseeding brassicas after weather setbacks, since dormant seed can still sprout later, though a light shower without follow-up moisture can burn seedlings. Terry described spraying 2,4-D and Glide to fight resistant weeds in his Enlist beans. Don forecast a down year for big bucks, noting more mature three-year-olds lost recently, which he linked to crossbow pressure and possibly DNR caution around CWD. Listener questions covered scouting new ground, shifting cameras to fall funnels around Labor Day, defining a world-class buck, settling for cull bucks, moon phase skepticism, and balancing church with hunting season. They also referenced Terry’s 10-year-old buck harvest and past deer including Smokey, Trump, and Uno.

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