Episode #83 Don’s Buck Inventory shows 32 bucks over 150”

Published: 2021-09-20 Episode page Duration: 73 min

In this episode

age-structure

Terry reports his Kentucky farm still has strong buck age structure this year, but the antler size on those older bucks is smaller than usual. 18:22
Terry stresses that land managers should stop focusing on antler score and instead watch age structure, since bucks can’t become giants without surviving past four and a half years. 54:08

antler-regression

Don says a buck he had counted on to top 170 inches this year instead regressed to about 160 inches. 19:17

captive-deer

Don says 25 years of experience with captive deer taught him certain antler traits are common in captive deer but rare in wild deer. 37:09
Don says he suspected the controversial Kansas buck was a captive-raised deer as soon as he saw it, before any controversy was reported. 37:22
Don says his real issue with the captive deer industry is dishonesty, not the act of shooting a deer in a pen; hunters should just be honest about it. 37:36
Don criticizes the hypocrisy of hunters who bash high-fence operations on social media yet admit they’d shoot the same buck once it escaped the pen. 40:47

content-planning

Terry suggests a future Chasing Giants YouTube video exploring the difference between attracting bucks and actually growing them on your property. 69:48

cwd

Don believes many state game agencies discourage older-age-class bucks because CWD is more prevalent in older deer. 61:29
Don calls CWD a ‘political disease,’ comparing it to COVID as a very polarizing issue hunters often accept without independent scrutiny. 61:57
Don’s state senator told him that after meeting Illinois DNR about supplemental deer feeding, officials seemed more concerned with keeping government sharpshooters employed than protecting the deer resource. 65:14

down-year

Don’s Mathews industry contact reported that major deer hunters across the country are seeing good up-and-coming bucks but lack top-end giants this year. 17:10
Don says this season matches the earlier buck forecast from the show, confirming it’s a down year overall for big bucks. 17:30

food-plots

Jerry Kienas asks if his food plot program is missing anything for antler growth, and how to attract and hold bigger bucks. 66:46

habitat-planning

Why do land managers overcomplicate or abandon their habitat plans over short-term results instead of trusting a long-term strategy? 23:42

harvest-decisions

Don will not shoot any of four bucks he estimates are only four years old, planning to let them mature into giants by age six. 13:11
Among his five 170-plus bucks, Don identifies one older buck as the only one he plans to shoot this season. 13:41

hunting-goals

Terry’s personal goal for the season is to kill a Kentucky deer over 160 inches, though he doesn’t yet have a confirmed target buck there. 16:04
Don believes killing one buck over 170 inches this year will be tougher than killing his 220-inch buck last year, because top-end bucks are scarce. 15:34
Now that Don has surveyed his trail camera inventory, what is his hunting objective or goal for this season? 14:04

hunting-strategy

Don advises hunting smarter, not harder: wait for conditions to be right rather than going in wrong and ruining the rest of the season’s hunting. 9:29

kansas-controversy

Kansas wildlife officials reportedly congratulated the young hunter who shot the controversial buck but said it would not be entered in their record books. 42:30

kentucky-controversy

Terry hopes the parties involved in the Kentucky deer controversy get punished if they took a high-fence deer across state lines and passed it off as a wild Kentucky buck. 44:39

kentucky-hunting

Terry credits his hunting guest for passing on small bucks that walked underneath his stand on the final evening, staying true to his goal of a bigger buck. 3:50

land-management

Don notes that small 60-acre parcels like Alex’s are heavily limited by what neighboring landowners do and what the state allows. 54:45
Don tells consulting clients that what surrounds a property matters far more than what’s on it, since you can create food or cover but can’t control the neighborhood. 57:48
Should land managers worry about down antler years as long as buck age structure stays intact, or push for change when circumstances shift? 19:49
Before buying land, how can a hunter identify farms with true big-buck potential rather than risking wasted effort? 55:03

late-season

Terry plans to invite his guest back for a late-season muzzleloader hunt if a decent buck turns up on the property. 4:01

lesters-feet

Terry explains the Lester’s Feet Foundation, which he and Don created almost by accident, grew into a resource supporting families with sick children. 71:00

listener-questions

Terry announces listeners who submit a question used on the show will receive a Chasing Giants T-shirt from Don. 48:57

master-course

Don requires a $500 deposit per person to reserve a spot in the Whitetail Master Course. 27:41
Don announces two master course dates, March 10 and 12, featuring Bronson Strickland, priced at $2,000 per student. 28:00
Don announces four regular master course dates, March 17, 19, 24, and 26, priced at $1,500 per person. 28:14
Terry describes master course attendees arriving the night before to sit in a small circle with Don and himself, talking hunting for hours. 29:13
Don recaps the master course schedule: two Bronson Strickland sessions March 10 and 12 at $2,000 per student, plus four regular sessions March 17, 19, 24, and 26. 71:59
Don gives the mailing address for master course deposit checks: Higgins Outdoors at 1459 North 3500 East Road in Gays, Illinois. 72:27
Is a spot in the master course only reserved once the deposit has been received? 30:02

pike-county

Alex Dunker asks how to know when you’ve maximized a parcel’s potential, after years of extensive habitat work on two 60-acre Pike County farms with little big-buck success. 49:53

podcast-growth

Terry reports the episode featuring Dr. Strickland produced a huge surge in downloads and listener response. 26:50
Listeners told Terry they started following Dr. Strickland’s Deer Lab podcast and were really enjoying it after hearing his episode. 27:03

property-praise

Terry considers Don’s home farm one of the best whitetail properties in the country, even though it doesn’t produce a giant buck every single year. 26:08

season-opener

Don announces the Illinois opener is just under two weeks away, so they’ll record only one more podcast before his season starts. 1:19

state-regulations

Jerry Mullet asks why Mississippi allows a 3-buck quota with a long rifle season during the rut when top states limit harvest and hunt after the rut. 58:57

target-buck

Terry has secured permission to hunt a mature Kentucky target buck on a food-plot-free farm, but is waiting for a northwest wind before pursuing it. 9:52
Is Don’s target 172-174-inch buck number one on his Illinois hit list, and is it located in Illinois or Iowa? 13:46

trail-cameras

Don confirms he has finished repositioning his trail cameras across 33 properties in three states for the season. 10:51
Of the 32 bucks over 150 inches Don has documented via trail camera across his properties this year, only five score over 170 inches. 12:32
Terry explains that last year’s trail camera test cameras were sold to listeners, with proceeds donated to charity, which eventually became the Lester’s Feet Foundation. 31:51
Frustrated with a malfunctioning cell camera, Terry called his son Jonathan over and destroyed the camera with his tactical shotgun. 33:59
Terry jokingly offers that anyone considering buying that camera brand should instead send him $100 so he can come kick them, claiming they’d still be better off. 35:15 (light moment)
Don is bewildered that companies keep recruiting pro staff to promote a camera brand that social media commenters universally agreed was junk. 34:25

wind

Terry believes shifting south winds let bedded bucks wind his hunting party despite scent-elimination products, reinforcing his skepticism that scent technology can beat the wind. 5:33
Don states most deer hunters underestimate how critical wind is to mature bucks, who rely on it as much as people rely on their eyes. 5:55
Terry says an east wind this past weekend left him without any usable stand location, so he stayed grounded and didn’t hunt. 9:03

Deer activity

unnamed buck (sighting) 3:10
unnamed buck (sighting) 6:36
unnamed buck (hunt) 9:57
unnamed buck (management) 13:23
unnamed buck (management) 14:48
unnamed buck (harvest) 15:39
unnamed buck (history) 18:58
Smokey (history) 26:16
Mel (history) 26:16
unnamed buck (harvest) 36:12
unnamed buck (harvest) 38:25

Listener questions

Question: Is Don’s target 172-174-inch buck number one on his Illinois hit list, and is it located in Illinois or Iowa? 13:46

Answer: The buck is located in Illinois, but not on Don’s own farm. 13:53

Question: Now that Don has surveyed his trail camera inventory, what is his hunting objective or goal for this season? 14:04

Answer: Don’s entire-season goal across Iowa and Illinois is simply to kill one buck over 170 inches. 15:16

Question: Should land managers worry about down antler years as long as buck age structure stays intact, or push for change when circumstances shift? 19:49

Answer: Don says the decision is personal; for him it’s easy since not killing a deer this year isn’t a big deal. 20:25
Answer: Don’s core advice is to stay the course rather than panic over a single down year. 22:35

Question: Why do land managers overcomplicate or abandon their habitat plans over short-term results instead of trusting a long-term strategy? 23:42

Answer: Don says the most satisfied clients are the ones who stick closest and longest to their plan without deviating. 24:18
Answer: Don advises looking five years ahead rather than reacting to short-term ups and downs. 25:10

Question: Is a spot in the master course only reserved once the deposit has been received? 30:02

Answer: Don confirms spots aren’t reserved until the deposit arrives, after past issues with unpaid reservations. 30:07

Question: Alex Dunker asks how to know when you’ve maximized a parcel’s potential, after years of extensive habitat work on two 60-acre Pike County farms with little big-buck success. 49:53 — asked by Alex Dunker from New London, Missouri

Answer: Don calls Pike County the most overrated big-deer destination on the planet, now living on a fading reputation. 51:31
Answer: Don says property improvements can’t help if the big bucks simply aren’t present in the area anymore. 52:41

Question: Before buying land, how can a hunter identify farms with true big-buck potential rather than risking wasted effort? 55:03

Answer: Don says the real question isn’t where big bucks want to be, but where they feel safe enough to survive. 55:49
Answer: Don’s blunt advice to Alex is to sell his Pike County properties immediately, calling the county a sinking ship. 56:20

Question: Jerry Mullet asks why Mississippi allows a 3-buck quota with a long rifle season during the rut when top states limit harvest and hunt after the rut. 58:57 — asked by Jerry Mullet from Crawford, Mississippi

Answer: Don says quality herds require limiting buck harvest so young bucks can move into older age classes. 60:04
Answer: Don contrasts this with Indiana’s nearly three-week rut gun season, where almost every tag-holder kills a buck. 61:02

Question: Jerry Kienas asks if his food plot program is missing anything for antler growth, and how to attract and hold bigger bucks. 66:46

Answer: Don says Jerry’s food plot program is missing soybeans, which supply winter protein his current mix lacks. 68:04
Answer: Don advises Jerry to stop trying to attract bigger bucks and instead focus on growing them on his own land. 69:01

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