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

Published: 2021-09-20
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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

Terry and Don discussed wind’s dominant role in mature buck movement, with Terry noting an east wind left him no usable stand and Don arguing hunters underestimate how much bucks rely on wind. Don reported finishing camera checks across 33 properties, finding 32 bucks over 150 inches but only five over 170, and framed the season as a down year for top-end bucks, matching earlier forecasts and industry feedback. Terry countered that his Kentucky farm still had strong age structure despite smaller antlers, and both stressed prioritizing age structure over score. They fielded listener questions on Pike County land potential, Mississippi’s buck quota, and food plot gaps, with Don calling Pike County overrated and advising one listener to sell. Don also addressed a captive-deer controversy, criticizing dishonesty in high-fence hunting, plus master course scheduling and a story about destroying a malfunctioning trail camera.

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