Episode #86 - 17,764 trail cam pics in 25 days - no bait or attractant

Published: 2021-10-11
Episode page
Duration: 67 min

In this episode

consulting

Don is building a spreadsheet of his consulting clients after reaching out to them this week to stay organized. 30:01
Don tells listeners to contact Terry soon for consulting or master classes since both will fill up fast. 31:42

deer-movement

Josh Brewington asked if Don gets frustrated by low deer movement seasons like Josh’s rough year in Southeast Iowa, and how he stays optimistic. 58:00

family-trip

Don recounts canceling a softball trip and instead driving his family down to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. 23:41

hunting-philosophy

Don shares his personal saying that hunting is about the chase, not the kill. 60:03
Terry says he appreciates the freedom to hold a weapon and pursue and harvest an animal as a hunter in this country. 61:11

hunting-strategy

Don says the show favors extreme caution and careful planning over aggressive tactics when pursuing a mature buck. 33:59
Terry warns that running-and-gun tactics mostly just bump a buck onto the neighbor’s property for hunters without lots of acreage. 34:23

hunting-video-camera

Steven Skipper also asked what type of video camera Don uses to record his hunts. 52:45

lesters-feet

Don and Terry are both working with their Lester’s Feet raffle winners to reschedule hunts on their farms after the original three-day window fell through. 6:51
Don teases that next year’s Lester’s Feet raffle will offer something huge for listeners. 7:59
Don says he draws strength from knowing thousands of people bought raffle tickets just to help another family, even when he struggles for words at the hospital. 21:24

listener-engagement

Don urges listeners to leave reviews on podcast platforms and comment on YouTube to help the show grow. 3:17

listener-questions

Don explains listeners can submit questions with shirt size and address via chasinggiants.com, which routes to higginsoutdoors.com’s podcast tab. 63:09

media-feature

Don recalls a full-page Chasing Giants podcast ad appearing in the North American Whitetail magazine issue he saw at a Bass Pro Shop. 65:32
Don’s son Jonathan told him his picture was finally in North American Whitetail after seeing the magazine at Bass Pro. 65:38

merchandise

Don announces their friend Stephanie provided samples of new-color Chasing Giants hats for the coming year. 63:57

patience

Don says the hardest thing for hunters is staying patient once a giant buck shows up on camera instead of rushing in. 16:14

podcast-growth

Don reports the podcast had over 10,000 downloads on podcast platforms alone within the first 24 hours of the newest upload. 1:50

podcast-sponsorship

Don says starting next year the podcast will have to navigate sponsor arrangements more formally. 28:14

prayer-request

Don asks listeners to pray for the family of Elizabeth Whitetail, a local young woman who died after a six-year battle with cancer. 17:59
Don asks listeners to pray for him and Terry and hold them accountable as they navigate promoting sponsors without doing it just to make money. 28:19

scent-attractants

Matthew Montag asked whether Don ever uses scents like doe or buck estrus while deer hunting, and why or why not. 38:46

sponsorship

Terry says Chris is doing pretty well on Chasing Giants truck clients that the podcast has been sending his way. 26:39

timber-management

Don objects that most hinge-cutters work in winter or early spring when they can’t tell an oak from a maple, chopping trees indiscriminately. 46:08
Don recommends clearing worthless tree species so sunlight reaches the ground and produces browse for deer. 47:12
Ethan Royer asked how much consideration Don gives to present and future timber value versus habitat work on consulting properties. 44:01

trail-camera

Don asks Terry for advice on a target buck that keeps showing up on trail camera about half an hour after dark. 22:02

trail-camera-management

Steven Skipper asked whether Don records all his trail camera locations so none get forgotten or lost. 51:56

video-equipment

Terry advises hunters starting out with self-filming to stick to Sony or Canon and get a four-k camera. 55:26

Deer activity

unnamed buck (hunt) 4:23
unnamed buck (trail-camera) 9:25
unnamed buck (trail-camera) 11:37
unnamed buck (harvest) 14:02
unnamed buck (harvest) 14:28
unnamed buck (trail-camera) 15:10
unnamed buck (trail-camera) 22:21
unnamed buck (management) 32:20
Joey Buck (hunt) 40:32
unnamed buck (harvest) 54:55

Listener questions

Question: Don asks Terry for advice on a target buck that keeps showing up on trail camera about half an hour after dark. 22:02 — asked by Don

Answer: Terry advises Don to wait for a cold weather front, saying the bucks should hopefully start moving a little earlier that evening. 22:25

Question: Matthew Montag asked whether Don ever uses scents like doe or buck estrus while deer hunting, and why or why not. 38:46 — asked by Matthew Montag

Answer: Don says he rarely uses scents because mature bucks recognize the smell as a warning sign, much like calls. 39:05
Answer: Don recommends Smokies as his go-to scent brand, saying any of their varieties work equally well. 40:50

Question: Ethan Royer asked how much consideration Don gives to present and future timber value versus habitat work on consulting properties. 44:01 — asked by Ethan Royer

Answer: Don says he prefers staggering timber harvests across a property in stages rather than clear-cutting everything at once. 45:45

Question: Steven Skipper asked whether Don records all his trail camera locations so none get forgotten or lost. 51:56 — asked by Steven Skipper

Answer: Don keeps a spreadsheet listing every camera’s location and the last date it was checked so nothing gets lost. 52:56

Question: Steven Skipper also asked what type of video camera Don uses to record his hunts. 52:45

Answer: Don says he films with a Sony camera but can’t recall the exact model number. 53:39

Question: Josh Brewington asked if Don gets frustrated by low deer movement seasons like Josh’s rough year in Southeast Iowa, and how he stays optimistic. 58:00 — asked by Josh Brewington

Answer: Don attributes last year’s poor daylight buck movement mainly to unusually warm weather in early November. 58:40
Answer: Don says staying positive during a slow season comes down to choosing a good attitude, since mindset matters more than results. 61:03

Don opened by noting the newest upload topped 10,000 downloads in its first 24 hours and asked listeners for reviews and YouTube comments. He and Terry discussed still working with Lester’s Feet raffle winners to reschedule farm hunts, and Don asked prayer for the family of Elizabeth Whitetail, a young woman who died after a six-year cancer battle, saying the raffle’s support for another family gave him strength. Terry cautioned that running-and-gun tactics mostly push bucks onto neighboring land, while Don favored patience, staggered timber harvests over clear-cutting, and cutting worthless tree species for sunlight and browse. Listener questions covered scent use (Don said he rarely uses it, recommending Smokies when he does), tracking trail camera locations via spreadsheet, his Sony filming setup, and staying positive through a slow movement season Don blamed on warm early-November weather. Terry also advised beginners to use Sony or Canon four-k cameras for self-filming.

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