EP #286 - Preparing for Hunting Season: Plots, Cameras & CWD Truth

Published: 2025-08-17
Episode page
Duration: 73 min

In this episode

announcement

• Don announced two September events, including a men’s retreat at his home church, Solid Rock Chapel, in Sullivan, Illinois. 29:14
• Don announced that Terry Peer will give his testimony as the special speaker at the men’s retreat. 29:35
• Don said the retreat costs $35 per person, covering the Friday steak supper and Saturday breakfast. 30:06
• Terry announced that he and Don will both be at the Farm Progress Show in late August. 31:19
• Don said Green Prairie Seed and Real World Wildlife Products will have side-by-side booths in the Conservation Tent at the Farm Progress Show. 31:46

buck-behavior

• A Kentucky listener asked whether removing a dominant buck causes fringe bucks to move into his core area, or if new sightings are coincidental. 56:35

cwd

• Don said he began encouraging hunters not to turn in their deer for CWD testing due to how agencies handled positive cases. 20:11
• Don believes letting nature take its course over time, rather than mass culling, would allow deer herds to self-correct for CWD resistance. 21:33
• Don argued the best fix for CWD policy would be pulling all federal funding from states, forcing them to bear the cost of their response. 23:41

drought

• Don recalled that the fall of 2012, a severe drought year, was when he traveled to Alaska while conditions back home stayed extremely dry. 1:11
• Despite the 2012 drought, Don’s soybeans still produced a fantastic crop that year. 1:29

ehd

• Don believes deer that survived his farm’s 2012 EHD outbreak carried stronger genes, which he credits for his bucks getting noticeably bigger afterward. 39:39
• Don noted Mark Drury has also observed that bucks tend to get bigger after a deer herd bounces back from an EHD outbreak. 40:09
• Don thinks habitat or water-source modification could reduce EHD risk to some degree, but would have minimal impact in many situations. 37:26
• Don said he has never found a dead EHD deer on his farm, even though many died there during the 2012 outbreak. 41:47
• A West Virginia listener asked what ripple effects an EHD outbreak disproportionately killing mature bucks could have on genetic diversity and breeding. 36:58

genetics

• Don explained a buck’s genetics are identical as a fawn and as a mature buck, meaning genes don’t change with age. 38:49

hunting-goals

• Terry said the Illinois buck he’s photographed would be his biggest archery kill ever if he can tag it this season. 52:41
• Terry advises hunters to set realistic, attainable goals for their specific situation rather than chasing unrealistic trophy targets. 52:09

hunting-progression

• Don advises hunters to raise their trophy-size bar slowly, getting proficient at each level before moving to the next. 50:38
• Don said his big turning point came in 2004 at age 41, when he committed his last buck tag to targeting one specific buck. 47:02
• A listener asked Don for a detailed breakdown of his progression as a hunter, from first passing big bucks to targeting age over size. 42:40

minerals

• A listener asked whether he could plant something instead of using minerals at his food plot mineral sites. 33:44

nutricrave

• Don relayed that Duane estimated Terry’s NutriCrave corn plot at 252 bushels per acre based on population and ear size. 2:15
• Don reported that two experienced farmers who planted NutriCrave the same year both produced over 300 bushels per acre. 4:01

overseeding

• Don advises never overseeding into green soybeans, since he’s never had good luck with it and recommends waiting until the leaves start turning yellow. 10:16

photoperiod

• Don explained a deer’s pituitary gland, located near its eye, measures shrinking daylight and triggers antler hardening and velvet shedding. 26:43

sermon

• Don recommended a Billy Graham sermon he found on YouTube, saying it contained more great quotes than he could count. 60:28

trophy-management

• Terry said he made the call to pass a documented buck about seven times during the season he was over 170 inches. 53:12

Deer activity

• six by six by six buck (harvest) 43:12
• six by six by six buck (history) 44:31
• unnamed buck (sighting) 47:42
• unnamed buck (harvest) 48:03
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 52:31
• unnamed buck (history) 53:05
• unnamed buck (history) 53:20
• unnamed buck (harvest) 53:51
• unnamed buck (sighting) 58:43

Listener questions

Question: A listener asked whether he could plant something instead of using minerals at his food plot mineral sites. 33:44

• Answer: Don recommended maintaining a very diverse food plot program with as many plant species as possible in addition to mineral supplementation. 34:03
• Answer: Don described his own Ohio practice of dumping full 40-pound mineral bags at each site in early spring and again in early summer. 34:43
• Answer: Don reassured Gary that 10 pounds of mineral per month is not overkill. 34:59
• Answer: Terry added that he dumps a full bag of mineral in July based on watching consumption via his cell cameras. 35:22

Question: A West Virginia listener asked what ripple effects an EHD outbreak disproportionately killing mature bucks could have on genetic diversity and breeding. 36:58

• Answer: Don explained that a buck’s genetics remain identical from fawn to mature adult, so genetics themselves don’t change with age. 38:49
• Answer: Don said deer that survived his farm’s 2012 EHD outbreak seemed to carry stronger genes, and his bucks got noticeably bigger afterward. 39:39

Question: A listener asked Don for a detailed breakdown of his progression as a hunter, from first passing big bucks to targeting age over size. 42:40

• Answer: Don said his biggest progression jump came in 2004 at age 41, when he committed his last tag to one specific target buck. 47:02
• Answer: Don advised gradually raising the trophy bar over time rather than jumping levels quickly. 50:38
• Answer: Terry added that a hunter’s goal needs to be realistic and attainable for their own situation. 52:09

Question: A Kentucky listener asked whether removing a dominant buck causes fringe bucks to move into his core area, or if new sightings are coincidental. 56:35

• Answer: Don rejected the idea that bucks know when a rival is killed and move in to replace them. 57:02
• Answer: Don believes subordinate bucks already present become bolder and more active in daylight once the dominant buck is gone, making them more visible. 57:38
• Answer: Terry noted that November 16, the date in question, was also the day he killed his own buck last year. 58:39

Prayer Time

Scripture: Job
Theme: wisdom and age
On his 62nd birthday, Don shares Job 12:12 on wisdom coming with age, then offers advice he wishes he’d known younger: cherish family, don’t try to please everyone, keep a strong work ethic, speak boldly about values, and expect spiritual attack, closing in prayer for listeners. 61:53

Don and Terry covered CWD policy, EHD’s effect on genetics, and trophy-hunting progression. Don explained he began discouraging hunters from submitting deer for CWD testing over how agencies handled positives, favoring letting herds self-correct naturally over culling, and argued cutting federal funding would force states to own the cost of their response. On EHD, Don noted a buck’s genetics stay identical from fawn to adult, but believed deer surviving his farm’s 2012 outbreak carried stronger genes, crediting it for bigger bucks afterward, an observation he said Mark Drury shared. A West Virginia listener asked about EHD’s genetic ripple effects, and a Kentucky listener asked whether removing a dominant buck draws in fringe bucks; Don argued subordinates already present simply become bolder. Don and Terry both advised raising trophy goals gradually and setting realistic targets, recalling Don’s 2004 turning point at age 41. Food plot mineral questions and September event announcements, including a men’s retreat with Terry Peer speaking, also came up.

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