Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!

Published: 2024-02-18
Episode page
Duration: 60 min

In this episode

andrea-hamilton-fund

• Terry announces that the Chasing Giants board created the Andrea Hamilton Fund to support Andrea and her husband Corey after the Babe story. 1:49
• Terry explains that once Andrea has finished dealing with her situation, she can use the fund to find and financially help other families in similar circumstances. 2:55

antler-genetics

• Why do some bucks have longer tines than others? 21:08

antler-growth

• After last year’s drought, will good growing conditions this year bring more antler growth? 41:17

antler-scores

• Don reports having five bucks over 170 inches on his 120-acre farm last fall, including Babe and one other harvested, with five more over 160 still alive. 16:42

babe

• What wind direction did Don have when he shot Babe? 53:02
• What made Babe go a different direction the other time he was seen? 53:29

bedding-bucks

• Don states the number one factor for getting bucks to bed on a property is total freedom of human intrusion. 51:45
• What advice does Don have for getting bucks to bed on your property? 51:32

bedding-terrain

• Have you ever piled up dirt on flat ground to give bucks a place with better sightlines to bed? 48:25

bobby-worthington

• Don states that if forced to name the best deer hunter in North America, Bobby Worthington would have to be right at the top. 8:35

cicadas

• Will the upcoming double brood of cicadas damage young fruit trees this year? 36:58

deer-hunting-history

• Terry credits the Wensel brothers and Bobby as the ones who first figured out mature buck behavior. 6:50

deer-hunting-strategy

• Don states there is more than one way to kill big deer or set up a property, but some fundamental principles must always be followed. 16:10
• Don says to kill big deer consistently, hunters must hunt properties where the bucks actually bed and spend their daylight hours. 17:17

east-wind

• Why is an east wind one of Don’s best winds to hunt? 54:42

faith

• Terry reflects that deer hunting can serve a bigger calling by rallying people around families facing sick children or cancer. 3:38
• Don shares the saying that if you want to be blessed, be a blessing, even if the reward is just the feeling of having helped someone. 20:01
• Terry closes by saying it’s not about deer hunting or buck size, but about how they use everything they do to glorify God. 59:39

family-support

• Don says the support from his family and from sponsors at the show, along with people praying for them, has been overwhelming. 5:49

grain-sorghum

• Don announces a grain sorghum pilot program, noting its benefit that deer don’t browse it while young, unlike other food plot plants. 35:16
• Terry says after testing several grain sorghum varieties across multiple states, they will release one variety as a pilot program this coming year. 36:32

habitat-jargon

• Don dismisses ‘soft edge’ and ‘diversity pocket’ habitat catch phrases as nonsense marketing language meant to attract video views. 34:28

habitat-management

• Drew shares that after over-improving his property, he learned to keep habitat plans simple rather than chase every extra project. 15:31
• Terry advises hunters to change the habitat to move buck sign to an accessible location rather than trying to hunt a buck exactly where its sign currently sits. 40:54

hypothetical

• If offered a large amount of money, would Don go be the head of the DNR of Illinois? 10:42

illinois-deer-history

• Does the decline in trophy-buck culture in Illinois come from crossbows and trail cameras, or something else? 29:49

injury

• Terry jokes that if he could find a deer bed and bend over to see at eye level, he would have shot a buck last year, since back surgery keeps him from bending. 28:42 (light moment)

legacy-event

• Terry says the hunters appearing on stage the next night are the pioneers who truly figured out how mature bucks behave. 6:42

life-priorities

• Don encourages young people to examine and get their priorities in order, admitting his own were not in order when he was younger. 20:41

mentorship

• Don recalls that as a teenager he wrote handwritten letters to Gene Wensel, who always replied with a handwritten letter back. 7:53
• Don credits Al Foster as a mentor who shaved ten years off his learning curve after taking him under his wing as a teenager. 8:07

patience

• Darren says that over forty years of hunting, the times he showed selflessness and patience were when he was blessed to harvest bigger deer. 19:42

patriotism

• Don says this country means more to him than money, after explaining he wouldn’t take dirty money from politically-tied sources. 12:16

personal-experience

• Terry recalls the phone call telling him his wife had cancer, tying it to the emotion of Corey and Andrea’s moment. 3:31

podcast-mission

• Don states the podcast was founded not just to educate about deer but to use the platform to spread the good news about Jesus Christ. 4:02

politics

• What is the worst thing you have ever seen happen in this country? 57:00

property-acquisition

• Why did Don buy an adjoining 40-acre parcel instead of a separate 40-acre property? 43:32

scent-control

• Would hilly terrain with swirling winds make Don more inclined to use scent-control products? 38:18

screening

• Should switchgrass be planted instead of Miscanthus to screen a food plot from open ag ground? 33:48

smart-deer

• How smart are deer, and what is the smartest thing you’ve seen a deer do? 22:43

sponsor-offers

• What is the craziest sponsor offer the hosts have ever received? 54:48

sponsor-support

• Terry credits Wes Delks and Austin Raisor for stepping up by donating time and travel, not just product, to help create the fund. 2:16

sugar-beets

• Would sugar beets help deer make it through hard Central Michigan winters? 49:57

turnips

• Terry explains that purple top turnips are eaten last because their nitrate levels drop later than other plants in the blend, making diversity key to browse pressure. 50:32

wind-direction

• How does a mature buck play the wind differently than a young buck or doe? 26:31

youtube-ban

• Don states he just got the show booted off YouTube for thirty days. 58:13
• Don jokes that criticizing Barack Obama gets you banned as a ‘liberal freak’ on platforms like YouTube. 58:22 (light moment)

Deer activity

• Babe (harvest) 16:50
• unnamed buck (harvest) 19:39
• unnamed buck (hunt) 25:20
• unnamed buck (trail-camera) 45:33
• Babe (harvest) 53:08

Listener questions

Question: If offered a large amount of money, would Don go be the head of the DNR of Illinois? 10:42

• Answer: Don says he would take the job because he’s confident he could improve deer hunting in any state, though legislative politics would be the challenge. 10:50
• Answer: Don says he would not take dirty money, comparing it to money from windmill or solar subsidies. 11:54
• Answer: Don jokes that whatever he’s referring to has already cost him more money than Hunter Biden made from Ukraine. 12:25

Question: Why do some bucks have longer tines than others? 21:08 — asked by Levi

• Answer: Don says tine length is entirely genetic. 21:13

Question: How smart are deer, and what is the smartest thing you’ve seen a deer do? 22:43

• Answer: Don recommends parking further away and walking or biking in rather than driving all the way to the stand to avoid alerting deer. 23:17
• Answer: Don says mature bucks are smart because they’ve typically avoided hunters for at least five seasons. 24:12

Question: How does a mature buck play the wind differently than a young buck or doe? 26:31 — asked by Thomas

• Answer: Don says a mature buck never wants to give up the wind advantage. 27:28
• Answer: Don says hunters must find a point on the buck’s travel route where he briefly gives up ideal wind, such as a bend in the trail. 28:17

Question: Does the decline in trophy-buck culture in Illinois come from crossbows and trail cameras, or something else? 29:49

• Answer: Don says many factors are involved, starting with DNR regulations. 29:57
• Answer: Don says his mentors, the Wensels and Al Foster, instilled ethics where shots past 25 yards weren’t even discussed. 30:33
• Answer: Don adds that CWD hysteria pushed by some biologists also played a role. 31:24
• Answer: Terry says still allowing nonresidents to kill two bucks was a mistake when regulators should have shut down hunting to protect the herd. 32:45

Question: Should switchgrass be planted instead of Miscanthus to screen a food plot from open ag ground? 33:48

• Answer: Don says he’d rather use Miscanthus for screening than switchgrass or a combination. 34:01
• Answer: Don says Miscanthus allows a narrower strip to do a better screening job than switchgrass. 34:12

Question: Will the upcoming double brood of cicadas damage young fruit trees this year? 36:58

• Answer: Don says he has no idea what to expect from insects this summer despite being asked constantly. 37:12
• Answer: Don says at 60 he doesn’t have years to waste, so cicada risk won’t stop him from planting fruit trees now. 37:54

Question: Why did Don buy an adjoining 40-acre parcel instead of a separate 40-acre property? 43:32 — asked by Josh

• Answer: Don explains he lost his lease when the landowner died, and new hunters began pounding the neighboring bucks. 44:10
• Answer: Don traded tillable acreage for the adjoining woods and creek ground, a deal that saved his farm from being ruined. 44:47

Question: Have you ever piled up dirt on flat ground to give bucks a place with better sightlines to bed? 48:25

• Answer: Don says he’s never done it but is confident it works, similar to a dry rise in a swamp. 48:37
• Answer: Don says bucks want an escape route and to use their eyes as well as their nose, which thick cover can limit. 49:04

Question: Would sugar beets help deer make it through hard Central Michigan winters? 49:57

• Answer: Don says deer would demolish sugar beets before they ever matured, unless planted at large ag-field scale. 50:15

Question: What advice does Don have for getting bucks to bed on your property? 51:32

• Answer: Don says freedom of human intrusion costs nothing and is the hardest message to get hunters to accept. 51:45
• Answer: Don says most hunters don’t realize how little intrusion is needed to bump a mature buck out. 52:08

Question: What wind direction did Don have when he shot Babe? 53:02 — asked by Joe

• Answer: Don says the wind was Northwest, quartering into Babe’s nose as he came out and was shot. 53:17

Question: What made Babe go a different direction the other time he was seen? 53:29

• Answer: Don says that time Babe was walking straight into the wind rather than quartering. 53:34

Question: Why is an east wind one of Don’s best winds to hunt? 54:42

• Answer: Don says an east wind lets him hunt the backside of his sanctuary where bucks run the edge during the rut. 55:11
• Answer: Don likes east winds because they almost always come with a weather front that gets deer moving. 55:27

Question: What is the craziest sponsor offer the hosts have ever received? 54:48

• Answer: Terry recalls a male grooming tool for personal hygiene in unmentionable places that a sponsor wanted promoted. 56:02
• Answer: Terry also recalls long underwear with pouches all over for hand warmers to keep hunters warm. 56:15
• Answer: Don recalls an adult diaper company pitch so hunters could relieve themselves in the stand without climbing down. 56:32

Question: What is the worst thing you have ever seen happen in this country? 57:00 — asked by David

• Answer: Don says the worst thing he’s seen is the election of Barack Obama, calling him a radical communist. 57:10
• Answer: Terry says the worst thing is not 9/11 itself but that the country has forgotten the patriotism it inspired. 57:38

Question: Would hilly terrain with swirling winds make Don more inclined to use scent-control products? 38:18 — asked by Reagan Niles

• Answer: Don says he once tried every scent-control method available, including chlorophyll pills for body odor. 38:59
• Answer: Don says the deer still smelled him regardless, and that doesn’t change whether in hill or flat country. 39:19

Question: After last year’s drought, will good growing conditions this year bring more antler growth? 41:17

• Answer: Don hopes so and predicts an early spring. 41:36
• Answer: Don bases his early-spring prediction on seeing skunks hit on the road weeks earlier than usual, a sign of early breeding season. 41:45
• Answer: Terry says a friend plans to test calcium levels in sheds from the drought year to see if it explains antler brittleness. 42:56

Terry announced that the board created the Andrea Hamilton Fund to support Andrea and Corey after the Babe story, crediting Wes Delks and Austin Raisor for donating time and travel, with the fund meant to later help other families in similar situations. Don and Terry framed hunting as a platform for faith and community support. Don credited mentors including Gene Wensel, Al Foster, and Bobby Worthington for shaping his approach, and Drew noted he’d learned to keep habitat plans simple after over-improving his property. Don argued freedom from human intrusion is the key factor for getting bucks to bed, dismissed catchphrases like ‘soft edge’ as marketing nonsense, and detailed a grain sorghum pilot program. Listener questions covered tine-length genetics, wind strategy including the northwest wind on Babe’s harvest, screening with Miscanthus, scent control, and buying an adjoining 40-acre parcel after losing a lease.

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