The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298

Published: 2025-11-09
Episode page
Duration: 72 min

In this episode

announcement

• Terry announced a new Chasing Giants TV hunt video featuring Joe Miles hunting a Bobby Worthington property funnel in Kansas, now live on YouTube. 13:27
• Terry announced Wes ‘the Prodigy’ has a new video airing Tuesday morning on Chasing Giants TV’s YouTube channel. 14:42
• Terry announced the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic will be held February 19-21. 18:30
• Terry announced that he and Don will soon reveal a new initiative in Kentucky involving Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. 53:49

barometer

• Don plans to keep watching his cameras to see whether deer move better on a rising or falling barometer, inspired by muskie fishing patterns. 5:13

cell-cams

• Keith Evans asked Don and Terry’s thoughts on banning cell cams and whether they save as many bucks as they kill. 40:02

deer-movement

• Don observed that midday deer activity was completely dead during the unusually warm week. 4:10
• Don observed that deer were only slightly late reaching their beds during the warm week, and once bedded there was absolutely no daytime movement. 4:40
• Terry identified October 23 and November 5 as the two best days of daylight deer movement he experienced this season. 5:59
• Terry recalled that on October 23 in Illinois, deer were already up and moving around 2 PM in the afternoon, before the time change. 6:29

faith

• A consulting client called Don and asked him to come baptize him in his own pond or lake, crediting Don’s visit years earlier with changing his life. 10:33
• Don plans to baptize his consulting client in the client’s pond, likely next summer once the weather warms up. 10:51
• Terry joked about not waiting until summer for the baptism, suggesting a Tractor Supply stock tank filled with hot water instead. 12:12 (light moment)
• Don joked about whether it would be appropriate to wear a life jacket while baptizing someone. 57:06 (light moment)

fellowship

• Terry spent time this week with Emerson Day and her husband Bryce while they were hunting together. 12:35

game-wardens

• Terry argued the bigger problem is that states are defunding game warden positions, leaving fewer officers patrolling per county. 52:50
• James Harris asked whether Don and Terry have relationships with their local game wardens and how that came about. 50:09

joke

• Terry joked that Ray and Aiden Miller were probably cringing as Don discussed Ohio hunting spots. 32:32 (light moment)

land-selection

• Don advised that the specific property and its surroundings matter far more for trophy potential than which state or county it’s in. 33:40
• Don noted Pike County, Illinois still draws hunters despite being overhunted for years, merely living on its past reputation. 33:48
• Kurt Colbert asked where Don would prioritize a search for a future recreational farm to pursue true giant bucks. 31:27

lockdown

• Drone operators reported seeing two or three big bucks already locked down with does while flying drones to recover other deer. 1:58
• Terry relayed that Josh, who’s been running a combine recently, also reported seeing early buck lockdown this season. 56:30

mindset

• Wes reportedly said many people dream about killing big deer, but very few do something every day toward that goal. 15:38
• Don affirmed that Wes is ‘the real deal’ as a young deer hunter, more advanced than Don was at his age. 15:48
• Don described Wes as a first-class person with nothing negative about him, wishing he had some of Wes’s positivity. 16:04
• Wes’s video reportedly emphasizes not skipping steps or taking shortcuts in pursuing a specific buck. 17:26

poaching

• Don estimated that only about 1% of all game law violations ever result in a poacher getting caught. 54:38
• An anonymous listener whose target bucks were poached asked if Don had dealt with poachers and how to resist taking matters into his own hands. 34:47

property-management

• Mario Casa Sola asked whether Don would support any of three sanctuary-timing options for a newly bought 100-acre property, or propose a different approach. 45:18

recommendation

• Don urged listeners to support local law enforcement, including game wardens, sheriffs, and state police. 55:51

rut

• Don noted that by mid-November most mature bucks will be locked down with does, and hunters only get a real chance in the window between lockdowns. 23:54

rut-strategy

• Terry recommended that hunters with a summer-photographed buck watch their cameras and hunt hard, since the buck could return to its home range during the rut. 24:28

rut-timing

• Don noted this rut felt unusually early, with a lot of bucks already locked down with does in the first days of October or November. 1:43
• A listener who is a cattle producer theorized that does losing fawns to predators may stop nursing and come into heat earlier, like cows that lose calves. 2:38

shipshewana

• Terry stated they plan to try to have Wes attend the Shipshewana Show this coming year. 17:51
• Terry announced additional family activities for this year’s Shipshewana show, including an art contest and possibly a baking contest, with details from Derek still pending. 28:44
• For the Higgins Hot Seat, Terry asked for the craziest, most humbling, or coolest trade-show experience each host has had. 25:11

trail-camera

• Don’s trail cameras captured fewer overnight deer photos on the unusually warm night than any night in at least two weeks. 4:01

weather

• Don noted the average first frost date for his area is October 24, and as of recording they had not yet had a first frost this year. 20:44
• Terry planned to be back hunting in a tree stand in Illinois despite high winds, expecting the incoming cold front to boost deer movement. 22:27

Deer activity

• unnamed buck (hunt) 17:14
• King David (hunt) 24:13
• unnamed buck (harvest) 26:49

Listener questions

Question: Kurt Colbert asked where Don would prioritize a search for a future recreational farm to pursue true giant bucks. 31:27

• Answer: Don said the answer is easy: Ohio and Kansas offer the best chance at consistently pulling world-class or really good bucks. 31:33
• Answer: Don specified he’d personally target Ohio’s more agricultural northern half rather than the rougher southern region. 32:53
• Answer: Don added that in Kansas he’d focus on the eastern side, favoring the southeast corner. 33:23
• Answer: Terry added that western Ohio also has substantial agricultural ground similar to Illinois. 33:12

Question: For the Higgins Hot Seat, Terry asked for the craziest, most humbling, or coolest trade-show experience each host has had. 25:11

• Answer: Don recalled that William Miller, a young Ohio consulting client, bought his auctioned bow with proceeds going to a fellow hunter’s medical costs. 26:16
• Answer: Don shared that William has since killed a bear and a good buck with that bow, deepening their friendship. 26:31
• Answer: Terry recalled a young lady’s Shipshewana art-contest portrait of Don that looked as polished as a North American Whitetail magazine cover. 28:13

Question: An anonymous listener whose target bucks were poached asked if Don had dealt with poachers and how to resist taking matters into his own hands. 34:47

• Answer: Don said he’s dealt with poaching personally—someone even shot a bullet hole in his address sign. 35:48
• Answer: Don said he captures video or photo footage of every vehicle that travels the roads through his neighborhood. 35:58
• Answer: Don recommended contacting the county state’s attorney and urging them to fully prosecute poachers to the fullest extent of the law. 37:23

Question: Keith Evans asked Don and Terry’s thoughts on banning cell cams and whether they save as many bucks as they kill. 40:02 — asked by Keith Evans

• Answer: Don disagreed, saying he doesn’t think cell cams save more bucks than they kill, unlike regular cameras that require human intrusion. 40:32
• Answer: Don predicted cell cams will likely never be banned on private land because landowner rights trump such regulation, though public-land bans are plausible. 41:36

Question: Mario Casa Sola asked whether Don would support any of three sanctuary-timing options for a newly bought 100-acre property, or propose a different approach. 45:18 — asked by Mario Casa Sola

• Answer: Terry guessed Don would pick either option a (hunt the fringes) or option d, referencing prior podcast discussion. 46:02
• Answer: Don chose option d: use trail cameras only, and skip hunting entirely unless a target buck showed up, waiting until after season for habitat work. 47:46

Question: James Harris asked whether Don and Terry have relationships with their local game wardens and how that came about. 50:09 — asked by James Harris

• Answer: Don said he has a good relationship with his game warden—having his number and always getting quick replies to texts. 51:00
• Answer: Terry noted he has the current game warden’s number and, while not close friends, finds him very responsive when needed. 52:31

Prayer Time

Scripture: Proverbs
Theme: iron sharpens iron / Christian accountability
Don reflected on ‘iron sharpens iron,’ urging fellow believers to build up and hold each other accountable rather than tear each other down, admitting some of the worst people he’s met in the hunting industry profess to be Christians, and closing in prayer for listeners’ faith and a safe season. 60:44

Don and Terry discussed an unusually early rut, with Don noting many bucks were already locked down with does in the first days of October or November, drone operators confirming similar sightings, and Josh reporting the same from a combine seat. A cattle-producer listener theorized predator-caused fawn loss could push does into heat early. Don’s cameras showed midday activity dead and minimal night photos during a warm stretch, though deer only reached beds slightly late. Terry named October 23 and November 5 as his best movement days. Listener questions covered poaching (Don shared his own experience and recommended pushing county prosecutors), cell cameras (Don doubted they cost more bucks than they save), sanctuary timing on a new 100-acre property (Don favored cameras-only until season’s end), and game warden relationships (both hosts described good rapport). Don also shared plans to baptize a consulting client, and the episode closed with a prayer on Christian accountability.

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