Deer Behavior & Biology — Listener Q&A

Questions 131–180 of 180 in this category (page 2 of 2). ← previous · All listener questions

Deer Health & Disease

Question: Tyler Aker asked Don’s opinion on states like Oklahoma allowing release of captive deer into the wild to combat CWD. 48:32 — asked by Tyler Aker — Snow, Sheds & Sorghum: Late-Season Deer Survival | Chasing Giants #311

• Answer: Don said he is against releasing captive deer into the wild to combat CWD. 48:55
• Answer: Don argued wildlife agencies should implement good management rather than sharpshooter culls that kill CWD-resistant deer, letting nature take its course instead. 49:09

Question: What’s the most important thing to focus on after a property is hit hard by EHD? 50:05 — LIVE at 360 Blinds: No Script, No Filters — Just Real Questions | Chasing Giants 308

• Answer: It’s a great time to do habitat projects that are impossible with a full deer herd present. 50:13

Question: Dustin Ward from Liston, Indiana asks whether unusual widespread deer coughing on his farm signals illness and whether he should supplement feed or minerals. 52:20 — asked by Dustin Ward — Kill More Deer. Feed Hungry Kids. | Boone Brothers | Chasing Giants 306

• Answer: Don explains deer can get pneumonia, and this year’s unusual weather swings created perfect conditions for the illness to spread through the herd. 53:35
• Answer: Don suspects erratic fall weather patterns caused several dead, unmarked mature bucks he’s heard about recently, including a 249-inch giant, to develop fatal pneumonia. 55:33

Question: Terry asked what advice Don had for hunters in the middle of an EHD outbreak right now, wondering what they should do. 30:56 — #288 2025 Buck Forecast: EHD Devastation, Trail Cam Insights & Hard Truths About Trophy Bucks

• Answer: Don advised sticking with your management plan, not lowering standards on bucks, and doing the right thing regardless of state agency inaction, using extra time to improve habitat. 31:47

Question: Terry asked whether Don would report his dead deer to the local DNR if it happened on his property. 36:01 — #288 2025 Buck Forecast: EHD Devastation, Trail Cam Insights & Hard Truths About Trophy Bucks

• Answer: Don said he would absolutely not report dead deer to the government, saying Illinois’s DNR manages numbers and people, not the deer herd. 37:05

Question: Terry asked whether Don would walk his property searching for deadheads with bad smells but no camera activity, or just wait. 36:26 — #288 2025 Buck Forecast: EHD Devastation, Trail Cam Insights & Hard Truths About Trophy Bucks

• Answer: Don said he would not walk his property looking for dead deer, preferring to wait until shed season to protect his sanctuary from intrusion. 36:37

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

• 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: Will they try EHD Defense, the water treatment product Wes sent them? 10:54 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit

• Answer: Don is skeptical it will meaningfully reduce EHD outbreaks since it’s impractical to treat every pond, waterhole, and puddle in an area. 11:06

Question: Don asks for Aaron’s opinion on whether nutrition and/or genetics are the answer to managing diseases like CWD. 32:47 — asked by Don — Episode #270 - Deer Nutrition with Dr. Aaron Gaines

• Answer: Aaron argues there must be a better CWD solution than shooting deer over corn piles. 32:56
• Answer: Aaron wants more investment in CWD management approaches beyond targeted sharpshooting. 34:40

Question: Don asks Aaron whether supplemental feeding bans meant to slow CWD are actually warranted. 35:57 — asked by Don — Episode #270 - Deer Nutrition with Dr. Aaron Gaines

• Answer: Aaron says it’s common sense that deer already congregate naturally at licking branches, water sources, and ag fields, so banning feed sites has limited effect. 36:29

Question: Ryan Ballsley asks Don and Terry if they follow any regimen to combat ticks. 47:03 — asked by Ryan Ballsley — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?

• Answer: Don says he has no tick regimen beyond showering and picking ticks off. 47:47
• Answer: Don says the Expect Healthy Deer mineral technology has natural antiparasitic compounds that reduce flies on his cattle. 49:07

Question: Travis jokingly asks Don to choose between letting the Illinois DNR eradicate his herd for CWD or letting Elon Musk’s team ‘drain the swamp.’ 43:11 — asked by Travis — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic

• Answer: Don says the country matters more than his deer hunting, so he’d let them ‘drain the swamp’ and find another place to hunt. 43:28

Question: Jeff Gibson asks whether Real World would help fund a study letting contributors buy Real World mineral at cost to test CWD effects in a Missouri zone. 41:27 — asked by Jeff Gibson — Episode #253 - Do Not Overcomplicate Habitat Projects!

• Answer: Don doubts Jeff will get traction but encourages him to pursue the idea, promising Real World will help if he secures a state agency’s backing. 42:50
• Answer: Don challenges Jeff to pursue the CWD study proposal in his home state of Illinois first rather than Missouri. 43:03

Question: Duane Miller asks about Oklahoma’s regulation releasing captive deer for CWD-resistant genes and whether Boone and Crockett or Pope and Young would stop recognizing deer from that state. 27:24 — asked by Duane Miller — Episode #240 - If Don Was DNR, How He Would Make Illinois Better Than Iowa

• Answer: Don says the genetic release likely won’t produce widespread giant bucks across Oklahoma but will have some real impact overall. 28:35
• Answer: Don applauds Oklahoma for thinking outside the box instead of following blanket eradicate-all-deer policies used elsewhere to fight CWD. 29:55

Question: Does EHD kill fawns as much as it kills older deer, or do people just not photograph dead fawns? 31:56 — asked by Terry — Episode #239 - EHD Is Closing in on Don’s Farm!

• Answer: Don explained that EHD kills fawns just as readily as it kills bigger, older deer, though bigger deer’s larger nostrils make it easier for the biting midge to transmit the virus. 32:13

Question: Chase Myers asked why his New Jersey deer herd is still recovering slowly from a bad EHD outbreak years ago and how to bring more deer back to his property. 59:00 — asked by Chase Myers — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots

• Answer: Don said recovery comes down to hunters simply quitting shooting the depleted deer. 59:25
• Answer: Don added his own Illinois herd took eight to ten years to recover from a similar EHD outbreak. 59:37

Question: Are heavy ticks on deer something to worry about, and can anything be added to feeders to help? 52:28 — asked by John Stewart — Episode 225 - Big Antlers this Spring Mean Big Decisions this Fall!

• Answer: Don said Real World’s Expect Healthy Deer technology has antiparasitic ingredients that can help with ticks. 53:18
• Answer: Don noted the key challenge is getting deer to regularly ingest the product, which is hard with wild deer. 53:52

Question: Chris Couch asks what Don thinks of Oklahoma’s new law letting landowners pay to release captive-bred, CWD-resistant does into the wild. 35:50 — asked by Chris Couch — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes

• Answer: Don thinks Oklahoma’s plan is a good thing, and has long believed the answer to CWD lies in genetics or nutrition. 37:21
• Answer: Don says the key is that released deer must actually carry the CWD-resistance gene, since not all captive deer have it. 38:27
• Answer: Don says those released deer need to be tested for the specific CWD-resistance gene. 38:47

Question: An audience member jokingly asks if the midge fly that carries EHD was bred and released on purpose by DNRs. 6:31 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO

• Answer: Don calls the conspiracy theory a little far-fetched, joking that he’s a conspiracy theorist himself. 6:42

Question: Rick Maga asked whether state agency deer-culling programs effectively increase available food per deer, similar to supplemental feeding. 44:13 — asked by Rick Maga — Episode #207 - Was Don a Hippie?

• Answer: Don argues state deer-culling programs do nothing to improve deer nutrition and calls the approach ridiculous. 45:19

Question: If leading the DNR, how would you write laws that permit supplemental feeding while preventing baiting? 9:15 — asked by John Praddle — Ep# 205 - Don shares trail camera pictures from 2023

• Answer: Don recommends allowing supplemental feeding only outside deer season and banning all feeding during the open season, calling it the best solution. 9:38
• Answer: Terry counters that people willing to break the law will bait regardless of whether supplemental feeding is legal. 11:00

Question: Ken Vines suggested that if CWD can spread to humans, all deer processing businesses should be required to test for it. 77:21 — asked by Ken Vines — Episode #201 - New Year, New Tools, New Websites

• Answer: Don said CWD has existed since the 1960s and if it could jump to humans from infected deer, it would have already happened by now. 77:45
• Answer: Terry said no, warning that mandating CWD testing at every check station would just give government an opening to order mass deer eradication in infected zip codes. 80:27

Question: Chad Corte asks whether Don or Terry have heard of humic acid helping to prevent CWD. 59:27 — asked by Chad Corte — Episode 200 - Journey to 200

• Answer: Don says Real World’s new website will feature a humic acid video, and offers his opinion that nutrition, not radical herd eradication, could be key to addressing CWD. 60:20
• Answer: Terry says he’s increasingly convinced controlling pH is pivotal to plant, animal, and possibly human health, and could play a role in CWD symptom control, though it’s speculative. 61:06

Question: Josh from Westphalia, Michigan asks whether deworming deer in spring boosts antler growth, what product to use, and what to feed inexpensively otherwise. 35:00 — asked by Josh — Episode 199 - Dewormer in Deer Feed, Tractors, Screens, and Windmills

• Answer: Don confirms deworming is beneficial and recommends Safeguard cattle wormer in paste or pelleted form mixed with feed. 36:23
• Answer: Don warns that deworming a full wild herd of 50 to 100 deer with cattle pellets will be expensive, not the cheap option the listener hoped for. 37:12
• Answer: Don recommends deworming around March 1, when bucks are shedding antlers and starting the next set, to give them a clean start. 38:06
• Answer: Don explains that with captive deer, dosing must continue for three consecutive days since dewormer passes through a deer’s faster metabolism too quickly otherwise. 40:00

Question: Zach Zimmerman asked whether rope scrapes and licking branches spread CWD via nose-to-nose contact more than a mineral site would. 41:30 — asked by Zach Zimmerman — Episode #185 - Bucks are starting to shift - Fall Plots, GET THEM IN

• Answer: Don predicts wildlife agencies will gradually shut down all supplemental feeding and baiting nationwide over the next couple decades, calling it sad. 42:25
• Answer: Don agrees a licking branch draws more concentrated nose contact than a mineral pile, since every buck rubs its face there. 45:18

Question: What’s the difference between CWD and EHD in deer? 66:24 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike

• Answer: Don explained CWD is caused by a misfolded prion protein similar to mad cow disease, while EHD is a midge-gnat-borne virus. 66:29

Question: After a CWD-positive test led to an earlier rifle season, is that something hunters should worry about? 70:34 — Episode #160 - Live with Dr. Bronson Strickland at Whitetail Master Class

• Answer: Bronson says CWD is something to be concerned about but not worry about, since impacts take a decade or more to appear. 70:44

Question: Do harsher winters play a role in CWD-related deer mortality? 85:11 — Episode #160 - Live with Dr. Bronson Strickland at Whitetail Master Class

• Answer: Bronson says tracked CWD-positive deer have been found to freeze to death during cold snaps, a new mortality source. 85:23

Question: An audience member, who raises deer, asked whether CWD would stop being an issue if the government quit funding testing. 63:53 — Chasing Giants #155 - Hilarious Episode Live from Middlefield, OH

• Answer: Don said CWD is a political disease, comparing the confusion to end-times scripture where bad is called good. 64:10

Question: Matt Mickelson asked if there’s a connection between glyphosate use and CWD, and whether it affects the local deer herd. 39:37 — asked by Matt Mickelson — Episode #151 - Winter Scouting Tips

• Answer: Don said he’s unaware of any research linking glyphosate to CWD and doubts a connection, noting CWD was first discovered in mule deer at a government facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. 40:10

Question: Aaron Shorter from Chagrin Falls, OH asks whether ivermectin drench on corn piles has research backing as an EHD preventive. 45:17 — asked by Aaron Shorter — Episode #136 - EHD HITS AGAIN - DON’S FINAL BUCK FORECAST

• Answer: Don clarifies EHD is a virus, not a bug, carried by the midge gnat. 46:15
• Answer: Don says ivermectin won’t kill the EHD virus, though it may possibly help repel the midges that transmit it. 47:10

Question: Terry asks Don whether he has heard of any EHD outbreaks in his area this year. 13:35 — Episode #133 - Special Guest Mark Luster - Buck Forecast Part 2

• Answer: Don relays that a friend scouting 60 acres found six deer that had died within the last ten days. 14:04

Question: Are the black wart-like growths on his buck’s face and body genetic, will they return, and what causes them? 63:09 — Episode #108 - Mind Blowing Deer Management with Dr. Bronson Strickland

• Answer: Bronson explains the growths are cutaneous fibromas (warts), never fatal, non-contagious in a concerning way, and safe to eat since they don’t penetrate the meat. 63:25

Question: Corey asks why CWD continues to be such a problem in captive deer breeding facilities. 79:43 — asked by Corey — Episode #106 - Don finds sheds of an 8-year-old buck!

• Answer: Don says the captive deer industry has gotten a raw deal being blamed for CWD. 80:39

Question: Has Real World explored enhancing its EHD-fighting technology to help herds combat parasites like botflies? 33:51 — Episode #95 - Live from Guthrie, KY

• Answer: Don said the Expect Healthy Deer technology works partly through an all-natural insect repellent that helps deter biting insects generally. 34:03

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

• 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: Dan Higgins asks whether flies stress deer enough to affect their health, and what landowners can do to reduce fly stress on the herd. 67:46 — asked by Dan Higgins — Episode #81 - TIPS FOR TRACKING YOUR DEER

• Answer: Don shares that using Maximizer deer mineral with Expect Healthy Deer technology on his cattle made flies on them virtually disappear. 68:32
• Answer: Don doubts a cattle-style back-rub fly control system would work, predicting mature bucks especially would avoid it due to the smell. 70:03

Question: Don asks Bronson whether CWD’s danger is overblown or truly the serious threat some organizations and state agencies portray. 67:20 — asked by Don — Episode #31 - Special Guest Dr. Bronson Strickland - Fetal Programming, Deer Dispersal, Minerals, and CWD

• Answer: Strickland says CWD is a serious long-term threat: infection is 100% fatal, and though other causes often kill infected deer first, CWD accelerates that mortality and shrinks deer populations. 70:41

Question: Don asks whether Bronson knows about deer breeders selecting breeder bucks for a gene believed to confer CWD resistance. 74:47 — asked by Don — Episode #31 - Special Guest Dr. Bronson Strickland - Fetal Programming, Deer Dispersal, Minerals, and CWD

• Answer: Strickland says a CWD-resistance gene is being studied but unproven, and warns that relying on a rare mutation risks total extirpation if the gene turns out too scarce. 76:58

Question: Patrick Simpson asked whether a mild winter sets up a bad EHD year for those not prepared for it. 44:57 — asked by Patrick Simpson — Episode #17 - Live from Don Higgins first Master Class of 2020

• Answer: Don said he wasn’t sure how winter mildness plays into EHD risk, but felt next summer’s weather, especially dryness, matters more than this winter’s conditions. 46:05
• Answer: Don added that EHD is a real and growing issue, steadily pushing farther north into states like Wisconsin and Michigan that hadn’t seen it before. 47:39

Question: Al Foster relayed a DNR contact’s theory that a spring virus or EHD outbreak may explain mature bucks disappearing before summer. 49:37 — asked by Al Foster — Episode #17 - Live from Don Higgins first Master Class of 2020

• Answer: Don said he doesn’t know the cause but had personally been watching eleven different bucks over 150 inches across five or six counties that vanished. 50:41

Captive Deer Research

Question: Al Foster asked Don to explain why releasing doe fawns, pregnant does, or bucks onto his relatively small property to change its genetics would be futile. 38:06 — asked by Al Foster — Faith, Hunting & Courage After Tragedy | Chasing Giants Podcast Ep. 290

• Answer: Don explained resident maternal doe groups are territorial and would drive off any newly introduced doe fawn, making it biologically implausible for released deer to establish and change a property’s genetics. 41:38
• Answer: Don added that he sold his captive deer back in 2017, over eight years ago, so past captive deer could not still be affecting his farm’s genetics today. 44:34

Question: Jerry McCormick from Tyler, Texas asked Don whether, given the hate he receives, he regrets ever having had captive deer. 42:32 — asked by Jerry McCormick — #288 2025 Buck Forecast: EHD Devastation, Trail Cam Insights & Hard Truths About Trophy Bucks

• Answer: Don said he does not regret having captive deer and would likely do it again, since they taught him things a wild herd never could. 43:18

Question: Andy Yoder from Fresno, Ohio asks whether Don has experience using amino-acid mineral supplements for antler growth. 45:00 — asked by Andy Yoder — Episode #269 - Genetics, Nutrition, or Age (which is more important)

• Answer: Don says captive-deer breeders are sometimes cutting edge, such as on managing CWD, but he defers a full answer on amino-acid minerals to nutritionist Aaron Gaines next episode. 46:43

Question: Terry asks whether certain captive deer always had dark racks or showed a different antler-color pattern. 56:17 — Episode #266 Making a Good Stand a Great Stand

• Answer: Don said captive deer generally had lighter racks since they were kept in open pens with more sun than thick brush. 56:23

Question: Did years in the captive deer industry help Don’s success as a whitetail hunter? 45:59 — asked by Mike Carey — Episode #259 Apple Tree Spacing in Deer Plots

• Answer: Don believes typical captive deer farmers are more knowledgeable about whitetails than even experienced hunters. 46:53
• Answer: Don cites learning from captive deer that they eat three to four times more in late summer than in winter. 47:33

Question: Duane Miller asks whether celebrity hunters actually shoot preserve deer and pose them as wild kills, after a preserve owner hinted this happens. 54:07 — asked by Duane Miller — Episode #164 - CRP Programs - Know Facts!

• Answer: Don confirms he personally knows specific hunting-industry figures who shoot captive deer and falsely tag and present them as wild-harvested animals. 55:16

Question: Did captive-herd buck fawns without a twin grow bigger than those raised with a twin? 6:01 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike

• Answer: Don said genetics, not nutrition, drove size differences among captive buck fawns since nutrition wasn’t a limiting factor there, unlike in the wild. 6:15

Question: An audience member asked how many years Don ran pen-raised deer loose before it affected local wild genetics. 36:14 — Episode 159 - Captive Deer Breeding… Why Don Got Out

• Answer: Don deflected, saying his critics would have an answer for that. 36:25
• Answer: Don recalled that a pen-raised buck he sold was shot within two minutes of being released, which disgusted him. 38:19

Question: Tim Lowe from Fort Wayne, Indiana asked whether Don supplemented his wild herd with his former captive deer and how long he’s culled for these results. 42:11 — asked by Tim Lowe — Episode #76 - Where are the big bucks? August is here! Final Prep

• Answer: Don flatly denied ever releasing captive deer on his farm, insisting the bucks he has shot there are 100% wild. 46:33
• Answer: Don said he’s worked this uniquely isolated farm for about thirty years, letting quality bucks reach older age classes safely. 53:40

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