Doubting Thomas: Don Higgins’ New 203” Giant — Story Revealed - Chasing Giants EP 299

Published: 2025-11-16
Duration: 76 min

In this episode

al-foster

• Al Foster told Don the buck was 200 inches and urged him to just shoot it. 33:29

buck-harvest

• Don said this deer was unlike any he had shot before. 6:00

chasing-assurance

• Terry announced his dad’s podcast Chasing Assurance will air Wednesdays and release a series on assurance for people who’ve experienced divorce. 45:18

deer-biology

• Eric Phillips from Loganville, Georgia asked whether a lactating doe he field-dressed was still nursing this year’s fawns or possibly already pregnant again. 57:36

deer-management

• Don manages his farm by harvesting bucks with poorer antler genetics young so bucks with better genetics face less competition as they age. 22:55

divorce

• Don said the divorce topic previously generated the most pushback and negative feedback from listeners. 46:29

episode-plan

• Terry announced that after the break they would explain who the buck was, why they had kept quiet about him, and how he got his name. 5:23

family

• Don’s first granddaughter was born the day before he shot the buck, and his wife traveled to Indiana to help care for her. 16:29
• At what point did Don let his wife Robin know about the buck while she was caring for their new granddaughter in Indiana? 49:25
• What was Robin’s reaction when Don told her about the buck while she was holding their new granddaughter? 49:51

humility

• Don said he and Terry aren’t celebrities but everyday guys who go through the same struggles as everyone else. 3:40

king-david-hunt

• Terry announced the final production of the King David Hunt video will air on Thanksgiving Day. 48:13
• Don recommended families watch the King David Hunt video together, describing it as a family video rather than a typical hunting video. 48:28

kyle-harman

• Kyle Harman missed the buck recovery because he was in his own stand chasing a giant buck at the time. 13:05

listener-questions

• Don explained the show reads listener-submitted questions weekly and sends a free Chasing Giants t-shirt to anyone whose question is used. 56:20
• Don estimated the show receives 30-40 listener questions weekly but only answers about five of them. 57:06

midwest-sportsmans-classic

• Terry announced Brent Henderson, Wes Delks, and Mr. Mitchell will appear at the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic. 40:38
• Terry announced all four of Don’s 200-inch bucks will be on display at the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic. 41:10

milestone

• Terry noted that Don has now killed his fourth 200-inch deer. 63:18

photo-shoot

• Don described posing a stiffening deer for photos as physically awkward, following the photographer’s directions to angle its rack just right. 15:06

rut-behavior

• Anthony Wood from Cedartown, Georgia asked what causes bucks to become ‘locked down’ during the rut. 52:47
• Matthew Montag from Liberty Township, Ohio asked if Don or Terry have witnessed a specific ‘meeting spot’ on a property where bucks and does congregate. 60:03

rut-timing

• A cattle-raising acquaintance suggested cows come into heat faster after losing a calf than while nursing, which may explain early buck lockdown in deer. 59:00

scoring

• Don said he tries to score bucks conservatively so he isn’t seen as exaggerating antler scores. 25:09

show-format

• The show features listener-submitted questions at the end of each episode. 5:13
• Terry explained that every podcast episode, which airs on Sunday, ends with a segment called Sunday Night Prayer Time. 63:54

social-media

• Don said his post about the buck exploded on social media unlike anything he had experienced before. 1:14
• Don had 84 unanswered text messages by the time he got back from the taxidermist. 2:11

sponsors

• Don said they planned sponsor photos with ASIO, Mathews, Three Sixty Blinds, and Novix Treestand after the harvest. 14:39

tagging

• Don filmed himself tagging the buck before moving it, then stopped on the way home to buy another tag since his last either-sex tag was used. 16:03

tate-hale

• Terry shared that Tate Hale, who had a leg amputation, had a great year and had already shot two bucks. 64:27

video-premiere

• Terry announced they will premiere the Doubting Thomas hunt video live on stage with Al Foster at the Shipshewana Mounted Deer event, giving fans the first watch. 37:24

video-release

• Terry said the video will play the following week at the dealer event for dealers, then be published publicly at some later point. 37:57

wes-delks

• Wes Delks fulfilled a childhood goal by shooting a mature buck on his own property, documented in the hunt video ‘U Haul’ on Chasing Giants TV. 47:53
• Don said Wes Delks is a fine young man who will leave his mark on the whitetail industry. 51:03
• Terry said Wes Delks may come hunt and film with him for a day or two if the wind cooperates. 51:44

wind-strategy

• Don decided to hunt despite being worn out because he knew his stand required a north-northwest wind that would shift south for the next three days. 17:12

Deer activity

• Doubting Thomas (harvest) 1:01
• unnamed buck (history) 6:07
• Doubting Thomas (harvest) 8:34
• Doubting Thomas (history) 10:49
• Doubting Thomas (harvest) 19:22
• Doubting Thomas (history) 20:17
• Doubting Thomas (history) 21:12
• Doubting Thomas (history) 21:49
• Doubting Thomas (sighting) 22:15
• Mel (history) 24:49
• Doubting Thomas (sighting) 25:28
• unnamed buck (management) 26:03
• Turning Point (management) 26:30
• Doubting Thomas (trail-camera) 28:21
• Doubting Thomas (sighting) 28:58
• Doubting Thomas (trail-camera) 34:18
• Doubting Thomas (history) 40:08
• Doubting Thomas (harvest) 62:25

Listener questions

Question: At what point did Don let his wife Robin know about the buck while she was caring for their new granddaughter in Indiana? 49:25 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Don said Robin wasn’t among the first people he texted because he wanted others headed that way first to help him retrieve the buck; she was told soon after. 49:37

Question: What was Robin’s reaction when Don told her about the buck while she was holding their new granddaughter? 49:51 — asked by Terry

• Answer: Don said Robin was happy, and when he sent her a picture she reacted with excitement, calling the buck a giant. 50:06

Question: Anthony Wood from Cedartown, Georgia asked what causes bucks to become ‘locked down’ during the rut. 52:47 — asked by Anthony Wood

• Answer: Don explained lockdown occurs when a buck stays with a doe in heat for about 24-36 hours, often away from typical habitat, making him hard to pattern near a stand. 53:17
• Answer: Terry added that one sign of lockdown is food plots at night showing mostly fawns, since does are pushed off elsewhere while breeding. 55:33

Question: Eric Phillips from Loganville, Georgia asked whether a lactating doe he field-dressed was still nursing this year’s fawns or possibly already pregnant again. 57:36 — asked by Eric Phillips

• Answer: Don explained a doe producing milk has had fawns and can still come into estrus even while lactating, meaning she could still be bred despite nursing. 58:24

Question: Matthew Montag from Liberty Township, Ohio asked if Don or Terry have witnessed a specific ‘meeting spot’ on a property where bucks and does congregate. 60:03 — asked by Matthew Montag

• Answer: Don said the closest thing to a ‘meeting spot’ is the scrape, where deer communicate by scent rather than gathering at one designated location. 60:38
• Answer: Terry added that a property’s topography and travel corridors create areas of heavier deer traffic, often at rut funnels with a big scrape. 61:52

Prayer Time

Scripture: Malachi
Theme: servanthood-and-blessing
Tate Hale reflects on a whirlwind week of serving others—speaking at a nonprofit gala, then being blessed with an all-expense-paid Texas hunt where he harvested a rare piebald buck—and ties it to Malachi 3:10’s promise that God pours out blessing beyond capacity when we give, encouraging listeners to keep serving faithfully despite feeling unworthy. 72:34

Don and Terry revealed the story behind Doubting Thomas, a buck Don had watched for years before finally arrowing him at close range, resulting in his fourth 200-inch deer and a flood of social media attention. Don described the awkward process of posing the stiffening deer for sponsor photos and recounted texting friends to help retrieve the buck before reaching his wife Robin, who was in Indiana caring for their newborn granddaughter; she reacted with excitement when she saw the picture. Terry announced upcoming events, including the video’s premiere with Al Foster at Shipshewana, sponsor appearances at the Midwest Sportsman’s Classic, and the King David Hunt airing Thanksgiving Day. Listener questions covered buck lockdown behavior, a lactating doe’s breeding status, and whether deer have common meeting spots. Tate Hale shared a prayer reflection on serving others and being blessed despite hardship.

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