Deer Movement

Category: deer-behavior
Topic keys: deer-movement, buck-movement, home-range, bachelor-groups, buck-behavior, deer-behavior, buck-dispersal

Current guidance

As of 2026-05-03, the most recent claim on this subject.

On weather, Don says he has no doubt deer move ahead of a cold front, and after a November 2025 front he saw activity rise with the barometer, though he plans to keep watching whether rising or falling pressure matters more, an idea borrowed from muskie fishing. Terry relays that fellow podcaster Jeff dismissed contrary research as ‘a load of crap.’ Warm weather is treated as suppressing daylight movement: an eighty-degree opener was expected to keep bucks bedded until near dark, and during a hot, calm spell overnight trail-camera photos dropped to roughly 20% of what a normal night produces. Don adds that a mature buck’s top priority is avoiding human contact, making undisturbed sanctuary areas essential, and that reliable food sources keep deer present.

How the guidance evolved (most recent 120 of 199)

2022-09-19 Don has repeatedly observed on trail camera that when a mature buck shows up on his farm, a yearling buck often accompanies him. 28:56 — Episode #135 - Buck Dispersal - What does it mean?
2022-09-19 Terry reflected that God’s design of deer behavior is as complex and purposeful as the human body, calling it a testament to the creator. 59:52 — Episode #135 - Buck Dispersal - What does it mean?
2022-10-10 Terry said a 22-degree temperature drop pushes deer to feed regardless of the bright full moon phase. 2:15 — Episode #138 - Hunting the Full Moon
2022-10-17 Don’s 12 cell cameras have been very active this week, giving him a good read on when deer are moving. 1:20 — Episode #139 - Plans Can Change… Goals Stay The Same!
2022-10-24 Despite a study claiming otherwise, Don insists he will always believe weather affects deer movement based on what he observed this week. 8:07 — Episode #140 - Fall Drought - What does that mean for deer hunters?
2022-10-24 A scientific study sent to Don claimed deer movement is unaffected by weather and only affected by the rut. 7:24 — Episode #140 - Fall Drought - What does that mean for deer hunters?
2022-10-24 Terry says he has never before seen a deer lay down in a scrape. 12:21 — Episode #140 - Fall Drought - What does that mean for deer hunters?
2022-10-31 Don explains that in warm weather, bucks that would normally cruise for two hours instead stay up only about twenty minutes before bedding back down. 5:33 — Chasing Giants Podcast #141 - Scrapes are hot… So is the weather!
2022-10-31 Don states the lockdown phase, arriving once a cold spell hits, is in his opinion the toughest time of the year to intentionally kill a giant buck. 6:45 — Chasing Giants Podcast #141 - Scrapes are hot… So is the weather!
2022-11-06 Don asserts that weather trumps every other factor in deer movement, overriding even the moon phase and the rut itself. 7:35 — Chasing Giants Episode #142 - Heat Wave Rut - What will Don do?
2022-11-06 Terry predicts deer movement will significantly increase once the wind shifts out of the east on Monday and Tuesday. 8:33 — Chasing Giants Episode #142 - Heat Wave Rut - What will Don do?
2022-11-06 Don observes individual mature bucks behave differently, with two bucks on the same property sometimes using entirely different trails between the same points. 59:06 — Chasing Giants Episode #142 - Heat Wave Rut - What will Don do?
2022-11-14 Don was amazed at how fast deer switched from rut-driven running activity into an almost late-season winter feeding pattern once temperatures dropped. 10:37 — Episode #143 - Welcome to the Lockdown!
2022-11-20 Don tracked a mature buck via trail camera at 7:21 a.m., then spotted the same buck chasing a doe over three miles away by noon. 4:07 — Episode #144 - Where Did All The Bucks Go?
2022-11-20 Research showed a buck fawn is far less likely to disperse from his birth area if his mother is killed before he turns one. 50:20 — Episode #144 - Where Did All The Bucks Go?
2022-11-27 Don believes a mature buck’s home range is already established, so no matter how good a neighboring property becomes, it won’t pull a mature buck over unless it was already part of his range. 70:43 — Chasing Giants Podcast #145 - Bully Bucks and Big Rubs!
2022-11-27 Don believes only young, wandering yearling bucks searching for a home range can realistically be drawn onto a new property and mature there. 71:09 — Chasing Giants Podcast #145 - Bully Bucks and Big Rubs!
2022-11-27 Don recounts spotting the same identifiable buck three miles from home with a doe at midday, then watching it return alone that evening with both G2 tines broken from a fight. 78:28 — Chasing Giants Podcast #145 - Bully Bucks and Big Rubs!
2022-11-27 Don explains busted tines alone don’t prove dominance — a true dominant buck rarely needs to fight because other bucks already know he’s the top dog. 83:18 — Chasing Giants Podcast #145 - Bully Bucks and Big Rubs!
2022-12-04 Don explains that once late season arrives, target bucks stop traveling like they did during the rut and key in on a prime food source. 20:19 — Episode #146 - Late Season Decisions and Tactics
2022-12-04 Research shows that yearling bucks in farm country typically disperse five to twenty miles from where they were raised, Don notes. 37:31 — Episode #146 - Late Season Decisions and Tactics
2022-12-04 Don theorizes that mystery bucks appearing in late season are ones that spent their first winter as fawns on his farm before dispersing, then return during harsh winters. 38:05 — Episode #146 - Late Season Decisions and Tactics
2022-12-18 Terry believes mature bucks pattern him as much as he patterns them, since his feeder stays consistently filled year-round without spooking deer. 52:44 — Episode #148 - Are Bucks Shedding Antlers Early This Year?
2023-01-15 Don says in 46 seasons of deer hunting he has never seen bucks shed antlers this early, and still cannot explain why. 31:41 — Episode #152 - Are Trade Shows Dying?
2023-02-12 Don relays his grower’s explanation that switchgrass varieties with triangle-shaped growth pointing up are extremely dense near the ground, making them harder for deer to move through. 46:35 — Episode #156 - Looking for a Buck Bed…
2023-02-26 Don notes deer prefer thick cover and will bed against downed treetops to shield their backside while watching more open areas. 21:22 — Episode #158 - Is Hunting Contests Hurting the Hunting Industry?
2023-03-19 Terry relayed that during a farm tour, someone asked Don whether Smokey stayed on the property because it was the only spot with switchgrass, prompting Don to reconsider. 8:46 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike
2023-03-19 Don said Smokey was the only buck in his 30-plus years managing the farm that stayed year-round without joining a bachelor group. 9:07 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike
2023-03-19 Don observed that deer on his farm got used to seeing his ATV, and reacted with alarm when it appeared somewhere unusual. 25:55 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike
2023-06-04 Terry observes that does bed fawns in spots they perceive as safe from predators, even when those locations are close to roads, barns, and cattle. 4:22 — Episode #172 - Don is really worried about EHD in 2023
2023-06-04 Don shares that he looks forward to summer evenings glassing fields for bachelor groups of bucks even more than the November rut, since summer holds more unknowns. 66:58 — Episode #172 - Don is really worried about EHD in 2023
2023-09-10 Don expected deer to favor regrowing alfalfa, with its deep roots and fast regrowth, over soybeans, contrary to what Terry observed. 5:21 — Episode #186 - Disappointing 2023 Buck Forecast
2023-10-08 Terry theorizes that after does push buck fawns away in maternal aggression, those young yearlings transition by hanging out with older bucks in bachelor groups. 70:16 — Episode #190 - Prep for Youth Season - Green Light on Babe
2023-10-29 Terry proposes that listeners check their own trail cameras for October 23 to see if the deer movement spike was widespread across the country. 6:39 — Episode #193 - Babe is Down!
2023-11-05 Don observed more midday deer movement on his trail cameras yesterday than he had ever seen in a single midday period. 1:35 — Episode #194 - 2nd Target Buck Harvested by Special Guest
2023-11-05 Don notes that November 7th and 8th historically see more giant bucks killed than any other dates, when big bucks typically move. 71:51 — Episode #194 - 2nd Target Buck Harvested by Special Guest
2023-11-12 Don runs cell trail cameras across three states — Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio — to track deer movement. 3:11 — Episode #195 - Wes Delks Shoots a Giant and Crossbow Controversy
2023-11-12 Don’s cameras showed activity shutting off around 8am with no midday movement and no mature buck movement for several days during the lockdown phase. 3:28 — Episode #195 - Wes Delks Shoots a Giant and Crossbow Controversy
2023-12-03 Don’s target buck, estimated at four to five years old, disappeared from his farm once the rut intensified in November and was presumed shot. 16:21 — Episode 198 - Buck Traveling Long Distances After The Rut
2023-12-03 Don’s buck reappeared on trail cameras on two outlying properties after being missing during the rut. 16:29 — Episode 198 - Buck Traveling Long Distances After The Rut
2023-12-03 The buck was photographed over eight miles from Don’s house, across an interstate, during the rut. 18:15 — Episode 198 - Buck Traveling Long Distances After The Rut
2023-12-03 Based on multiple trail-camera photos, Don determined the buck covered a minimum of ten miles of territory. 18:41 — Episode 198 - Buck Traveling Long Distances After The Rut
2023-12-03 Don explained that red deer near the former Berlin Wall still refused to cross the open ground twenty years after the wall fell. 21:34 — Episode 198 - Buck Traveling Long Distances After The Rut
2023-12-03 Terry noted Kentucky’s September bow season lets hunters target patternable bachelor groups near a good food program before they disperse. 26:11 — Episode 198 - Buck Traveling Long Distances After The Rut
2024-01-21 Terry observed that plummeting temperatures, similar to the cold snap around last Christmas, are again driving deer to pile into food sources during this current cold stretch. 2:37 — Ep. 204 - Hinge Cutting - Don Critiques Specific Projects
2024-01-21 Don noted that in one pictured example the fallen trees were piled so low and dense that a deer could not possibly get through the resulting carpet. 29:15 — Ep. 204 - Hinge Cutting - Don Critiques Specific Projects
2024-01-21 Terry suggested a hinge-cut tree dropped beside a food plot could serve as a living barricade, routing deer past a nearby stand for a strong pinch point. 33:52 — Ep. 204 - Hinge Cutting - Don Critiques Specific Projects
2024-03-31 Don recommends landowners use positive lures and negative deterrents to funnel deer past their stands. 21:27 — Episode #214 - Don says, “MAKE TURKEY HUNTING GREAT AGAIN!” Easter Sunday
2024-03-31 Terry relayed that Joe Miles hinge-cut a tree to block a second trail, funneling all deer traffic past his stand. 26:50 — Episode #214 - Don says, “MAKE TURKEY HUNTING GREAT AGAIN!” Easter Sunday
2024-04-14 Joe Johnson explains that an erratic warm winter with swings from the 40s to 70s scattered deer instead of grouping them, hurting shed hunting. 37:47 — Episode #216 - Don Shoots His First Turkey - Friends Episode
2024-05-26 Terry explains the term “maternal aggression” is used to describe how doe mothers push away last year’s buck fawns. 14:18 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
2024-05-26 Terry explains does push yearling bucks off primarily to prevent inbreeding. 14:35 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
2024-06-02 Terry states that as bucks age they tend to shrink their home range, settling wherever they feel safest from human intrusion. 52:50 — Episode 224 - Saving Fawns and Farming for Nutrients: Insights from Don Higgins
2024-07-21 Don noted that plots primed for late October, when bucks show more daylight movement, improve the odds of catching a buck on the plot. 31:59 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
2024-08-25 Don says individual bucks are just as different from one another as individual deer hunters are. 32:47 — Episode #236 - Antler Genetics Follow Mother or Father?
2024-08-25 Don says some bucks never leave a small home range while others have ranges spanning several miles apart. 33:00 — Episode #236 - Antler Genetics Follow Mother or Father?
2024-09-01 Don observes it becomes more evident every year that bucks are avoiding cell cameras. 10:43 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-01 Don states he believes deer can detect cell cameras based on his own experience. 13:06 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-01 Don describes deer activity stopping suddenly at a hidden spot once he swapped in a cell camera. 14:24 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-01 Patrick has long claimed deer can detect cell cameras, and Terry, who used to laugh it off, now thinks Patrick might be right. 18:36 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-01 Don theorizes that a cell camera itself may act like continual intrusion that deer detect and dislike. 19:52 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-08 Don noted he gets far fewer trail-camera photos of certain bucks on cell cameras than on non-cell cameras and wonders whether bucks can somehow detect cell cameras. 1:39 — Episode 238 - 2024 Buck Forecast - MORE GIANTS SHOT THIS YEAR
2024-09-08 Don cited wildlife biologist Bronson Strickland’s maxim that hunters should never say never and never say always about deer behavior. 3:27 — Episode 238 - 2024 Buck Forecast - MORE GIANTS SHOT THIS YEAR
2024-10-13 Don described that after the shot, the buck ran straight away roughly 60 yards before stopping and standing still. 10:38 — Episode #243 - Target Giant Non-Typical Buck Success - Don Higgins
2024-10-20 Don said more unfamiliar bucks show up on his property during the late season than during the rut. 44:10 — Episode #244 - October Lull? Don and Terry See Bucks Moving in Mid October
2024-11-03 Don explains the homecoming buck phenomenon: bucks that summered on a property but disappeared in fall return there searching for the first hot doe during the rut. 25:43 — Episode #246 - Don Says - Best November Hunting in 50 Years
2024-11-03 Don explains that when great weather sustains daylight rut activity for a long stretch, the rut can end abruptly, like a switch flipping, rather than tapering off. 36:51 — Episode #246 - Don Says - Best November Hunting in 50 Years
2024-11-10 Don defines a ‘homecoming buck’ as one with separate summer and fall ranges that returns to his summer range when he can’t find a hot doe in his fall range. 12:27 — Episode #247 - Lockdown, Drone’s, and Deer Pimps
2024-11-24 Don relayed that Roger once told him a mature buck will walk a hundred yards out of his way to use an open gate rather than jump a fence. 59:42 — Episode #249 - Another Big Archery Buck! Terry Peer and Don Higgins Discuss
2024-11-24 Don noted that despite seeing deer and scrapes in his yard almost daily, he has never once seen a buck there in daylight. 60:51 — Episode #249 - Another Big Archery Buck! Terry Peer and Don Higgins Discuss
2024-12-29 Don recommends positioning trail cameras off to the side of deer travel routes and slightly elevated rather than facing deer head-on. 27:36 — Episode #254 - Don Improving Cell Cameral Locations, No-Till Food Plots, and Winter Habitat Projects
2025-01-05 Don states there is absolutely no doubt in his mind that deer move ahead of a cold weather front, based on years of personal observation. 30:07 — Episode #255 - Deer Movement and Weather Fronts
2025-01-12 A hunter in Northern Indiana reported 93 deer in one unharvested double-crop bean field in a single evening this week amid deep snow. 5:07 — Episode #256 - Hard Winter and Early Buck Shed? Illinois CWD Announcement
2025-01-12 Don says some mature bucks have unique personalities and only move in daylight when extreme cold weather combines with a strong food source. 26:52 — Episode #256 - Hard Winter and Early Buck Shed? Illinois CWD Announcement
2025-02-23 Don states his consulting-trail observations prove deer can tell a genetically modified soybean plant from one that hasn’t been genetically modified. 8:17 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
2025-02-23 Don theorizes that each additional stacked genetically-modified trait in soybeans makes the plant progressively less attractive to deer. 9:06 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
2025-03-02 Don observes that bucks prefer traveling narrower fire-break trails because they feel closer to cover. 9:37 — Episode #262 - The Controlled Burn on Switchgrass GONE BAD!
2025-03-10 Terry relays that fellow podcaster Jeff dismissed recent research claiming bucks do not move more for cold fronts, calling it a ‘load of crap.’ 3:05 — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic
2025-03-16 Red deer near the former Berlin Wall refused to cross the old boundary line for twenty years after the wall came down. 42:19 — Episode #264 - Big Rope Scrapes and Big Bucks!
2025-03-30 Don explained he uses either a negative, like blocking a trail, or a positive, like a food plot, to push or pull deer past his stands. 2:37 — Episode #266 Making a Good Stand a Great Stand
2025-04-06 Don has personally seen mature bucks bedding in and coming out of his switchgrass fields for over twenty years. 7:30 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
2025-04-20 Don states that deer, for whatever reason, prefer drinking from pools of water over a running stream or creek. 56:28 — Episode #269 - Genetics, Nutrition, or Age (which is more important)
2025-07-13 Don has discovered through years of camera use that bachelor groups return to the same general areas year after year. 6:40 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
2025-07-13 Don says he has never once succeeded in holding a buck on a summer range by manipulating food, cover, or human intrusion once the buck’s seasonal pattern is set. 40:57 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
2025-07-20 Don explained that a large part of their consulting work is manipulating deer movement to put deer where the hunter wants them. 64:14 — Thermal Drones, Trail Cameras & Big Buck Strategies | Chasing Giants Podcast #282
2025-08-24 Don says deer hammer young leftover soybean plants in the two-leaf stage because they are tender, palatable, and high in protein. 5:35 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
2025-08-24 Don explains that fawns are vulnerable because does leave them hidden in weeds or brush rather than standing guard, returning only a couple times a day to nurse. 24:03 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
2025-09-07 Don estimated roughly 25% of local bucks had shed velvet already, with 75% still in velvet but shedding daily. 1:02 — Deer Velvet Shedding & Fall Buck Shifts: Don Higgins Responds to Rumors | Chasing Giants Ep. 289
2025-09-28 Don expects warm eighty-degree temperatures at season opener to keep bucks bedded until near dark, limiting daylight movement. 14:28 — #292 - Public Land Busts, Big Timber Dreams, & Target Bucks
2025-10-12 Don said less than 25% of the crop around him remains standing, with the rest coming out as harvest continues. 8:21 — #294 From Old School to High Tech: Don Higgins Reflects on 40 Years in the Deer Woods
2025-10-19 Patrick and Bryson hunted a permission farm in hot, dead-calm weather with almost no deer movement. 5:21 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
2025-10-19 During the hot spell Don’s trail cameras captured only about 80-90 photos overnight, roughly 20% of what a normal night produces. 6:31 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
2025-10-19 Terry explained that in the third or fourth week of October, bucks begin roaming to their summer range looking for the first hot doe as the rut approaches. 18:24 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
2025-10-26 Don says he dislikes river and creek properties for hunting because continuous cover lets bucks roam widely instead of staying home. 39:17 — “200-Inch Nebraska Giant: Joe Chambers’ Incredible Buck Story | Chasing Giants Ep. 296”
2025-11-02 Don observed that as the barometer rose during the cold front, deer activity picked up sharply, reinforcing his belief that barometric pressure drives movement. 1:55 — Barometer Secrets & Rut Forecast for Early November! | Chasing Giants 297
2025-11-02 Terry believes most hunters understand wind and scent control but still don’t truly grasp how a mature buck uses the wind to his advantage. 35:21 — Barometer Secrets & Rut Forecast for Early November! | Chasing Giants 297
2025-11-09 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 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 Don’s trail cameras captured fewer overnight deer photos on the unusually warm night than any night in at least two weeks. 4:01 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 Don observed that midday deer activity was completely dead during the unusually warm week. 4:10 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 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 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 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 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 Terry identified October 23 and November 5 as the two best days of daylight deer movement he experienced this season. 5:59 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 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 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 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 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-09 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 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298
2025-11-30 Don theorized that new bucks appearing on his farm in late season are ones that lived there as button bucks with their mothers before dispersing. 26:03 — Late Season Starts NOW — Cold Fronts, Bucks on Food, and Thanksgiving Reflections | Episode #301
2025-12-07 Don explains there’s a balance to doe numbers: too many does makes bucks hard to kill during the rut, while too few makes bucks range farther and fight more, injuring each other. 32:12 — Late Season EXPLOSION! Why Giants Are Falling Everywhere | Chasing Giants #302
2025-12-07 Don closes by encouraging listeners to get out in the woods, citing fantastic Midwest conditions for afternoon deer movement toward food sources. 54:32 — Late Season EXPLOSION! Why Giants Are Falling Everywhere | Chasing Giants #302
2025-12-14 Don observes that whenever deer have access to a good food source, they will be present, as shown by does returning to his property after warm weather. 1:26 — Episode 303 – Late-Season Deer Movement, Winter Food Strategy & The Future of Big Bucks
2025-12-14 Don recounts checking his own trail camera photos and confirming the deer a listener shot was the same buck he had mentioned, which had covered significant territory. 38:15 — Episode 303 – Late-Season Deer Movement, Winter Food Strategy & The Future of Big Bucks
2026-01-11 Don observed that bucks on his farm damaged their racks this year at a rate he’s never seen before. 16:31 — Most Hunters Get This Wrong | The Hard Truth About Killing Mature Bucks | Chasing Giants #307
2026-01-18 Don explains deer bed on ridge points so they can watch multiple directions for danger with the wind at their back, keeping them covered. 20:52 — LIVE at 360 Blinds: No Script, No Filters — Just Real Questions | Chasing Giants 308
2026-01-18 Don says land ownership lets him dictate how deer move on a property, sometimes to a great degree. 32:31 — LIVE at 360 Blinds: No Script, No Filters — Just Real Questions | Chasing Giants 308
2026-01-25 Terry notes that does currently caring for fawns are potentially raising the bucks that will make a run back to their home range during peak hunting season. 8:25 — Texas Hunt, Brutal Cold, Late Rut Behavior & Winter Habitat Decisions | Chasing Giants Podcast #309
2026-02-01 Don notes several new bucks have shown up on his property in recent weeks, likely drawn by food, adding further pressure to his food sources. 6:34 — CULLING BUCKS: Why Shooting 3½-Year-Old 8-Points Actually Works | Chasing Giants #310
2026-02-08 Don Higgins reported that after an 8-inch snowstorm and plummeting temperatures, deer stayed piled onto food sources for many days. 1:32 — Snow, Sheds & Sorghum: Late-Season Deer Survival | Chasing Giants #311
2026-02-08 Don Higgins recounted that one evening his wife Robin took the dog out and saw about 50 deer scattered across their yard in every direction. 1:50 — Snow, Sheds & Sorghum: Late-Season Deer Survival | Chasing Giants #311
2026-04-12 Don says deer near his cattle pasture accept his routine presence as non-threatening, but would react very differently if he intruded into their bedding area. 59:05 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
2026-04-12 Someone once told Terry that a deer will pattern hunters long before hunters ever pattern a deer. 59:39 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
2026-05-03 Don stated that a mature buck’s top priority is avoiding human contact, making undisturbed sanctuary areas critical to consistently hunting mature bucks. 28:24 — Prayers, Peace & Planting Strategy | Spring Food Plot Advice | Chasing Giants 323

Contradictions & open questions

Places where the show’s advice on this subject appears to disagree with itself, either between speakers or over time. Both claims are shown as they were said, with dates. Nothing here is resolved — which one applies is the reader’s call, and the owners’.

Guidance may have changed: Don insists weather affects deer movement based on personal observation, while a study sent to him concludes movement is driven only by the rut, not weather.
- 2022-10-24 Despite a study claiming otherwise, Don insists he will always believe weather affects deer movement based on what he observed this week. 8:07 — Episode #140 - Fall Drought - What does that mean for deer hunters?
- 2022-10-24 A scientific study sent to Don claimed deer movement is unaffected by weather and only affected by the rut. 7:24 — Episode #140 - Fall Drought - What does that mean for deer hunters?
Guidance may have changed: Don cites Bronson Strickland’s rule to never say ‘never’ or ‘always’ about deer behavior, then states ‘no doubt’ that deer move ahead of cold fronts.
- 2024-09-08 Don cited wildlife biologist Bronson Strickland’s maxim that hunters should never say never and never say always about deer behavior. 3:27 — Episode 238 - 2024 Buck Forecast - MORE GIANTS SHOT THIS YEAR
- 2025-01-05 Don states there is absolutely no doubt in his mind that deer move ahead of a cold weather front, based on years of personal observation. 30:07 — Episode #255 - Deer Movement and Weather Fronts
Guidance may have changed: Don says a rising barometer during a cold front reinforced his belief that barometric pressure drives movement, then still plans to watch cameras to see whether rising or falling pressure moves deer better.
- 2025-11-02 Don observed that as the barometer rose during the cold front, deer activity picked up sharply, reinforcing his belief that barometric pressure drives movement. 1:55 — Barometer Secrets & Rut Forecast for Early November! | Chasing Giants 297
- 2025-11-09 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 — The Weirdest Rut Ever: Warm Temps, Barometers, and Big Bucks | Chasing Giants Ep #298

Questions on this topic (60 of 102)

Tyler Thompson from Deer Creek, Illinois asks whether the ‘same time, same place’ pattern for returning bucks applies all season or only certain phases. 55:30 — Episode #132 - 2022 Buck Forecast Part 1
John Simoneau from Clifton, Illinois asks how to hunt a buck that uses the same daylight trail regardless of wind direction in December and January. 49:43 — Episode #248 - Big Buck Down! Wes Delks Joins Us to Discuss UHAUL
Terry asked Don to explain his social media post about a trail camera spooking a mature buck. 36:02 — Episode #187 - Do Trail Camera’s Spook Mature Bucks?
Dalton Rockhold asked how to get his mature bucks, which show great nighttime activity, to move during legal shooting light. 55:55 — Episode #187 - Do Trail Camera’s Spook Mature Bucks?
Jordan asked what he could do to get a specific big buck that only shows up on his property after season ends onto his land during season. 49:58 — Episode#203 - Post Season Scouting and Project Advice
Justin Sheer asks how smart deer really are. 52:10 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
Terry asks Don whether the rut is early or if the deer movement is simply due to the recent weather change. 4:44 — “200-Inch Nebraska Giant: Joe Chambers’ Incredible Buck Story | Chasing Giants Ep. 296”
Joe asks Don whether older bucks, nine and a half or older, start letting their guard down, or if increased daylight movement is just happenstance. 13:00 — Episode #154 - Dogs Running Loose on Don’s Farm. HE IS NOT HAPPY!
Kevin Thayer privately messaged Don asking whether bucks avoiding trail cameras is a learned behavior. 29:05 — Episode #29 - Don previews some HIT LIST and UP-AND-COMER bucks while Terry is chasing a good buck in KY
Have you ever piled up dirt on flat ground to give bucks a place with better sightlines to bed? 48:25 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
Tyler Webb from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee asks why hunters avoid morning hunts in early season, questioning if bumping risk differs between morning and evening entries. 30:55 — Episode 199 - Dewormer in Deer Feed, Tractors, Screens, and Windmills
Billy Gays from Saint Louis asked whether putting screens through the middle of food plots would direct deer closer to a stand. 45:30 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
Have you ever had a late-season buck you thought was unkillable due to a mild winter’s lack of stress? 25:09 — Episode #256 - Hard Winter and Early Buck Shed? Illinois CWD Announcement
Wayne asks if bucks bed in unusual spots like fence rows near houses because they know people won’t hunt there. 44:46 — Episode #61 - Live from the Midwest Sportsman Show - TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM LIVE CROWD
Terry relays a listener’s question asking whether too many does will push a buck off the property. 63:51 — Episode #61 - Live from the Midwest Sportsman Show - TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM LIVE CROWD
Frank asks why Dr. Bronson Strickland’s research showing bucks often ignore wind differs so much from Don’s own wind-based observations. 26:32 — Episode 230 - Don says Switchgrass is not the best bedding.
Why do mature bucks summer elsewhere and only show up on a property after the fall shift, and what differs between good summer and fall properties? 48:56 — Episode #100 - Chasing Giants Episode 100 - Predator Control, Doe Factory, Moving Scrapes
Terry asks what deer are going through in the bitter cold, comparing it to cattle he saw bunched up out of the wind. 5:27 — Episode #149 Frigid Temps and Deer… Merry Christmas 2022!
Keaton Mitchell of Mount Vernon, Illinois asked why bucks form bachelor groups of two to three on his trail cameras during late season. 36:17 — INSANE Bedding Cover + 22 Bears on Camera?! | Chasing Giants #318
Terry asked whether deer can get the water they need from eating snow when everything else is frozen. 40:33 — Snow, Sheds & Sorghum: Late-Season Deer Survival | Chasing Giants #311
Terry asks Don to explain why bucks give up the best habitat to does and fawns during the off-season. 38:09 — Episode #264 - Big Rope Scrapes and Big Bucks!
Terry asks Don where the rut currently stands on November 7. 1:04 — Episode #90 - November 7th - WHERE IS THE RUT
Isaac Higgins asked whether his mature buck periodically sneaks back to check if a rival dominant buck is still there, or if he’ll return in January like last year. 46:31 — Episode #11 - Merry Christmas and Late Season Insights
Michael Johnson from Bechtlesville, PA asked whether mature does are also a different animal like mature bucks, and whether they’re more attractive to mature bucks during the rut. 45:27 — Episode #91 - Is Don like CNN News?
Ray Miller asks whether a mature buck will investigate a mid-day disturbance near his sanctuary within hours, often in daylight, on low-pressure farms. 35:33 — Episode #240 - If Don Was DNR, How He Would Make Illinois Better Than Iowa
An audience member asks if Don has seen a buck respect a boundary line and not cross onto another property. 53:39 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
Andy from Rachel, West Virginia asks how often bucks j-hook out of their bedding to get downwind of the food source or their direction of travel. 51:51 — Episode #123 - How much does Don spend on batteries for trail cameras?
Brock Van Aslan asks whether creating specific bedding spots for bucks versus does is a good strategy, or if thickening cover and staying out lets deer bed where they want. 43:07 — Kill More Deer. Feed Hungry Kids. | Boone Brothers | Chasing Giants 306
Morgan Murray asks whether the buck’s annual home range shift happens consistently every year for every individual buck. 41:35 — Episode #24 - Don is glassing bucks at night while Terry tests Don’s idea of Saddle Hunting…
Josh Brewington asked if Don gets frustrated by low deer movement seasons like Josh’s rough year in Southeast Iowa, and how he stays optimistic. 58:00 — Episode #86 - 17,764 trail cam pics in 25 days - no bait or attractant
Besides bedding, food, and minimal intrusion, is there anything that can make a buck stay on a property for fall? 40:11 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
What strategies does Don use to pick trail-camera locations for finding bachelor groups? 7:28 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
Adam Robke asks whether standing crops in a field affect when bucks return to their fall home range. 54:55 — Chasing Giants Episode #142 - Heat Wave Rut - What will Don do?
Is the idea that the moon phase affects deer movement fact or fiction? 44:06 — Episode #80 - Don’s 2021 Buck Forecast
Troy Carper from Memphis, MO asks how many bedding locations a mature buck uses and whether bucks share beds with other deer. 37:53 — Episode #136 - EHD HITS AGAIN - DON’S FINAL BUCK FORECAST
Nelson Rizzler asked Don to confirm whether mature bucks do or do not run in bachelor groups like younger bucks. 50:25 — Episode #138 - Hunting the Full Moon
Do deer dislike livestock like cattle, or do they coexist fine as long as humans stay out of it? 62:09 — Episode #95 - Live from Guthrie, KY
What are the pros and cons of all-day sits, and does Don see much midday deer movement during the rut? 93:42 — Episode #95 - Live from Guthrie, KY
Jake Johnson asked whether having two large neighboring outfitters near his new 40-acre Ohio farm is good or bad, and how to draw deer to his property. 55:12 — Episode #188 - Apple Trees for Whitetails
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 — EP #286 - Preparing for Hunting Season: Plots, Cameras & CWD Truth
Carl Compton asks whether bucks and does use a different bedding area in the morning versus the evening. 38:58 — Episode #113 Prepare Now… Results Come Later!!!!
Could an active ingredient in mineral force bucks to take a midday break, like a midday cigarette for smokers? 13:29 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit
Scott Barkman asks whether some bucks are truly unkillable depending on bedding, nocturnal behavior, and unpredictable travel patterns. 23:52 — Episode #153 - What Should Buck Doe Ratio Be?
Nick Bouley asked whether bucks traveling the downwind side of bedding stay within cover or move along a field edge on that downwind side. 62:19 — CWD, One-Buck Limits & The Truth About NDA | Chasing Giants 312
Terry asked what happens if hunters cull too many does — does it reduce the attraction factor that draws bucks during the rut? 17:39 — Late Season Starts NOW — Cold Fronts, Bucks on Food, and Thanksgiving Reflections | Episode #301
Listener Brian Byers asked what topics about mature buck behavior still need more scientific research. 37:45 — Late Season Starts NOW — Cold Fronts, Bucks on Food, and Thanksgiving Reflections | Episode #301
An audience member asked whether improving a property’s habitat and food can make summer bucks stay through fall and return in following years. 72:52 — Faith, Hunting & Courage After Tragedy | Chasing Giants Podcast Ep. 290
Terry asks Don the theory behind driving loudly with the radio blaring when approaching a trail camera. 62:42 — Episode #54 - Garbage in the hunting industry, tracking an Iowa Giant Whitetail, and special interview with Karen Ward
Jeremy Miller of Markleville, Indiana asks if a bumped mature buck will return to the same area and how long that takes. 60:14 — Episode #54 - Garbage in the hunting industry, tracking an Iowa Giant Whitetail, and special interview with Karen Ward
Justin Free of Westville, Florida asks Don’s opinion on how deer layer themselves in cover near food sources. 65:05 — Episode #54 - Garbage in the hunting industry, tracking an Iowa Giant Whitetail, and special interview with Karen Ward
Matt asked why a mature buck would remain nocturnal in an area with good habitat and low hunting pressure despite little real danger. 49:53 — Why Mature Bucks Go Nocturnal | Chasing Giants Podcast 326
Jason Hesselberg asked whether the ‘unkillable’ or nocturnal buck people talk about is real. 43:24 — Episode #98 - Don’s Trophy Room, Stolen Gun, and New Title Sponsor
Tyler Thompson asked Don’s thoughts on coyote hunting over ag fields deer feed in, and whether it teaches young bucks to avoid the area. 86:55 — Episode #201 - New Year, New Tools, New Websites
Don asks how likely it is that a newly harvested buck is actually the son of a buck taken in previous years. 21:34 — Episode #48 - Antler Genetics (what is a super doe?) When Do Sheds Fall? And Peeing Out of Your Stand…
Terry asks whether Sean Kelly’s question about keeping locally-born bucks relates to Don’s theory of shooting a doe with two buck fawns. 36:20 — Episode #33 - Mid October Update, A Little Cell Camera Update, Little Genetics Discussion, and even a little politics
Trent asks what makes an area a deer’s summer range versus its fall range. 35:03 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
Trent asks hypothetically how much acreage would be needed for a deer to live its whole life on one property. 35:27 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
Jason Hesselberg asked whether his mature bucks will return to his property once ongoing logging finishes, or relocate elsewhere permanently. 43:33 — #294 From Old School to High Tech: Don Higgins Reflects on 40 Years in the Deer Woods
Alex Jones asks for input on using a DSD deer decoy after it seemed to cause more harm than good. 24:06 — Episode #143 - Welcome to the Lockdown!
Jordan Barry asked how long the effects of hunting pressure and human intrusion last before deer that moved off a property might return. 58:13 — Episode #213 - Turning old cow pasture in deer sanctuary

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