The Hunting Industry

Category: hunting-ethics
Topic keys: hunting-industry, trophy-hunting, criticism

Current guidance

As of 2026-06-28, the most recent claim on this subject.

On the industry itself, Don and Terry describe growing wariness rather than enthusiasm. Don says some people he considered friends proved disloyal, using him to open doors, and names two prominent industry figures who claim Christian faith but whom he views as crooks. He would not encourage a grandson into its public-facing side, and is weighing a tell-all book, though he fears it would close more doors than it opens. He also recalls being an early, criticized voice dismissing the CWD scare. Terry adds that the industry’s history includes finder’s-fee bounty systems where wealthy buyers paid for leads on giant bucks, underscoring the money-driven pressures both see shaping it.

How the guidance evolved

2019-11-03 Don says he turns criticism and hater comments into motivation fuel. 25:33 — Episode #5 - November is Here!
2020-02-15 Don describes mentoring a young man on the drive to Wisconsin who sought advice about pursuing the same hunting-industry career. 9:37 — Episode #15 - Passion vs. Discipline
2020-02-15 Don plans to devote a full episode to advising young people who want to get into the hunting industry, a topic he frequently gets questions about. 36:32 — Episode #15 - Passion vs. Discipline
2020-04-27 Terry mentions he was recently a guest on the Whitetuckle Productions podcast discussing the hunting industry and pro staff involvement. 21:32 — Episode #20 - Food Plot Prep Continues - Native Grass and Miscanthus in the Ground
2020-05-18 Don and Terry plan a future episode focused on advice for listeners who want to break into the hunting industry. 74:38 — Episode #21 - Working on Food Plots and Watching the Weather - Lots and Lots of Questions
2020-06-30 Terry announces next episode will cover breaking into the hunting industry from his and Don’s different perspectives, inviting listener questions on the topic. 14:44 — Episode #24 - Don is glassing bucks at night while Terry tests Don’s idea of Saddle Hunting…
2020-06-30 Don visited John Mulligan’s photography school in Kentucky, spending about an hour teaching students what he looks for when hiring a hunting photographer. 15:27 — Episode #24 - Don is glassing bucks at night while Terry tests Don’s idea of Saddle Hunting…
2020-08-10 Terry argues the biggest misconception is that hosts hunt full-time for free; most people in the industry actually came into it with their own money. 9:35 — Episode #27 Season is closing in. Final prep work is being done along with addressing some hurt feelings.
2020-08-10 Terry disagrees with Don, arguing there is real evil in the hunting industry driven by the pressure to land sponsors or get on TV. 79:48 — Episode #27 Season is closing in. Final prep work is being done along with addressing some hurt feelings.
2020-09-08 Terry says people with stories like Don’s succeeded because they worked hard and sacrificed for their hunting land, not because they had money in the industry. 54:52 — Episode #29 - Don previews some HIT LIST and UP-AND-COMER bucks while Terry is chasing a good buck in KY
2020-12-14 Terry observes mid-tier hunting personalities frequently switch bow sponsors year to year. 10:14 — Episode #42 - Christmas Gift Ideas, Hanging Tree Stands in February, and Last Giveaway for 2020
2021-06-21 An anonymous veteran of the hunting industry told Terry that there are more ethical people in the illegal drug business than in the hunting industry. 16:53 — Episode #70 - Fathers Day Talk along with comparison of the Hunting Industry and the Drug Cartel
2021-06-28 Terry advises hunters chasing trophy bucks to prioritize a deer’s age structure over antler score, since chasing score first leads them astray. 53:38 — Episode #71 - Trail Cam Deployment, Giant Bucks of Social Media Misused, Raffle Closing Soon!
2021-07-26 Terry recounts a listener who angrily private-messaged him roughly 20 posts worth of complaints, though Terry never learned what upset the person. 1:50 — Episode #75 - Concerned about cell cams, when should i plant, and purple headed freaks…
2022-01-23 Don recounts refusing to partner with a young marketer after finding videos of him drinking beer and cursing while hunting, unwilling to stake his reputation on that behavior. 64:04 — Episode 101 - Mowing Corn, Dead Coyotes, and Working in the Hunting Industry
2022-01-23 Don describes cutting ties with another young hunting-industry hopeful whose desperation led him to abandon moral and ethical values chasing any partnership. 65:13 — Episode 101 - Mowing Corn, Dead Coyotes, and Working in the Hunting Industry
2022-01-23 Terry advises aspiring hunting-industry hopefuls to never sell themselves out just to wear a brand’s logo or get free gear. 61:31 — Episode 101 - Mowing Corn, Dead Coyotes, and Working in the Hunting Industry
2022-09-11 Bobby said he’s a trophy hunter who makes no apology for wanting big racks, but stressed hunters shouldn’t lose sight of hunting for enjoyment. 42:07 — Episode #134 - Bobby Worthington talks Buck Forecast Part 3
2022-09-11 Bobby warned that hunting for bragging rights or to out-do others online can lead people into cheating. 43:26 — Episode #134 - Bobby Worthington talks Buck Forecast Part 3
2022-12-11 Don criticized the ATA Association and ATA Show as caring only about profiting from bowhunters, not about the sport or big-game herds. 32:42 — Episode #147 - Winter Buck Inventory… More Important than Summer?
2023-02-12 Don addresses critics who claim he releases pen-raised deer inside a fenced farm with one opening, insisting he is completely transparent by hosting visitors on his property. 60:04 — Episode #156 - Looking for a Buck Bed…
2023-03-05 Don said a two-buck limit lets a hunter take an early ‘mulligan’ buck while still holding out for a trophy on the second tag. 25:37 — Episode 159 - Captive Deer Breeding… Why Don Got Out
2023-04-09 Don is being approached about a long-dreamed-of hunting industry opportunity but is unsure he has time to pursue it. 15:13 — Episode #164 - CRP Programs - Know Facts!
2023-04-23 Social media critics claimed Don needed an EPA permit for messing with the stream bank when he built his creek crossing. 8:21 — Episode #166 - Spring Herbicides
2023-06-25 Terry recounts overhearing golfers at a company outing accuse a highly skilled amateur golfer of never working and coming from money, illustrating jealousy-driven criticism. 47:22 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
2023-10-15 Don says most people working the hunting industry, even at major trade shows, have other full-time jobs and treat it as a side gig. 76:45 — Episode #191 - Babe Out In Daylight - Giant Corn Yields for Food Plotters
2023-10-15 Don shares he was well into his fifties before making his entire living from the hunting industry. 76:54 — Episode #191 - Babe Out In Daylight - Giant Corn Yields for Food Plotters
2023-10-15 Terry admits that if people knew how much he and Don actually spend on hunting each year it would be shocking. 79:02 — Episode #191 - Babe Out In Daylight - Giant Corn Yields for Food Plotters
2023-10-29 Don reflects that the older he gets, the less the kill means to him and the more the chase itself matters. 19:31 — Episode #193 - Babe is Down!
2023-11-05 Don opposes recruiting more hunters, arguing habitat is disappearing and his county doesn’t need a hundred more deer hunters. 68:17 — Episode #194 - 2nd Target Buck Harvested by Special Guest
2023-12-17 Don criticizes the Archery Trade Association, saying it doesn’t genuinely care about conservation and mainly wants more hunters recruited so it can sell more products. 51:23 — Episode 200 - Journey to 200
2024-03-31 Don said he no longer needs another deer on his wall, feeling he has more trophies than he deserves after a lifetime of blessings. 35:24 — Episode #214 - Don says, “MAKE TURKEY HUNTING GREAT AGAIN!” Easter Sunday
2024-04-28 Don recalls a Habitat consultant with a popular YouTube channel who bashed Miscanthus after planting it in sod, where poor root competition stunted its screening growth. 11:14 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
2024-05-19 Don warns AI could let hunters manipulate footage to make a 150-inch buck appear as a 220-inch buck to gain more views. 48:08 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
2024-11-10 Don says his goal is to shoot giants rather than settle for any nice buck, even though plenty of huntable bucks are available to him. 18:19 — Episode #247 - Lockdown, Drone’s, and Deer Pimps
2024-11-10 Don says he seeks the combination of age and antler score together, not just an old buck or just high score. 21:31 — Episode #247 - Lockdown, Drone’s, and Deer Pimps
2024-11-10 Don says his hunting isn’t about how many bucks he hangs on the wall but about the challenge of matching wits with one special individual buck. 26:57 — Episode #247 - Lockdown, Drone’s, and Deer Pimps
2024-11-10 Don says he’d rather shoot a five-year-old buck with giant antlers than a ten-year-old with average antlers. 27:14 — Episode #247 - Lockdown, Drone’s, and Deer Pimps
2024-12-22 Terry says Real World took criticism this year for including a devotional on the last page of its land management guide, accused of exploiting faith for business. 36:14 — Episode #253 - Do Not Overcomplicate Habitat Projects!
2025-05-18 Duncan Dobie, former editor of North American Whitetail, told Don he’s never seen anyone with a stronger sense of right and wrong who can’t stay quiet about it. 40:37 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
2025-05-18 Don says some people in the hunting industry he thought were good friends had no loyalty, used him to open doors, and proved their word was worthless. 41:42 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
2025-05-18 Don says he can think of two big names in the hunting industry who claim to be Christian but are, in his view, absolute crooks. 46:50 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
2025-06-22 Don now believes farmers are influenced by marketing just as much as deer hunters, having previously assumed farmers were more immune to hype. 12:15 — Episode #278 - Are Deer Getting Smaller?
2025-06-22 Terry reflects that trophy hunting can be lonely compared to hunt camp, since often only two or three people ever see the deer being pursued. 34:43 — Episode #278 - Are Deer Getting Smaller?
2025-09-14 Terry noted that their friend Ben Rising publicly read scripture on his platform twice this week, calling for more visible faith in the hunting industry. 33:12 — Faith, Hunting & Courage After Tragedy | Chasing Giants Podcast Ep. 290
2025-09-21 Terry relays a quote from Mike Morgan of Outdoors with the Morgans that you’ll never be criticized by someone doing more than you. 26:55 — Chasing Giants Ep. 291 | Don’s Public Land Quest & the “Turning Point” Buck Story
2025-09-21 Don says he had to delete and block about 20 people for negative comments after posting about the buck’s new name. 27:44 — Chasing Giants Ep. 291 | Don’s Public Land Quest & the “Turning Point” Buck Story
2025-10-12 Don said he would never encourage one of his grandsons to go into the public-facing side of the hunting industry like he did. 25:01 — #294 From Old School to High Tech: Don Higgins Reflects on 40 Years in the Deer Woods
2026-01-18 Don considers writing a tell-all book about the hunting industry as a final project, though he fears it would close more doors than it opens. 48:33 — LIVE at 360 Blinds: No Script, No Filters — Just Real Questions | Chasing Giants 308
2026-04-05 Don recalled being one of the first in the hunting industry to publicly call the CWD scare overblown and to encourage hunters not to submit deer for testing, drawing criticism at the time. 15:29 — Why Some Hunting Properties Work Instantly… And Others Fail - Chasing Giants Podcast #319
2026-05-17 Bobby reportedly said the real reason a hunter didn’t kill a big deer is simply that one never walked under his tree. 55:55 — Why Most Hunters NEVER Kill Big Bucks (Bryhn Craft Tells the Truth) | Chasing Giants #325
2026-06-28 Terry recalls his grandfather Lester was skeptical of VHS hunting tapes, sometimes judging kills as legitimate and sometimes as pen-raised. 50:40 — Making Good Tree Stands GREAT | Don Higgins’ Best Habitat Tricks + Doubting Thomas Premiere
2026-06-28 Terry recounts that the hunting industry later moved to finder’s-fee bounty systems where high rollers paid big money for leads on giant bucks. 50:56 — Making Good Tree Stands GREAT | Don Higgins’ Best Habitat Tricks + Doubting Thomas Premiere

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’s handling of negative comments differs: turning criticism into motivation fuel versus deleting and blocking about 20 people over a comment backlash.
- 2019-11-03 Don says he turns criticism and hater comments into motivation fuel. 25:33 — Episode #5 - November is Here!
- 2025-09-21 Don says he had to delete and block about 20 people for negative comments after posting about the buck’s new name. 27:44 — Chasing Giants Ep. 291 | Don’s Public Land Quest & the “Turning Point” Buck Story
Guidance may have changed: Don’s stance on steering young people toward a hunting-industry career differs: mentoring a young man who sought that path versus refusing to encourage his own grandson into its public-facing side.
- 2020-02-15 Don describes mentoring a young man on the drive to Wisconsin who sought advice about pursuing the same hunting-industry career. 9:37 — Episode #15 - Passion vs. Discipline
- 2025-10-12 Don said he would never encourage one of his grandsons to go into the public-facing side of the hunting industry like he did. 25:01 — #294 From Old School to High Tech: Don Higgins Reflects on 40 Years in the Deer Woods
Guidance may have changed: Priority for evaluating a trophy buck differs: Terry ranks age structure over antler score, while Don seeks age and score together, not an old buck or high score alone.
- 2021-06-28 Terry advises hunters chasing trophy bucks to prioritize a deer’s age structure over antler score, since chasing score first leads them astray. 53:38 — Episode #71 - Trail Cam Deployment, Giant Bucks of Social Media Misused, Raffle Closing Soon!
- 2024-11-10 Don says he seeks the combination of age and antler score together, not just an old buck or just high score. 21:31 — Episode #247 - Lockdown, Drone’s, and Deer Pimps

Questions on this topic

Jeremy Randolph asks Don what advice he would give his 20-year-old self about the hunting industry. 57:44 — “200-Inch Nebraska Giant: Joe Chambers’ Incredible Buck Story | Chasing Giants Ep. 296”
Jeremy Randolph asks Terry for business advice on breaking into the hunting industry. 58:08 — “200-Inch Nebraska Giant: Joe Chambers’ Incredible Buck Story | Chasing Giants Ep. 296”
As a 16-year-old chasing a mega giant, how can I get my name out to bigger hunting brands? 71:39 — Episode #191 - Babe Out In Daylight - Giant Corn Yields for Food Plotters
Ralph Moore asked Don to describe negative aspects of being in his position within the hunting industry, beyond the well-known haters. 53:40 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
Jacob asks whether modern hunters, obsessed with gadgets and social media, are losing touch with nature and the true reality of hunting. 65:00 — Episode #27 Season is closing in. Final prep work is being done along with addressing some hurt feelings.
Frank Shannon asks Don to share the top one or two things he dislikes about the hunting industry. 36:49 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
An anonymous listener from Slippery Rock, PA asks how Don handles being called an elitist and slandered for pursuing mature deer. 42:39 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
Caleb Cook asked whether Don would put an experience limit on master class attendees, arguing it caters to inexperienced rich hunters. 61:03 — Episode #98 - Don’s Trophy Room, Stolen Gun, and New Title Sponsor
Terry asked Don whether turning a hobby or passion into a career or business causes it to lose its original appeal. 22:24 — #294 From Old School to High Tech: Don Higgins Reflects on 40 Years in the Deer Woods
Jay Peterson from Woodlawn, Illinois asks how sponsorships work in the hunting industry. 44:22 — Episode #77 - Would you shoot this buck? Still looking for a shooter.
Terry asked whether social media pressuring hunters to become trophy hunters too soon is a good or bad thing. 39:48 — Episode #249 - Another Big Archery Buck! Terry Peer and Don Higgins Discuss
An anonymous Indiana listener asked whether a TV hunter with a huge trophy room of giant bucks is simply elite or paying for access to deer. 47:19 — #288 2025 Buck Forecast: EHD Devastation, Trail Cam Insights & Hard Truths About Trophy Bucks
Listener Adam Rosendale asked Don where he started, what his first steps into the hunting industry were, and how his career has evolved. 36:05 — Episode #25 - Don and Terry give an update on their hunting spots and discuss getting into the hunting industry.
Tyler Glenn, in his twenties, asked Don and Terry how to properly break into the hunting industry. 53:27 — Episode 101 - Mowing Corn, Dead Coyotes, and Working in the Hunting Industry
An audience member asks Don whether he wants supporters to defend him against critics or stay silent. 37:46 — Episode #260 - Live From the Legends Roundtable - Midwest Sportsmans Classic
Joe Chambers from Nebraska asks Don about the mental, emotional, and spiritual shift from targeting three-to-four-year-old bucks to only five-and-a-half-year-old and older bucks. 62:52 — Episode #247 - Lockdown, Drone’s, and Deer Pimps

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