Mentorship
Category: hunting-ethics
Topic keys: mentorship
Current guidance
As of 2026-04-12, the most recent claim on this subject.
In their most recent statements, Don and Terry frame mentorship as reciprocal debt-paying: having been shaped by mentors, they now try to shorten others’ learning curves. Don advises listeners to take advice only from people who have already achieved what they’re pursuing, and says a mentor like Wes, at 33, already knows more about setting up properties than Don did at 43. He credits teachers such as Aaron Gaines and Bronson Strickland while describing himself as a lifelong student rather than an expert. Terry credits Don’s encouragement with pushing him into consulting despite his own reluctance. Both cite outside sayings on experience over book knowledge, an Amish man’s ‘knowledge without mileage is worthless’ and Gene Wensel’s bicycle analogy, and describe aiming to pass on roughly forty years of hard-earned lessons.
How the guidance evolved
- 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
- 2020-03-14 Don recalled meeting his mentor Alan Foster as an 18-year-old, admiring how Foster was already shooting big bucks consistently. 63:36 — Episode #17 - Live from Don Higgins first Master Class of 2020
- 2020-08-10 Don credits mentor Al Foster, a North American Whitetail writer who consistently killed big bucks, with shaping his early hunting outlook as a teenager. 65:46 — Episode #27 Season is closing in. Final prep work is being done along with addressing some hurt feelings.
- 2020-09-08 Don says one of the best things is when someone kills the biggest buck of their life and credits something they read or heard from him. 41:18 — Episode #29 - Don previews some HIT LIST and UP-AND-COMER bucks while Terry is chasing a good buck in KY
- 2020-10-13 Don credits Alan Foster with saving him about ten years on the learning curve when he was 18, and says he now tries to repay that to others. 56:06 — Episode #33 - Mid October Update, A Little Cell Camera Update, Little Genetics Discussion, and even a little politics
- 2020-11-25 Don explains his purpose is reaching lost deer hunters, distinguishing it from deer hunting itself, which he calls his passion, not his purpose. 61:29 — Episode #39 - SPECIAL EDITION - DON SHOOTS ANOTHER GIANT! 2 Bucks = 400”+ of Antler in 2020
- 2020-12-28 Don states he’d rather be remembered for helping others experience the thrill of big buck hunting than for the size of bucks he personally killed. 29:35 — Episode #44 - New Year’s Resolutions, Bedding Cover, Hunting Cold Temps, and Sharing Hunting Property with Family
- 2020-12-28 Terry uses a golf analogy, arguing that improving as a hunter requires surrounding yourself with more skilled, challenging people. 62:23 — Episode #44 - New Year’s Resolutions, Bedding Cover, Hunting Cold Temps, and Sharing Hunting Property with Family
- 2021-01-17 Don’s mentor Alan Foster refused to use doe-in-heat scent, believing it took unfair advantage of a buck’s nose-based defenses. 31:09 — Episode #47 - Hunting Ethics, Annual Cycle Of Whitetail, Should we leave Social Media?
- 2021-03-13 Terry tells young hunters they must surround themselves with people who will challenge them in order to keep improving. 63:14 — Episode #56 RELOAD - Great discussion live from 2021 Master Class #1 - Terry answers some questions on cell cam test
- 2021-03-28 Don says it’s a thrill every fall when his phone buzzes with texts from clients sending pictures of bucks they shot using his advice. 25:59 — Episode #58 - Burning Native Grass Tips and Great Questions from 3rd Master Class
- 2021-05-17 Following Duane’s lesson to do it right the first time, Terry is planting his food plots a couple weeks later than planned to get a proper weed-free seed bed. 4:29 — Episode #65 Spring Plot Herbicide Discussion and Fawns dropping
- 2021-10-17 Don was committed to getting Brent a deer no matter how many trips it took, planning a return during the rut or the late season if needed. 4:38 — Episode #87 - BUCK DOWN! Lester’s Feet Raffle Winner Got it Done!
- 2022-03-13 Don says Bronson scientifically validated things Don had been asserting from experience for years, without Don realizing it was science-backed. 4:22 — Episode #108 - Mind Blowing Deer Management with Dr. Bronson Strickland
- 2022-03-27 Don said meeting Al Foster saved him ten years off his deer-hunting learning curve. 150:43 — Episode #110 - Double Episode live from Master Class - Al Foster gives great advise
- 2022-05-02 Gene Wensel once described becoming a bow hunter as an apprenticeship, a series of steps deer hunters used to work through. 68:57 — Episode #115 - Don’s Top Four Properties Visited This Year
- 2022-08-08 Don says the podcast lets him and Terry shorten the learning curve for listeners the way mentors like Al Foster, Gene Wensel, and Roger once did for him. 88:17 — Episode #129 - Lessons Learned from a GIANT TYPICAL - Story you haven’t heard!
- 2022-08-29 Don recalls that what struck him about Wes from the start was that he never tried to impress him with big buck stories, unlike many young hunters. 13:28 — Episode #132 - 2022 Buck Forecast Part 1
- 2022-11-06 Terry recounts a mutual friend in Kansas who is teaching his young son to be a land manager and outdoorsman, starting him on squirrels and trapping before deer hunting. 43:17 — Chasing Giants Episode #142 - Heat Wave Rut - What will Don do?
- 2023-02-19 Wes Delks closed his Salina presentation with a short scripture testimony and prayer for the crowd; Don calls him an ‘iron sharpens iron’ influence. 9:42 — Episode #157 Frost Seeding Clover - Soil Builder - Switchgrass
- 2023-06-11 Don said he always tries to give credit to those who taught him, naming Gene Barry Wentzell, Roger Rothar, and Al Foster as mentors he learned from. 84:40 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
- 2023-08-27 Don credited longtime friend Al Foster with saving him at least a decade on the learning curve of hunting mature bucks, starting the first summer they met. 77:06 — Episode 184 - the new G Series no till drill from PH Outdoors.
- 2023-10-15 Don notes hunters he’s mentored for years, once all ears and fully bought in, are now consistently shooting good deer. 63:54 — Episode #191 - Babe Out In Daylight - Giant Corn Yields for Food Plotters
- 2023-11-05 Don decided to first require a commitment from young men before mentoring them, choosing Kent Taber, a young man from his church, as an example. 21:46 — Episode #194 - 2nd Target Buck Harvested by Special Guest
- 2023-11-05 Don believes God has big plans for Wes Delks as a young man. 75:34 — Episode #194 - 2nd Target Buck Harvested by Special Guest
- 2023-11-12 Terry believes God placed a younger man in their lives at the right time to help steer major business and personal decisions. 12:24 — Episode #195 - Wes Delks Shoots a Giant and Crossbow Controversy
- 2024-01-28 Don credited the Wessels as the original creators of the rope scrape technique, rather than taking credit for inventing it himself. 24:17 — Ep# 205 - Don shares trail camera pictures from 2023
- 2024-02-18 Terry credits the Wensel brothers and Bobby as the ones who first figured out mature buck behavior. 6:50 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
- 2024-02-18 Don recalls that as a teenager he wrote handwritten letters to Gene Wensel, who always replied with a handwritten letter back. 7:53 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
- 2024-02-18 Don credits Al Foster as a mentor who shaved ten years off his learning curve after taking him under his wing as a teenager. 8:07 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
- 2024-03-10 Terry recalls Wes Delks joining the company during a period when he and Don were discouraged, and Wes challenged them as businessmen and Christians. 74:45 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
- 2024-06-09 Don learned from mentor Al Foster years ago that hunters should really start cashing in on a new property by the third season. 43:54 — Episode 225 - Big Antlers this Spring Mean Big Decisions this Fall!
- 2024-07-07 Don says he and his partners saved Wes years on the learning curve, since Wes did his habitat work right the first time. 32:46 — Episode #229 - Final Thoughts on the Buck Named Babe and Cameras are Out!
- 2024-07-14 Terry called it a huge honor to connect younger hunters to the stories and personalities of legends like the Wenzel brothers, Bobby, Al, and Joe. 15:57 — Episode 230 - Don says Switchgrass is not the best bedding.
- 2024-07-14 Don said the pioneering hunters became his mentors, and he corresponded with them through handwritten letters years ago. 16:56 — Episode 230 - Don says Switchgrass is not the best bedding.
- 2024-09-08 Don said Al Foster saved him at least a decade on the learning curve when they met while Don was 18 or 19 years old. 10:38 — Episode 238 - 2024 Buck Forecast - MORE GIANTS SHOT THIS YEAR
- 2024-09-08 Don said that after meeting Al, he literally tripled his buck sightings from a stand in a single season. 11:10 — Episode 238 - 2024 Buck Forecast - MORE GIANTS SHOT THIS YEAR
- 2024-10-06 Don advises that who a hunter takes advice from is critical, and listeners should only seek guidance from people who have already achieved what they’re pursuing. 43:11 — Episode #242 - Stop Hunting October Mornings
- 2024-11-17 Don says Wes, at 33, already knows more about setting up properties and killing big deer than Don did at 43. 22:43 — Episode #248 - Big Buck Down! Wes Delks Joins Us to Discuss UHAUL
- 2025-01-19 Don relays his mentor Al Foster’s point that the best deer hunters were killing big bucks long before trail cameras or food plots existed as tools. 64:52 — Episode #257 - Too Early to Shed Hunt - Show some compassion!
- 2025-02-16 Terry encourages the crowd to pursue becoming better men and husbands through a relationship with Jesus. 74:22 — Episode #260 - Live From the Legends Roundtable - Midwest Sportsmans Classic
- 2025-04-06 Don says he has never thought of himself as an expert and considers himself a lifelong student of the whitetail. 14:15 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
- 2025-04-06 Don recalls Alan Foster being a major influence on him when Don was in his late teens. 13:51 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
- 2025-04-06 Don credits Aaron Gaines and Bronson Strickland among the teachers who shaped his whitetail knowledge. 14:33 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
- 2025-07-06 Joe said the nineteen-day leopard hunt reminded him of the attention-to-detail wisdom Don, Bobby, and other veteran hunters have always preached. 19:12 — Episode 280 - Trail Cams, Big Cats, and Camo Drops | Special Guest Joe Miles
- 2025-07-20 Don said he and Terry aim to share forty years of hard-earned lessons to help listeners shave years off their own learning curve. 50:39 — Thermal Drones, Trail Cameras & Big Buck Strategies | Chasing Giants Podcast #282
- 2025-09-07 Terry said Don’s encouragement and challenge pushed him into podcasting and land consulting despite initial reluctance, becoming a huge blessing for his family. 62:53 — Deer Velvet Shedding & Fall Buck Shifts: Don Higgins Responds to Rumors | Chasing Giants Ep. 289
- 2025-09-14 Austin Raisor shared that Don and Terry have poured into his life and family without expecting anything in return. 64:40 — Faith, Hunting & Courage After Tragedy | Chasing Giants Podcast Ep. 290
- 2025-10-19 Terry was first introduced to hunting as a kid traveling to his grandfather Lester’s house for weekends and holidays. 2:49 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
- 2025-10-19 Terry noted Walker is seeing direct results of habitat projects and management decisions on the herd as he grows into a teenager. 3:22 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
- 2026-01-18 Don recalls Wes talking him off the ledge more than once during a tough personal situation, calling him a positive influence. 47:38 — LIVE at 360 Blinds: No Script, No Filters — Just Real Questions | Chasing Giants 308
- 2026-02-22 Don recounts that after a mentor began teaching him to play the wind, the number of bucks he saw from his tree stand literally tripled the next season. 18:10 — Chasing Giants LIVE at the Midwest Sportsmen’s Classic | Shipshewana, IN | Presented by FAE
- 2026-04-12 An old Amish man from Pennsylvania told Don that ‘knowledge without mileage is worthless,’ meaning experience matters more than book knowledge. 45:20 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
- 2026-04-12 Gene Wensel used to say you can read all the books you want on riding a bicycle, but until you start pedaling, you won’t know how to ride. 45:44 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
- 2026-04-12 Terry recalls thinking for the podcast’s first two years he wasn’t ready to start consulting, until Don convinced him he was ready. 47:57 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
Questions on this topic
- David Mathews asks if Don plans to add more consultants to his team and how a young guy could be considered for such a position. 44:04 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
- David Lewallen from Blue Mound, Illinois asked what key tips Don and Terry would teach their younger selves as beginning hunters. 62:03 — Episode #29 - Don previews some HIT LIST and UP-AND-COMER bucks while Terry is chasing a good buck in KY
- As a father who did this to help sick kids rather than win a hunt, what does it mean to watch your son’s successful hunt with Don? 17:24 — Episode #87 - BUCK DOWN! Lester’s Feet Raffle Winner Got it Done!
- A teenage listener with little hunting experience asks how much experience is needed before hunting mature bucks with a compound bow. 51:18 — Episode #193 - Babe is Down!
- An audience member asks what can be done to get more kids involved in hunting as youth participation declines. 17:32 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
- Maynard Miller asked why young people often hate on successful people instead of learning from them, and requested advice for young hunters. 29:33 — Episode #138 - Hunting the Full Moon
- Nick Collins asked Terry what the top three hunting lessons or things he fundamentally learned from Don have been. 44:15 — Episode #188 - Apple Trees for Whitetails
- Damon Marling asked what percentage of Don’s hunting knowledge came from others versus himself, whether he’s learned from consultants like Grant Woods, and whether amateurs ever taught him something. 66:36 — Episode 184 - the new G Series no till drill from PH Outdoors.
- Terry asks Mark Lester to describe his hunting journey and what he looks for in the whitetails he pursues. 26:56 — Episode #133 - Special Guest Mark Luster - Buck Forecast Part 2
- Terry asks Don to sum up in a nutshell why they are doing this podcast. 10:48 — Episode 1 - New Show Introduction and Don’s Unique Goal For 2019
- Ian asked what Don wants to accomplish next in his hunting career after already killing multiple 200-inch deer. 23:56 — Episode #58 - Burning Native Grass Tips and Great Questions from 3rd Master Class
- An audience member asked Don and Terry what life advice they’d give to younger kids listening, outside of hunting. 67:20 — Episode #58 - Burning Native Grass Tips and Great Questions from 3rd Master Class
- Wes Delks asks Terry how his deer hunting has changed since meeting Don. 63:54 — Episode #57 - Discussion about Ethics Continues as guest at the 2nd Master Class put Don on the spot with live questions.
- Lucas Hagen asks for one piece of advice for younger hunters and what Don and Terry wish they’d done sooner or regret. 63:30 — Episode 178 - The Bucks and The Corn are Growing Fast
Unofficial fan project. AI-synthesized from public episodes; may contain errors.