Plot Establishment

Category: habitat-food-plots
Topic keys: planting-timing, fall-planting, frost-seeding, no-till, cover-crops, crop-rotation, fertilizer, herbicide, weed-control, mowing, soil-health, planting, glyphosate, spring-planting

Current guidance

As of 2026-06-14, the most recent claim on this subject.

On plot establishment, the show emphasizes soil-health inputs over the plot list itself: Don and Terry describe amending ground with humic acid, biochar, and Mike’s Mighty Micros, aiming eventually to drop synthetic fertilizer and, on Don’s farm, tillage entirely. Pre-emergent programs (Resicore) are favored so plots need no further equipment traffic after planting. For fall plots, Don advises planting 45-60 days before first frost, shifting earlier moving north, and prefers running a week late over a week early since mature plants lose palatability; Terry favors mixing in cheap leftover soybeans since they’ll die at frost anyway, while Don avoids straight soybean fall plots for the same reason. Don recommends brassicas for their taprooting soil benefit even when deer favor them less, and warns against repeating brassica blends like Deadly Dozen two years running.

How the guidance evolved (most recent 120 of 254)

• 2023-06-11 Terry advised food plotters who haven’t planted yet to hold off buying seed and wait until fall if there’s no rain in the extended forecast. 5:24 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
• 2023-06-11 Don warned that food plotters who drag their feet and delay spring planting until late May or June will pay for it this year, since the odds of a good spring plot are very low. 6:07 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
• 2023-06-11 Don plans to wait until roughly a week or two before his normal planting time around September 1 before deciding whether to switch to fall food plots. 13:28 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
• 2023-06-18 Don observed one-year-old trees at Mike’s orchard already 10 feet tall, more than double their 4-foot height the prior year, using Mike’s growing approach. 8:53 — Episode #174 Holistic & Regenerative Ag Techniques for Food Plotters
• 2023-06-18 Don recommends spraying weeds when they’re six inches tall or less for a much better herbicide success rate. 35:01 — Episode #174 Holistic & Regenerative Ag Techniques for Food Plotters
• 2023-06-18 Don explains a surfactant leaves a sticky residue that holds herbicide on the plant instead of letting it evaporate, making it far more effective. 37:33 — Episode #174 Holistic & Regenerative Ag Techniques for Food Plotters
• 2023-06-25 Terry says he’s been extremely happy with the Stallwart residual herbicide he tested this year, finding it worked better than last year’s Harness Extra. 7:59 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• 2023-06-25 Don plans to drill clover seed this fall with his Genesis drill and frost seed again next spring to rebuild a good clover stand. 20:50 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• 2023-06-25 Don plans to mow his short clover plot with a zero-turn mower, expecting fawns are unlikely to be bedded there and that he’d easily spot one if present. 23:28 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• 2023-07-03 Terry reported a strong herbicide kill on his property, with almost no weeds surviving in his Nutri-Crave Corn field from the residual application. 15:38 — Episode #176 - Don’s Advice for Battery High Prices
• 2023-08-13 Don clarifies what he planted early was only a brassica plot-topper mix, not his full fall blend of cereal grains. 7:43 — Episode #182 - Don’s Buck Management Plan for 2023
• 2023-08-13 Don recommends hunters with bare food plots plant soil-building ‘soil charge’ blends in spring to cut weed competition and add nutrients before fall plantings. 11:57 — Episode #182 - Don’s Buck Management Plan for 2023
• 2023-08-27 Don said switching to a no-till drill eliminated tillage steps and cut weed pressure by not turning up new weed seeds. 12:44 — Episode 184 - the new G Series no till drill from PH Outdoors.
• 2023-10-15 Real World Whitetails plans to add better herbicide education content on their new website. 61:32 — Episode #191 - Babe Out In Daylight - Giant Corn Yields for Food Plotters
• 2024-04-07 Don explains that 2,4-D is a contact herbicide for broadleaf weeds that will not harm grass. 21:46 — Episode #215 - Could 2024 be a fantastic antler growing season?
• 2024-04-28 Don advises that refrigerated Miscanthus rhizomes can be planted as late as roughly July 1 if kept properly dormant. 9:18 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-04-28 Terry notes NutriCrave corn requires weed control done before planting rather than a post-emergence herbicide application. 14:04 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-04-28 Don estimates soil charge can still be planted up until about June 1. 17:10 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-04-28 Don recommends waiting for soil temperatures around sixty to sixty-five degrees before planting soybeans so they emerge quickly ahead of weeds. 18:39 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-04-28 Don states soybeans can be planted clear up to July 1. 19:25 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-04-28 Terry warns that taking shortcuts on soil prep, fertilizer, or inputs during rushed spring planting can cause major weed and germination problems later. 22:38 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-04-28 Don plans to start planting his food plots once the rain stops. 58:57 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-05-05 Don advised waiting for proper ground moisture and warm soil temperatures rather than rushing to plant by the calendar, for better results. 61:39 — Episode #219 - The Most Important Aspect of Hunting Whitetails
• 2024-05-19 Don rotates his food plots on a three-way cycle with corn, soybeans, and Deadly Dozen. 18:59 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-19 The corn year is the only time Don works the ground in his rotation, since a worked seed bed gives corn a much better stand. 20:10 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-19 Don mows cornstalks down close to the ground on frozen ground in late winter with a skid loader and bush hog mower before spraying and no-tilling the next crop. 21:12 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-19 Don personally planted soybeans in the same plot six years in a row with no problems. 24:50 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-19 Todd Hewing has planted soybeans in the same plot for over twenty years without rotating, according to Don. 25:03 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-19 Don waits to plant his soybean food plots until neighboring farmers plant theirs, since otherwise deer hammer his beans, and he’s had to replant twice this year. 56:57 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-26 Terry announces that the hosts have finished spring food plot planting for the season. 0:55 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-05-26 Don typically rotates two years of soybeans followed by one year of Deadly Dozen, no-tilling directly into the sprayed Deadly Dozen residue. 2:54 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-05-26 Terry is running a controlled trial splitting half of three food plots between no-till and tilled ground with identical inputs to compare results. 3:30 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-05-26 Don is shifting toward no-till and is considering no-tilling his corn plots next year as well. 4:04 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-05-26 Terry advises spraying soybean plots before weeds reach four inches tall. 21:18 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-05-26 Don recommends spraying weeds while they’re still only one to two inches tall for ideal control. 21:22 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-05-26 Don recommends applying a residual or pre-emergent herbicide before planting corn or soybeans to prevent weed pressure. 23:30 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-05-26 Terry notes that Roundup-only glyphosate at 41% concentration can be applied directly onto a plant without dilution. 23:54 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• 2024-06-02 Don recalls accidentally hitting two fawns one year while baling alfalfa, calling it a terrible feeling. 10:30 — Episode 224 - Saving Fawns and Farming for Nutrients: Insights from Don Higgins
• 2024-06-02 Don recommends delaying hay mowing as long as possible to protect fawns, while acknowledging there’s no real substitute for delay if farming is your livelihood. 10:59 — Episode 224 - Saving Fawns and Farming for Nutrients: Insights from Don Higgins
• 2024-06-02 Don learned that fungicide-treated ag seed is counterproductive to soil health because it kills the beneficial bacteria and fungus that keep soil healthy. 28:04 — Episode 224 - Saving Fawns and Farming for Nutrients: Insights from Don Higgins
• 2024-06-02 Don has learned glyphosate is one of the worst things for regenerative agriculture because it kills the beneficial bacteria and fungus in the soil. 28:47 — Episode 224 - Saving Fawns and Farming for Nutrients: Insights from Don Higgins
• 2024-06-02 Don explains soybeans drilled into a rye cover crop do fantastic since rye suppresses weeds, but rye’s toxin negatively affects corn planted the same way. 29:29 — Episode 224 - Saving Fawns and Farming for Nutrients: Insights from Don Higgins
• 2024-06-02 Don explains Real World’s new fertilizer is high in nitrogen, and what sets it apart from typical fertilizers is the added micronutrients beyond standard N-P-K. 33:55 — Episode 224 - Saving Fawns and Farming for Nutrients: Insights from Don Higgins
• 2024-06-23 Terry plans to spray his soybean fields this weekend because weeds are outgrowing the beans amid dry weather. 7:31 — Episode #227 - Science Behind Summer Solstice and Whitetail
• 2024-07-07 Don found only about 5% of the Miscanthus rhizomes he planted this year have emerged from the ground so far. 62:06 — Episode #229 - Final Thoughts on the Buck Named Babe and Cameras are Out!
• 2024-07-21 Don warned that planting fall food plots too early causes plants to over-mature and lose palatability, making them far less attractive to deer by hunting season. 27:45 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
• 2024-07-21 Terry explained planting fall plots too early causes them to mature and die rather than going dormant and regrowing productively in spring. 28:34 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
• 2024-07-21 Don recommended planting brassicas like turnips, radish, and sugar beets roughly 75 to 90 days before the area’s expected first frost. 30:31 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
• 2024-07-21 Don recommended planting cereal grains closer to the first frost date, about 45 to 60 days ahead. 30:44 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
• 2024-07-21 Don said he would rather see a fall food plot planted a little later than too early. 31:41 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
• 2024-07-21 Terry cautioned that Don’s fall-plot example was based on Wisconsin’s October 15 frost date, not a literal calendar date for all listeners. 32:11 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
• 2024-07-21 Terry’s own fall-plot timing in Kentucky runs about a month behind Don’s Wisconsin example, targeting the second week of November. 32:29 — Episode #231 - Timing is Key: When to Plant Fall Plots
• 2024-08-18 Don prefers planting cereal-grain food plots a little late rather than too early, since early growth can get tall and tough and lose attraction before season. 3:26 — Episode #235 - Is EHD Back in 2024? Bucks Dead in Indiana!
• 2024-09-01 Don recommends planting food plot seed immediately rather than waiting for a forecasted rain, since a missed pop-up shower wastes the opportunity. 5:22 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
• 2024-12-29 Don plans to no-till drill soybeans into dying, sprayed cereal grain so the thatch hides vulnerable germinating soybeans from deer and reduces browse pressure. 9:03 — Episode #254 - Don Improving Cell Cameral Locations, No-Till Food Plots, and Winter Habitat Projects
• 2024-12-29 Eric of Larson Farms reportedly said some of their fields can be no-tilled while others with sticky gumbo soil cannot. 18:55 — Episode #254 - Don Improving Cell Cameral Locations, No-Till Food Plots, and Winter Habitat Projects
• 2025-01-26 The team also plans weekly content covering soil health, food plots, and TSI to help viewers manage habitat. 7:42 — Episode #258 - Live Podcast from Mt. Hope Ohio
• 2025-02-16 Duane Hopkins suggests planting soybeans a couple weeks after neighboring row-crop farmers plant, so deer disperse across all the open fields instead of hammering one plot. 49:45 — Episode #260 - Live From the Legends Roundtable - Midwest Sportsmans Classic
• 2025-02-23 Don reports that Flexstar herbicide completely killed marestail, waterhemp, and every other weed in his soybean plot last year. 11:10 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• 2025-03-02 Don typically frost seeds clover or legume plots depending on weather, usually sometime in mid-March. 0:57 — Episode #262 - The Controlled Burn on Switchgrass GONE BAD!
• 2025-03-16 Terry is rotating a six-year-old alfalfa field to a new area of the farm as part of crop rotation. 10:57 — Episode #264 - Big Rope Scrapes and Big Bucks!
• 2025-04-13 Terry hopes his conversation with Mike’s Mighty Micros will make this the last year he has to break open his clay soil ground. 10:39 — Episode #268 - Thermal Drone Tells the Truth on Don’s Farm
• 2025-04-13 Don explained that most soil organic matter comes from a cover crop’s root system below ground rather than the plant material above ground. 12:04 — Episode #268 - Thermal Drone Tells the Truth on Don’s Farm
• 2025-05-04 Don reports less than 5% of ag fields near him are planted, and for the first time ever he hasn’t planted a single food plot seed by May. 1:24 — Episode #271 - Cool Wet Spring Concerns for Antler Growth and Nutrition
• 2025-05-04 Don plans 50 acres of a custom cover crop mix through Green Prairie Seed Company and a single 50-acre green food plot instead of several smaller plots. 4:17 — Episode #271 - Cool Wet Spring Concerns for Antler Growth and Nutrition
• 2025-05-04 Terry and Don plan to test and video-document many cover crop, no-till, and regenerative farming solutions this year, now that Green Prairie is a new resource. 4:48 — Episode #271 - Cool Wet Spring Concerns for Antler Growth and Nutrition
• 2025-05-11 Mike explained using Mike’s Mighty Microbes can raise a plant’s root sugar exudate production to feed soil microbes up to 60%. 27:39 — Episode #272 - Farming for Nutrients - Better Food Plots
• 2025-05-18 Terry notes their drill is heavy enough to punch through the rye residue so the soybeans get good soil contact. 5:25 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
• 2025-05-18 Don says with good soil moisture and warm temperatures, planted soybeans should emerge within five to seven days. 5:43 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
• 2025-05-18 Don spread biochar on all his corn plots and is discing it into the soil so it isn’t just sitting on the surface. 7:55 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
• 2025-05-18 Don hopes this is the last year he needs a disc, planning to go all no-till from here on out. 8:17 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
• 2025-05-18 Don calls the idea that clover shouldn’t be mowed ridiculous, since unmown clover just becomes a weed patch. 35:45 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
• 2025-05-25 Terry admits the show hasn’t done a good job explaining how humic acid, biochar, and Mike’s Mighty Micros differ and work together. 1:55 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-05-25 Don states that more fawns are killed every summer by mowing than any other cause, whether for hay or other fields. 10:02 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-05-25 Josh Anderson told Terry that a healthy doe leads to a healthy fawn, a healthy buck, and ultimately a happy hunter. 18:18 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-05-25 Don explains humic acid is essentially coal before it becomes coal, formed underground from plant material under pressure and heat. 21:18 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-05-25 Don’s goal is to eliminate synthetic fertilizer on his farm by amending soil with humic acid, biochar, and cover crops. 32:48 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-05-25 Terry recommends Josh Pretzer’s Kansas-based soil health podcast, roughly titled Singular Agronomics, for listeners wanting to dig deeper. 36:49 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-07-06 Don warned against planting brassica products like Deadly Dozen two years in a row, saying that is the main rotation mistake to avoid. 55:27 — Episode 280 - Trail Cams, Big Cats, and Camo Drops | Special Guest Joe Miles
• 2025-07-13 Don recommends using the right herbicide program so that a corn plot never needs equipment driven through it again after the day it is planted. 22:03 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
• 2025-07-27 Terry reports his non-GMO corn, never cultivated or sprayed post-emergent, had hardly any weeds this year thanks to pre-emergent herbicide. 5:29 — Episode #283 “Best Corn Ever? Don & Terry Reveal 2025 Plot Results + Fall Food Plot Timing Tips”
• 2025-07-27 Terry says RezaCore herbicide worked phenomenally for weed control in his food plots this year. 9:17 — Episode #283 “Best Corn Ever? Don & Terry Reveal 2025 Plot Results + Fall Food Plot Timing Tips”
• 2025-07-27 Don advises planting fall food plots 45-60 days before the first expected frost, shifting timing about a week earlier per 100 miles north. 17:19 — Episode #283 “Best Corn Ever? Don & Terry Reveal 2025 Plot Results + Fall Food Plot Timing Tips”
• 2025-08-24 Don prefers planting fall food plots a week late rather than a week early, since overly mature plants lose palatability. 3:44 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-08-24 Terry recommends mixing 10-20 pounds per acre of leftover soybeans into fall food plots regardless of variety. 4:34 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-08-24 Terry says now is when cheap leftover soybeans work fine for fall plots since they will die at first frost anyway. 6:08 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-08-24 Don does not advocate planting a straight soybean plot in fall because it will be lost as soon as it frosts. 6:15 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-08-24 Don recommends adding brassicas like turnips and radishes to plots for their deep taproots that pull nutrients to the soil surface, even if deer hit them less hard. 45:28 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-09-07 Terry planted his fall Deadly Dozen food plot later than ever before, after early September rain softened the ground. 10:44 — Deer Velvet Shedding & Fall Buck Shifts: Don Higgins Responds to Rumors | Chasing Giants Ep. 289
• 2025-09-07 Don expressed doubt about overseeding his soybeans this fall due to residual pre-emergent herbicide applied in spring, though he is trying it anyway. 15:01 — Deer Velvet Shedding & Fall Buck Shifts: Don Higgins Responds to Rumors | Chasing Giants Ep. 289
• 2025-10-19 Terry introduced Josh Pretzer as a Kansas friend who is one of the country’s leading soil health experts and a big buck killer. 25:45 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
• 2025-10-19 Terry noted Singular Agronomics is Josh Pretzer’s company doing significant work in agriculture. 26:00 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
• 2025-11-30 Don said nutrient-rich soil produces nutrient-rich plants, which in turn produce nutrient-rich food for deer, whether grain or greens. 29:32 — Late Season Starts NOW — Cold Fronts, Bucks on Food, and Thanksgiving Reflections | Episode #301
• 2026-01-11 Terry says he now never sprays a post-emergent herbicide without adding Mike’s Mighty Micros after seeing the results it produces. 54:18 — Most Hunters Get This Wrong | The Hard Truth About Killing Mature Bucks | Chasing Giants #307
• 2026-01-25 Terry says this is the first year he has not run out of food, thanks to strong soybean, corn, alfalfa, and clover production tied to soil health work. 15:02 — Texas Hunt, Brutal Cold, Late Rut Behavior & Winter Habitat Decisions | Chasing Giants Podcast #309
• 2026-02-08 Don Higgins noted grain sorghum tolerates drier sites and years better than corn or soybeans and can be planted as late as July 1 in his area. 31:42 — Snow, Sheds & Sorghum: Late-Season Deer Survival | Chasing Giants #311
• 2026-02-08 Don Higgins experienced the same clover failure as the listener, having drilled clover with his PH G Series drill only to have it die when rain stopped for two months. 52:29 — Snow, Sheds & Sorghum: Late-Season Deer Survival | Chasing Giants #311
• 2026-02-15 Don recommended mowing thick, impenetrable pasture regrowth with an FAE mulcher instead of burning it, to reset growth without killing beneficial cool-season grasses. 9:38 — CWD, One-Buck Limits & The Truth About NDA | Chasing Giants 312
• 2026-03-01 Terry is looking forward to seed time on the tractor as his favorite time of year for planting. 48:12 — Doubting Thomas, Dealer Event & BIG Scrape Magnet News | Chasing Giants Podcast 314
• 2026-03-01 Don says planting season will resume in about another thirty days. 48:29 — Doubting Thomas, Dealer Event & BIG Scrape Magnet News | Chasing Giants Podcast 314
• 2026-03-08 Don recommends spraying Resicore, a pre-emergent herbicide, over bare dirt right after planting corn to prevent weeds. 53:53 — Permission Properties, Scrape Magnet Explained, and Our Health Journeys | Chasing Giants Ep. 315
• 2026-03-15 Terry says he sprayed only Resicore pre-emergent before planting his corn and plots, and the drone footage from the FAE presentation showed the best-manicured result he’s ever had. 40:02 — Cut More Trees! How Aggressive TSI Creates Better Deer Habitat
• 2026-03-29 In a YouTube video, Mike Mitchell demonstrated taking living timber soil from the forest floor and using it to back-fill fruit trees for beneficial microorganisms. 17:38 — INSANE Bedding Cover + 22 Bears on Camera?! | Chasing Giants #318
• 2026-04-12 Duane Hopkins says to watch ground conditions, not the calendar, when deciding when to plant. 5:43 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
• 2026-04-12 Don describes a clover food plot treated with biochar and humic as a lush, uniform, bright-green carpet with no bare dirt. 30:51 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
• 2026-05-10 Brian taught that when planting a fruit tree, the dug-out dirt should be replaced with living timberland soil rich in necromass and biology. 5:29 — Grow Bigger Food Plots, Gardens & Fruit Trees – Mike Mitchell Breaks It Down | Chasing Giants #324
• 2026-05-10 Mike backfilled two newly planted trees with timber soil and saw six to eight inches of growth, versus two to three inches on trees without it. 6:05 — Grow Bigger Food Plots, Gardens & Fruit Trees – Mike Mitchell Breaks It Down | Chasing Giants #324
• 2026-05-10 For fruit tree planting, only the top three to five inches of timberland soil should be collected, since that’s the tree’s root zone. 6:40 — Grow Bigger Food Plots, Gardens & Fruit Trees – Mike Mitchell Breaks It Down | Chasing Giants #324
• 2026-05-10 Terry’s frost-seeded clover, planted the previous fall, came back this year as the best stand of clover he’s ever had. 8:28 — Grow Bigger Food Plots, Gardens & Fruit Trees – Mike Mitchell Breaks It Down | Chasing Giants #324
• 2026-05-10 Vital Force was created because customers wanted soil-health support but didn’t want to ship or carry heavy bags of biochar. 27:17 — Grow Bigger Food Plots, Gardens & Fruit Trees – Mike Mitchell Breaks It Down | Chasing Giants #324
• 2026-05-10 Mike said a common mistake is using a sprayer contaminated with leftover glyphosate residue. 49:21 — Grow Bigger Food Plots, Gardens & Fruit Trees – Mike Mitchell Breaks It Down | Chasing Giants #324
• 2026-05-24 Don finished planting all of his food plots for the spring. 18:30 — Why Mature Bucks Go Nocturnal | Chasing Giants Podcast 326
• 2026-05-31 Don explains quinclorac is selective on grasses but only works well if sprayed while unwanted grasses like foxtail are still very young. 12:42 — Why BIG BUCK Areas Often FAIL Deer Hunters | Chasing Giants 327
• 2026-05-31 Terry recalls once having to remove mature Johnson grass by hand with a spade shovel because it was too late to kill with quinclorac, calling it no fun. 13:29 — Why BIG BUCK Areas Often FAIL Deer Hunters | Chasing Giants 327
• 2026-05-31 Don relays that customers report a herbicide called Criter works fantastically on Johnson grass, though he hasn’t personally tested it. 13:58 — Why BIG BUCK Areas Often FAIL Deer Hunters | Chasing Giants 327
• 2026-06-07 Don said drilling clover into corn ground the year after Resicore had no negative effect, since Resicore works well on broadleaf weeds but is less effective on grasses. 23:50 — The Biggest Mistake Food Plotters Make in June | Chasing Giants #328
• 2026-06-07 Don recounted battling severe waterhemp infestations on his farm before he learned how important pre-emergent chemicals were. 35:40 — The Biggest Mistake Food Plotters Make in June | Chasing Giants #328
• 2026-06-07 Terry traced the farming-for-nutrients philosophy behind Mike’s Mighty Micros back to a book written by Dr. Albrecht in the 1930s-40s about ‘the other side of the fence.’ 36:56 — The Biggest Mistake Food Plotters Make in June | Chasing Giants #328
• 2026-06-14 Don sprayed a deer repellent mixed with herbicide on his soybeans to try to reduce browse pressure. 2:26 — #329 | Why Don Higgins Gets More Excited About July Than Opening Day
• 2026-06-14 Don sprayed clethodim to kill grass in his plots once it dried out enough. 4:40 — #329 | Why Don Higgins Gets More Excited About July Than Opening Day

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 gives different weed heights for good herbicide control: six inches or less versus only one to two inches tall.
  • 2023-06-18 Don recommends spraying weeds when they’re six inches tall or less for a much better herbicide success rate. 35:01 — Episode #174 Holistic & Regenerative Ag Techniques for Food Plotters
  • 2024-05-26 Don recommends spraying weeds while they’re still only one to two inches tall for ideal control. 21:22 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?
• Guidance may have changed: Don describes his typical food plot rotation differently: a three-way corn/soybean/Deadly Dozen cycle versus two years of soybeans then one year of Deadly Dozen, no corn mentioned.
  • 2024-05-19 Don rotates his food plots on a three-way cycle with corn, soybeans, and Deadly Dozen. 18:59 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
  • 2024-05-26 Don typically rotates two years of soybeans followed by one year of Deadly Dozen, no-tilling directly into the sprayed Deadly Dozen residue. 2:54 — Episode #223 - Why are Young Bucks Being Hit on the Roads This Time of Year?

Questions on this topic (60 of 96)

• Brent asked how Don and Terry manage corn plots for hunting, including whether they knock corn down to direct deer movement past stands. 69:54 — Episode#203 - Post Season Scouting and Project Advice
• David Aman asked whether using a pre-emergent herbicide on soybeans would still let an overseeded green plot come up in the fall. 44:39 — Episode #166 - Spring Herbicides
• What does Don need to do this year before planting season, if anything, for soil health? 30:11 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320
• A listener asked what to do about weeds in an orchard overseeded with Real World Clover and Chicory, and whether clethodim is safe to use. 32:21 — Prayers, Peace & Planting Strategy | Spring Food Plot Advice | Chasing Giants 323
• A listener asked whether Real World would release its own hairy vetch seed variety after seeing it used as a soybean cover crop. 40:54 — Prayers, Peace & Planting Strategy | Spring Food Plot Advice | Chasing Giants 323
• Delmer Bontrager from Ligonier, Indiana asked if Don walked back his claim that switchgrass can’t be too thick, and how to handle foxtail in new switchgrass. 58:54 — Episode #76 - Where are the big bucks? August is here! Final Prep
• Tyler Walter asks Don and Terry’s opinions on no-till food plots, specifically broadcasting seed without a drill on sandy loam soil. 42:38 — Episode #119 - Memorial Day Tribute and Aging Bucks on Trail Cam Pics
• How and when should Miscanthus be planted, including site prep and follow-up care? 35:59 — Episode #20 - Food Plot Prep Continues - Native Grass and Miscanthus in the Ground
• Alex Dunker from Hull, Illinois asked Don to speak on properly sizing perennial clover plots. 49:00 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• If someone can’t plant corn, would sorghum be a good substitute every other year? 55:27 — Episode #256 - Hard Winter and Early Buck Shed? Illinois CWD Announcement
• Paul asks Don to explain the difference between Real World’s high-oil corn and Tony LaPratt’s similar Roundup Ready high-oil corn. 42:57 — Episode #149 Frigid Temps and Deer… Merry Christmas 2022!
• Josh Myers of Wellington, Ohio asked whether pre-emergent herbicide sprayed on a Miscanthus planting would spread into his adjacent clover plot. 34:33 — INSANE Bedding Cover + 22 Bears on Camera?! | Chasing Giants #318
• Terry follows up asking whether the pre-emergent will actually leach through the ground beyond the sprayed area. 35:31 — INSANE Bedding Cover + 22 Bears on Camera?! | Chasing Giants #318
• Jay Gets asks whether Don has had good success using a pelleted fertilizer product called ‘my’ for scent control. 49:16 — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic
• Do deer avoid food plots after spraying them with glyphosate, and are there long-term health effects for deer from glyphosate exposure? 18:02 — Episode #125 - Wheat Prices May Change Late Season Hunting
• If a three-year-old buck has claimed a bedding sanctuary you’d normally mow, should you still mow it? 60:34 — Episode #258 - Live Podcast from Mt. Hope Ohio
• John Helmick asked whether to fully replant his failed clover plot in spring or frost seed it instead, and when and how much seed to use. 52:10 — Snow, Sheds & Sorghum: Late-Season Deer Survival | Chasing Giants #311
• Kyle Rentmeister asks how he’s supposed to plan clover plots when two respected experts give opposite mowing advice. 64:02 — Episode #171 - Take What a Property Gives You!
• Carl Piro asks Don and Terry to clarify when to apply residual herbicides in spring food plots and how they affect seeding and clover. 20:23 — Chasing Giants Episode 121 - Residual Herbicide Discussion & Don is Buying a Farm
• Austin Williams asks whether the ‘same time, same place’ theory applies to bucks reappearing biannually as crops rotate on his farm. 34:53 — Chasing Giants Episode 121 - Residual Herbicide Discussion & Don is Buying a Farm
• Logan Schmidt asks Don’s thoughts on alfalfa as a food plot crop and whether he uses a green forage/legume in his rotations. 56:52 — Chasing Giants Episode 121 - Residual Herbicide Discussion & Don is Buying a Farm
• Duane Hopkins asks whether it’s better to plant Miscanthus early and let it sit dormant in the ground versus a refrigerator. 36:37 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
• Duane Hopkins asks whether Atrazine or Simazine-type herbicides can be applied to an existing Miscanthus or switchgrass stand. 38:22 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
• Terry asks whether planting corn is the last remaining spring food plot task or if more work is needed. 7:31 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
• Vincent Trophy Whitetail from Sioux City, Iowa asks how and when to terminate a grass-overrun clover plot and replant it to clover by March 1. 31:12 — Episode #273 - Clover Maintenance and Spring Planting
• Terry asks Don to compare this year’s Sure Shot herbicide to last year’s Resicore, since Don felt it was less effective. 6:11 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• Grady also asks how to prepare fall food plots for planting Deadly Dozen. 30:57 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• When should a fall food plotter start weed control if planning to no-till drill plots in mid to late August? 36:18 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
• What is the weed-control timeline for someone who just got new property access and wants to plant a fall plot around September 1? 37:41 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
• How do you make sure newly planted fruit trees get enough soil moisture until their roots grow down and become self-sufficient? 23:18 — Episode #172 - Don is really worried about EHD in 2023
• Kevin asks whether to plant clover now at the end of May, or wait until fall or next spring, for his two three-acre plots. 47:54 — Episode #172 - Don is really worried about EHD in 2023
• Lance Lake asks whether he needs to spray Simazine again this spring on his second-year switchgrass, or just use Quinclorac and 2,4-D. 19:12 — Episode #215 - Could 2024 be a fantastic antler growing season?
• Terry asks why it was important to mow the clover plot before the grasses went to seed. 19:13 — Episode #67 - WATCH OUT FOR FAWNS! Don and Terry both have a close call!
• Terry asked how Mike’s Mighty Micros should be used on corn and soybeans during post-emergent applications. 17:39 — Grow Bigger Food Plots, Gardens & Fruit Trees – Mike Mitchell Breaks It Down | Chasing Giants #324
• Have you changed your mind on crimper rollers and will you ever buy one? 35:51 — Episode 225 - Big Antlers this Spring Mean Big Decisions this Fall!
• Should someone till, broadcast beans, then plant Nutri-Crave corn over the same ground, or stick with corn alone? 35:50 — Episode #262 - The Controlled Burn on Switchgrass GONE BAD!
• Terry asks Don how long alfalfa can be left growing in the same plot before it needs to be rotated out. 11:59 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Lee De Smith asks what to plant in the spring to keep his Deadly Dozen plot from lying fallow until fall, and when to eventually rotate out of Deadly Dozen. 59:45 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Ryan Wisecock asks whether frost seeding clover across all 13 acres would waste time and money given he’ll no-till drill beans and Deadly Dozen later, and if COBRA would help. 68:38 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• Rich Highly asks whether it makes sense to spread Maximizer Deer Mineral onto food plots like a fertilizer so deer get nutritional benefit. 63:53 — Episode #50 - Spring Food Plots with Duane Hopkins - the good and bad for different spring plot options
• What do you recommend for switchgrass overgrown with foxtail: burning or herbicide? 37:23 — LIVE at 360 Blinds: No Script, No Filters — Just Real Questions | Chasing Giants 308
• What is the latest date to plant grain sorghum? 12:19 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit
• Can fertilizer-humic acid blends turn into hot clay if applied certain ways, and what should dealers know? 17:23 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit
• What glyphosate rate was used before planting Miscanthus into burned switchgrass, and is it better than mowing? 44:11 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit
• Zoe Jones asked when the last clover mowing of the season should be — thirty to forty-five days before frost, or a different schedule? 38:38 — Episode #185 - Bucks are starting to shift - Fall Plots, GET THEM IN
• Heath Jones asked how late is too late to plant fall food plots when there’s no rain forecast for two weeks. 50:18 — Episode #185 - Bucks are starting to shift - Fall Plots, GET THEM IN
• Steven Skipper asks whether using buckwheat to build soil is just industry hype or has real benefits. 61:21 — Episode #68 - Germination, Browse Pressure, When To Spray - DON PICKS IOWA UNIT…
• Victor asked whether Don would drill the Deadly Dozen blend together or broadcast the plot topper and drill the harvest salad separately. 45:47 — Episode #73 - How much bigger will bucks get? Don’s best and worst of the week!
• Doug asked for Don’s opinion on fertilizing clover plots with granular versus foliar fertilizer, whether it’s worth doing, and how often to apply each. 46:13 — Why Mature Bucks Go Nocturnal | Chasing Giants Podcast 326
• Jeremy Sluder asked how Don prepares a plot overtaken by pigweeds for fall planting, including mowing, spraying, and tillage timing. 27:20 — Episode 228 - Is Iowa Really the Best State?
• Dennis Isaacs asked whether a deer-beneficial cover crop could be broadcast in August, and whether to kill it with herbicide before spring green-up. 36:02 — Episode 228 - Is Iowa Really the Best State?
• A Missouri hunter with six years of continuous soybeans asks whether adding Deadly Dozen or deer salad as a cover crop helps prevent bean disease. 64:50 — Episode #56 RELOAD - Great discussion live from 2021 Master Class #1 - Terry answers some questions on cell cam test
• Terry asked what he should plant in a small cornfield this spring to avoid going corn-on-corn before returning it to feed corn. 14:18 — The Biggest Mistake Food Plotters Make in June | Chasing Giants #328
• The anonymous listener asked whether Don has planted legumes like brassicas, hairy vetch, or clovers the year after growing Resicore-treated corn. 22:52 — The Biggest Mistake Food Plotters Make in June | Chasing Giants #328
• Matt Mickelson asked if there’s a connection between glyphosate use and CWD, and whether it affects the local deer herd. 39:37 — Episode #151 - Winter Scouting Tips
• When is the best time to overseed a clover plot given fluctuating temperatures in South Dakota? 55:49 — Texas Hunt, Brutal Cold, Late Rut Behavior & Winter Habitat Decisions | Chasing Giants Podcast #309
• With a limited budget, which of pH balancer, humic acid, or biochar should be prioritized, and do Gen-two soybeans need inoculant? 63:29 — Texas Hunt, Brutal Cold, Late Rut Behavior & Winter Habitat Decisions | Chasing Giants Podcast #309
• At what grass-to-clover ratio should a plot be reseeded and mowed versus fully terminated and restarted? 42:13 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike
• Can clover be frost-seeded into snow that’s melting but the ground isn’t yet firm? 52:21 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike
• An audience member asks how many consecutive years Deadly Dozen can be planted, guessing three years max. 10:10 — Chasing Giants LIVE at the Midwest Sportsmen’s Classic | Shipshewana, IN | Presented by FAE

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