Screening & Bedding Cover

Category: habitat-food-plots
Topic keys: switchgrass, miscanthus, screening, bedding-cover, bedding, bedding-areas, cover

Current guidance

As of 2026-06-07, the most recent claim on this subject.

Don holds that switchgrass and Miscanthus sites must be fully prepped and weed-free before planting, since there’s no shortcut. Terry notes an open debate over how site-dependent switchgrass bedding really is: he cites the view that it works better in open ag country than in wooded areas, while also relaying that Dana Rogers’s published photos of deer bedding in switchgrass suggest the pattern isn’t purely geographic. For Miscanthus, Don recommends planting about four inches deep, Terry favors two people riding the planter, and Terry says hand-planting needs loose soil; Terry advises ordering early since sales are running ahead of projected harvest. Don cautions against focusing only on south-facing slopes, since deer also need north-facing bedding to stay cool.

How the guidance evolved (most recent 120 of 230)

• 2023-02-26 Don says buyers should freeze-thaw stratify switchgrass seed repeatedly from spring until planting time to prepare it for a late no-till drill. 27:12 — Episode #158 - Is Hunting Contests Hurting the Hunting Industry?
• 2023-02-26 Don says the critical factor for establishing switchgrass is having enough ground moisture right when it’s drilled so the seed germinates immediately rather than sitting dormant. 27:59 — 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 Terry explained that Miscanthus is hollow and burns like a chimney or butane torch, shooting flames high when lit in a strip. 47:19 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike
• 2023-03-19 Terry recommended cutting Miscanthus down with a chainsaw and laying it flat before burning near power lines or cover to avoid tall flames. 47:36 — Episode #161 - Live from Last Master Class - Inside QuietKat E-Bike
• 2023-04-02 Don says landowners must get deer, especially mature bucks, bedding on their own property first, even if it means giving up favorite stands. 11:32 — Episode #163 - The Hype of Chestnut Trees…
• 2023-04-02 Don says he burned his switchgrass field the first morning Austin Raisor was visiting last week, when the wind conditions were perfect. 24:15 — Episode #163 - The Hype of Chestnut Trees…
• 2023-04-02 Terry plans to install a new elevated blind on his property connected by a Miscanthus tunnel to improve his wind angle relative to the food plots. 25:33 — Episode #163 - The Hype of Chestnut Trees…
• 2023-04-02 Don advises against diversity pockets of trees or shrubs inside switchgrass fields because fires needed to maintain the switchgrass will destroy those pockets. 52:03 — Episode #163 - The Hype of Chestnut Trees…
• 2023-04-02 Don says he personally spent thousands of dollars on large trees planted inside switchgrass diversity pockets that he thought would survive fire, and they did not. 53:10 — Episode #163 - The Hype of Chestnut Trees…
• 2023-04-16 Don announces the Miscanthus shipping season ends May 1. 19:11 — Episode #165 - Farmers Planting Early Creates New Opportunities - EARLY SPRING
• 2023-04-16 Don urges listeners to order Miscanthus now since supply will run out shortly after the May 1 cutoff. 19:48 — Episode #165 - Farmers Planting Early Creates New Opportunities - EARLY SPRING
• 2023-04-16 Terry recommends contacting your local dealer to see if they carry Miscanthus, since not all dealers stock it. 20:03 — Episode #165 - Farmers Planting Early Creates New Opportunities - EARLY SPRING
• 2023-04-16 Don advises storing Miscanthus refrigerated at about 35 degrees, never below freezing, if it can’t be planted within a week, keeping it viable for months. 21:27 — Episode #165 - Farmers Planting Early Creates New Opportunities - EARLY SPRING
• 2023-04-23 Don announced this is the last week for Miscanthus sales and urged listeners to place their orders. 18:44 — Episode #166 - Spring Herbicides
• 2023-05-07 Don explained that Miscanthus rhizomes emerge from dormancy at staggered rates, with some sprouting within two weeks and others taking six to eight weeks. 16:48 — Episode #186 - Regenerative Ag Practices
• 2023-05-14 Terry recommends storing Miscanthus rhizomes in a cooler after ordering to keep them viable until planting, saying it makes a huge difference. 12:56 — Episode #169 - Don is Testing More Corn Seed. WHY?
• 2023-05-14 Don advises food plotters not to give up on new Miscanthus plantings after just weeks, but to give the rhizomes a couple of years to fully establish. 21:26 — Episode #169 - Don is Testing More Corn Seed. WHY?
• 2023-05-14 Don states that Real World holds exclusive rights to its specific Miscanthus variety, so no competitor sells the exact same variety. 30:38 — Episode #169 - Don is Testing More Corn Seed. WHY?
• 2023-05-14 Don explains Real World only ships Miscanthus orders on Mondays so bagged rhizomes don’t sit in a shipping terminal over the weekend. 14:13 — Episode #169 - Don is Testing More Corn Seed. WHY?
• 2023-05-28 Don explains Miscanthus dies back to the ground every year and regrows fresh from the base, rather than continuing to grow from its previous height. 20:39 — Episode #171 - Take What a Property Gives You!
• 2023-05-28 Don burns his switchgrass and Miscanthus plantings on a three-year rotation, and the patch burned that year always grows taller and thicker than in off years. 25:52 — Episode #171 - Take What a Property Gives You!
• 2023-06-11 Don recommended watering Miscanthus plantings during the drought if possible, though large plantings make this a labor-intensive, near constant task. 17:02 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
• 2023-06-11 Terry said he planted over 600 yards of Miscanthus this year, investing heavily despite the drought risk. 10:13 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
• 2023-06-11 Don said he’s only getting about 5% germination success on his substantial Miscanthus planting due to the drought. 10:51 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
• 2023-06-25 Don recounts that Kyle Heuerman witnessed a long line of raccoons emerging one after another from his switchgrass, supporting his theory raccoons destroyed his turkey nests. 11:47 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• 2023-06-25 Terry reports his newly planted Miscanthus rhizomes, previously a worry, are now sprouting sprigs and shoots everywhere after recent rain. 15:02 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• 2023-06-25 Don’s newly planted Miscanthus germination rate improved from about 10% to roughly 15-20% after recent rains. 15:54 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• 2023-06-25 Don advises not giving up on Miscanthus plantings even if germination looks poor after the first year. 16:54 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update
• 2023-08-27 Don said he got fantastic switchgrass germination and seeding results using the regular seed box instead of the small seed box. 23:50 — Episode 184 - the new G Series no till drill from PH Outdoors.
• 2023-11-19 Terry stressed that if a hunter can’t get close enough to bedding, on the property line or otherwise, the odds of a mature buck in daylight drop drastically. 55:34 — Episode #196 - Lock Down Breaking Loose as Weather Changes
• 2023-12-31 Terry announced Real World’s 2024 Miscanthus sales are now open after a soft launch before Christmas. 23:01 — Episode #201 - New Year, New Tools, New Websites
• 2024-01-14 Don warns Real World Switchgrass supply will be limited this year and is likely to sell out, urging listeners to order early. 23:37 — Episode#203 - Post Season Scouting and Project Advice
• 2024-02-18 Don says to kill big deer consistently, hunters must hunt properties where the bucks actually bed and spend their daylight hours. 17:17 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
• 2024-03-03 A Real World customer told Don he’d seen sources recommend 8-12 pounds of switchgrass per acre, questioning why Real World only recommends 4-5 pounds. 29:54 — Episode #210 - What to do with Bush Honeysuckle
• 2024-03-03 Don explains that more seed isn’t always better, since overseeding switchgrass, like turnips, can stunt growth rather than improve results. 30:09 — Episode #210 - What to do with Bush Honeysuckle
• 2024-03-03 Don announces there’s a good chance Real World will sell out of switchgrass this year and advises ordering early. 30:25 — Episode #210 - What to do with Bush Honeysuckle
• 2024-03-10 Terry advises watching for prolonged subzero temperatures with no snow cover as the worst-case scenario for young Miscanthus. 40:28 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
• 2024-04-21 Switchgrass is also expected to sell out this spring. 19:08 — Episode #217 - Now Don wants to go fishing!
• 2024-04-28 Don announces Real World has sold out of switchgrass, so it can no longer be ordered directly from the company. 8:01 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 2024-04-28 Don announces Miscanthus sales will end this coming week as rhizomes must be dug while still dormant. 8:18 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 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 recommends waiting to plant Miscanthus until a perfectly prepped, weed-free seed bed is ready rather than rushing into sod. 10:37 — Episode #218 -Spring Food Plots - Is it time to plant?
• 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?
• 2024-05-05 Terry arranged to return to the Kentucky property after winter to further work out the bedding design. 3:52 — Episode #219 - The Most Important Aspect of Hunting Whitetails
• 2024-05-19 Don states Real World Wildlife Products’ switchgrass is completely sold out this year. 12:57 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-19 A grower told Duane Hopkins the competing switchgrass variety is essentially a glorified cave-in-rock that establishes a better first-year stand than Real World, but Real World is superior by the second year and beyond. 14:42 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-05-19 Terry recommends evaluating perennial plots over multiple years in side-by-side comparisons rather than judging them after just one year. 16:35 — Episode #221 - Crop Rotations for Food Plotters and Deer Water Holes
• 2024-06-23 Don states Miscanthus is unmatched as a deer screening plant, superior to any tree or annual planting. 58:09 — Episode #227 - Science Behind Summer Solstice and Whitetail
• 2024-06-23 Don explains Miscanthus beats switchgrass with roughly twice the height, far better standability, and effective screening in a narrower width. 59:33 — Episode #227 - Science Behind Summer Solstice and Whitetail
• 2024-06-30 Switchgrass needs to reach the four-leaf stage before spraying any chemicals on it if no pre-emergent was used. 14:30 — Episode 228 - Is Iowa Really the Best State?
• 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!
• 2024-07-07 Despite poor early emergence, Don is confident his Miscanthus planting will form a solid wall within two years, based on past experience. 62:40 — Episode #229 - Final Thoughts on the Buck Named Babe and Cameras are Out!
• 2024-07-07 Jay Gingerich agreed completely with Don’s theory that some Miscanthus rhizomes grow roots underground before showing any visible top growth. 63:09 — Episode #229 - Final Thoughts on the Buck Named Babe and Cameras are Out!
• 2024-07-07 Terry recommends listeners be patient when Miscanthus rhizomes don’t emerge right away, since the plant establishes roots underground first. 63:52 — Episode #229 - Final Thoughts on the Buck Named Babe and Cameras are Out!
• 2024-09-08 Don said he will never place a cell camera in bedding cover where he expects a mature buck to bed, to avoid running the buck off. 5:39 — Episode 238 - 2024 Buck Forecast - MORE GIANTS SHOT THIS YEAR
• 2024-10-06 Don learned that mature bucks scent-check their bedding area before entering even in the dark, making pre-dawn stand access largely ineffective if downwind of any approach. 28:50 — Episode #242 - Stop Hunting October Mornings
• 2024-10-20 Don said the viral video was sent in by a customer, David Myers, showing his son during youth season. 11:56 — Episode #244 - October Lull? Don and Terry See Bucks Moving in Mid October
• 2024-10-20 Don said whenever they post about Miscanthus, people falsely call it invasive. 12:57 — Episode #244 - October Lull? Don and Terry See Bucks Moving in Mid October
• 2024-10-20 Terry said he plans to make a Chasing Giants TV video after the season addressing the false claim that Miscanthus is invasive. 13:29 — Episode #244 - October Lull? Don and Terry See Bucks Moving in Mid October
• 2024-12-15 Don recommends hiding obstacles like an overturned field harrow inside switchgrass or Miscanthus screening to stop poachers from driving through it. 64:02 — Episode #252 - Don says, “THERE IS NO SECOND RUT!”
• 2024-12-22 Real World announces that Miscanthus sales are officially open for the season. 22:13 — Episode #253 - Do Not Overcomplicate Habitat Projects!
• 2024-12-22 Miscanthus shipments run from around late February through May, with rhizomes shipped fresh every other cycle to avoid warehouse sitting. 22:55 — Episode #253 - Do Not Overcomplicate Habitat Projects!
• 2024-12-29 Don recommends that hunters with limited acreage reduce food plot size while increasing plot tonnage to free up room for adding bedding cover. 17:55 — Episode #254 - Don Improving Cell Cameral Locations, No-Till Food Plots, and Winter Habitat Projects
• 2025-02-09 Don explains clear cutting lets sunlight reach the ground, promoting weeds that create prime deer bedding cover. 40:16 — Episode #259 Apple Tree Spacing in Deer Plots
• 2025-02-23 Terry reveals that a competitor destroyed switchgrass seed of bad quality this year, and credits them for taking the high road on the issue. 18:36 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• 2025-02-23 Don explains switchgrass seed production takes about three years to reach a decent harvest, unlike annual crops such as corn. 20:06 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• 2025-02-23 Don notes germination lab tests on switchgrass seed take about thirty days, adding a month’s delay for each cleaning cycle. 20:50 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• 2025-02-23 Don states Real World’s philosophy is to withhold switchgrass seed from sale rather than ship it before they’re fully certain of germination and quality. 22:37 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• 2025-02-23 Don recommends waiting until soil temperature hits 60 degrees, then spraying glyphosate to kill weeds before no-till drilling switchgrass, rather than frost seeding. 24:54 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• 2025-02-23 Don recounts that after switching to the wait-and-drill method, he saw switchgrass rows emerging within two weeks — the best stand he’s ever gotten. 25:15 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• 2025-03-02 Don may burn some of his switchgrass this week depending on when he gets home from his consulting trip. 1:29 — Episode #262 - The Controlled Burn on Switchgrass GONE BAD!
• 2025-03-02 A man Don met at a Macon, Missouri event said he knows someone who cuts switchgrass with a haybine and bales it for cattle bedding instead of burning. 3:23 — Episode #262 - The Controlled Burn on Switchgrass GONE BAD!
• 2025-03-02 Don explains burning switchgrass does three things mowing cannot: it stimulates regrowth, removes weeds and weed seed, and kills young tree saplings. 5:11 — Episode #262 - The Controlled Burn on Switchgrass GONE BAD!
• 2025-03-02 Solomon Rock told Don that he burns switchgrass in the evening right before dark because the wind dies down and control is easier. 6:23 — Episode #262 - The Controlled Burn on Switchgrass GONE BAD!
• 2025-04-06 Don advises customers not to wait until the last minute to order Miscanthus because supply is running tight. 4:02 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
• 2025-04-06 Terry states switchgrass availability in the marketplace is lower right now than ever before due to the growing season and seed quality. 5:11 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
• 2025-04-06 Don explains Miscanthus can be dug as much as needed until it breaks dormancy, which closes the digging window. 6:05 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
• 2025-04-06 Local sources reportedly claimed bigger switchgrass fields do not make good bedding cover for deer. 6:49 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
• 2025-04-06 Don calls the claim that switchgrass makes poor deer bedding the biggest bunch of nonsense he’s ever heard. 6:57 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
• 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?
• 2025-04-06 A new Chasing Giants TV video comparing grown-up cattle pasture as deer bedding dropped this week. 15:21 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
• 2025-04-06 Terry plans to put a section of switchgrass into his farm this year, something he never expected to do. 60:26 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
• 2025-04-13 Don rejects as nonsense the online claim that deer avoid a monoculture of straight switchgrass. 26:54 — Episode #268 - Thermal Drone Tells the Truth on Don’s Farm
• 2025-04-13 Thermal drone imagery of a switchgrass patch on Don’s farm shows deer trails crisscrossing it like veins. 27:05 — Episode #268 - Thermal Drone Tells the Truth on Don’s Farm
• 2025-04-13 Don has personally observed deer bedding in his switchgrass, calling claims that deer don’t bed there absolute nonsense. 27:40 — Episode #268 - Thermal Drone Tells the Truth on Don’s Farm
• 2025-04-13 Don’s experience shows bigger switchgrass patches consistently see more deer activity than smaller ones. 44:03 — Episode #268 - Thermal Drone Tells the Truth on Don’s Farm
• 2025-05-04 Terry recommends using switchgrass to fill unhuntable back portions of ridge-and-holler farms with bedding diversity, keeping food up front where hunters can access deer. 56:31 — Episode #271 - Cool Wet Spring Concerns for Antler Growth and Nutrition
• 2025-05-04 Don announces new switchgrass techniques he’s developed will be discussed at length during the June consultants meeting. 57:10 — Episode #271 - Cool Wet Spring Concerns for Antler Growth and Nutrition
• 2025-05-25 Don shares that his Miscanthus planting took five to seven years to fully establish despite the typical three-year guideline. 7:10 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-05-25 Terry notes that established Miscanthus that’s slow to emerge is likely just waiting on soil temperature, not winter kill. 58:03 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
• 2025-06-29 Terry relays that a listener reported it was actually foxes, not raccoons or skunks, digging up Miscanthus rhizomes, based on trail camera footage. 12:02 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit
• 2025-06-29 Don explains the Miscanthus variety they sell is patent-protected, so while they and buyers are licensed to sell and plant it, no one is licensed to propagate it. 47:52 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit
• 2025-07-13 Terry planted an annual screen strip early and another late this year to test which one holds up better against wind before winter. 25:53 — Episode #281 - How Don Tracks Giant Bucks Years in Advance
• 2025-07-27 Don suggests mountain landowners boost buck-holding odds by clear-cutting a roughly 10-acre patch thicker than anything else in the buck’s range to concentrate bedding. 41:56 — Episode #283 “Best Corn Ever? Don & Terry Reveal 2025 Plot Results + Fall Food Plot Timing Tips”
• 2025-07-27 Don recommends leaving multiflora rose in cow pastures since deer browse it and it makes excellent bedding cover, despite many landowners fighting the plant. 58:55 — Episode #283 “Best Corn Ever? Don & Terry Reveal 2025 Plot Results + Fall Food Plot Timing Tips”
• 2025-08-24 Don says the bigger the patch of switchgrass, the more likely deer are to relate to it and bed there. 38:43 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-08-24 Terry recounts an Iowa land-consulting visit where deer weren’t using a switchgrass field because the switchgrass was only knee high. 41:06 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-08-24 Terry says there’s debate that switchgrass works better in open ag areas with little cover than in areas with lots of natural woods cover. 41:58 — #287 “Predators, Food Plots & Cracker Barrel Woke?
• 2025-10-12 Don noted the two biggest bucks he saw hunting that week both emerged from switchgrass bedding in the evening. 32:10 — #294 From Old School to High Tech: Don Higgins Reflects on 40 Years in the Deer Woods
• 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
• 2025-11-23 Terry says this season’s observations gave him new ideas for consulting clients about setups on hard edges of bedding cover. 16:15 — EPISODE 300! Don Changes His Mind on the Rut + Drone Debate Heats Up!
• 2025-11-23 Don explains a mature buck’s odds of being killed are only about 10% if bedded on a neighbor’s property instead of yours. 45:27 — EPISODE 300! Don Changes His Mind on the Rut + Drone Debate Heats Up!
• 2025-12-07 Don notes that on unusually warm winter days, despite their winter coats, deer choose north-facing slopes to stay cooler rather than the typically favored south-facing slopes. 7:15 — Late Season EXPLOSION! Why Giants Are Falling Everywhere | Chasing Giants #302
• 2025-12-07 Terry believes deer seek out topography, miscanthus rows, switchgrass, conifers, brush piles, and treetops for wind protection, comparing it to cattle huddling in a dry pond. 8:43 — Late Season EXPLOSION! Why Giants Are Falling Everywhere | Chasing Giants #302
• 2025-12-07 Terry recommends that consultants build wind breaks into bedding-cover layouts and funnel deer strategically from that cover into food sources where hunters can access them. 9:16 — Late Season EXPLOSION! Why Giants Are Falling Everywhere | Chasing Giants #302
• 2025-12-07 Don announces Jim Wessel with the Miscanthus Planter will attend the conference, and dealers who sell Miscanthus can offer a planting service using these planters. 15:47 — Late Season EXPLOSION! Why Giants Are Falling Everywhere | Chasing Giants #302
• 2026-01-18 On his own property, less than 10% of trees Don cuts for bedding-area enhancement are hinge cut; most are simply cut off and left to fall. 19:17 — LIVE at 360 Blinds: No Script, No Filters — Just Real Questions | Chasing Giants 308
• 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
• 2026-02-22 Don advises land managers not to fixate only on south-facing slopes, since deer also need north-facing bedding cover to stay cool. 36:06 — Chasing Giants LIVE at the Midwest Sportsmen’s Classic | Shipshewana, IN | Presented by FAE
• 2026-03-01 Don recommends planting Miscanthus about four inches deep, and tree seedlings as deep as possible. 27:13 — Doubting Thomas, Dealer Event & BIG Scrape Magnet News | Chasing Giants Podcast 314
• 2026-03-01 Terry says it’s better to have two guys riding on the back of the Miscanthus planter. 26:57 — Doubting Thomas, Dealer Event & BIG Scrape Magnet News | Chasing Giants Podcast 314
• 2026-03-01 Terry says hand-planting Miscanthus requires loose soil. 27:30 — Doubting Thomas, Dealer Event & BIG Scrape Magnet News | Chasing Giants Podcast 314
• 2026-03-15 Terry relays that Dana Rogers has published photos in outdoor publications showing deer using switchgrass extensively, suggesting the switchgrass-bedding pattern isn’t purely geographic. 51:09 — Cut More Trees! How Aggressive TSI Creates Better Deer Habitat
• 2026-03-29 Years after the tornado, the property has regrown into some of the best bedding cover Don has ever seen, full of weeds, briars, saplings and woody vegetation. 4:12 — INSANE Bedding Cover + 22 Bears on Camera?! | Chasing Giants #318
• 2026-04-05 Terry advised listeners wanting Miscanthus to get their order in now since sales are running ahead of the projected harvest. 42:30 — Why Some Hunting Properties Work Instantly… And Others Fail - Chasing Giants Podcast #319
• 2026-05-17 Bryhn Craft met Don Higgins after calling him for advice on switchgrass, which turned into a lesson that started their friendship. 4:55 — Why Most Hunters NEVER Kill Big Bucks (Bryhn Craft Tells the Truth) | Chasing Giants #325
• 2026-05-17 Bryhn Craft recalls walking through a switchgrass field and seeing more deer sign there than he had ever seen in his life. 11:09 — Why Most Hunters NEVER Kill Big Bucks (Bryhn Craft Tells the Truth) | Chasing Giants #325
• 2026-05-31 Don stresses that switchgrass and Miscanthus sites must be fully prepped and totally weed-free ahead of time because there is no shortcut. 10:53 — Why BIG BUCK Areas Often FAIL Deer Hunters | Chasing Giants 327
• 2026-06-07 Terry felt dragging tree tops into switchgrass is a good idea in theory but not worth the trade-off, and said he personally wouldn’t do it. 22:15 — The Biggest Mistake Food Plotters Make in June | Chasing Giants #328

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: Switchgrass seed prep before drilling: freeze-thaw stratifying seed for a late drill versus recommending against frost seeding in favor of waiting for 60-degree soil before drilling.
  • 2023-02-26 Don says buyers should freeze-thaw stratify switchgrass seed repeatedly from spring until planting time to prepare it for a late no-till drill. 27:12 — Episode #158 - Is Hunting Contests Hurting the Hunting Industry?
  • 2025-02-23 Don recommends waiting until soil temperature hits 60 degrees, then spraying glyphosate to kill weeds before no-till drilling switchgrass, rather than frost seeding. 24:54 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
• Guidance may have changed: Reported germination percentage on the same drought-affected Miscanthus planting two weeks apart: 5% versus a baseline of about 10% improving to 15-20%.
  • 2023-06-11 Don said he’s only getting about 5% germination success on his substantial Miscanthus planting due to the drought. 10:51 — Episode 173 - Can you find joy in killing GIANT Bucks?
  • 2023-06-25 Don’s newly planted Miscanthus germination rate improved from about 10% to roughly 15-20% after recent rains. 15:54 — Episode 175 - June Food Plot Update

Questions on this topic (60 of 175)

• John Soteros asks what he can do to get deer to use his five-to-seven-acre Real World Switchgrass patches for bedding more. 73:32 — Episode #146 - Late Season Decisions and Tactics
• John Marasky from Campbellsport, Wisconsin asks how to balance human intrusion from food plot maintenance work against disturbing deer on his small 30-acre property. 39:42 — Episode #132 - 2022 Buck Forecast Part 1
• Easton Gruber asks if Don screens only the edges of feeding areas or splits them with switchgrass lines between clover, Deadly Dozen, soybeans, and corn. 45:52 — Episode #132 - 2022 Buck Forecast Part 1
• Dean Wessels from Fairbury, Illinois asks how to establish good bedding cover in timber, including whether to use TSI, hinge cutting, or girdling. 45:12 — Episode #13 - 2020 ATA SHOW From Indy - Part 2 of 2
• Ryan asks for the difference between Real World Switchgrass and Real World Bedding in a Bag. 47:10 — Episode #41 - Don and Terry start a new December Series called “Make A Good Spot Great!”
• Ryan asks what to plant for bedding in bottom ground that floods in spring but is dry the rest of the year. 48:04 — Episode #41 - Don and Terry start a new December Series called “Make A Good Spot Great!”
• Ryan asks what seed rate to use for switchgrass bedding versus screens, and whether it differs from Bedding in a Bag. 48:49 — Episode #41 - Don and Terry start a new December Series called “Make A Good Spot Great!”
• Ryan asks why Real World’s website recommends at least five acres before planting a switchgrass bedding area. 53:13 — Episode #41 - Don and Terry start a new December Series called “Make A Good Spot Great!”
• Ryan asks whether he should frost-seed switchgrass into a recently clear-cut, wide-open timber area for bedding. 55:25 — Episode #41 - Don and Terry start a new December Series called “Make A Good Spot Great!”
• 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?
• After harvesting timber and opening the canopy, should the listener plant switchgrass, plant food plots, or leave the area to native undergrowth? 34:12 — Episode #14 - Don and Terry talk deer during the superbowl…
• Given limited visit dates, should the listener prioritize more food and less cover, or more cover and less food? 43:05 — Episode #14 - Don and Terry talk deer during the superbowl…
• Jacob asked whether to replant oaks in newly-thinned wooded cover once sunlight reaches the forest floor, or let natural regeneration fill in instead. 64:39 — Episode#203 - Post Season Scouting and Project Advice
• Ethan Jansen asked whether Don and Terry have found success hunting a pinch on the downwind side of bedding when the wind is out of the south. 22:53 — Episode #219 - The Most Important Aspect of Hunting Whitetails
• David Aman, a new Real World dealer from Highland, Illinois, asked how deer travel through a Miscanthus screen and whether to leave an opening as a doorway. 47:40 — Episode #219 - The Most Important Aspect of Hunting Whitetails
• Zach from Hidalgo, Illinois asks whether spreading straw on south-facing hillsides for extra bedding cover is worth doing or a waste of money. 23:46 — Episode #156 - Looking for a Buck Bed…
• Sean Richardson asks whether it makes more sense to focus on increasing native species and diverse bedding plots rather than solely worrying about nonnative species like miscanthus. 27:03 — Episode #156 - Looking for a Buck Bed…
• Micah Brubaker asks whether Don and Terry advocate diversity pockets for browse or recommend planting straight Bedding-in-a-Bag in an old ag field. 38:40 — Episode #156 - Looking for a Buck Bed…
• Kent Taber asks whether Don has ever planted grass inside wooded cover on his farm, since the best public-land bedding areas he finds have grass among brush and briars. 34:41 — Episode #156 - Looking for a Buck Bed…
• Terry asks Don why he recommends straight switchgrass over a blend when people ask what to plant on their own farm. 43:22 — Episode #156 - Looking for a Buck Bed…
• A listener asked whether a late frost that browned newly emerged switchgrass and Miscanthus after a warm spell was normal and would recover. 35:48 — Prayers, Peace & Planting Strategy | Spring Food Plot Advice | Chasing Giants 323
• Matt from Louisville, Tennessee asks why Don is planting cedar trees instead of giant Miscanthus for a screen. 40:35 — Episode #269 - Genetics, Nutrition, or Age (which is more important)
• 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
• What do people need to understand about patience as Miscanthus rhizomes come out of dormancy? 16:48 — Episode #169 - Don is Testing More Corn Seed. WHY?
• For wetland areas, is red osier dogwood or switchgrass better for whitetails, and why? 35:47 — Episode #169 - Don is Testing More Corn Seed. WHY?
• For a single five-acre switchgrass field, would Don still add a fire break to burn half of it each year? 50:45 — Episode #169 - Don is Testing More Corn Seed. WHY?
• Chris Smith asks how to create screening to his bow stands without accidentally creating new bedding areas he’ll bump on entry. 42:33 — Episode #148 - Are Bucks Shedding Antlers Early This Year?
• Terry asks whether deer like to bed in dense bush honeysuckle. 57:05 — Episode #10 - December Tips - Scouting for 2020 - Big Announcement from Real World
• Should switchgrass be planted instead of Miscanthus to screen a food plot from open ag ground? 33:48 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
• Jesse Fromm asks why plant Miscanthus outside tall switchgrass screens instead of relying on seven-to-eight-foot switchgrass alone as the deer screen. 53:57 — 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?
• Would it be good or bad to mix Egyptian wheat with newly planted switchgrass? 50:49 — Episode #256 - Hard Winter and Early Buck Shed? Illinois CWD Announcement
• Lamar asks how wide a buffer is needed between a food plot and a tilled field, and whether sprayed Miscanthus would die. 23:17 — Episode #61 - Live from the Midwest Sportsman Show - TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM LIVE CROWD
• A listener from Michigan asks how much stress occurs between bucks and does over shared bedding areas. 25:20 — Episode #61 - Live from the Midwest Sportsman Show - TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM LIVE CROWD
• A listener asks whether Don prefers Miscanthus grass or switchgrass. 48:00 — Episode #61 - Live from the Midwest Sportsman Show - TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM LIVE CROWD
• John Jay asks whether Don would choose switchgrass or trees to create cover. 50:24 — Episode #61 - Live from the Midwest Sportsman Show - TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM LIVE CROWD
• 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
• Cody asks what he can do around his cattail swamp to encourage deer bedding there. 41:08 — Episode 230 - Don says Switchgrass is not the best bedding.
• Raymond asks whether to leave his overgrown ag field as a weedy mess or spray it and plant switchgrass instead. 49:49 — Episode 230 - Don says Switchgrass is not the best bedding.
• Terry asks whether deer bedding in thick switchgrass are insulated from frozen ground the same way straw rolled out for cattle insulates them. 9:15 — Episode #149 Frigid Temps and Deer… Merry Christmas 2022!
• Terry Roberts from Brooklyn, Arkansas asks how to find travel corridors, bedding, and funnels on unfamiliar rocky hill-country property with only cattle pasture and hay fields. 38:28 — Episode #149 Frigid Temps and Deer… Merry Christmas 2022!
• What should I plant along my road frontage to screen deer, since poachers shoot deer there and my screening keeps getting sprayed or driven over? 63:08 — Episode #252 - Don says, “THERE IS NO SECOND RUT!”
• A listener whose fall-planted switchgrass failed asks why switchgrass germinates in fall without freeze-thaw stratification. 28:27 — Episode #130 - Don buys a scent elimination device
• A Northern Wisconsin listener asks what to do to help newly planted Miscanthus survive its first winter. 68:13 — Episode #130 - Don buys a scent elimination device
• 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
• Bob asks what to plant before signing a CRP contract requiring periodic mowing, so bedding cover isn’t completely wiped out for deer. 40:00 — Episode #27 Season is closing in. Final prep work is being done along with addressing some hurt feelings.
• Josh Hers asks whether his 100-acre grass conversion would be too wet for switchgrass. 11:22 — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic
• Malen Born Sugar asks how well Miscanthus performs when planted in wetland. 56:24 — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic
• Jared Yoder asks whether Don intentionally plants switchgrass thinner in spots to encourage bedding. 57:08 — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic
• John Gingerich asks what specific steps Don would take to add value to a small 25-40 acre hunting tract. 44:53 — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic
• 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
• David Adams asks how to hunt a buck he’s watched on camera for three years, active around 5 AM and likely bedding in an unhunted 80-acre cutover. 40:49 — EPISODE #107 - Don Knows How To Fire Up Southern Folks!
• Holden Gates of Paris, Illinois asked what single improvement besides food plots best benefits deer during the off season. 42:27 — Episode #11 - Merry Christmas and Late Season Insights
• What does Don think of the theory that does and bucks use separate, layered bedding areas? 80:44 — Episode #160 - Live with Dr. Bronson Strickland at Whitetail Master Class
• A listener asks how to locate bedding areas on his pressured Indiana property without spooking deer through intrusion. 55:29 — Episode #246 - Don Says - Best November Hunting in 50 Years
• A listener with a growing 75-acre farm asks what percentage of a property should be sanctuary and whether to add fruit trees. 61:52 — Episode #246 - Don Says - Best November Hunting in 50 Years
• An audience member asks what Don recommends for overseeding a Miscanthus stand that came in spotty the first year. 27:52 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
• An audience member asks why Don recommends not fertilizing Miscanthus the first year. 28:55 — Episode #211 - Live from RWWP Dealer Event - BINGO
• 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

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