Wind & Scent Control

Category: hunting-strategy
Topic keys: wind, wind-direction, scent-control, wind-strategy

Current guidance

As of 2026-04-12, the most recent claim on this subject.

Don and Terry treat wind, not scent-elimination gear, as the deciding factor: Don’s rule is never to hunt or enter a stand with the wrong wind, and Terry warns against using a box blind as an excuse to ignore wind direction. Don says he uses no scent-control products, keeping his hunting clothes unwashed in his garage, having found that a mentor’s wind-based approach tripled the bucks he saw the following season. He explains thermals can carry scent straight up or down depending on the day, which he says is why some hunters wrongly credit scent control for their success. Terry believes most hunters understand wind and scent control but don’t truly grasp how a mature buck uses wind to his advantage; Don argues consistently killing mature bucks in October and the late season is the real proof of that understanding.

How the guidance evolved

2019-10-06 Don argues a solo hunter leaves less scent and noise than one bringing a partner, who also then needs stands for extra wind directions. 24:11 — Episode #2 - Update on Opening Week and Targeting Don’s First Booner of 2019
2019-10-06 Don plans to hang a stand near a winter wheat field this week, before the wheat even sprouts, to keep the spot fresh for later hunting. 52:52 — Episode #2 - Update on Opening Week and Targeting Don’s First Booner of 2019
2019-11-18 Terry recalls that he and Don spotted the right wind to hunt a saved spot, so he drove up from Kentucky despite being sick all week and not originally planning to come. 1:54 — Episode #7 - Hunting during lock down - Things do not always go easy in the “Real World”
2019-11-18 Terry notes having two access points with different wind directions on a property is vital, or else you can only hunt it a quarter of the time. 59:56 — Episode #7 - Hunting during lock down - Things do not always go easy in the “Real World”
2019-11-24 Terry’s plan for the next morning is to hunt the northeast side of a bedding area on a southwest wind, where he typically sees eight to nine does. 19:13 — Episode #8 - Lock-down is about over. Great hunting the week of Thanksgiving
2019-11-24 Terry notes that depending on topography and prevailing wind, even a thick, nasty piece of woods may not be a good bedding spot if the winter wind blows into it. 38:26 — Episode #8 - Lock-down is about over. Great hunting the week of Thanksgiving
2019-11-24 Terry explains that understanding how a buck behaves under a specific wind direction—learnable only by walking the property—is the real secret behind stand placement taught in the master class. 49:24 — Episode #8 - Lock-down is about over. Great hunting the week of Thanksgiving
2020-01-15 Terry said, though not sponsored, he believes in Conquest Scents’ Evercom product, a deer-scented stick he uses for extra confidence in the stand. 25:14 — Episode #12 2020 ATA SHOW from Indy - Part 1 of 2
2020-01-15 Don said too many deer hunters lean on products to compensate for weak hunting skills, and as he’s matured he has relied less and less on products himself. 26:29 — Episode #12 2020 ATA SHOW from Indy - Part 1 of 2
2020-02-15 Terry recommends the QuietKat electric bike as a tool that lets hunters access their property quietly, enabling game-changing moves like checking cameras without pressuring deer. 34:41 — Episode #15 - Passion vs. Discipline
2020-03-14 Terry described a Kentucky project logging trail camera photos of a nocturnal buck against food plot approach and wind direction data. 33:34 — Episode #17 - Live from Don Higgins first Master Class of 2020
2020-09-08 Terry notes that on properties with higher deer numbers, it only takes one doe catching wind of a hunter to blow and ruin the whole night’s hunt. 4:37 — Episode #29 - Don previews some HIT LIST and UP-AND-COMER bucks while Terry is chasing a good buck in KY
2020-09-08 Don recalls getting lightheaded after running a scent-crusher ozone bag with camo clothing in his basement one Christmas, without it zipped up all the way. 68:52 — Episode #29 - Don previews some HIT LIST and UP-AND-COMER bucks while Terry is chasing a good buck in KY
2020-09-21 Terry once said that if your treestand is in the right spot, you don’t need gimmicks like scents and calls, as Don recalls. 22:48 — Episode #30 - Don prepares for season - Terry has a mishap and misses a target buck PLUS A BIG ANOUNCEMENT
2020-09-21 Don says the best hunters he knows use very little scent, calls, or gimmicky products. 23:31 — Episode #30 - Don prepares for season - Terry has a mishap and misses a target buck PLUS A BIG ANOUNCEMENT
2020-10-23 Terry says he has only one huntable property in Kentucky and refuses to hunt it when the wind is wrong, trusting that discipline leads to more success despite less time afield. 45:01 — Episode #34 - Late October Check in - Buck Activity Slower Than Expected - Why?
2020-11-09 Don compared a buck’s use of wind to X-ray vision, letting him effectively see into cover by scent alone. 10:47 — Episode #36 Peak Rut Update, Warm Weather, maybe a little election and religion
2020-11-09 On properties he manages, Don’s core rule was never to hunt or even enter a stand with the wrong wind, regardless of which bucks were being targeted. 11:34 — Episode #36 Peak Rut Update, Warm Weather, maybe a little election and religion
2020-11-09 Don warned that hunting a stand just once with the wrong wind can burn it for good, especially with a mature buck. 11:51 — Episode #36 Peak Rut Update, Warm Weather, maybe a little election and religion
2020-11-09 Don noted that once a mature buck pinpoints where a stand is, he will be alert for the hunter every time he passes through afterward. 11:57 — Episode #36 Peak Rut Update, Warm Weather, maybe a little election and religion
2020-11-16 Terry recommends watching Don’s 32,000-view wind-strategy YouTube video, which combined with a hunter’s own aerial photo gives the same information as an aerial consultation. 26:55 — Episode #37 - Understanding the Rut, Aerial Photos of Property, Bad Shot Angles and Broadheads Types
2021-05-24 Don advises hunters to accept what their property gives them rather than trying to have a stand for every wind direction. 61:16 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
2021-05-24 Don says his neighbors let him cross their harvested ag fields from multiple directions, making it easy to play the wind on his farm. 61:36 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
2021-05-24 Terry describes his friend Danny York as the biggest stickler for scent he’s ever seen. 62:49 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
2021-05-24 Terry says Danny York also hunts the right way, treating scent precautions as just another layer for increasing his chances. 62:59 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
2021-05-24 Terry recalls asking a live crowd in Ohio or Shipshewana who uses scent-elimination products and still gets winded. 64:30 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
2021-05-24 Don says he thinks scent-elimination products probably all work to some degree. 63:43 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
2021-05-24 Terry warns hunters against relying on scent-elimination gimmicks instead of building a sound foundation for when, how, and where to hunt. 64:35 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
2021-09-20 Terry believes shifting south winds let bedded bucks wind his hunting party despite scent-elimination products, reinforcing his skepticism that scent technology can beat the wind. 5:33 — Episode #83 Don’s Buck Inventory shows 32 bucks over 150”
2021-09-20 Don states most deer hunters underestimate how critical wind is to mature bucks, who rely on it as much as people rely on their eyes. 5:55 — Episode #83 Don’s Buck Inventory shows 32 bucks over 150”
2021-09-20 Terry says an east wind this past weekend left him without any usable stand location, so he stayed grounded and didn’t hunt. 9:03 — Episode #83 Don’s Buck Inventory shows 32 bucks over 150”
2021-09-20 Don advises hunting smarter, not harder: wait for conditions to be right rather than going in wrong and ruining the rest of the season’s hunting. 9:29 — Episode #83 Don’s Buck Inventory shows 32 bucks over 150”
2021-09-20 Terry has secured permission to hunt a mature Kentucky target buck on a food-plot-free farm, but is waiting for a northwest wind before pursuing it. 9:52 — Episode #83 Don’s Buck Inventory shows 32 bucks over 150”
2021-11-07 Don says human scent behaves like smoke: some days it rises straight up so downwind deer never smell you. 48:20 — Episode #90 - November 7th - WHERE IS THE RUT
2022-01-17 Don’s one rule for friends hunting his permission properties is to always play the wind. 67:25 — Episode #100 - Chasing Giants Episode 100 - Predator Control, Doe Factory, Moving Scrapes
2022-06-27 Terry says a hunter’s experience changes drastically once they accept that wind is the most pivotal factor in deer hunting. 54:08 — Episode #123 - How much does Don spend on batteries for trail cameras?
2022-06-27 Terry recalls Don’s master class teaching that bucks won’t move without a favorable wind, likening it to never going to bed without locking your front door. 55:02 — Episode #123 - How much does Don spend on batteries for trail cameras?
2022-06-27 Don says wind direction and access are the key factors in designing a property, noting some of his stands are only huntable with an east wind. 56:01 — Episode #123 - How much does Don spend on batteries for trail cameras?
2022-08-15 Don bought a full-retail-price Ozonics scent-control unit to test this season, stressing it is not a paid endorsement since he has never used one before. 2:20 — Episode #130 - Don buys a scent elimination device
2022-08-15 Don argues that scent control is only one part of a successful strategy and playing the wind correctly matters more. 6:15 — Episode #130 - Don buys a scent elimination device
2022-11-06 Terry forecasts wind gusts up to 35 mph with rain arriving that night and continuing into the next day. 2:22 — Chasing Giants Episode #142 - Heat Wave Rut - What will Don do?
2022-11-06 Don plans to hunt Monday and Tuesday all day in a stand, taking advantage of the favorable east wind on both days. 26:28 — Chasing Giants Episode #142 - Heat Wave Rut - What will Don do?
2022-11-20 A consulting client of Don’s reported that a mature buck stopped and locked up on its third pass only after Ozonics was turned on. 21:38 — Episode #144 - Where Did All The Bucks Go?
2022-11-20 Terry cautioned that scent-elimination technology like Ozonics is not an excuse to hunt the wrong wind. 23:12 — Episode #144 - Where Did All The Bucks Go?
2022-11-27 Don advises that even in a scent-controlled enclosed blind, hunters must still play the wind because deer behavior depends on it. 57:32 — Chasing Giants Podcast #145 - Bully Bucks and Big Rubs!
2022-12-04 Ray and Aden Miller, consulting clients turned friends, asked Terry follow-up questions this week about scent-control underwear. 12:33 — Episode #146 - Late Season Decisions and Tactics
2023-09-17 Terry said his family farm can only be hunted with one specific wind direction, limiting his opportunities there. 44:25 — Episode #187 - Do Trail Camera’s Spook Mature Bucks?
2024-01-14 Don explains rope scrape material holds scent deep in its fibers and takes months of weathering to fully remove the chemical smell. 30:25 — Episode#203 - Post Season Scouting and Project Advice
2024-01-28 Don recommends leaving a chewed, frayed rope scrape end alone rather than repairing it, since re-entering the area risks depositing unnecessary human scent. 54:43 — Ep# 205 - Don shares trail camera pictures from 2023
2024-03-03 Don recounts recording an appearance on Joe Miles’ Mission Whitetail podcast about scent control while driving between consulting visits, one of six hunters interviewed. 13:36 — Episode #210 - What to do with Bush Honeysuckle
2024-07-14 Don says on consulting visits he asks clients how they access a poor stand and what wind direction they use, letting them realize its flaws. 48:30 — Episode 230 - Don says Switchgrass is not the best bedding.
2024-09-01 Terry credits Al Foster’s pie-slice/dartboard analogy for explaining how wind and access angles must favor the hunter by just one slice over the buck’s ideal wind. 29:11 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-01 Don says he first heard Roger Rothhaar discuss the wind-angle concept, which Al then perfected and shared with him, saving him years of learning. 30:04 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-01 Don describes a client in Ohio who built an elaborate buried 36-inch culvert tunnel system leading into his blind, complete with photos Don took of it. 51:07 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
2024-09-08 Don said even with a year of experience on a farm he can know exactly where to be to kill a particular buck at a particular time with a particular wind. 8:37 — Episode 238 - 2024 Buck Forecast - MORE GIANTS SHOT THIS YEAR
2024-09-08 Terry proposed getting Al Foster to give a twenty-minute seminar on his wind-direction ‘slicing the pie’ diagram at the Shipshewana Show’s Midwest Sportsman’s Classic. 10:10 — 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 Terry said the wind was out of the south all weekend but shifted to a light southeast quarter that evening, making for a great hunt. 1:38 — Episode #244 - October Lull? Don and Terry See Bucks Moving in Mid October
2024-11-17 Wes describes hunting his target buck only twice in the first twenty days because he was struggling to get the wind he needed. 11:46 — Episode #248 - Big Buck Down! Wes Delks Joins Us to Discuss UHAUL
2025-02-23 Don describes hunting near his cattle pasture with his scent blowing back onto the pasture, keeping cattle and deer areas functionally separate. 43:40 — Episode #261 - Does GMO Traits Reduce Deer Attraction?
2025-03-30 Don recommends planting a Miscanthus screen so hunters can access and exit a stand undetected, allowing more hunts without burning it out. 4:23 — Episode #266 Making a Good Stand a Great Stand
2025-03-30 Terry’s spot near the land bridge can only be hunted with a southeast wind, one of the least common winds, but is deadly when it blows. 10:08 — Episode #266 Making a Good Stand a Great Stand
2025-04-06 Don explains eating an apple can help mask hunter breath odor, a major source of scent that spooks deer. 34:49 — Episode #267 - Spring Whitetail Habitat Projects - Is it Go Time?
2025-05-25 Don advises that human intrusion, stand access, and wind direction become far more critical the smaller the property being hunted. 55:24 — #274 - Soil Health: The Foundation of Successful Food Plotting
2025-07-06 Joe said the key to killing a specific buck on the Tracks property was finding the tightest spot on the creek crossing that allowed both a north and south wind option. 51:04 — Episode 280 - Trail Cams, Big Cats, and Camo Drops | Special Guest Joe Miles
2025-10-19 An unnamed hunting personality called the scent control industry the biggest scam out there, and Don agreed with him. 41:39 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
2025-10-19 Don explained thermals can carry scent straight up or straight down on different days, which is why some hunters wrongly believe scent control works. 43:12 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
2025-11-02 Terry believes most hunters understand wind and scent control but still don’t truly grasp how a mature buck uses the wind to his advantage. 35:21 — Barometer Secrets & Rut Forecast for Early November! | Chasing Giants 297
2025-11-02 Don argues that consistently killing mature bucks in October and the late season proves a hunter truly understands how a buck uses the wind. 36:33 — Barometer Secrets & Rut Forecast for Early November! | Chasing Giants 297
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
2026-02-22 Don says he now uses absolutely no scent-control products, keeping his hunting clothes unwashed in a pile in his garage. 18:34 — Chasing Giants LIVE at the Midwest Sportsmen’s Classic | Shipshewana, IN | Presented by FAE
2026-03-01 Terry says using a box blind as an excuse to hunt the wrong wind is already going too far. 29:07 — Doubting Thomas, Dealer Event & BIG Scrape Magnet News | Chasing Giants Podcast 314
2026-04-12 Don’s approach to a poorly placed stand is to ask the client how they access it and what wind they use, letting them realize the problem themselves. 28:55 — Don Higgins Breaks Down His Favorite Properties of 2026 - Chasing Giants #320

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: Terry’s use of a scent product for confidence differs from his later statement that gimmicks aren’t needed with a properly placed stand.
- 2020-01-15 Terry said, though not sponsored, he believes in Conquest Scents’ Evercom product, a deer-scented stick he uses for extra confidence in the stand. 25:14 — Episode #12 2020 ATA SHOW from Indy - Part 1 of 2
- 2020-09-21 Terry once said that if your treestand is in the right spot, you don’t need gimmicks like scents and calls, as Don recalls. 22:48 — Episode #30 - Don prepares for season - Terry has a mishap and misses a target buck PLUS A BIG ANOUNCEMENT
Guidance may have changed: Terry relies on a scent stick for confidence while Don says the best hunters use very little scent or calls.
- 2020-01-15 Terry said, though not sponsored, he believes in Conquest Scents’ Evercom product, a deer-scented stick he uses for extra confidence in the stand. 25:14 — Episode #12 2020 ATA SHOW from Indy - Part 1 of 2
- 2020-09-21 Don says the best hunters he knows use very little scent, calls, or gimmicky products. 23:31 — Episode #30 - Don prepares for season - Terry has a mishap and misses a target buck PLUS A BIG ANOUNCEMENT
Guidance may have changed: Don earlier said scent-elimination products probably all work somewhat, later agreeing that the scent-control industry is essentially a scam.
- 2021-05-24 Don says he thinks scent-elimination products probably all work to some degree. 63:43 — Episode #66 - Don has Mel officially scored. Discussion about planting food plot seed. Is planting seed heavy good or bad?
- 2025-10-19 An unnamed hunting personality called the scent control industry the biggest scam out there, and Don agreed with him. 41:39 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
Guidance may have changed: Don buys an Ozonics unit to test that season, but later says he uses no scent-control products at all.
- 2022-08-15 Don bought a full-retail-price Ozonics scent-control unit to test this season, stressing it is not a paid endorsement since he has never used one before. 2:20 — Episode #130 - Don buys a scent elimination device
- 2026-02-22 Don says he now uses absolutely no scent-control products, keeping his hunting clothes unwashed in a pile in his garage. 18:34 — Chasing Giants LIVE at the Midwest Sportsmen’s Classic | Shipshewana, IN | Presented by FAE

Questions on this topic (60 of 71)

Joanne Thompson asked if it matters whether she walks away to relieve herself while hunting, and how to control her scent en route to her stand. 50:10 — EPISODE #111 COURAGE or ARROGANCE?
A Kansas hunter asks why air currents near a soybean field keep coming from the opposite direction of what weather apps predict. 43:42 — Episode #139 - Plans Can Change… Goals Stay The Same!
Terry asks whether you have to be willing to back out of a stand if the wind turns out wrong once you get there. 45:53 — Episode #139 - Plans Can Change… Goals Stay The Same!
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
Thomas Chandler of Greenwich, Ohio asked how often Don gets winded by deer given his careful stand placement, and what percent chance a deer coming downwind represents. 52:53 — Episode #219 - The Most Important Aspect of Hunting Whitetails
Eli Doyle asks whether wind direction matters as much as thermals, after hearing another podcast claim thermals matter more than wind. 48:56 — “200-Inch Nebraska Giant: Joe Chambers’ Incredible Buck Story | Chasing Giants Ep. 296”
Jacob Sigler from Charleston, Illinois asked whether Don has any experience with dietary changes, like avoiding spicy food or meat, for scent control. 62:12 — Episode #76 - Where are the big bucks? August is here! Final Prep
Does Don have advice for hunting swampland not connected to hardwoods, or success stories hunting swamp? 35:14 — Episode #42 - Christmas Gift Ideas, Hanging Tree Stands in February, and Last Giveaway for 2020
Caleb asked whether Don and Terry hunt quartering winds favorable to bucks even though scent control isn’t a top priority for them. 31:41 — Barometer Secrets & Rut Forecast for Early November! | Chasing Giants 297
David Lewallen asked what Don and Terry do to keep their scent down while hunting. 62:33 — Episode #29 - Don previews some HIT LIST and UP-AND-COMER bucks while Terry is chasing a good buck in KY
How does a mature buck play the wind differently than a young buck or doe? 26:31 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
What wind direction did Don have when he shot Babe? 53:02 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
What made Babe go a different direction the other time he was seen? 53:29 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
Would hilly terrain with swirling winds make Don more inclined to use scent-control products? 38:18 — Ep #208 - Live from the FAE Midwest Sportsman Classic!
What superstitions or rituals does Don have when he goes hunting? 16:10 — Episode #256 - Hard Winter and Early Buck Shed? Illinois CWD Announcement
Ray asks if Don would still hunt a proven stand on a cold morning when the neighboring field is still standing corn. 37:17 — Episode #61 - Live from the Midwest Sportsman Show - TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM LIVE CROWD
Frank asks why Dr. Bronson Strickland’s research showing bucks often ignore wind differs so much from Don’s own wind-based observations. 26:32 — Episode 230 - Don says Switchgrass is not the best bedding.
After hunting with Don for several days, what’s one takeaway you can bring back to your own property in Southern Illinois? 16:20 — Episode #87 - BUCK DOWN! Lester’s Feet Raffle Winner Got it Done!
Evan asks how a typical whitetail hunter can adapt a rut-funnel approach across different terrain, and whether one or two factors like wind, access, or bedding matter most. 34:40 — Episode #283 “Best Corn Ever? Don & Terry Reveal 2025 Plot Results + Fall Food Plot Timing Tips”
Rick Lundberg asks whether Don is totally opposed to any scent control given wind sometimes betrays hunters. 19:12 — Episode #263 - Live from the Iowa Deer Classic
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
What is Don’s opinion on drag rags, are they truly effective, and how can hunters hide their scent trail while using one? 33:28 — Episode #125 - Wheat Prices May Change Late Season Hunting
Does Don use any scent control, or does he simply hunt the wind? 59:11 — Episode #258 - Live Podcast from Mt. Hope Ohio
Sean from Maryland asks how the hosts balance eagerly wanting to hunt against holding off when the wind or conditions aren’t right for a target buck. 28:58 — EPISODE #107 - Don Knows How To Fire Up Southern Folks!
A listener asks whether trimming limbs for shooting lanes or observation after season starts impacts mature buck movement. 47:46 — Episode #193 - Babe is Down!
Jeremy Marvel from Settlersville, Maryland asks why the wind at his stand consistently blows opposite the forecast direction. 57:44 — Episode #246 - Don Says - Best November Hunting in 50 Years
Andy from Rachel, West Virginia asks how often bucks j-hook out of their bedding to get downwind of the food source or their direction of travel. 51:51 — Episode #123 - How much does Don spend on batteries for trail cameras?
Terry asked Don to discuss the importance of wind and how to play it for the rest of the season. 8:39 — Episode #36 Peak Rut Update, Warm Weather, maybe a little election and religion
Terry asked until what point in the season Don stays on the downwind side of cover before shifting closer to food sources. 12:47 — Episode #36 Peak Rut Update, Warm Weather, maybe a little election and religion
What wind conditions do you look for before a prescribed burn, and why start burning opposite the wind direction? 40:14 — Episode #112 - Chasing Giants in the Big North Woods
Keith Evans asked whether Don and Terry always exit a stand the same way they entered, or use an alternative exit route. 40:29 — Episode #138 - Hunting the Full Moon
When walking out to a tree stand in the dark, does Don use a light or go without one? 80:03 — Episode #95 - Live from Guthrie, KY
Dan Branham from Milltown, Indiana asked if Don and Terry use scent lock, noting he still got winded despite full scent-control gear and went back to playing the wind. 64:37 — Episode #202 - Strange Sponsorship Requests with Joe Miles
Garrett Geiger asked whether Don and Terry worry about keeping their truck or hunting trailer scent-free during the season. 35:37 — The Magic of Late October | Cold Fronts, Big Bucks & Character in the Woods | Chasing Giants #295
Damon Marling asked how far to go creating deer trails, referencing a ‘spokes on a wheel’ technique. 31:57 — Episode #105 Live from Shipshewana, IN - 2 Episodes in One!
A listener asked whether hunting in a slight breeze is better than a dead calm day. 56:48 — Episode #105 Live from Shipshewana, IN - 2 Episodes in One!
A listener asked if Don has a favorite wind direction to hunt. 57:50 — Episode #105 Live from Shipshewana, IN - 2 Episodes in One!
Jacob Wessels asks if mature bucks travel the downwind field edge instead of just inside the timber, and how to hunt that spot without getting winded. 36:27 — Episode #34 - Late October Check in - Buck Activity Slower Than Expected - Why?
Zev Ham asks how to hunt a stand when the timber sits on the property’s east side but the prevailing wind is usually from the west, limiting access. 42:40 — Episode #34 - Late October Check in - Buck Activity Slower Than Expected - Why?
What was the most out-of-the-box stand entrance/exit plan you’ve seen or prescribed? 24:42 — #279 - Live Hot Seat! Don Higgins Faces Tough Questions from Dealers | 2025 RWWP Summit
Zach Zimmerman also asked how sensitive Don is about wind direction when pulling SD cards from his trail cameras. 41:49 — Episode #185 - Bucks are starting to shift - Fall Plots, GET THEM IN
Jason Hesselberg asked whether Don sets up specific stand sites near water to use rising thermals. 43:55 — Episode #98 - Don’s Trophy Room, Stolen Gun, and New Title Sponsor
An audience member asked Don to explain how mature bucks use quartering wind. 50:20 — Episode 159 - Captive Deer Breeding… Why Don Got Out
Justin Fallon asked how to know the right time to use a favorable wind, beyond the rut and dropping temperatures, on a stand near a funnel with food and water. 47:26 — Episode #6 - Don Kills 2 Booners on Back to Back Hunts
William Hanks asks whether comparing wind flow to how water moves across terrain is a good analogy for predicting scent dispersal, or if there’s a better approach. 38:21 — Episode #30 - Don prepares for season - Terry has a mishap and misses a target buck PLUS A BIG ANOUNCEMENT
Logan asks if fencing off part of a food plot could create a safe dead zone to blow his scent into. 27:14 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
Patrick asks if Don has heard of using mulch as a quiet pathway to a tree stand and whether the smell would deter deer. 49:49 — Episode 237 - Cell Camera Spooking Mature Deer? Don Thinks Maybe So…
Terry asks whether a strip of Miscanthus grass could block wind and scent for a listener’s bedding area near a property line. 39:24 — Episode #143 - Welcome to the Lockdown!
Shane Moore asks what tools or apps are relied on for tracking daily and hourly wind direction, since hunting apps sometimes predict wrong. 55:28 — Episode #45 - Lessons Learned from Captive Research Deer
Christopher Palmer asks Don to explain woodsmanship and how much hunters should rely on scent-control gadgets versus playing the wind. 16:23 — Chasing Giants LIVE at the Midwest Sportsmen’s Classic | Shipshewana, IN | Presented by FAE
A Michigan listener asks whether blowing scent 300 yards through bedded deer to reach his food plot stand is close enough to avoid busting them. 67:23 — Episode #133 - Special Guest Mark Luster - Buck Forecast Part 2
Jason Burner asks whether mature bucks typically only exit their bedding with the wind in their face, or if that varies by buck and pressure. 46:16 — Episode #43 - Making Good Stand Great, Broadhead Debate Update, How We Celebrate a Kill, and Customer Service
Ryan Miller asks what key things Don looks for that most people overlook when targeting mature bucks on public land or permission pieces. 28:34 — Why BIG BUCK Areas Often FAIL Deer Hunters | Chasing Giants 327
A listener asked how Don handles urinating during an all-day tree stand sit — using a bottle or peeing off the stand. 39:01 — Episode #89 - 2021 Rut Setting Up To Be FANTASTIC!
Terry asks Don if there’s a way to look up wind direction for the date stamps on his trail camera photos. 31:51 — Episode #9 - Terry shoots his second buck of the year and Don scouts for 2020 Season
Brian Toliver asked how deer reacted to Ozonics this season, whether it works from a tree stand, and if it affects his health in an open environment. 19:47 — Episode #144 - Where Did All The Bucks Go?
How much can you get away with on wind direction if hunting out of a box blind? 28:26 — Doubting Thomas, Dealer Event & BIG Scrape Magnet News | Chasing Giants Podcast 314
Nolan Gingerling asked about deer movement on calm versus windy days, referencing Don’s rut report comments and his grandpa’s belief that wind suppresses movement. 54:29 — Episode #249 - Another Big Archery Buck! Terry Peer and Don Higgins Discuss
Tim from Millington asks whether hunting upwind while using cover scents like buck balm or vanilla would mask his scent while still attracting deer. 48:51 — Episode #194 - 2nd Target Buck Harvested by Special Guest
Jared from Illinois asked why Don and Terry never discuss thermals, especially near rivers, when talking about hunting the wind. 27:28 — Episode #58 - Burning Native Grass Tips and Great Questions from 3rd Master Class

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