Chasing Giants with Don Higgins

The FIRST major October cold front of 2026 has arrived, and mature bucks are finally showing themselves in daylight! In Episode #347 of the Chasing Giants Podcast, Don Higgins and Terry Peer break down the dramatic change in deer movement following a major temperature drop across the Midwest. From bucks fighting before dark to mature deer appearing on trail cameras in the middle of the afternoon, the evidence is hard to ignore. Does weather really trump everything when it comes to mature buck movement? Don explains why temperature is such a critical factor, what this early cold front means for the upcoming rut, and why the next few weeks could offer even better opportunities. Also in this episode: - Don picks up the mount of his legendary buck, Doubting Thomas. - The 2026 Higgins Rut Report is coming back with daily giveaways! - Introducing the new Chasing Giants Mock Scrape Rope. - How a WiseEye trail camera helped law enforcement catch a trespasser. - Can acorns cause a doe to stop nursing her fawns? - How much of a 40-acre property should be food plots versus bedding cover? - Are scent-control products overrated? - Don and Terry share their opinions on crossbows during archery season. - Why complicated food plot designs often fail to produce mature bucks. - Don reveals a major change in his fruit orchard strategy that could be a game changer for daylight buck movement. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What kind of deer movement did you experience during the October 16–17 cold front? Did you see more mature bucks in daylight? Increased fighting? More scrape activity? Leave your observations in the comments below! Website: https://www.chasinggiants.com Submit a question for Don and Terry through the website. If your question is selected for the podcast, you'll receive an exclusive sponsor T-shirt! COMING SOON The 2026 Higgins Rut Report returns around October 30! Follow Don Higgins, Chasing Giants, and Real World Wildlife Products for daily rut observations and opportunities to win prizes. Subscribe to Chasing Giants for weekly discussions about mature whitetail hunting, land management, habitat improvement, and the pursuit of world-class bucks. #ChasingGiants #DonHiggins #WhitetailHunting #DeerHunting #OctoberColdFront Giants TV Sponsors: Real World Wildlife Products Asio Gear Chasing Giants Podcast Sponsors: Asio Gear Real World Wildlife Products Hawke Optics Novix Outdoors Midwest Land Group 360 Hunting Blinds Mike’s Mighty Micros Gingerich Tree Farms TagOut Technique Grubb Implement Brenton USA Mathews Archery Victory GMC & Auto Group Wildlife Farming WiseEye Technologies Chasing Assurance Podcast Sponsors: Heartwood Planning Group WiseEye Technologies Coonless Feeders Green Prairie Seed Company © 2026 Chasing Giants Podcast. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts during this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Chasing Giants, our sponsors, advertising partners, affiliates, or associated organizations. This interview is presented for informational purposes and to encourage respectful discussion. Copyright Notice: Any unauthorized reproduction, rebroadcast, redistribution, recording, or use of this audio or video, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of Chasing Giants LLC is strictly prohibited.

Something strange is happening in the deer woods this fall. Don says that in nearly 50 years of deer hunting, he has never seen this much scrape activity during September. Terry is seeing the same thing across properties in Kentucky, Ohio, central Illinois and southern Illinois — and it isn't just bucks. Does are hammering scrapes too. So what's causing it? In this episode of the Chasing Giants Podcast, Don Higgins and Terry Peer dig into the incredible early-season scrape activity they're seeing and discuss what it could mean as we move deeper into October. Don also shares his recent fall habitat work, including why he believes fall is the best time to plant trees and how he's adding oaks, apple trees and pear trees without unnecessarily disturbing his hunting property. Then the conversation takes a much more personal turn. Illinois deer season is open...but Don hasn't hunted yet. He hasn't even shot his new bow. Don explains why his priorities are changing, why he's suddenly more excited about trapping than deer hunting, and how Robin's health and spending time with his grandson have changed his perspective. Terry and Don discuss something every serious hunter eventually has to confront: hunting may be a huge part of our lives, but it shouldn't be the most important part. Also in this episode: • Terry recaps his 50th birthday trip and fishing the Destin Rodeo • Why fall can be the perfect time to plant habitat trees • Don's experience at the Illinois Trappers Association event • Why Scrape Magnet-treated mock scrapes are holding deer for hundreds of trail-camera photos • Why mature bucks sometimes simply disappear • The growing controversy surrounding thermal drones and deer hunting • Drop-away rests vs. Whisker Biscuits • Whether you should mow underneath white oaks, persimmons and other feed trees • Listener questions from across the country • An update on Robin and her upcoming Mayo Clinic visit WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Are you seeing more scrape activity than normal this fall? Tell us where you're located and what you're seeing in the comments. We're especially interested in hearing whether you're seeing unusually heavy scrape activity from both bucks AND does. And if you're using rope scrapes or Scrape Magnet, are deer spending more time working those scrapes than you've seen in previous years? Subscribe to Chasing Giants and follow along throughout the 2026 deer season as Don and Terry share what they're seeing in real time. #ChasingGiants #DeerHunting #WhitetailDeer #WhitetailHunting #DeerScrapes #ScrapeActivity #DeerHabitat #LandManagement #Bowhunting Chasing Giants TV Sponsors: Real World Wildlife Products Asio Gear Chasing Giants Podcast Sponsors: Asio Gear Real World Wildlife Products Hawke Optics Novix Outdoors Midwest Land Group 360 Hunting Blinds Mike’s Mighty Micros Gingerich Tree Farms TagOut Technique Grubb Implement Brenton USA Mathews Archery Victory GMC & Auto Group Wildlife Farming WiseEye Technologies Chasing Assurance Podcast Sponsors: Heartwood Planning Group WiseEye Technologies Coonless Feeders Green Prairie Seed Company © 2026 Chasing Giants Podcast. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts during this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Chasing Giants, our sponsors, advertising partners, affiliates, or associated organizations. This interview is presented for informational purposes and to encourage respectful discussion. Copyright Notice: Any unauthorized reproduction, rebroadcast, redistribution, recording, or use of this audio or video, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of Chasing Giants LLC is strictly prohibited.

Something strange happened in mid-September — our trail cameras practically went DEAD. Don went from getting hundreds of deer pictures a day to virtually nothing. Terry started seeing the same thing on multiple properties spread across a huge geographic area. Is it weather? A seasonal transition? Bucks shedding velvet? EHD? Or something else entirely? In Episode 343 of the Chasing Giants Podcast, Don Higgins and Terry Peer compare what they're seeing and ask listeners across the Midwest to check their own trail-camera data. We especially want to hear from YOU: Go back to roughly September 10–11 and look at your camera activity. Did you see a sudden decline in deer movement too? Tell us your state and what you saw in the comments. But that's just the beginning of this episode. Don and Terry also dive into one of the biggest challenges food plotters are facing right now: DRY WEATHER. They discuss what to do when you've planted but haven't gotten rain, how long seed can remain viable waiting for moisture, when it's time to move away from brassicas and toward cereal grains, and why you shouldn't give up on a fall food plot too quickly. They also cover: • What to plant when you're getting into October • Why cereal grains give you a longer fall planting window • Oats vs. rye vs. winter wheat vs. barley • When to plant potted fruit trees • Why December can be an outstanding month for tree planting • Clover vs. alfalfa during drought • When to mow clover one final time before hunting season • Waterhemp problems in soybeans • The importance of residual herbicides and timely weed control • What makes a good land-consulting client • How to choose the right habitat consultant • Where trail cameras should REALLY be placed around food plots • Whether mature bucks avoid elevated box blinds Don also explains why a trail-camera location should be built with the same thought and strategy you would put into a hunting location. Instead of simply observing a large food plot, concentrate deer movement into predictable locations and position cameras accordingly. And when it comes to elevated blinds, Don explains why there isn't a simple yes-or-no answer. Individual bucks react differently, and how you access and hunt the blind can be just as important as the blind itself. QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Did your trail-camera activity suddenly fall off during mid-September? Drop your location and what you observed in the comments. We'd like to compare reports from hunters across different regions and see whether there is a larger pattern. Chasing Giants TV Sponsors: Real World Wildlife Products Asio Gear Chasing Giants Podcast Sponsors: Asio Gear Real World Wildlife Products Hawke Optics Novix Outdoors Midwest Land Group 360 Hunting Blinds Mike’s Mighty Micros Gingerich Tree Farms TagOut Technique Grubb Implement Brenton USA Mathews Archery Victory GMC & Auto Group Wildlife Farming WiseEye Technologies Chasing Assurance Podcast Sponsors: Heartwood Planning Group WiseEye Technologies Coonless Feeders Green Prairie Seed Company © 2026 Chasing Giants Podcast. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests and hosts during this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Chasing Giants, our sponsors, advertising partners, affiliates, or associated organizations. This interview is presented for informational purposes and to encourage respectful discussion. Copyright Notice: Any unauthorized reproduction, rebroadcast, redistribution, recording, or use of this audio or video, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of Chasing Giants LLC is strictly prohibited.