356: Successful Food Plots In The Big Woods Of Michigans Upper Peninsula with Gerald Casperson

Habitat Podcast

Jared Van Hees

Sports, Wilderness

4.9 • 584 Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Habitat Podcast #356 - In today’s episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with co-host Andy and our good friend Gerald Casperson. We discuss: Jerry hunts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, focusing on bow hunting and habitat management. He started hunting at a young age, influenced by his father's passion for the sport. The property he manages is 310 acres, featuring hardwood ridges and a mix of habitats. Jerry emphasizes the importance of food plots for improving deer body size and health. He has successfully created multiple food plots, enhancing deer activity and fawn numbers. The deer population in his area is robust, with sightings of up to 50 deer at a time. Jerry uses a spring drag for soil preparation, ensuring effective seed planting for food plots. He prefers hunting in the fall, utilizing pop-up blinds to minimize deer detection. His recent buck scored 110 and weighed 156 pounds, showcasing his successful hunting strategy. Jerry plans to add watering holes to improve habitat and attract more wildlife to his property. And So Much More! Shop the new Amendment Collection from Vitalize Seed here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/new-natural-amendments ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PATREON - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon - Habitat Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Brand new HP Patreon for those who want to support the Habitat Podcast. Good luck this Fall and if you have a question yourself, just email us @ info@habitatpodcast.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon - Habitat Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Latitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/hplatitude⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Midwest Lifestyle Properties - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3OeFhrm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Vitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/vitalizeseed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Down Burst Seeders - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/downburstseeders⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 10% code: HP10 Morse Nursery - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/MorseTrees⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 10% off w/code: HABITAT10 Packer Maxx - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ $25 off with code: HPC25 First Lite - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3EDbG6P⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LAND PLANS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave us a review for a FREE DECAL - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/2uhoqOO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Morse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – info@habitatpodcast.com Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email us: info@habitatpodcast.com habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We started with food plots first. One of the berry patch food plot, they had a big oak tree in the middle of it and shaded out like 90% of it.
0:11.0	So even clover was like hard to grow in there. So I was like, can we cut that one tree down? So he has a person come in, cut down a whole crap ton of trees and made it almost an acre big.
0:21.6	We started out with that one and one on the other side of the road, the schoolhouse food plot.
0:27.6	And just planted them with clover that one year.
0:29.6	And even just doing that, you've seen an improvement in deer body size at least and fawns.
0:36.6	There's more fawns.
0:43.9	Welcome to the Habitat Podcast,
0:47.3	the podcast for Wildlife Habitat Management,
0:50.6	hunting strategy, and land stewardship.
0:53.7	And now your host, Jared Van Hees.
0:59.6	Welcome to the Habitat Podcast. All right, guys, we're back a special episode today with Mr.
1:06.1	Andy Hutchings, of course. Hodge, how are you doing? I'm good, man. How are you doing today?
1:10.7	Doing great. Thank you. We have long time listening. of course hush how you doing i'm good man how you doing today doing great thank you we have
1:12.9	long time listener friend supporter awesome dude jerry casperson from the upper peninsula on today how you
1:20.3	doing jerry pretty good how are you good doing good trying to get through the week man yeah i hear you
1:28.2	it's been uh it's been touching go. That's for sure. But, um, we're into both season and, um, I want to hear about it.
1:36.9	First of all, it's a nice shop you got there. What are we looking at? Where are we at?
1:40.4	This is actually the place that I hunt at. He actually built it for taking veterans hunting.
1:48.3	Awesome.
1:49.5	So our freedom for Patriots veteran hunt is the 16th to the 19th.
1:56.9	So this is where we, everyone sleeps in everything.
2:01.2	That actually, awesome. That actually, that's the deer.
	...

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