#360 - What Most Deer Hunters Have DEAD WRONG: Don Higgins KEYS Consistently Killing GIANTS

The WHTL Podcast - Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests

Jake Hofer

Publicland, Nature, Deerhunting, Trailcameras, Sports, Wilderness, Outdoors, Exodustrailcameras, Naturestudies

2.4 • 600 Ratings

🗓️ 1 July 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to the WHTL Podcast, presented by Moultrie. Your source for Whitetail Deer Hunting Tactics, Stories & Expert Guests. On this week's episode, we are back on the road in Illinois with the man himself Don Higgins. We discuss:

Don Higgins reflects on his first 150-inch buck and the rarity of such achievements back then.
He emphasizes being a lifelong student of whitetails, always seeking to learn more.
The 1990s marked a shift in deer hunting, making Pope and Young bucks less rare.
Don shares a regret about shooting a smaller buck instead of a larger one he had seen earlier.
He discusses the importance of preparation over simply spending time in the woods hunting.
Observing deer behavior has helped him fine-tune his hunting strategies on his property.
He believes many hunters underestimate the value of preparation and scouting.
Don highlights the mystery of how mature bucks survive against numerous threats.
He reflects on his journey from financial struggles to becoming a respected figure in hunting.
Integrity and principles guide his choices in the hunting industry, impacting sponsorships.

And so much more!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I remember when I passed up my first 150.
0:03.0	I didn't know of a single other person who had passed up a legit 150.
0:07.0	Don Higgins, one of the most well-known whitetail land managers of our time.
0:11.0	I don't consider myself an expert. I consider myself a student of the White Tail.
0:15.0	One of the goals that I've had for a long time now is each season,
0:19.0	I want to end that season more knowledgeable than when I started. I try to come up with as many questions that he hasn't been asked before. What do you think most people misunderstand or misrepresent with you? Well, that's a good one. We're going to get into it right now. Here we go. When a buck shows up now on this farm, if I want to kill him, I'll kill him.
0:37.7	We're finishing up a day of more Master Academy content. And it's fun sitting here and just be able to pick your brain.
0:44.8	And then I'm thinking of all the members and people I've talked to the questions that they've had over the years.
0:49.0	And I'm trying to answer my questions, their questions, and using you to share what you think.
0:54.6	It's been fun.
1:15.5	Yeah. I'm glad you guys made it out today, and we've covered a lot of topics and still got a few to go. Yes, yes, absolutely. And so I asked you this question when we got back from lunch, and I said, don't answer because I want to ask on the podcast. So I'll start with this one. What was harder to harvest your first Popin Young or your first Boone and Crockett buck?
1:22.4	Well, probably the first Popin Young because back in those days, we didn't have the Internet.
1:23.9	We didn't have trail cameras.
1:25.7	We didn't have food plots.
1:27.2	Didn't have hunting leases it was just basically
1:32.2	woodsmanship skills and there wasn't as many deer it was very rare for a bow hunter to
1:41.6	kill a 150 inch buck I mean if, if somebody in your county killed 150 inch
1:46.5	buck, the whole county was talking about it. So, yeah, back in those days, I'd say killing a
1:53.4	popin young was big news. At what year did, or what decade did killing a big deer become not as big as news?
2:03.6	Like the 90s, would you say?
2:05.1	Probably the 90s, yeah.
2:06.5	Okay.
	...

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