Don Higgins - The Next Big Change in Land Management Is Coming To the Midwest?

All successful people have one thing in common, they work harder, put more hours into their work, and the more they do it, the more they become successful. However, applying the same principle to your hunting property by spending more time and doing more projects doesn't cue more deer on the farm. Putting too much human intrusion on your property makes it worst than if you did nothing. Sometimes it is hard to pull back from our natural tendency to work hard and our work ethics for success, but when it comes to your land parcel, less is more. Join this conversation with Don Higgins as he shares his hunting experience, mistakes, and the lessons he has learned along the way. Don's passion was ignited on a frosty November morning back in 1979 when a whitetail buck walked into Don's life and forever changed it. Although there were many mistakes made and lessons learned the hard way in those early years, Don figured things out, and today, that property stands as the very best whitetail hunting property Don has ever hunted. He has harvested the #2 typical in the state of IL behind none other than the Mel Johnson buck that ranked #6 of all time by the Pope and Young. On top of that, he has also harvested multiple 200” deer in the past 5 years. Get ready to take notes! Tune in! During this episode, you will learn about; [00:01] Episode intro and pre-show talk [03:18] How long Don has been managing his farm [03:32] Don's learning curve and lessons from his 30 years of managing the farm [05:09] Traits that successful people have and what you should focus on [06:30] Don's next bests state for hunting deers from Illinois and why [09:10] What captivated Don to purchase a property in Ohio state [11:41] How Don puts the plan together, and his partner brings in the heavy equipment [15:37] Things you should be doing in order to make hunting square the best [16:51] Providing something that deers cannot find in your area [17:44] Proven ways to improve and diversify your cover [18:53] What Don would do differently in planting cover for his farms [20:59] Don's advice on planting trees Vs. switch grass for cover [24:22] Top tier parcel checklist that Don uses to prospect for hunting property [25:43] The importance of hunting pressure around your farm [27:59] How to manage bad neighbors to make your farm growingly better [33:18] Why Don had to build a fence on one side of his sanctuary [35:24] Isolation and why it’s an important aspect when buying a property [38:58] Creating a spray path Vs a mowed path in your food crop [41:05] How Don started out and got all that he has now [43:06] Mistakes that Don made in managing his food plots and how you can avoid them [44:52] How you can reach out, connect or learn more about Don [45:33] Ending the show and call to action Notable Quotes Putting too much human intrusion on your property makes it worse than if you did nothing. Sometimes it is hard to pull back from our natural tendency to work hard for success, but when it comes to your hunting parcel, less is more. The more you diversify the food crops on your property, the better you can hold the deers. Use your effort to provide something that deer cannot find in the regions or areas within If you have a good cover, don't make it better by changing it into a different form of cover. It is hard to set your place apart if nobody is hunting anywhere around you; the deer will go everywhere and feel safe. Hunting pressure around you makes it easier to differentiate your farm as a safe place in the eyes of the local deer. Good fences make good neighbors. Buy a property that you can set apart from everything else around it Having a piece to yourself that you can manipulate any way you want is a game changer Don Higgins Website: https://higginsoutdoors.com/