Habitat Podcast

Jared Van Hees

The Habitat Podcast is a podcast for land and wildlife habitat managers, and for hunters who learn and utilize different types of habitat in their hunting strategy. We interview hunters and habitat managers from across the country, picking their brain to learn their success's and failures. We are different in the fact that we are not the experts. This podcast is for us and the listeners to learn a thing or two, from the experts we analyze.

414 Episodes

410: How He Built 70 Acres That Kept a 160-Inch Buck Coming Back with Corey Franceus
11/6/2026
54:23
Habitat Podcast #410 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Cory Franceus and Andy Hutchens! We discuss:-Cory explains why the work he starts in June pays off on an October bowhunt.-Hutchy parks his e-bike 20 yards from the tree and kills his Ohio buck on his fourth sit there.-Hutchy credits untouched sanctuaries and narrow food plots for holding bucks on a 500-acre farm.-The crew compares a 188-inch buck’s rack and body size with a smaller-racked deer from the same farm.-Cory recalls finding 130 dead deer with his neighbors across 450 acres during the 2025 EHD outbreak.-Cory recounts a box-blind scent bust, a low miss and a spruce branch that catches his bow cam.-Cory backs out overnight and finds his 160-inch bow buck 12 feet from where he stopped tracking.-Cory uses timber work, switchgrass screens and conifers to keep deer within a jump of cover.-Cory cuts an east-border trail to reach a fresh stand without crossing the center of his 70 acres.-Jared explains why he values first-time sits and how the crew plans to walk each other’s farms in 2027. And So Much More! Chapters:0:00 The Work Behind an October Buck1:19 Hutchy’s Southern Ohio Buck5:05 Why the 500-Acre Ohio Farm Holds Bucks9:57 Buck Age, Body Size and Antler Score18:19 Cory’s 70 Acres After EHD20:07 A Scent Bust and Two Misses22:45 The Fourth Encounter and Overnight Recovery35:07 Building Cover That Keeps Bucks Around37:01 The East-Border Trail and a First-Time Sit42:29 Eight Years of Habitat Work on 70 Acres48:23 Evening Thermals and the Crew’s 2027 Plans50:45 What Cory Did From June to October Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 PodcastLatitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: https://bit.ly/hplatitudeStealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHPMidwest Lifestyle Properties - https://bit.ly/3OeFhrmVitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - https://bit.ly/vitalizeseedDown Burst Seeders - https://bit.ly/downburstseeders 10% code: HP10Morse Nursery - http://bit.ly/MorseTrees 10% off w/code: HABITAT10Packer Maxx - http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX $25 off with code: HPC25First Lite - https://bit.ly/3EDbG6PLAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: LAND PLANSLeave us a review for a FREE DECAL - https://apple.co/2uhoqOOMorse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – [email protected] Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdgEmail us: [email protected] management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DCD: He Bought A Field Full Of Weeds - Now Mature Bucks Walk Right Where He Wants with Jake Hofer
11/5/2026
36:22
Habitat Podcast Deer Camp Detour - In today’s episode of The Habitat Podcast, Andy Hutchens has Jake Hofer in camp! We discuss:-Jake explains why he hasn’t made an aggressive move yet on a buck he passed four times last fall.-He says the next three weeks come down to his gut, not Instagram’s “can’t kill them from the couch.”-He breaks down how a missing hard frost keeps Illinois creek-bottom cover and browse holding longer.-He argues that every deer season is different, but it rhymes, and that you only have to be right once.-He shares cell-camera apps with trusted buddies to read deer behavior beyond his own farms.-He shows how five years turned a weedy, fallow ag field into oaks, switchgrass and food plots.-He describes a backhoe water hole that hit a spring and became a magnet for deer on his farm.-He holds his tag on mature bucks he could have killed on every front because the plan is working.-He hand-plants shrub rims on knolls instead of WRP-style rows that deer only use along the edges.-He photographs every sit to build historical data and warns hunters not to lower their standards. And So Much More! Chapters:0:00 How A Weedy Ag Field Became A Deer Farm1:11 Jake Hofer In Camp And His Season So Far5:06 Scrapes, Cameras And Following Your Gut8:05 Three Weeks Of Hunting At Home11:40 No Hard Frost And What It Does To Habitat13:35 Brassicas, Standing Crops And Being Right Once17:22 Deer Camp Culture And Sharing Camera Apps18:57 Five Years Of Trees, Water Holes And Culverts24:10 Planting For How Deer Actually Use A Field25:39 Tree Stands, Saddles And Blinds28:22 Photograph Every Sit And Don’t Lower Your Standards31:16 Rapid Fire: Pizza, Chili And Teddy Roosevelt Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 PodcastLatitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: https://bit.ly/hplatitudeStealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHPMidwest Lifestyle Properties - https://bit.ly/3OeFhrmVitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - https://bit.ly/vitalizeseedDown Burst Seeders - https://bit.ly/downburstseeders 10% code: HP10Morse Nursery - http://bit.ly/MorseTrees 10% off w/code: HABITAT10Packer Maxx - http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX $25 off with code: HPC25First Lite - https://bit.ly/3EDbG6PLAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: LAND PLANSLeave us a review for a FREE DECAL - https://apple.co/2uhoqOOMorse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – [email protected] Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdgEmail us: [email protected] management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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409: Should You Keep Hunting a Buck After You Bump Him? with Brett Smith
10/30/2026
56:12
Habitat Podcast #409 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Brett Smith! We discuss:-Brett explains why he scouts aggressively during the rut instead of waiting for a buck to come to him.-He recalls bumping the same buck four days in a row and weighs the pressure difference in Michigan.-He targets leeward ridges and the top third of draws where cover, wind and fresh sign come together.-He walks the road between public-land parking areas to enter overlooked cover without going miles deep.-He uses concentrated rubs near bedding to plan morning sits instead of trusting every fresh rub line.-He J-hooks into a setup to keep his scent and boot tracks away from approaching bucks and does.-He shakes dry oak branches and follows with a grunt to mimic a buck working a scrape near bedding.-He picks an average tree in the right location over a perfect tree farther away from the action.-He explains how he uses rising morning thermals and evening drainages to manage his scent.-He shares why he stopped scoring and posting bucks and wants hunting to mean more than a number. And So Much More! Chapters:0:00 How Many Times Can You Bump a Buck?1:16 Meet Brett Smith and His Approach to Land Management6:15 Scouting a Lease Before the First Rut Sit12:36 Public Land and Overlooked Roadside Access16:41 Leeward Ridges and the Top Third of Draws20:08 Entry Routes, Ground Scent and Rubs Near Bedding24:57 All-Day Sits, Taking Breaks and Mobile Setups29:48 Rattling vs Shaking Branches and Grunting37:06 When to Move and How Often You Can Bump a Buck39:49 Water Access, Wind and Morning Thermals44:57 Why Brett Stopped Scoring and Posting Bucks47:59 Rapid Fire: Gear, Cover, Food Plots and Broadheads Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 PodcastLatitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: https://bit.ly/hplatitudeStealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHPMidwest Lifestyle Properties - https://bit.ly/3OeFhrmVitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - https://bit.ly/vitalizeseedDown Burst Seeders - https://bit.ly/downburstseeders 10% code: HP10Morse Nursery - http://bit.ly/MorseTrees 10% off w/code: HABITAT10Packer Maxx - http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX $25 off with code: HPC25First Lite - https://bit.ly/3EDbG6PLAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: LAND PLANSLeave us a review for a FREE DECAL - https://apple.co/2uhoqOOMorse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – [email protected] Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdgEmail us: [email protected] management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
408: How He Makes 8.5 Acres Hunt Like A Much Bigger Farm
10/23/2026
1:09:38
Habitat Podcast #408 - In today’s episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Art’om Rank! We discuss:-Art’om splits one overgrown cedar thicket on his 8.5 acres into three separate bedding areas.-Trail cameras show bucks moving cedar to cedar as the wind shifts, and he sets up in the gaps between.-He studies forestry at Glenville State and gets a key to the college farm so he can hunt before class.-He splits an acre food plot into five zones of sorghum or miscanthus so a buck has to walk in to check it.-That divided plot puts a buck he calls Mr. Clean at 18 yards, exactly the way he drew it up.-He plants one or two Chinese chestnuts near where he wants to kill a buck, then backtracks him on camera.-A buck’s core bed tells him the cover type, so autumn olive bedding points him to every autumn olive patch.-A noon trail cam photo of a target buck means he hunts that evening, opposite the way the buck is facing.-An old oak limb with no scrape under it works as a “doorbell” every deer touches coming onto his parcel.-Clover seeded on his access trails pulls deer into brassicas wrapped by an overgrown apple orchard. And So Much More! Chapters:0:00 Three Cedar Thickets on 8.5 Acres: Meet Art’om Rank1:17 Deer Camp, Gavin’s Referral and a Fresh Set of Eyes5:43 Splitting One Cedar Thicket Into Three Bedding Areas8:23 Southwest Michigan, Forestry School and a Key to the College Farm14:49 Mountain Bucks, Public Land and the Buck With 13 Beds19:45 No Bait: Splitting a Food Plot Into Five Zones24:27 Chestnut Trees and Backtracking a Buck to His Bed28:44 Noon Trail Cam Photos, Doorbell Branches and Mock Scrapes36:44 The Cold Front Weekend Plan and Out-of-State Tags43:46 Cutting Trails With a Walk-Behind Brush Cutter48:20 Acorns in the Regrowth and Clover Access Trails54:59 Drawing Up the Food Plot and Never Forcing a Bad Wind1:01:44 Tagged Outdoors, the Buck Pole and Rapid Fire Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 PodcastLatitude Outdoors - Saddle Hunting: https://bit.ly/hplatitudeStealth Strips - Stealth Outdoors: Use code Habitat10 at checkout https://bit.ly/stealthstripsHPMidwest Lifestyle Properties - https://bit.ly/3OeFhrmVitalize Seed Food Plot Seed - https://bit.ly/vitalizeseedDown Burst Seeders - https://bit.ly/downburstseeders 10% code: HP10Morse Nursery - http://bit.ly/MorseTrees 10% off w/code: HABITAT10Packer Maxx - http://bit.ly/PACKERMAXX $25 off with code: HPC25First Lite - https://bit.ly/3EDbG6PLAND PLAN Property Consultations – HP Land Plans: LAND PLANSLeave us a review for a FREE DECAL - https://apple.co/2uhoqOOMorse Nursery Tree Dealer Pricing – [email protected] Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdgEmail us: [email protected] management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
407: He Accidentally Shot a Buck in the Head, Then It Tried to Kill Him with Mike Hlavaty
10/16/2026
42:50
Habitat Podcast #407 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Mike Hlavaty! We discuss: -Mike hunts a coal strip mine in Muskingum County alone at age 10, long before youth seasons or hunter safety. -He and his brothers build ladder stands out of electrical conduit, hammering the steps flat and painting them. -Mike crossbow-shoots a buck in the head the night before Ohio's gun opener, and it runs him over in the dark. -He escapes by ramming the buck's head into a TV antenna tower, then waits it out from his stand for hours. -An antler opens his neck up behind his ear, he's in the ER until 6 a.m., then goes back out and shoots a doe. -Mike buys land with tillable ground so the farm rent pays 100 percent of his real estate taxes. -A reappraisal tripled some of his property values, and he calls a tax on owning land a sin. -U.S. Fish and Wildlife's partner program designs his wetland units, built on clay-core "mushroom" berms. -His excavator bids nearly 50 percent under the other contractor and saves Mike a bunch on the build. -In the spring his wetlands hold 500 to 1,000 pintails at a time, plus hundreds of swans. And So Much More! Chapters: 0:00 A Buck Attack, a Floodplain and Ducks: Meet Mike Hlavaty 1:26 Mike's Ohio Lodge and His 2021 Land Plan 3:29 Hunting Alone at 10 and Homemade Conduit Tree Stands 8:50 The Buck Attack: An Arrow to the Head and a TV Tower Escape 18:08 Four Parcels in a Floodplain 19:45 Buying Land That Pays Its Own Taxes 24:28 Clay Berms and a Blown-Out Ditch 26:24 Building Wetlands With U.S. Fish and Wildlife 32:03 Tile Drains, the Newest Parcel and the Spring Migration 34:47 What to Plant Before You Flood 38:08 Deer and Ducks on the Same Ground 39:53 Jared's Wrap: The Internet Crash and the Cold Front Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 @ [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 – [email protected] Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg Email us: [email protected] habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#406 - The Highs and Lows of Our Opening Weekend Public Land Deer Camp
10/9/2026
43:36
Habitat Podcast #406 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are at deer camp with the Habitat Podcast Patreon Hunt crew! We discuss: -Twelve Patreon members hunt Michigan state land from Latitude saddles over the archery opener. -Jared holds at full draw for 55 seconds before heart-shooting a doe while Matt films from 50 yards. -Andy and Matt find a ditch of dropping pin oaks that holds the most sign they saw all weekend. -Matt climbs four sticks above an old ladder stand in a cottonwood to watch most of a thicket. -Drew and Clyde paddle a canoe across unfamiliar water in the dark to reach their opening-morning spot. -Clyde loses his first deer since he started hunting in 2019 after a 500-yard blood trail goes cold. -Corey says the camp hit roughly 50% success on public land in just two days of bow hunting. -Jeff takes his first deer out of a saddle, less than a year after learning at the last Patreon hunt. -Scott, a private-land hunter from West Virginia, is caught off guard by Michigan's public land pressure. -Joel watches a big buck quarter away toward the CRP and passes because the angle is wrong. And So Much More! Chapters: 0:00 Opening Weekend at the Habitat Podcast Patreon Hunt 7:22 Matt Zahl & Andy Hutchens: A 55-Second Draw and a Ditch Full of Sign 13:33 Corey, Drew & Clyde: Canoe Access and a Tough Recovery 20:36 Jeff Piette & Jason "Bones" Rogers: First Saddle Kill and a Broken Bow 24:13 Dan, Scott & Joel: Michigan Public Land Pressure 26:58 Joel's Big Buck That Walked Away 31:21 Scott's 44-Yard Shot and Dan's Camp Antics 34:28 Jared's High, Low and Why You Should Come to Camp Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 @ [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 – [email protected] Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg Email us: [email protected] habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#405 - He Spent 14 Years Perfecting 26 Acres: Heres What Worked with Gavin Sodders
10/2/2026
1:00:02
Habitat Podcast #405 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Gavin Sodders! We discuss: -Gavin transforms his family's roughly 26-acre Indiana hayfields through fourteen years of habitat work. -Gavin watches more than 500 persimmon trees emerge naturally after years of trial-and-error habitat work. -Gavin learns why oversized square food plots and mowing the entire property leave deer without cover. -Gavin uses a central access trail and a button-hook approach to reach stands before deer hit his scent. -Gavin plants six micro plots, favors clover, and keeps most of his roughly 26 acres in thick cover. -Gavin uses five cell cameras for inventory and past movement patterns instead of chasing fresh pictures. -Gavin builds a close-range funnel with old hinge cuts, fence openings, a cedar stand, and mock scrapes. -Gavin adds kiddie-pool water holes even though a spring-fed creek already runs through the property. -Gavin stays off his property ahead of its prime rut window instead of hunting it hard in early October. -Gavin shares why family memories matter more as his parents prepare to sell the property. And So Much More! Chapters: 0:00 14 years of transforming hayfields into habitat 3:16 Gavin Sodders and a lifetime of deer hunting 9:13 The 26-acre Indiana property and natural persimmons 13:25 Food plot mistakes, too much mowing, and overhunting 16:33 Access trails, rut timing, and family hunts 23:42 Six micro plots, native browse, and thick cover 31:21 Neighbors, hunting pressure, and surviving bucks 36:44 Trail camera placement and historical patterns 41:06 Habitat equipment, water holes, and working on a budget 44:26 Ten-yard funnels, mock scrapes, and stand access 50:02 The story behind Whitetail Bloodline 52:46 Rapid fire: venison, gear, cover, and favorite trees Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 @ [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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 – [email protected] Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email us: [email protected] habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
404: How He Designed 80 Acres In Michigan So That Bucks Never Leave (Virtual Property Tour) with
9/25/2026
43:19
Habitat Podcast #404 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Cory Franceus and Chad Fike! We discuss: -Chad goes from years of small bucks to big Michigan deer after three trips to Tony LaPratt's boot camp. -Cory reads an 80-acre Big Rapids-area rectangle by what surrounds it: ag, cattle and a block of wet cover. -Chad splits two wide-open fields that blew deer out every hunt into about ten plots across six acres. -A rifle blind on the hill by the house covers the whole bottom field without anyone walking through it. -The landowner's wife hunts a blind 40 yards off a seasonal road where a bear sleeps on the step. -Chad row-thins two pine stands north to south for sunlight and leaves a 10-12 foot scrape perimeter. -Cory keeps any autumn olive that holds a bed, rub or scrape and would spray the rest of them. -Cory's nightclub analogy explains why one big open field sends a mature buck off your property. -The Marriott blind has power, two heaters and a Wi-Fi booster, so the owner takes Zoom calls from it. -The owner dug the farm's two ponds on an excavator at age 11 and swore he'd buy the place one day. And So Much More! Tour the property: https://premierfarmrealtygroup.com/listings/land-for-sale/7147-e-6-mile-rd-big-rapids-newaygo-county-mi-80-available/ Chapters: 0:00 Cold open: the farm you couldn't hunt without spooking deer 2:20 From small bucks to Tony LaPratt's boot camp 5:23 Reading the 80 acres by what surrounds it 8:15 Breaking up two open fields and placing the blinds 11:47 Thinning the pines, a scrape perimeter and autumn olives 17:29 The blind 75 yards behind the house 19:31 The nightclub analogy for food plots 21:52 Ten plots in six acres and still seeing bucks late season 24:01 The Marriott blind: heat, Wi-Fi and Zoom calls 25:49 Escape routes and a hinge-cut buffer on the west line 29:19 He dug these ponds at 11 and bought the farm 30:50 The buildings, the timber and the deer numbers 35:44 The listing, a big 10 and coyote control Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 @ [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 – [email protected] Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg Email us: [email protected] habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
403: Fixed Blade Or Expandable: Which One Actually Kills Faster? with Matt Zahl and Cory Franceus
9/18/2026
1:28:42
Habitat Podcast #403 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Cory Franceus and Matt Zahl! We discuss: -Hutchy gets poison ivy and cellulitis prepping one stand in southern Ohio in 95-degree heat. -Matt plants a sixteenth-of-an-acre plot in the middle of his swamp after a year of rain. -The crew picks cereal grains and oats as the late plant if you're still stuck in a drought. -Jared asks whether deer that survive EHD in Jackson County come back with any immunity. -Matt builds an 8x8 hexagon blind with 13 plexiglass windows for about $1,200 on a bad knee. -Cory won't shoot his 4-year-old from the same Banks blind because it felt like a video game. -Cory's small fixed blade sat in an Iowa buck's lung for four days before a second arrow. -Jared shoots a heavy high-FOC arrow but says fixed blades never bleed like expandables. -Cory estimates a buck's score from ear length, eye spacing and base size in the field. -Cory explains the NDA Field to Fork mentoring program on MeatEater's donated Back 40. And So Much More! Chapters: 0:00 Cold open: fixed blades that don't bleed 1:25 Hutchy's poison ivy turns into cellulitis 9:43 Deer coming back after EHD, and plots after a wet year 13:51 What to plant in a drought, and a plot in the middle of a swamp 16:41 EHD in Jackson County: do survivors build immunity? 20:14 Youth hunt, baiting and fall turkey rules 26:32 Early-season access and Vince's Northern Michigan contest 30:49 Matt's $1,200 DIY hexagon blind 43:17 Cory's 4-year-old and a blood trail that wasn't 44:58 Fixed blades, expandables and 80-pound bows 52:15 Hutchy's crossbow and the Patreon hunt 57:44 Call your shot: Michigan's last two-buck season 63:48 Aging a target buck and "buddy math" field judging 74:50 Field to Fork mentoring and a veteran hunt 82:39 One piece of advice before the season Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 @ [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 – [email protected] Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg Email us: [email protected] habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
402: How He Builds Successful Mock Scrapes On Food Plots with Arron Bleise and Kevin Gross
9/11/2026
1:43:08
Habitat Podcast #402 - In today's episode of The Habitat Podcast, we are back in the studio with Arron Bleise and Kevin Gross! We discuss: -Arron explains why planting an inch and a quarter deep in July left his seed sitting 21 days. -Arron adds pearl millet to his mix for the relationship it builds with mycorrhizal fungi. -Arron runs a zero-rate fertilizer strip in corn that comes back comparable to his full rate. -Arron lays out the 220-acre family farm his dad has hunted since 1978 and may one day lose. -Arron weighs splitting his share of a million-dollar farm against the ground he grew up on. -Arron wants every tree cut on a stand so mature that nothing grows in the understory. -Jared gives Arron the October window to spray sunflowers before frost seeding natives. -Arron builds twelve scrapes in ten days and will only hang a licking branch on oak or beech. -Kevin runs every camera on video and explains what still pictures miss during the rut. -Arron kills a corn-bedded buck that walked over his boot track two nights in a row. And So Much More! Shop the New Native Seed Collection from Vitalize Seed here: https://vitalizeseed.com/collections/vitalize-native-product-line Use Code HABITAT26 and Get Your Plot Blaster Here: https://plotblaster.com/ 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 @ [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 – [email protected] Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg Email us: [email protected] habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Habitat Podcast

Jared Van Hees

414 Episodes

410: How He Built 70 Acres That Kept a 160-Inch Buck Coming Back with Corey Franceus

DCD: He Bought A Field Full Of Weeds - Now Mature Bucks Walk Right Where He Wants with Jake Hofer

409: Should You Keep Hunting a Buck After You Bump Him? with Brett Smith

408: How He Makes 8.5 Acres Hunt Like A Much Bigger Farm

407: He Accidentally Shot a Buck in the Head, Then It Tried to Kill Him with Mike Hlavaty

#406 - The Highs and Lows of Our Opening Weekend Public Land Deer Camp

#405 - He Spent 14 Years Perfecting 26 Acres: Heres What Worked with Gavin Sodders

404: How He Designed 80 Acres In Michigan So That Bucks Never Leave (Virtual Property Tour) with

403: Fixed Blade Or Expandable: Which One Actually Kills Faster? with Matt Zahl and Cory Franceus

402: How He Builds Successful Mock Scrapes On Food Plots with Arron Bleise and Kevin Gross