The Woodsman Perspective

Managing Poachers

Whether you own land or lease land, you have an investment of time and money in making it the best that it can be.   One of the most frustrating things is to have a poacher sneaking around taking advantage of your land and efforts.  Get to know your local game warden and have a line of communication with them.  On this episode we talk with a former warden from our area, Bo Harris.  We hit on the frustrations of having poachers, and some stories from the past that we can all relate to and Herring story with a goat that we didn't see coming when we started recording. 

A lifetime of Logging With Tim O’Bryant

Our friend and logger Tim O'bryant AKA Cotontop3 on the socials sits down with us and we talk past, present, and future of logging particularly in the Southeast.   Tim and his family have logged in Mississippi and Alabama for 4 decades.   Like we always do, we go back in history for stories as well as discuss what the future looks like for the industry.  On this episode you get an inside look from a logger, a timber buyer, and a realtor, and all three of us are hunters and conservationists.  We discuss the challenges for landowners when they need to get small tracts cut, evaluating the timing and methods of cutting, and the trend in recreational value of land versus timber value. 
You can folllow Tim on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@cotontop3
and the Woodsman Perspective on youtube at 
https://www.youtube.com/@woodsmanperspectivepodcast
 

Episode 20 Hollis Farms

On our 20th episode we sit down with Jason and Brian Hollis of Hollis Farms.  The Hollis family has been growing and killing big whitetails and longbeard turkeys for more than 4 decades.  We talk about how it started, with their dad Joe Hollis and his vision, not only for land and deer management but his vision for raising boys and creating a legacy.   Jason and Brian are passing this legacy on to their own sons now.  They also have a successful Youtube channel with more that 80K followers.   They are on facebook and Instagram, Hollis Farms 
Follow them here:
https://www.youtube.com/@HollisFarmsMS
http://www.hollisfarms.com/
 
 

Episode 19 Converting Bottomland Hardwood to Early Succession

Chris and Brent talk about a project that Chris did back in 2015.  Although his farm was producing great deer numbers and some quality bucks, Chris felt like it was lacking in cover nesting habitat.  Listen as he talks about the process of identifying the right area and taking on a project that would seem counter intuitive to most hunters and landowner, especially almost a decade ago.
 

Fixation Balansa Clover with Risa Demasi Co-Founder of GO Seed

For episode 18 we talk with GO Seed cofounder Risa Demasi about the incredible attributes their patented seed, Fixation Balansa clover.  We have been growing it in places for several years and it is one of our favorites.  Fixation's tolerance for wet feet, nitrogen fixing properties, tonnage and palatability make it an exceptional whitetail forage option. 
You can learn more at www.goseed.com or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoSeedCo

Episode 17 Raising the Bar with Roy Oswalt

MLB MVP Roy Oswalt sits down and talks with us about developing hunting tracts, killing giant whitetails, with a few stories in between.  He and Chris even share a tale about a road trip in Argentina.   Roy's approach to land development and whitetails is similar to his major league baseball career. He is intense, and constantly raising the bar. 

Episode 16 Dove Hunt Traditions

Opening day of dove season is more than just a regular opener.  It is the official kick off of hunting season in the south.  It also coincides with the beginning of football season and the long Labor day weekend holiday. When you combine all of those elements, you've got the makings of a great southern social event.  On this episode we take a step back and discuss the traditional southern opening dove hunt and the social aspect of it.  We have special guest Bob Phillips of Columbus MS in with us to discuss his families long tradition of hosting large annual dove hunts.  Bob and the Phillips family have been hunters, land managers, and involved in the outdoors for generations, and as you'll hear that isn't going to change any time soon.  

Episode 15 Chris Herring’s Summer checklist

We get a rundown of what all Chris does this time of year to manage his farms and prepare for fall.  We talk herbicide, clover, planting, drainage and road maintenance, doves, ducks and second place travel ball trophies. 
 Can't get American Joint vetch, join the crowd.  We'll touch on that and on the way out we mention a great tract of land that Brent has listed for sale. 
Thanks in advance to all our buddies we name drop on this one, including Brian Hollis, Jason Hollis, Bobby Cole, Hunter Crimm, Hometown Realty, Tim Brooks (our buddy from the corps), and I'm sure I'm missing someone.  

Talking turkeys with Steve Brown of Brown & Company outfitters

What happens when a Mississippi boy has an unbridled passion for archery, turkey hunting, and people?  We sat down with Noxubee county native Steve Brown to find out for ourselves.  Steve has combined these three passions in a way that is hard to do justice with words.  Steve has completed 8 world slams on wild turkeys with archery equipment, spends countless  hours guiding clients to help them check off the most difficult of boxes for the ambitious turkey hunter, and has more great stories than a book store.  We had a good talk about this and more, we hope you enjoy it.  His instagram is BrownandCompanyoutfitters

The Wild, Wild Turkey

Spring has always been turkey time for us. This year more than ever there is unprecedented attention on the wild turkey and its apparent decline.  We wade into this topic from 3 perspectives, discussing the hype, hunting, responsibility, and reality.   With firsthand experience managing turkeys and turkey habitat, Mitt and Chris point out that turkeys are in fact doing very well in places.  This success could be replicated on a larger scale, or could it? 
We make several references to studies and commentary previously discussed on The Wild Turkey Science podcast as well as The Mossy Oak Gamekeeper podcast.  We encourage you to listen to those as well.  We also mention our friends at Apex ammunition, the are local guys to our area that make an exceptional product.