Podcast
Land & Legacy - Habitat + Hunting
Hosted by Land & Legacy · EN
The Land & Legacy podcast brings expert advice each week on everything from habitat management, hunting, and recreational land investments. We unpack real world scenarios that we experience through consulting across the country to help you become a more productive landowner and hunter. If you own land, this is the podcast for you!
36episodes
Episodes
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What Thermal Drone Surveys Reveal About Your Deer Herd | Featuring Jack Huston of Midwest Deer Surveys
1w ago01:14:15Tap to summarizeWhat if everything you thought you knew about your deer herd was wrong? This week on the Land & Legacy Podcast, Adam sits down with Jack Huston, founder of Midwest Deer Surveys, to discuss what thousands of thermal drone flights across hundreds of hunting properties have revealed about whitetail management. Jack has surveyed more than 500 farms covering hundreds of thousands of acres, using thermal drone technology to provide landowners with accurate deer density estimates, buck-to-doe ratios, property mapping, and herd health analysis. Together, Adam and Jack dive into why so many properties are carrying far more deer than they should, how excessive deer densities suppress habitat quality and antler potential, and why proper doe harvest remains one of the most overlooked tools in wildlife management. The conversation explores the relationship between habitat improvement and herd management, emphasizing that neither can reach its full potential without the other. The discussion also covers the advantages of thermal drone surveys over traditional trail camera inventories, common mistakes landowners make when estimating deer numbers, and how objective data can remove emotion from management decisions. Whether you're managing 40 acres or 4,000, understanding what's truly living on your property is the first step toward creating healthier habitat, producing older age-class bucks, and building a sustainable deer herd. If you're serious about improving your property and making informed management decisions instead of educated guesses, this episode is packed with practical insights backed by real-world observations from hundreds of farms across the Midwest.
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Which State Regs are the Best?
2w ago01:11:31Tap to summarizeOn this week's podcast we discuss many of the variations of state hunting regulations that hunters face across the country. Many hunters don't factor in the state regulations into decisions they make before buying land, however you need too! Topics covered include season open dates, CWD regulations, buck harvest limits, doe harvest opportunities, hunter density, and many more influential factors. Hunters need to evaluate these factors, as they will dramatically influence the average deer herd that you may be trying to grow mature bucks in. So plan accordingly! Enjoy.Share.Learn!
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New Product Alert with Orion Solutions
3w ago00:44:56Tap to summarizeHerbicides are one of the most powerful tools available to landowners, but they can also be one of the most confusing. In this episode, Adam and Matt sit down with Travis and Dan from Orion Solutions to discuss the launch of the new Land & Legacy Guide to Herbicide Use and why understanding herbicides is critical for anyone looking to improve wildlife habitat, increase native plant diversity, establish successful food plots, or control invasive species. Drawing from years of consulting experience across the country, they break down common herbicide mistakes, explain how to select the right products for specific management goals, and discuss the importance of application timing, rates, and techniques. Whether you're battling invasive brush, restoring native grasslands, managing timber stands, or simply trying to grow a cleaner food plot, this guide was created to simplify the process and give landowners a practical resource they can use in the field. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by herbicide labels or unsure about what product to use and when, this episode—and this guide—will help take the guesswork out of habitat management and put you on a path toward healthier landscapes and better wildlife populations.
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No Mow May, No Mow June, No MOW* Turkeys!
4w ago00:38:40Tap to summarizeTurkey season may be behind us, but the real habitat work is just getting started. In this week's Land & Legacy podcast, Adam and Chad discuss what they've observed since the season closed and how those observations continue to reinforce the importance of active habitat management. One of the most noticeable changes has been the return of turkeys to the farm after neighboring properties stopped illegally baiting birds during the season. It's another reminder that turkey movements and behavior can be heavily influenced by concentrated food sources. Once those artificial attractants disappeared, birds quickly shifted back to utilizing quality habitat—areas providing natural forage, nesting cover, brood habitat, and security. The discussion also centers around the growing need for additional prescribed fire across the landscape. While many properties have seen improvements from previous burns, the reality is that much of the habitat has already begun to lose the open ground conditions, diverse plant communities, and insect-rich environments that turkeys depend on. Fire remains one of the most effective tools available for resetting succession, stimulating native plant growth, increasing bug production, and maintaining quality nesting and brood-rearing habitat. A major topic of conversation is the growing popularity of "No Mow May" and "No Mow June" campaigns. While well-intentioned, Adam and Chad explain why simply not mowing is often being promoted as a habitat solution when it does little to address the real limitations facing wild turkeys. Allowing cool-season grasses and weedy lawns to grow taller for a few weeks does not create quality nesting cover, brood habitat, or the diverse native plant communities needed for long-term turkey recovery. The focus should instead be on active habitat management practices such as prescribed fire, timber management, native vegetation establishment, grazing strategies, and invasive species control. Throughout the episode, Adam and Chad share field observations from their own farm, discuss current turkey use across the property, and outline practical habitat improvements landowners can implement right now to benefit turkeys throughout the year. If turkey populations are going to rebound across much of their range, the conversation must shift from passive management ideas to proven practices that create the habitat conditions wild turkeys truly need.
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Whistling Woodlands: From Vision to Reality
Jun 1100:33:34Tap to summarizeEvery landowner has a vision for what their property can become, but turning that vision into reality takes planning, persistence, and a willingness to adapt. On this episode of Land & Legacy, Chad and Adam sit down to discuss some of the most successful habitat projects completed on their farm, Whistling Woodlands, and the lessons learned along the way. From establishing diverse native grass plantings that provide critical bedding, nesting cover, and year-round wildlife habitat to developing productive annual forage pastures that benefit both livestock and wildlife, this episode highlights how intentional land management can create multiple returns from the same acres. Chad and Adam break down the planning process, site preparation, species selection, and management techniques that have led to successful outcomes on their property. The conversation also explores how these projects have improved soil health, increased carrying capacity, enhanced wildlife use, and created a more resilient landscape. Whether you're managing a small hunting property or a large working farm, the principles discussed can help you maximize the potential of your land while balancing conservation and production goals.
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Honest Review - Wealth Strategy Service
May 2800:30:26Tap to summarizeDuring this episode, we review the Wealth Strategy service with Alan Summerford, who recently completed the program. This podcast aims to clarify the process and value this service brings to clients similar to Alan. This multi-step process offers clients substantial analysis, a financial eco-system review, and land evaluation. Our end goal and objective is to educate clients on the best way to structure their wealth revolving around land ownership. We hope this podcast reveals that a multi-facated team working together offers real benefits.
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Simple Habitat Solutions - Back to the Basics
May 2100:42:50Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we break down several simple, practical habitat projects that can make a major impact on your property without requiring huge budgets or complicated equipment. Too often, landowners chase advanced strategies while overlooking the foundational improvements that consistently produce better wildlife habitat year after year. These are the kinds of projects that should be at the top of your habitat management list this season. We discuss low-cost, high-impact improvements like edge feathering, timber stand improvement, native grass management, small water sources, travel corridor enhancements, and strategic food plot placement — all designed to improve cover, bedding, nesting habitat, and overall wildlife movement. Whether you manage for deer, turkeys, or overall ecosystem health, these simple projects can dramatically increase the usability and carrying capacity of your farm. If you’ve been overwhelmed by habitat management or unsure where to start, this episode focuses on realistic, achievable work that almost any landowner can implement immediately. Sometimes the smallest changes on the landscape create the biggest long-term results.
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Blank Slate: Planning Exercise
May 1300:36:10Tap to summarizeRethink your farm with us this week as we wipe the slate clean and re-evaluate how your farm works. This interactive podcast will guide you through starting cleanly, helping you understand how deer move on your property. This 7-step exercise will make areas on your farm stand out using OnX mapping. Future bedding thickets will be revealed, travel corridors and areas where deer are vulnerable to harvest will appear when you start over. New stand locations await you on the other side of the exercise. Mentally these are exercises that we perform whenever we walk a new farm. We see the farm with fresh eyes, no expectations, and with no previous observations of how deer use a farm—just the straight basics. Sometimes the path forward isn't straight; it may require you to take a few steps back, before moving forward.
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Back to What Works: Building a Simple, Effective Spring Food Plot Plan
Apr 2900:43:25Tap to summarizeSpring plots don’t have to be complicated. Adam and Matt break down a simple, proven system for building food plots that actually work—without chasing trends. Back to the basics, back to results.
Transcribe →Fantasy Land Management: When Habitat Advice Sounds Good… But Fails in the Field
Apr 2300:40:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we’re diving headfirst into what we call “Fantasy Land Management”—the world where habitat strategies sound great on paper, circulate heavily online, and get repeated often… but fall apart when applied on real ground. Too many landowners are making decisions based on secondhand opinions, outdated practices, or “highlight reel” results without ever questioning if those approaches actually fit their property, region, or goals. The result? Wasted time, wasted money, and in some cases, habitat that’s worse than where they started. We break down some of the most common false ideas in land management—things like over-prioritizing food plots, misunderstanding cover, blindly copying what works in other states, or assuming more work always equals better results. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s effective. This episode is about cutting through the noise and getting back to principles that actually matter: observation, context, and outcomes. Good management isn’t built on trends—it’s built on understanding your land, your limitations, and the wildlife you’re trying to support. If you’ve ever felt like you’re chasing results that never quite show up, this conversation will help reset your approach and refocus your efforts where they actually count.
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