Are There Too Many Deer? Hunting, Overpopulation, & Why Missouri Conservation Keeps Missing It | Ep 29 w/ Brady Ford

We go full-send in this episode on hunting. Brady Ford and I talk deer season, big bucks, and the big question a lot of Missouri hunters are asking:

Is Missouri Conservation actually helping… or just getting in the way?

Guest: Brady Ford — managing broker for the Matt Ford Real Estate Team and a hardcore hunter who’s guided trips for elk, antelope, bear, whitetail and more from Missouri to Idaho to New Zealand.

Topics:

• Growing up hunting the woods around Lake of the Ozarks

• Guiding black bear hunts in remote Idaho where the nearest gas station is 90 miles away

• Bowhunting antelope at 75 yards on the windswept plains of Colorado

• Chasing elk at 13,000 feet in New Mexico (and waking up with one next to you)

• Free-range red stag and mountain goat in New Zealand

Then we get spicy:

• Why Missouri has so many deer — and what that actually costs us

• The thousands of deer-related crashes every year and the real-world impact on families

• Mountain lions, bears, and what happens when we shut down predator seasons

• Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), feeding bans, and whether the science matches the rules

• Why rifle season is so short — and so badly timed — for most everyday hunters

• Youth season timing vs. regular firearms season and how that affects the rut

• Whether MDC is too focused on “trophy management” and not focused enough on real-life consequences

Brady also breaks down:

• Calling strategies: rattling, grunts, the “wheeze,” and not over-pressuring your stand

• Food plots in Ozark rock country and why nutrition matters for antler size

• Buck-to-doe ratios and why “more does” isn’t always better

Plus: I reveal the wildest thing I've ever found on my property — two locked bucks who died mid-fight, still tangled together years later.

If you love deer hunting, have strong opinions about MDC, or just like hearing stories about chasing animals on mountains you can barely breathe on… don't miss this one.