Habitat Podcast

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

September 18, 2026·1h 28m
Episode Description from the Publisher

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 @ info@habitatpodcast.com  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 – info@habitatpodcast.com  Habitat Podcast YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmAUuvU9t25FOSstoFiaNdg  Email us: info@habitatpodcast.com  habitat management / deer habitat / food plots / hinge cut / food plot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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