1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,439 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and this episode is all about the dominance 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 2: hierarchy that exists in all white tail herds and how 10 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 2: understanding it can help you kill more deer. Okay, before 11 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: I get into this, I have to throw a little 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 2: plug toward our new first Light whitetail systems. If you 13 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 2: haven't heard, we dropped the early season Phase, the mid 14 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 2: season Core, and the late season Thermic last week and 15 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 2: they're all pretty badass. No, you can mix and match pieces, 16 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 2: do as you please, but this is, in my opinion, 17 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 2: the best white tail gear we've ever put out. And 18 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 2: I don't say that lightly. I say it because I 19 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 2: hunted in all of this stuff last season from early 20 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 2: September to January through multiple states on a lot of 21 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 2: nasty public land hunts, and that really, really worked well 22 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 2: for me. If you want to check it out, go 23 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 2: on over to first light dot com. All right, As 24 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 2: it so often happens with this podcast, it was a 25 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 2: kind of like a not so random encounter with some 26 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 2: deer that spawned an idea. I'd taken a little scouting 27 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 2: trip recently a couple of weeks back, and I took 28 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 2: some photography when I was out there, and I ended 29 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 2: up editing those photos and looking at it, and I 30 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 2: noticed something in one of the photos. It was that 31 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 2: there was a beanfield with a nice, cool kind of 32 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 2: buck standing in the shade and a couple of dough 33 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 2: standing in the sunlight, and it was hot, hot, hot 34 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 2: that day. There's a lesson there, and it reminded me 35 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 2: of deer pecking order and dominance, and it made me 36 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 2: realize that that is like a driving force behind a 37 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 2: lot of deer behavior, and it's what I'm really going 38 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 2: to get into right now. Seven years ago, in August, 39 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 2: I found myself sitting in a boat in Argentina while 40 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 2: looking at a pile of dead ducks stacked up near 41 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 2: my waiters. We had had the kind of morning, you 42 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 2: know of duck hunting that only happens in a place 43 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 2: where the limit is literally fifty birds a day, and 44 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 2: the water you're hunting in and over was just in 45 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 2: the Amazon rainforest a few days earlier. It was a 46 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 2: surreal experience, you know, winding our way through these reed 47 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: lined channels at speeds that showed our boats. Captain was 48 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 2: far more comfortable in that environment than those of us 49 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 2: who were born thousands of miles farther north, in a 50 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 2: country that doesn't look or feel much like that particular 51 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 2: area of South America. And when we were back at 52 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 2: the lodge watching several stereotypical Texas oil men, Tai went 53 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 2: on at lunchtime, I got to talking to one of 54 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 2: the co owners of the lodge. This guy's a little 55 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 2: fella by all accounts, but talking to him, you know, 56 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 2: and gave me the impression that he didn't suffer a 57 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 2: whole lot of teasing about his height or anything. And 58 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 2: he went by Junior, Although to be honest, I don't 59 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 2: know if that was his nickname, his real name, or 60 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 2: you know, his dad had the name first. I don't know, 61 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 2: but it doesn't matter, because talking to Junior was almost 62 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 2: like talking to some of those old professional hunters, you know, 63 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:25,359 Speaker 2: back from Hemingway. In rue ARC's time, Junior had spent 64 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 2: a lot of time in Africa, and one of the 65 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 2: ways that he made money was by catching animals that 66 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 2: would eventually end up in zoos throughout Europe and North America. 67 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 2: Now I'm not talking like mice or maybe some little 68 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 2: birds or something. Junior was the big animal guy, he 69 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 2: told us, and to keep in mind, without a hint 70 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 2: of sarcasm, that if you want to stop a giraffe 71 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 2: in its tracks, you drive right up next to him 72 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 2: and jump out while trying to get a hold of 73 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 2: his tail. If you succeed, that three thousand pound animal 74 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 2: will stop and essentially let you man handle him and 75 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 2: lead him around. But according to Junior, you better make 76 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 2: sure that your grip on the tail is sound. Junior 77 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 2: also caught a fair share of lions, which, as you 78 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 2: can imagine, you know, that's the kind of thing that 79 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 2: not a lot of older fellows attempt, no matter how 80 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 2: lofty the paychecks might be. He said that the strategy 81 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 2: was to feed the lions and eventually get them used 82 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 2: to your presence. You know, It's a long game approach, 83 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 2: kind of like tree training a dog, except that a 84 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 2: wild African lion is a pretty far cry from a 85 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 2: black lab puppy. Well, Junior said that he was on 86 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 2: his way to earning the trust of a particular mail lion, 87 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 2: but one morning, when he and his partner drove in 88 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 2: to deliver some fresh breakfast, Junior said he could see 89 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 2: in the lion's eyes that something had changed. He knew 90 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 2: it was going to attack him, and he told his 91 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 2: partner to get ready. He said, when it happened, he 92 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 2: went from trying to back away to being knocked down 93 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 2: and picked up by the lion, who bit directly into 94 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 2: his back and carried him like he was nothing more 95 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 2: than a piece of meat, which I guess to the 96 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:10,040 Speaker 2: lion is kind of true. For whatever reason, maybe just 97 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:12,280 Speaker 2: because he felt like he had taught Junior a lesson. 98 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 2: That lion carried him a couple one hundred yards off 99 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 2: into the bush and then just dropped him and walked away. 100 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 2: Imagine the relief of feeling those teeth suddenly back out 101 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 2: of your skin and muscles and realize that you have 102 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 2: a chance to live when you really didn't think you 103 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 2: did just a moment earlier. Now that lion is long 104 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 2: since dead, and we wouldn't have been able to ask 105 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 2: him anyway, but that move was probably tied a little 106 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 2: bit to dominance. There are a lot of ways to 107 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 2: describe nature, but the constant struggle for dominance is one 108 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 2: way to look at it. Predators find themselves participating in 109 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 2: social hierarchies all the time, just as prey animals do. 110 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 2: It's a driving force, and we don't give it enough 111 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 2: credit for animal behavior. We should, though, even as deer hunters. 112 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:09,279 Speaker 2: While we all know the term dominant buck, that's not 113 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 2: what I'm talking about here. Every deer in the herd 114 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 2: is jockeying for position, and that goes for big bucks. 115 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 2: Little bucks doze and you know, not too many months 116 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 2: after they're born fawns. To understand this better, consider the 117 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 2: definition of dominance, which is an individual's preferential access to 118 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 2: resources over another based on coercive capacity, which is, you know, 119 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 2: based on strengths, threat, and intimidation. A dominant animal is 120 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 2: one that is largely free to feed, to be aggressive, 121 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 2: pursue the opposite sex in order to pass on its genes, 122 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 2: and generally do what it pleases, at least in how 123 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 2: it concerns the other members of its species. Subordinate animals 124 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 2: live a different life with submissive behaviors that allow them 125 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,919 Speaker 2: to be easily influenced by others. Now, we used to 126 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 2: call this the pecking order, and it's a situation that 127 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 2: is constantly in flux. One buck getting run over by 128 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 2: a semi haul and some corn down to the river, 129 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 2: or a dough getting shot on opening weekend by a 130 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 2: hunter changes the dynamics of the system. An injury to 131 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 2: any deer can do that too. Where hierarchies persist, which 132 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 2: is pretty much everywhere in nature, including with us hairless apes, 133 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 2: weakness is an invitation for someone else to move up, 134 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 2: and that's often not pretty. This hit me when I 135 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 2: was editing those photos I told you about, because that 136 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 2: buck that I was taking pictures of he had the 137 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 2: prime spot in that beanfield. The does and fawns they 138 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 2: were on the sunny side. They didn't have the prime spot. No, 139 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 2: we talk about this a lot, but the reason the 140 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 2: bucks get the shady side and the does don't is 141 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 2: because when it comes to brute force, the bucks win. 142 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 2: He can feed where it's more comfortable until someone comes 143 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 2: along who can kick his ass, and then all bets 144 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 2: are off. I've talked about this before, but I went 145 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 2: a whole season periodically trying to kill a big dough 146 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 2: that was obviously dominant. She'd come into a kill plot 147 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 2: I had in a spot here in Minnesota, and she 148 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 2: would not let another deer get into the groceries. It 149 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 2: was obvious on the trail camera photos, but even more 150 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 2: obvious the few times I actually saw her in that plot. 151 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 2: Even little Bucks respected her authority, and let me tell 152 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 2: you something, she was not afraid to throw down. She 153 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 2: was also a master at avoiding me to the point 154 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:36,959 Speaker 2: where she just flat out one She beat me on 155 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 2: my own game, although I guess that was her game too. 156 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,559 Speaker 2: Either way, I got worked by a dough on private 157 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 2: property where I should have had every advantage. Sometimes the 158 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 2: lessons we get as deer hunters come from unlikely sources, 159 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:52,959 Speaker 2: and that dough has given me a lot to think 160 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 2: about over the years. She honestly changed how I look 161 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,439 Speaker 2: at deer. Now at this point, you're probably wondering how 162 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 2: any of this actually helps you kill a deer, So 163 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 2: let me get to that. Once you start to see 164 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 2: the why behind deer behavior, you start to be able 165 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 2: to predict it with more reliability. You don't need a 166 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 2: bottle of dopey, you know, or the peak of the 167 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 2: rut to save you're hunting. You can figure this stuff 168 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 2: out for yourself. And when it comes to deer, I 169 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:22,199 Speaker 2: like to think of this from a bottom up perspective, 170 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 2: as opposed starting with the one you know, one hundred 171 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 2: and sixty inch deer in your section who can push 172 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 2: every other deer around. I like to think about the 173 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 2: young bucks, mostly because I think that they give you 174 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,720 Speaker 2: the best lesson in the bottom of the deer pecking order. 175 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 2: Think about it like this. Young bucks seem dumb, right, 176 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 2: and they certainly are compared to old bucks in most dos. 177 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 2: They just don't have enough experience avoiding predators to be 178 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 2: very good at it, and they haven't learned to temper 179 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:03,439 Speaker 2: their curiosity so they can stay alive. They also are 180 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 2: forced to live out there on the fringes in the 181 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 2: most dangerous spots. They are the ones that have to 182 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 2: bed in the leftover spots, the areas that offer the 183 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 2: least amount of safety. They often have to get to 184 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 2: food early to get a bite to eat before everyone 185 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 2: else shows up and pushes them around. They have no power. 186 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 2: They exist with the constant threat of violence over their 187 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 2: dumb heads. And because of that, they are forced to 188 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 2: engage in behavior that looks to us like it's stupid 189 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 2: or overly risky. And the truth is they don't really 190 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 2: have much of a choice. Now. These rules, just like 191 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,560 Speaker 2: any rules in nature, are subject to a hell of 192 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 2: a lot of variables. But one way I like to 193 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 2: look at this stuff is this, If you can find 194 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,679 Speaker 2: the little bucks, they'll tell you something about the big bucks. 195 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 2: The little guys might use the same trails, they might 196 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 2: try to feed in the same areas, but they'll mostly 197 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 2: do it in a way that doesn't seem like how 198 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 2: a bigger, more mature deer would conduct himself. If you 199 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 2: see a young buck or a couple young bucks doing something, 200 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 2: you say, approaching a pond from a certain direction or 201 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 2: on a certain trail, that's a pretty good clue you 202 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 2: can tuck away for later. How they cross a ridge 203 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 2: is probably how a big one will cross a ridge 204 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 2: in the pre run stage. You just aren't likely to 205 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 2: get a whole bunch of in person observation to work 206 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 2: with on that older deer. How the little guys focus 207 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 2: on the woods when they are out eating beans two 208 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 2: hours before dark can tell you they are nervous. About 209 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,240 Speaker 2: who might show up next, how they approach scrapes where 210 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,160 Speaker 2: you see them make a rub all. That is a 211 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 2: reflection a big buck behavior to some extent, and there's 212 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 2: value in that. There's also the reality that what little 213 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 2: bucks do might not reflect mature buck behavior. I think 214 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 2: this is most easily understood by thinking about daylight travel 215 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 2: and the locations of beds. A bigger deer is just 216 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 2: not going to move as much in daylight because he 217 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,959 Speaker 2: doesn't have to. When he gets to the food source 218 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 2: in the dark, he can muscle his way into the 219 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,440 Speaker 2: best spots. Everyone else will pretty much defer to him, 220 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 2: and the resources he needs are there for his taking. 221 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 2: He's not concerned about getting enough to eat. He also 222 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,000 Speaker 2: knows that no one is likely to try to bed 223 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 2: right where he wants to bed. The spots that offer 224 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 2: the best site lines while offering the best cover, while 225 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 2: offering the best wind advantage. You know they're there for 226 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,439 Speaker 2: his choosing. He isn't going to be booted out of 227 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:31,200 Speaker 2: the edge of the woods to bed in someplace that 228 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 2: just doesn't offer the same advantages. He takes what he 229 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 2: wants and that's it. As mentioned does do this too. 230 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:42,560 Speaker 2: I know no one wants to hear this because we 231 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 2: are laser focused on how to kill big bucks. But 232 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 2: I firmly believe you can't be a good deer hunter 233 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:50,680 Speaker 2: until you figure out how to somewhat consistently kill highly 234 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 2: pressured doze. They are survival machines, and while they can't 235 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,719 Speaker 2: push even most two year old bucks around, usually they 236 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 2: do get the best of the skis that the bucks 237 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:03,679 Speaker 2: leave for them. This is why it's so much easier 238 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 2: to clue into a doe bedding area. They have to 239 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,319 Speaker 2: bet in the best places they can, but that place 240 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 2: won't be as hard for you to find as where 241 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 2: the bucks are. They'll hit the food sources early, too, 242 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 2: because when it gets dark, they won't have as many 243 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 2: choice options. The key to how this makes you a 244 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 2: better hunter, just like trying to understand young buck behavior, 245 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 2: is that you have far more opportunity to learn from 246 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,320 Speaker 2: them than you will big bucks. Mature bucks just aren't 247 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 2: that common in most places, so your in person interactions 248 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 2: with them are going to be highly limited. But they 249 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 2: are deer, and other deer can teach you about deer 250 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 2: in general, and they can teach you about deer dominance specifically. 251 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 2: Where I feel this gives hunters a huge advantage. It's 252 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,840 Speaker 2: just figuring out deer first. When you hunt a new spot, 253 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 2: you know, maybe travel somewhere to hunt public land, or 254 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 2: you get permission on a fresh property or whatever. Figuring 255 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 2: out the general deer behavior of all deer is a 256 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 2: real big step towards narrowing your focus down to one 257 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 2: deer or a certain caliber of deer. And so many 258 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 2: of these lessons are just directly tied to dominance. They 259 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,440 Speaker 2: will also inform you at least somewhat you know how 260 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 2: to decoy, how to call. When it comes to decoy, 261 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 2: Nearly every hunter I know will go with a buck 262 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 2: decoy over a dough decoy. This is because if you 263 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 2: want to kill a big deer, you want him to 264 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 2: think someone is going after his resources, which in this 265 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 2: case means his potential girlfriends. That's great for a lot 266 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 2: of hunters, but what if you're not super concerned with 267 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 2: only killing the top dog on your ground. What if 268 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,320 Speaker 2: you want a decent buck and you don't want to 269 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 2: limit your chances to a super super small segment of 270 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 2: the deer herd well a doe decoy changes everything you know. 271 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 2: Of course, running bucks like dose for obvious reasons, but 272 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 2: there's also zero threat to a dough decoy. Every buck 273 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 2: in the woods might approach her, but not every buck 274 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 2: in the woods will approach a buck decoy. This is 275 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 2: kind of like using a full strutter tom decoy in 276 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 2: the spring. Look, they can work real well, but they 277 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 2: are also the best opportunity to watch other toms skirt 278 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 2: your spread in the hopes of finding some ladies who 279 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 2: don't have someone who can kick their asses showing off 280 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 2: for them. If you're like me and you like shooting 281 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 2: jake's and two year old birds, using a full strutter 282 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 2: might not be the best choice. And that's all tied 283 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 2: to dominance. Now, look at deer calling like I don't 284 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 2: know snort wheezing, for example. While almost anyone who claims 285 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 2: to know anything about bucks will tell you only dominant, 286 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 2: mega huge bucks will snort wheeze, I wonder how many 287 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 2: actual bucks they've heard make us snort wheeze, or how 288 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 2: many younger bucks they've snored wheezed at to gauge their response. 289 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 2: My bet is that they've probably only heard a handful 290 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 2: of deer make that sound. If they've heard any I'm 291 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 2: pretty sure in my entire deer hunting career. I've only 292 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 2: heard one buck do it, and that was a Texas 293 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 2: buck in the middle of a Texas deer tornado during 294 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 2: the rut, and he was out of his mind. But 295 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 2: I have snort wheeze to a fair amount of bucks, 296 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,640 Speaker 2: you know, after a chance encounter taught me something. I 297 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 2: was sitting on standing in late October in Minnesota when 298 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 2: I saw a deer that had all the makings of 299 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 2: a decent buck walking through the woods right before last light. 300 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 2: I snored wheezed for a lack of a better option, 301 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 2: and he started running in. But so did another buck. 302 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 2: And what I realized was that not only had the 303 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 2: one hundred and forty inch deer responded aggressively, but a 304 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,560 Speaker 2: legit four key had beat him to my stand. They 305 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 2: both ran in looking for a fight. Now I missed 306 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 2: that big deer, which really sucked, but I learned something 307 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 2: in that lesson. I started snort wheezing just more at 308 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 2: bucks in every month of the season, and while it 309 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 2: definitely didn't work on getting every deer to come in, 310 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 2: when they did respond, they all put themselves in a 311 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 2: position to get shot, and I did shoot some of them. 312 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 2: The snort wheeze isn't just a dominant buck call. It's 313 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 2: a buck. And while one hundred and twenty inch deer 314 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:05,679 Speaker 2: might not seem like he's dominant, he certainly is to 315 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 2: the fifty inches out there, and those fifty inches might 316 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 2: be dominant when it comes to the spikes in the group. 317 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 2: The key to all this, I guess, is that we 318 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,359 Speaker 2: should be looking for reasons why we see deer do 319 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 2: what they do. Not every reason for deer behavior can 320 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,679 Speaker 2: be tied to dominance, but a lot of what we 321 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 2: see that we might not really even understand certainly can be. 322 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 2: And the more that you figure that stuff out, the 323 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 2: more you can start to dial into how it'll influence 324 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,399 Speaker 2: the deer you really want to kill this fall. That 325 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:38,120 Speaker 2: might be a giant buck, of course, or it might 326 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 2: just be your first out of state buck, or it 327 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 2: might be a dough in October, you know, because you 328 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 2: want some fresh venison in the freezer. Whatever the motivation, 329 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,400 Speaker 2: it's a good idea to try to understand how nature 330 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 2: works and what that means to us when we step 331 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 2: into their world from Mars. So think about that and 332 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,119 Speaker 2: think about coming back next week, because I'm going to 333 00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:01,680 Speaker 2: talk about how to really start building an early season pattern. 334 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 2: That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has 335 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 2: been the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which is brought 336 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 2: to you by a First Light, which has all that 337 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 2: awesome new whitetail gear out there that you're gonna want 338 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:16,119 Speaker 2: to go check out. As I always, thank you so 339 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,120 Speaker 2: much for listening and for all your support, I really 340 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,679 Speaker 2: appreciate it. Everybody here at mediatter does, so thank you 341 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:24,440 Speaker 2: for that. If you need some more white tail content, 342 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 2: you know, maybe the new edu series Mark and I 343 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 2: drop over on the met eater clips YouTube channel. You 344 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 2: can go check that out. Tons of articles, a bunch 345 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 2: more podcasts out there. All of it is at themediator 346 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:40,480 Speaker 2: dot com. Go over there check it out.