1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 2: Hey, everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 2: which has brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and this episode is all about trees, you know, 9 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 2: learning how to read them and how that can help 10 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 2: you become a better deer hunter because you have better setups. 11 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 2: This one is one of those topics that sounds boring 12 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 2: as hell, but I'll tell you something. 13 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 3: It's important. 14 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,159 Speaker 2: I spend a stupid amount of time looking up at trees, 15 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 2: eyeballing them, thinking about if I could get a stand 16 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 2: in them, and if I do, where and how I'll 17 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 2: set up. Now, this is relevant to summer stand hanging missions, 18 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 2: of course, but also throughout the rest of the season, 19 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 2: and it's absolutely necessary if you want to be a 20 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 2: mobile hunter at all. Now, I promise to try to 21 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 2: make this less boring than it sounds, and I promise 22 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: you that if you give it a listen and you 23 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 2: start to take it seriously, you will become a better 24 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 2: whitetail hunter. 25 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 3: So buckle up, because it's time to talk about trees. 26 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 2: There are roughly about seventy thousand different species of trees 27 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 2: on our planet. At least those are the ones that 28 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,399 Speaker 2: have been identified and cataloged anyway, They obviously vary by 29 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 2: size and shape and a whole lot of other features 30 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 2: by species, and can be small, little tiny guys like 31 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 2: the Bonzai tree, or giants like those redwoods out on 32 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 2: the West coast. Throughout our history, trees have played a 33 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 2: significant role in our cultures and our religions, and it's 34 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 2: not surprising why from a practical perspective, a hell of 35 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 2: a lot of trees give us some sort of food, 36 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 2: and to break that down further, a lot of those 37 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 2: food sources like apples. We're probably one hell of a 38 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 2: seasonal here today, gone tomorrow type of tree for us, 39 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 2: just like they are for deer. Trees are also a 40 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 2: great place to take refuge, you know, and when something 41 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 2: big and toothy is considering you for breakfast, as long 42 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 2: as that's something that's big and toothy, is an also 43 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 2: adept at climbing trees. Trees are pretty good at showing 44 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 2: you where there's water in the ground or water flowing 45 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 2: above the ground too. It's not hard to imagine crossing 46 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 2: the prairies, you know, a couple hundred years ago anyway, 47 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,519 Speaker 2: and being awfully parched, only to spot a sparse line 48 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 2: of cottonwoods in the distance. To you and I, that 49 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 2: might mean a good place to go look for some deer. 50 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 2: To someone making a foray into new territory, that might 51 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 2: mean the difference between life and death. This is practically 52 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 2: true and also something that has been true for a 53 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 2: long long time. Many mythologies contain trees to which people 54 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 2: of that time attach sacred meaning. Deciduous trees, for example, 55 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 2: seem to die in the winter along with most plants, 56 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 2: but not some conifers. Greens, being well ever, green, don't 57 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 2: show the same life and death cycle and have long 58 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 2: been associated with the eternal or immortality, or is the 59 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 2: case in many cultures fertility. We have a weird affinity 60 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 2: toward trees, but maybe it's not that weird. 61 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:17,119 Speaker 3: As a species. 62 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 2: We've used them for our benefit for a long time, 63 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 2: and today, when you drive through a lot of places 64 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,399 Speaker 2: that are dominated by grassland and egg you'll still see 65 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 2: carefully sculpted groves of trees around homesteads. We like the 66 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 2: privacy trees offer, and the wind break benefits, and the shade, 67 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 2: and well a lot of. 68 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 3: Stuff about them. 69 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 2: As whitetail hunters, we think about trees a lot, but 70 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 2: often only in one specific direction. What kind of food 71 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 2: will they produce for deer? And what does that mean 72 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 2: to our hunting strategy? Where are the white oaks or 73 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 2: the persimon trees? We plant trees for the deer specifically, 74 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 2: and I'll tell you that one of the first things 75 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 2: I did, oh I've done every time I've bought deer ground, 76 00:03:57,480 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 2: I guess, is to go out and plant some apple trees. 77 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 2: Have yet to kill a single deer from that effort, 78 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 2: but I really like having apple trees around anyway. 79 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 3: We think about trees as betting cover too. 80 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 2: It's pretty hard to deny that old growth, big canopy 81 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 2: trees don't really allow for much understory, which means that 82 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:16,359 Speaker 2: they might be passed through spots in most places, but 83 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 2: aren't likely to host a bunch of sleepy bucks in 84 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 2: any given day. But a four year old clearcut that's 85 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 2: full of saplings, that's a different story, And there's food 86 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 2: in there too, but the cover provides a huge advantage 87 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 2: to pray animals looking to take a snooze in safety. 88 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 2: When you think about deer hunting, at least scouting deer, 89 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 2: you're almost always thinking about trees in a variety of ways. 90 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 2: But what I really want to focus on here is 91 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 2: the reality of setting up in trees and how to 92 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 2: think about that, because that's a skill that seems pretty easy, 93 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 2: but it's often not. And the reason it's not is 94 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 2: because we usually default to a good stand tree and 95 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 2: sacrifice something in the process. So what makes a good 96 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 2: stand tree to most people, Well, it should be perfectly 97 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 2: straight trunk wise and have almost no branches below the 98 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 2: preferred stand height. With this kind of tree, you have 99 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 2: to do minimum amount of work to set it up. 100 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 2: It can accommodate a saddle or a hang on. It 101 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 2: can work just fine with a double ladder stand doesn't matter. 102 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 2: This type of tree is easy, and because of that, 103 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 2: it's the kind we look for the most. 104 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 3: But easy isn't always the best route. 105 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 2: And while it's always nice to find a good tree 106 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 2: in a spot you really want to hunt, that kind 107 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 2: of tree can cause you problems. 108 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 3: I deal with this a lot. 109 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 2: In some of the public land I hunt in northern Wisconsin, 110 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 2: there are some trees there, due mostly to the forestry 111 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 2: practices that are just ideal for. 112 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 3: Any type of setup. 113 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 2: In fact, that's one of the places I still occasionally 114 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 2: use a climber stand, just because the trees are so 115 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,679 Speaker 2: conducive to it. But I also get busted a lot 116 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,599 Speaker 2: over there. There's nothing to break up my outline. And 117 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 2: I know this is crazy, but when there are scattered 118 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 2: trees like that throughout the woods, I feel like the 119 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 2: deer is just quicker to notice a two hundred pound 120 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,919 Speaker 2: blob hanging off the side. I almost always have to 121 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 2: set up directly behind the trunk and actively have to 122 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,799 Speaker 2: hide myself from the deer. I almost always get busted anyway, 123 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 2: at least in some of those trees. Now, you might 124 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 2: hunt somewhere else that has less pressure or deer that 125 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 2: just don't get hunted as much from stands, and you 126 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:18,799 Speaker 2: might get away with this type of setup all season long. 127 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 3: I do. Out West. 128 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 2: There are a lot of cotton woods out there that 129 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 2: I've killed western white tails from that have very little 130 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,919 Speaker 2: cover for me, and it doesn't seem to matter. But 131 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 2: the farther east I go, the rules seem to change. 132 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 2: This is an issue in a lot of places and 133 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 2: can be a real pain in the ass down south 134 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: where the hunting pressure is high. So the ideal stand 135 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 2: tree isn't always so ideal after all. But the less 136 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 2: than ideal stand trees also come with a lot of problems. 137 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 2: I like trees that have some branches and some cover 138 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 2: to work with, but not so much that I have 139 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 2: to spend more time sawing limbs than setting up. Now, 140 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 2: of course that's a private land deal. On a lot 141 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 2: of public land, that's a no go oh, So you 142 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 2: have to write off multi limb trees right from the jump. 143 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 2: This is tough in a lot of situations, but a 144 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 2: real pain in the ass where you're primarily working with 145 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 2: some types of pine trees. Now, some of the pine 146 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 2: tree plantations will offer up a million pine trees that 147 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 2: are all perfect for stands, but they usually offer the 148 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 2: deer very little. But a lot of pines are different, 149 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 2: and some of them are amazing for stands. Some will 150 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 2: have a band of limbs at intervals, and in between 151 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 2: those you'll have a nice section of bear trunk to 152 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 2: work with, which is ideal, not only do you have 153 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 2: some limbs to work with on your way up, but 154 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 2: you also have cover above and below you that's going 155 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 2: to stick around all season long, dream scenario stuff. The 156 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 2: downside of this is if you set up in pine 157 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 2: trees at all and have done any level of tripping, 158 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 2: you know what the SAP situation can be. 159 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 3: Like. 160 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 2: I run into this a lot in my neck of 161 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 2: the woods because pine trees often offer the best cover, 162 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 2: and they often exist in places where there are like 163 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 2: little grassland, meadows and general staging area type of habitat. 164 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 2: But dealing with that SAP can really suck, and that's 165 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 2: just the nature of the beast. 166 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 3: I haven't figured out a good way to. 167 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 2: Combat that yet, so sometimes I just resigned myself to it. 168 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 2: Resigning yourself to certain trees is the name of the game. Honestly. 169 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 2: If you watched the Rough Cuts episode I shot with 170 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 2: Steve in Oklahoma a few years ago, you'll see me 171 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 2: set up right in the beginning of the show on 172 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 2: a pond that has a bunch of per Simon trees 173 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 2: around it. Those trees were tiny, but it was the 174 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 2: best we could do in that setup. In fact, those 175 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 2: trees were so small I had to saddle up in 176 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 2: one and put my cameramen in a saddle in a 177 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 2: different one. Two people in any one of those trees, 178 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 2: especially as wendy as it was, would have been a 179 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 2: recipe for disaster. 180 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:55,199 Speaker 3: Sometimes you just have to. 181 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 2: Make a small, not ideal tree work and then cross 182 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:00,599 Speaker 2: your fingers that the first tear to come in is 183 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:02,719 Speaker 2: the one you want to shoot, because it's a high 184 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 2: odds proposition that you'll get caught. But you can also 185 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 2: hunt areas bucks love if you're open to small trees, 186 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 2: and some of the cattail bucks in prairie pothole bucks 187 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 2: and bucks that just don't have big groves of trees 188 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 2: as an option, can be killed in tiny trees while 189 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 2: you're only slightly above their eye line. In fact, I 190 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 2: think a setup, you know, whether you're talking a saddle 191 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 2: or a small hang on, that is conducive to tiny 192 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,079 Speaker 2: trees is one of the best things you can own 193 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 2: if you want to kill big bucks. The options for 194 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 2: where you can hunt just expand exponentially with one setup 195 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 2: like this, and you sure can learn a lot. Being 196 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 2: eight feet up and overlooking a swamp or a slew 197 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 2: where most hunters won't enter and certainly won't spend time 198 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 2: observing from any level of an aerial position. The other 199 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 2: side of the coin are the big trees that aren't 200 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 2: all that easy to set up in either. If you 201 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 2: check out the show that just dropped of my twenty 202 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 2: twenty four North Dakota hunt, you'll see me with on 203 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 2: a really good deer. The tree that I shot at 204 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 2: that deer from was in the right spot, but it 205 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 2: was way too big for the straps on my climbing sticks. 206 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:13,199 Speaker 2: My camera man who's a good hunter, and I had 207 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 2: to get creative there because we did have extra straps 208 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 2: and we didn't need all of the sticks I brought 209 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 2: to get to stand height. So that perfect spot with 210 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,439 Speaker 2: the two big tree suddenly became huntable by doubling down 211 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 2: on our straps. Look, it's not ideal, and I have 212 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,079 Speaker 2: to say this if you ever go this route or 213 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 2: even consider it, think about your safety First. Gravity is undefeated, 214 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 2: and if you're not one hundred percent sure you can 215 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 2: pull it off safely, keep looking for a better tree. 216 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 3: Now, there are a. 217 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:44,560 Speaker 2: Lot of other considerations when you're eyeballing trees to decide 218 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 2: if you can set up in them. To me, the 219 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 2: most important is having about four to six feet of 220 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 2: straight trunk to work with at some height where I 221 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 2: think I won't get busted. 222 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 3: That's it. 223 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 2: That's my criteria most of the time, and it's often 224 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 2: very difficult to find. But if you set up enough 225 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,200 Speaker 2: stands or spend enough time mobile hunting, you start to 226 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 2: develop an eye for this sort of thing, and when 227 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 2: you do, you'll kill more big bucks. This is because 228 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 2: it'll allow you to work more spots better instead of 229 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 2: finding the right tree and then hoping the spot is 230 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 2: good enough. That was the downfall of the climbing stand thing. 231 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 2: For the most part, in my opinion. Aside from very 232 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 2: specific situations, you mostly spent time looking for a tree 233 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 2: that would work instead of scouting sign and set up 234 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 2: where the deer want to be. But even the best 235 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 2: mobile setups won't always work, which is why you have 236 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:36,679 Speaker 2: to look at a tree and decide how to get 237 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,719 Speaker 2: in it where your stand or saddle platform will go, 238 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,199 Speaker 2: and then keep an open mind. I generally try to 239 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 2: climb up the backside of the tree, or to put 240 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:48,200 Speaker 2: it a different way, decide I don't expect a deer 241 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 2: to come from when I get to the spot where 242 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:52,959 Speaker 2: I intend to actually set up. I try to face 243 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 2: my stand almost entirely away from the likeliest approach position, 244 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 2: but still give myself like maybe twenty five degree ease 245 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 2: in their direction, so that as a right handed shooter, 246 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 2: I can either stay seated and shoot around the trunk, 247 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 2: or I can stand up and shoot around it, all 248 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 2: while keeping that tree trunk in between me and the deer. 249 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 2: I do this almost as a rule no matter where 250 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 2: I'm hunting, even on field edges where the poll to 251 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 2: set up facing right out toward the groceries is high. 252 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:23,160 Speaker 2: This is something that provides an advantage in the moment 253 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 2: of truth when you have deer close, which seems obvious, 254 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 2: but it's also a hedge for future hunts. The less 255 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 2: I get busted in a tree, the better. So if 256 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,079 Speaker 2: a bunch of dos come out and they are cagy, 257 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 2: I have a better chance of not blowing out the field. 258 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 2: If they have to look through the tree trunk to 259 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,840 Speaker 2: see most of me, they can't do it, and that 260 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 2: helps preserve natural movement in my spots. This is almost 261 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 2: the opposite of the typical ladder stand strategy. I also 262 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 2: like having some cover to break up my outline, which 263 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 2: again is a no brainer but what does that really mean. Well, 264 00:12:57,920 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 2: any cover around your setup that can break up your 265 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 2: line is good cover, but a lot of it doesn't 266 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 2: really matter. What I really like is cover at my 267 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 2: exact level that extends behind me if possible. We tend 268 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 2: to think that leafy limbs in front of us are 269 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 2: the answer, and they can help for sure, but having 270 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 2: some good stuff behind you is huge. It'll break up 271 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 2: your outline and allow you to get away with more movement, 272 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 2: especially if you're dealing with a little bit of wind. 273 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 2: You want the deer to be able to look up 274 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,440 Speaker 2: at you and just not recognize a human shape. 275 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 3: Honestly, it's that simple. 276 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 2: A good way to think about this is that forty 277 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 2: years ago you could just get into a tree and 278 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:36,559 Speaker 2: that was enough. 279 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 3: Most of the time. 280 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 2: The deer just weren't as conditioned to look up for danger, 281 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 2: But in so many places that we hunt them at, 282 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,440 Speaker 2: they just are. Now you still have to hide from 283 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,439 Speaker 2: them somehow, even if you're seventeen or eighteen feet up. 284 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 3: Well, you don't have to, but you'll be better off 285 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 3: if you do. 286 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 2: The caveat here is that sometimes you just have to 287 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 2: hunt what the land will give you, and at least 288 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 2: when you do, you generally have the element of surprise. 289 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 2: I can't prove this, but it sure feels like in 290 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 2: some types of cover deer ore prone to looking up, 291 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,680 Speaker 2: while in other areas they just aren't. It makes sense 292 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 2: in my head anyway, because when they're in the woods, 293 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 2: they're in an area where if they encounter a human hunter, 294 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 2: he's very likely to be in a tree. But in 295 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 2: that marshland or swamp land, it's a different story. It's 296 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 2: also true that being in an elevated position just gives 297 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 2: you enough advantages that it's worth trying, even if the 298 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 2: setup is really rough and it feels like you're not 299 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 2: going to get away with it. You only need them 300 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 2: to slip up once. And I'm a huge believer that 301 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 2: trying stuff that has low odds but is in a 302 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 2: high odd spot that's almost always worth it. We often don't, though, 303 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 2: and that's why we default to our favorite ladder stands 304 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 2: and box blinds and the usual suspects. But learning to 305 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 2: make the available trees work is a huge advantage, and 306 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 2: you can do it on your home farm where you 307 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 2: really feel like you already have very little reason to 308 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,120 Speaker 2: color outside the lines in this way. In fact, I 309 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 2: think some of these situations where we have our go 310 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 2: to year over year setups, they're some of the best 311 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 2: ones for us to try to read some new trees 312 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 2: in new spots and see what we can do with 313 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 2: them to show the deer we are in as one dimensional. 314 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 3: As they think. 315 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 2: I know it's not as exciting as talking about snort 316 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 2: wheezing in pre rut bucks, but learning how to look 317 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 2: at the trees in your region and figure out how 318 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 2: to hunt them where you want to hunt is a 319 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 2: skill that is so useful, and since it is a skill, 320 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 2: it takes practice. Think about this when you're starting to 321 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 2: get the itch this summer to scout or to go 322 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 2: out and hang some stands. Do you have a random 323 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 2: pond that you always wanted to hunt on your lease, 324 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 2: but you think the trees around it are too small. 325 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 2: Maybe you got a fence lign with some scrubby trees 326 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 2: that the bucks always run. Maybe you have one of 327 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 2: those monster trees that survive the axes and chainsaws for 328 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 2: whatever reason, just sits in the middle of the field, 329 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 2: but every time you hunt on the other edge, the 330 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 2: deer just walk by it and feed under it and 331 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 2: generally mill around it. Take a closer life, consider what 332 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 2: options you might have to set up there. You know, 333 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 2: maybe it's not an easy ladderstand type of setup, but 334 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 2: maybe you could get a hang on in there with 335 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 2: a little ingenuity. And if you do, you can almost 336 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 2: always bet the bucks won't have a clue you're there 337 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 2: the first time they show up when you're hunting them. 338 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 2: At least give it some thought and come back next 339 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 2: week because I'm going to talk about summer ranges and 340 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 2: fall ranges and buck excursions and all the movement they 341 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 2: do and what it means to you as you're scouting 342 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 2: this time of year. That's it for this week. I'm 343 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson. This has been the Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, 344 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by First Light. As always, 345 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:42,040 Speaker 2: thank you so much for listening for all your support. 346 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 2: Truly truly appreciate it. You might notice we have a 347 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 2: new show here running a limited series with Jake Hoffer 348 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 2: about the land and habitat and all that cool stuff 349 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 2: that Mark and I try to cover, but we maybe 350 00:16:57,480 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 2: don't get into as much detail as Jake's going to 351 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 2: really good show. 352 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 3: Check it out. 353 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,560 Speaker 2: It's going to drop on this feed if you need 354 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,159 Speaker 2: some more hunting content, you know where to go the 355 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 2: medeater dot com. 356 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 3: New articles, new recipes. 357 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,880 Speaker 2: There's a couple of uh, you know, word games on there. 358 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:16,719 Speaker 2: Maybe you just want to listen to a new podcast. 359 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:21,159 Speaker 2: Maybe it's Lake's Backwoods University podcast on clays Feed. Whatever 360 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 2: new content dropping there every single day. Go check it 361 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 2: out at the mediater dot com.