1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,160 --> 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 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 2: Everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 2: is brought to you by First Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about how to 9 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 2: not regret your hunting decisions. The old window is closing 10 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 2: for non resident hunting opportunities, which is no surprise to 11 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 2: anyone who's been paying attention. There's a lot of reasons 12 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 2: for this that I don't really need to get into, 13 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 2: but what I do want to talk about is how 14 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 2: this is affecting my decision making process around hunting opportunities 15 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 2: and how regret in general containt our experiences. I know 16 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 2: that's pretty vague, so you just have to bear with 17 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 2: me and hear the rest of this talk just to 18 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 2: kind of get it, you know, and hopefully I can 19 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:13,479 Speaker 2: put it in a way that will help you make 20 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 2: some better decisions that will leave a positive mark on 21 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: your psyche instead of a bunch of remoor, set of 22 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 2: missed opportunity, the quality of the entire human experience for 23 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 2: us as individuals hinges on so many things beyond our control, 24 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 2: and so many things that are totally in our control. 25 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,479 Speaker 2: And of course the decisions we make that we think 26 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: are in our best interest, and the decisions we make 27 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 2: that we know aren't in our best interest, but we 28 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 2: want to do them anyway, knowing full well we'll probably 29 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 2: regret them later. Life is muddy and it's hard. I 30 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 2: don't know if it's harder today generally than it was 31 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 2: ten years ago, or it'll be ten years from now. 32 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 2: My suspicion is that it's going to keep getting worse 33 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 2: until we all collectively toss our smartphones into a bonfire 34 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 2: and to touch a little grass, which I'm going to 35 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 2: talk about in a few episodes. But since that's not 36 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:20,079 Speaker 2: likely to happen, our course almost feels set. Now, maybe 37 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 2: that's a bad way to look at it, but reality 38 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 2: rarely jives with our most positive hopes and dreams. That's 39 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 2: just how it goes. And if there's one component of 40 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 2: that which can really kind of haunt you, it's having 41 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 2: some serious regrets. Now, regret is a negative emotional state 42 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 2: that basically involves us blaming ourselves for bad decisions. If 43 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 2: it's not handled correctly, and it's often not, regret can 44 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 2: turn into rumination and cause chronic stress, the kind of 45 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 2: stress that o't you know, not only messes with your 46 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 2: mind but has physical implications for your body. You know, 47 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: this is a no bueno. It's also a consequence of 48 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 2: life that you'll make decisions that you regret, maybe for 49 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 2: the rest of your life. That's a heavy toll to 50 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 2: pay just because you want, you know, with heads instead 51 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 2: of tails. But it doesn't matter. As my old podcast 52 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,559 Speaker 2: editor like to say, it do be like that sometimes, 53 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 2: and he was right. Now, you can't go back in 54 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 2: time and ask your crush out or talk to a 55 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 2: struggling buddy who is thinking about hitting the eject button 56 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: on life, or not drink the drinks or say the 57 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 2: nasty things or whatever. No one makes it through life 58 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 2: unscathed in this department, my friends. It's also true that 59 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 2: some regrets are a little lighter mental lift than others. 60 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 2: In the hunting realm. Regrets come in many forms. I 61 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 2: want to start with one of the big ones to 62 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 2: highlight this whole concept. The I didn't go when I 63 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 2: should have. Regret. I'm dealing with this heavy right now, 64 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 2: and I haven't even made a decision yet. You see, 65 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:00,839 Speaker 2: I want to go to Caller Rotto to elk hunt 66 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 2: in September. You probably do too, if you're listening to this. 67 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 2: I know that getting elk tags when you live nowhere 68 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 2: near the Rockies is only going to get way more difficult. 69 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 2: I also know that I'm not going to get any younger. 70 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 2: I know that all it takes is one simple thing 71 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 2: to ruin your health or at least keep you from 72 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 2: the gym and working on elk hunting shape. I know 73 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 2: that the amount of elk hunts I have in front 74 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 2: of me isn't very many and might only be a 75 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 2: couple at this point. Now that's a first world problem, 76 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 2: I know, but it's also something I'm just kind of 77 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 2: mine grinding over. If I go el hunting, I know 78 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 2: what it'll take more months of workouts, which doesn't really 79 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 2: bother me. But elk hunting is also expensive, even for 80 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 2: an over the counter DIY hunt. There's that consideration in 81 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 2: this world that seems to be getting more expensive by 82 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 2: the hour, even though we're told everything's peachy. Then there 83 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 2: is the time to give yourself a fighting chance, and 84 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 2: elk hunt needs time. I found that if I don't 85 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 2: have between at least ten to twelve days for travel 86 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 2: and hunting, I feel like I don't have enough time. Now, 87 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 2: that's a lot of days away from the family right 88 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 2: at the onset of hunting season, which is not ideal 89 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 2: to confound my personal situation. Further, one of my daughters 90 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 2: has a bear tag this year. The opener is in 91 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 2: early September, when I would be off in the mountains. Now, 92 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 2: what will I regret more missing one of the few 93 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 2: elk hunts I'll probably ever do, or missing the opportunity 94 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,600 Speaker 2: to hunt bears with my daughter, which is another opportunity 95 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,160 Speaker 2: that just might not come around too often. Again, first 96 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 2: world problems, but they're my problems, so I'm going to 97 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 2: talk about them. I know that if I do go 98 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,160 Speaker 2: el hunting, I'm not going to regret it. History has 99 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 2: proven that for me every time I've gone, and I've 100 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 2: been on some absolute clunkers of hunts, but I've never 101 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 2: regretted a single one where it was me and a 102 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 2: buddy or two doing our thing in the wild somewhere, 103 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 2: especially in the mountains. It's always been worth it. Now 104 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 2: you should pay attention to that last sentence, because I'll 105 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 2: bet you probably feel the same way, knowing that I'm 106 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 2: wondering if I'm being stupid for even considering not going. 107 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 2: But it's just not so simple. The fear of regret 108 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 2: is real, but the reality of life is too. I 109 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: probably won't make a decision for months yet, but I 110 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,279 Speaker 2: probably will think about it ten thousand times a day 111 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 2: between here and there. This is a weird example of 112 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 2: how much we can fear regretting our decisions. When I 113 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,720 Speaker 2: think back on the four elkunts I've done, they were 114 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 2: all incredible in their own way, the successful ones, of course, 115 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: but even the unsuccessful ones too. So I just don't 116 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 2: know what to do. And you might find yourself in 117 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 2: a similar situation this year. Now, maybe instead of elk 118 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 2: it involves buying your first preference point in Iowa to 119 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 2: give yourself a chance at a once in a lifetime 120 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 2: hunt and the promised land. I can almost guarantee that 121 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 2: you won't regret drawing a tag down there, but most 122 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 2: folks they're not even gonna try. The price for a 123 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 2: non resident tag is high, and the juice just doesn't 124 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 2: seem to be worse to squeeze for a lot of people, 125 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 2: and that's okay, But also think about your best days 126 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 2: on stand or your most enjoyable hunting seasons. I'll bet 127 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 2: they involved a lot of action, probably with some good 128 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 2: bucks mixed in there. Now, if there is a better 129 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 2: place to go for that than Iowa, I'm all ears. 130 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,119 Speaker 2: The thing is, we think we'll regret spending the money 131 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 2: on the tag, and we're scared we won't fill that tag. 132 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 2: That would be a regretful situation in our eyes, so 133 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 2: it's easier to not even try. But there might come 134 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 2: a point when you can't get a tag there at 135 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 2: all if you don't live there, or something might happen 136 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 2: in life. We're getting away for an over the road 137 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 2: hunt just won't or can't happen. When opportunity goes away, 138 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 2: regret comes calling. We've seen this time and time again 139 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 2: in the outdoor space. Will you regret the trips you 140 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 2: take more than the trips you don't take? Probably not, 141 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 2: but it's easy to believe that might be the case. 142 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 2: And regret comes in other forms too. I just had 143 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 2: a conversation with a buddy of mine who wants to 144 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 2: buy a hunting ground in the worst way. He loves 145 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 2: to deer hunt, and he has a daughter who is 146 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 2: likely to love deer hunting too. He knows that owning 147 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 2: land is his ticket to a sure thing lifetime of 148 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 2: both and you know, a lifetime of just not living 149 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 2: under the threat of having no place to hunt. This 150 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 2: is probably pretty relatable to most of you, fine listeners. 151 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 2: The problem with him, and honestly a lot of us, 152 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,079 Speaker 2: is that he's waiting for land to get more affordable. 153 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 2: We all know how that's going to go. He's also 154 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 2: like a lot of us in that he wants a 155 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 2: certain type of land, you know, a certain type of woods, 156 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 2: which is great, but it's also the kind of woods 157 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 2: that everyone wants, because no one wants shitty land, no 158 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 2: one except me anyway. I don't care what the land 159 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 2: looks like now, because I know what you can do 160 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 2: with it, you know, with some elbow grease in some 161 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 2: time at least most land. I also know that deer 162 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 2: don't care that you own only a beautiful deciduous forest 163 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 2: is a straight out of a Disney movie. Hell, they 164 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 2: like the shitty land quite a bit in my experience. 165 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 2: But here's the thing. If that's a goal of yours. 166 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 2: It's generally not an easy one to achieve, but it 167 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 2: is doable for some folks, even if that feels like 168 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 2: a stretch. If you do your homework and you figure 169 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,079 Speaker 2: out how to make some level of that dream happen, 170 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 2: usually a level that is far below but you know 171 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,240 Speaker 2: kind of what you really want, you're not going to 172 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 2: regret it. In fact, you'll probably be real happy you 173 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 2: ignored that internal warning and stuck to the plan. And 174 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,079 Speaker 2: even if you know, settled for something that you could 175 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,080 Speaker 2: just barely afford, that has some potential. Another way to 176 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 2: look at this is that buddy of mine. Do you 177 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 2: think he'll regret it more if ten years go by 178 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:11,680 Speaker 2: and he doesn't buy any land, or if he buys 179 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 2: something small and in his price range that he can 180 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 2: work on and take his daughter to. Sure it could 181 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 2: break either way due to unforeseen circumstances, but if we're 182 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,079 Speaker 2: playing the odds game, I know where I'm placing my bet. 183 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 2: So far, I've just talked about big regrets take the trip, 184 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,680 Speaker 2: or don't buy the land, or wait. But hunting is 185 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: full of situations we can regret on so many levels. 186 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,760 Speaker 2: I'll give you a couple of examples from my life 187 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 2: which highlight the dynamic nature of regret. Sometimes you feel 188 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,839 Speaker 2: dumb for what you do, but sometimes you feel dumb 189 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 2: for what you don't do. For me, some of my 190 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 2: most shameful moments in the woods are from things that 191 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 2: I did but shouldn't have, Like the time in high 192 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 2: school when my buddies and I got hammered, which wasn't unusual, 193 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 2: so it wasn't unusual when I woke up to go 194 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 2: hunting and felt super hungover and like a total turred 195 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,079 Speaker 2: sandwich of a human. I went out to still hunt 196 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 2: around in the early season with that hangover, which is 197 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 2: something I just kind of did then. It's also one 198 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 2: of the many, many reasons why I rarely killed a 199 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 2: deer back then. Well, anyway, as I was sneaking around 200 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 2: with a throbbing headache and the vague threat that I 201 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 2: might ruin my underwear if I try to suppress a 202 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,839 Speaker 2: sneeze because that pressure is going to go somewhere, I 203 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 2: ended up at a small pond, tucked into a standing cornfield, 204 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 2: the spot you know, it's always a good place to 205 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 2: run into a deer, So I tucked into the first 206 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 2: row of corn to try to catch a deer coming 207 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 2: back to bed. After a while, I laid right down 208 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 2: in the dirt of that cornfield and fell asleep. And 209 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 2: when I woke up, two does were standing at the 210 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 2: far side of that little pond, probably wondering what kind 211 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 2: of animal makes the kind of noise a hungover idiot 212 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 2: with a crooked nose does when he's snoring away. I 213 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 2: clearly wasn't dealing with the deer's top brass then, because 214 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 2: they both watched me pick up my bow, take poor 215 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,360 Speaker 2: aim at that lead dough, and then shoot. And when 216 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 2: that arrow hit I knew immediately that I'd never see 217 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 2: her again because I had backstrapped her. The number of 218 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 2: regrets in that sixteen seventeen hour period of my life 219 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:20,439 Speaker 2: were many, and I regret it to this day, even 220 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 2: though it's been like thirty years since then. Another time 221 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 2: I climbed into a tree stand in December to try 222 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 2: to fill an antler list tag when I was in 223 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 2: my early twenties, you know, hunting after the gun season 224 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 2: then on the farm I was on. You know, it 225 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 2: was almost always a lost cause, but I went anyway, 226 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,439 Speaker 2: and as the sun started to set, I heard deer 227 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 2: walking in the leaves and saw some does headed in 228 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 2: my direction. I stood up, picked up my bow and 229 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 2: got ready. When one of the doughs offered me a shot, 230 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 2: I took it and I hit her way too low. 231 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 2: It was entirely my fault, and I just screwed up 232 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 2: the shot. Now that happens. But what happened next is 233 00:12:57,679 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 2: what I really regret. I knew I probably wasn't going 234 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 2: to find that dough, but I also knew that I 235 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 2: had hit her, so I was going to have to 236 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:08,080 Speaker 2: try real hard, and since I had multiple tags, I 237 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 2: knocked another arrow and shot at one of the other 238 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 2: doughs that stuck around. It was a shot I didn't 239 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,520 Speaker 2: need to take, but I was frustrated after totally botching 240 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 2: the first shot. Well, when you get greedy and the outdoors, 241 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 2: it rarely works out well, and this time was no exception. 242 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 2: I made almost the exact shot on that second dough, 243 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 2: and I can tell you that I felt pretty small 244 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 2: when the sun fully set and I climbed down. The 245 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 2: regret of taking that shot stuck with me bad, and 246 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,320 Speaker 2: I felt it the whole next day when I followed 247 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 2: one blood trail and then another to absolutely zero dead 248 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 2: deer grid searching put up a big old goose egg too. 249 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 2: I honestly don't know if I've ever regretted not taking 250 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 2: a shot, but I sure regret taking quite a few 251 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,680 Speaker 2: of them in my career, especially when I was starting out. 252 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 2: There's a good lesson in there. In fact, I think 253 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 2: it's why I try to only shoot now where I 254 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 2: feel like I have one hundred percent confidence that it's 255 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 2: going to be all over. I don't like the feeling 256 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 2: of crossing my fingers when I draw my bow because 257 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,920 Speaker 2: I know where that goes and it almost always sucks. 258 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 2: Now there are other regrets too. I think cell cameras 259 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 2: contribute to a fair amount of them. I mean, how 260 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 2: often have you decided you'd stay home and clean the garage, 261 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 2: or maybe just watch TV because you don't want to 262 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 2: sit in a stand during a rainstorm, when suddenly a 263 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 2: notification pops up on your phone and mister big and 264 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 2: antleery decided he was going to walk by your stand 265 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 2: with two hours of daylight left. It happens when you 266 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 2: pick one stand and have a camera by a different 267 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 2: one too. Those don't really bother me much, because you know, 268 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 2: what are you going to do? You know, the deer 269 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 2: out there and they're going to walk somewhere. You also 270 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 2: know that they might not have showed up had you 271 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 2: been there, So the regret on that situation can be 272 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 2: pretty minimal. I guess the one thing that would change 273 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 2: it is if it was a real giant, But then again, 274 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 2: who cares. You weren't there and he was. So how 275 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 2: do you live a regret free hunting life? Well you can't. 276 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 2: You're gonna make bad decisions for a variety of reasons 277 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 2: and you're gonna have to live with them. But you 278 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 2: can also take a deep dive into the not so 279 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 2: great decisions you've made around hunting and ask yourself which 280 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 2: once do you regret the most. This is a not 281 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 2: so fun exercise that can put you in a spot 282 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 2: where you're going to make better decisions. Like I mentioned, 283 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 2: I try to be super picky now in my shot 284 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 2: selection at this point in my life, because I always 285 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 2: regret taking a shot that I'm not super confident. That's 286 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 2: way worse than letting one walk and then not filling 287 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 2: a tag or killing something smaller later. Maybe you need 288 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 2: to think about what you want out of hunting. What's 289 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 2: something you wish you could do just once, instead of 290 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 2: living with that dark cloud hanging over your head. Can 291 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 2: you do something to change your future and make it happen, then, 292 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 2: I'd suggest that. Or do you find yourself with low 293 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 2: grade regret for not hunting in September or October when 294 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 2: you could, just so you can battle it out during 295 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 2: the rut with every other hunter. There's a pretty simple 296 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 2: lesson in that one, my friends, and you know how 297 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 2: I feel about that. Even when I blank, Hell, even 298 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 2: when I blank for a week or two or three 299 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 2: in a row, I never regret just going hunting, But 300 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 2: I often regret not going. Sometimes I regret not churming 301 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 2: a branch, or not getting a good range reading on 302 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 2: a deer, or not looking up for my stupid phone 303 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 2: in time to see something walking in, or not doing 304 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 2: the extra work to set up where the wind is 305 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 2: damn good instead of you damn questionable. The way to 306 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 2: do this is to think about the things that bother 307 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 2: you about yourself as a hunter and work on them. 308 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 2: I know. The way we often look at this stuff 309 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 2: is to find someone else to blame for our failures, 310 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 2: and if we can't find them, we sometimes even make 311 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000 Speaker 2: them up. But the truth is we are responsible for 312 00:16:57,040 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 2: a hell of a lot of what happens to us 313 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 2: in the white Tail. Would are responsible for making the 314 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 2: decisions that can make us heroes or zeros. Think about 315 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 2: this in the off season. It might change how you 316 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 2: approach your shooting sessions, or your scouting missions, or the 317 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:14,679 Speaker 2: times you head to the woods to hang a camera, 318 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:17,959 Speaker 2: set a stand. The more you get ahead of this stuff, 319 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:20,520 Speaker 2: the less likely you are to call an audible during 320 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:22,520 Speaker 2: the hunt and find out you're about to get your 321 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 2: head torn off by a blitzing linebacker. Do this come 322 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,160 Speaker 2: back next week because I'm going to talk about how 323 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 2: thinking like a deer can help you sort of kind 324 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 2: of become like a deer, or at least maybe you'll 325 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 2: become a better deer hunter for it. Anyway, that's it 326 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 2: for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. It's been the Wired 327 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 2: to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which has brought to you by 328 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 2: First Light. As always, thank you so much for your support. 329 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 2: You know, Mark and I here at Wired to Hunt, 330 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,199 Speaker 2: everybody at Meat Eater we just we love it, We 331 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 2: appreciate it. We genuinely mean this. Thank you for all 332 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 2: of your support. If you want some more white Tail content, 333 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 2: maybe you want to listen to a different podcast. Maybe 334 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:03,639 Speaker 2: you want to read an article, maybe you want to 335 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:06,399 Speaker 2: find a turkey recipe, whatever, head on over to the 336 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:11,479 Speaker 2: mediator dot com. So much information there that you're going 337 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:14,960 Speaker 2: to have a lot of time, maybe to waste at 338 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 2: work or whatever you're doing, to check out and sort 339 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 2: through and find some content that really works for you. 340 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 2: All kinds of stuff there. Go check it out.