1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,080 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 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Sight. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about reading the 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 2: land to predict buck travel much more efficiently. Sometimes with 10 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 2: this podcast I cover topics I really don't want to. 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 2: Last week was one of those where I broke down 12 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,840 Speaker 2: some of my bigger mistakes of the year. This isn't 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 2: one of those, though. I want to talk about this 14 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 2: one because I've had a few revelations this season that 15 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 2: smacked me upside the head like someone tossed a half 16 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 2: frozen salmon my way. 17 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 3: In fact, what. 18 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 2: I'm going to talk about, as far as reading the 19 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: land in a specific way, has helped me fill two 20 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,319 Speaker 2: buck tags this year, one on private land and one 21 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: on public So buckle up, my little buck loving buttercups, 22 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 2: because it's time to learn about connective tissue. You know 23 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 2: that old saying that opposites attract. You know where that 24 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 2: came from. I don't, but I can tell you that 25 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 2: it's some great a bullshit. Well maybe it's not. I 26 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 2: take that back for a second. Opposites do attract sometimes 27 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 2: because we are hairless monkeys who oftentimes base our choices 28 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 2: off of the pure attractiveness of someone else. So two 29 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 2: people with nothing in common could be attracted to one another. 30 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 2: What doesn't happen after opposites attract, though, is that they 31 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,839 Speaker 2: stay together for seventy years and dye in each other's arms, 32 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 2: knowing they lived a life of fulfillment and love. You 33 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 2: have to have something in common. That was something I 34 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: realized about my life when I quit drinking. My wife's 35 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 2: family isn't full of a ton of total drunken idiots, 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 2: but alcohol is present at an awful lot of their 37 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: get togethers, in fact, probably all of them. I'd say 38 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 2: it's a binding agent for activities like going to twins games, or. 39 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 3: Family reunions or I don't know, days of the lake 40 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 3: or whatever. 41 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 2: When you are one of those people who drinks a lot, 42 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 2: you can tolerate a lot of stuff that you might 43 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 2: not otherwise want to do. 44 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 3: Because hell, you get to drink. 45 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 2: But when you decide it's time to give that stuff 46 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 2: up so you don't die super young, things just change 47 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 2: a little of that connective tissue rips. This happens often 48 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 2: in relationships as people age and mature and find new 49 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 2: things they like or get sick of things they used 50 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 2: to like but don't anymore. While opposites might attract at first, 51 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 2: they often don't stay glued together forever. Religious beliefs, political believes, 52 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 2: how are you were raised, income, sense of humor, whatever. 53 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 2: The more that you're not in line with your partner, 54 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 2: the easy it is for the whole thing to come 55 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 2: crashing down, or for you to secretly wish it would 56 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 2: one hobby, one shared passion, something beyond just the life 57 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 2: you've built and often the little people you've created together. 58 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 2: It's a huge thing for a relationship. It matters, and 59 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,839 Speaker 2: it's worth the effort to try to keep that thing 60 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 2: going strong, because if it doesn't, it's time to give 61 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 2: up half of your hunting land in Wisconsin and fire 62 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 2: up that old tinder profile or whatever. You have to 63 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 2: have that connective tissue, just like you do with deer hunting. 64 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:15,679 Speaker 2: This is something that has really struck me this year, 65 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 2: and after the first time, I thought maybe it was something, 66 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 2: you know, pretty interesting. But after the second time, I 67 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 2: killed a buck while thinking this way, I really decided 68 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 2: to explore it. So let me break this down for 69 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 2: you with two of these examples. When I drew my 70 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 2: I would tag this year. I had a plan. Then 71 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 2: I went to where my tag was good for and 72 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 2: found out that a lot of people were hunting there 73 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 2: in a lot of the spots I wanted to go to. 74 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 2: So I went scouting along a river, because if I'm 75 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 2: going to find deer on public land, they will often 76 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 2: be along moving water. The first thing I found was 77 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 2: a dried up ox bow lake that was covered in 78 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 2: buck sign, so I walked it out and found more 79 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 2: buck sign in. 80 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 3: A couple of big beds. 81 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 2: I put that in the maybe pile, and then I 82 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 2: found a decently used crossing leading to another flat along 83 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 2: the river. 84 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 3: Now that was two data points. 85 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 2: So the first night I was there, we set up 86 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 2: on the second flat. While waiting for my cameraman to 87 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 2: get settled in, two bucks trotted down the hill right 88 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 2: into our laps. I couldn't do anything but pick up 89 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: a camera and film it for myself while we waited 90 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 2: to see how it played out. What happened was that 91 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 2: my cameraman finally got settled in and I was halfway 92 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: up to my saddle platform when he hit some button 93 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 2: on his camera that made a lot of digital noise, 94 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 2: and I watched those bucks sprint out of my life. 95 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,840 Speaker 2: We sat there that evening and came back the next morning. 96 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 2: We heard deer cross the river in a specific spot. 97 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 2: In fact, it was the spot those bucks ran to, 98 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 2: but I couldn't see any of the deer, so I 99 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 2: figured we'd better walk out that spot, and when we did, 100 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 2: I found a much more promising crossing that would allow 101 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 2: bucks to travel through three flats along the river, mostly 102 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 2: in a straight line. That meant they could cruise the 103 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 2: thickest bedding cover around where the most lush and green 104 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 2: browse was, they could get a drink, all while avoiding 105 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 2: most of the hunting pressure. It was efficient and effective, 106 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 2: and when I looked at on X to get a 107 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 2: better idea the whole thing, it dawned on me just 108 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 2: how linear and straightforward the buck travel would be in 109 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,479 Speaker 2: that spot. It took an afternoon and then half of 110 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 2: a day before we decoyed in a buck on the river, 111 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 2: and it was cool as hell. It was all about 112 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 2: the connective tissue between those spots. Now, follow me back 113 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 2: to Minnesota, where I've been hunting a small twenty five 114 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 2: acre property in the suburbs. The spot only allows for 115 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 2: a few setups, and for some reason, while I had 116 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,040 Speaker 2: had deer come through in different areas, there's one stretch 117 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 2: of woods between a wet pond and a dry pond 118 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,679 Speaker 2: that a lot of the deer passed through. I sat 119 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,679 Speaker 2: watching them from a different stand about seventy five yards 120 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 2: off the mark, and the movement didn't make sense. So 121 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 2: once again I pulled up on X and had a 122 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 2: real aha moment. For starters, the spot was kind of 123 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 2: between what looked like an amazing five acre bedding area 124 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 2: next to someone's house and the nearest cornfield, which was 125 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:04,359 Speaker 2: very far away, but the travel was so linar and 126 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 2: allowed them to stay and cover mostly from point A 127 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 2: to B and back. When I realized why I had 128 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 2: seen so many dos come and go through there, and 129 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,559 Speaker 2: then why almost every cruising buck on the property seemed 130 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 2: to use that twenty yard wide runway through the woods, 131 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 2: it just dawned on me that spot is just a 132 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 2: connective tissue between the betting and the food, between the 133 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 2: food and the betting. That's not much of a dear secret. 134 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 2: But the truth is that little patch just concentrates travel 135 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 2: and it doesn't look like a funnel. Neither did this 136 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 2: stuff in Iowa that I hunted, because they weren't funnels. 137 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 3: They aren't funnels. 138 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 2: Neither spot necked down movement physically, it was just where 139 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 2: they chose to travel. After seeing two bucks one evening 140 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 2: use that spot, I told the landowner that I was 141 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 2: going to go rogue the next day during mid morning 142 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 2: and hang a stand right over it. The wind was 143 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 2: going to be pretty good and it was going to 144 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 2: be November seventh, So I got set up in this 145 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 2: dreamy red oak that was positioned so well for the 146 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,599 Speaker 2: and honestly was something I appreciated a lot after spending 147 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:06,919 Speaker 2: so much time on public land trying to just find 148 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 2: a tree that might work in the areas I wanted 149 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 2: to hunt. And at one point thirty I looked behind 150 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 2: me and saw a buck standing where I didn't want 151 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 2: to see a buck standing. He was going to have 152 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 2: to come around my end of the pond, and that 153 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 2: meant he was probably going to get my win. 154 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 3: Now. I had a NOSONYX unit running. 155 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 2: Specifically because I was worried about that exact thing happening. 156 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 2: But I thought, there's just no way that buck did 157 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 2: win me. I'm sure of it. He also wanted to 158 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 2: get past me so bad that I could see him 159 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 2: almost weighing the danger. Now, these deer live in the suburbs, 160 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 2: so they smell people a lot. They aren't the brightest 161 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 2: year I've ever hunted, but they don't tolerate big mistakes either. 162 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 2: This buck had like a real battle of wills as 163 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 2: he almost offered up a shot and then started to 164 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 2: finally walk off. I thought, well, you know, I guess 165 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 2: it wasn't meant to be. But he wanted to get 166 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 2: to that dope betting area so bad, and the only 167 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 2: way was to go through the pond or walk past me. 168 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 2: And he made the wrong choice, And it was a 169 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 2: wonderful feeling watching him pile up seventy yards away. The 170 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 2: truth was, the whole reason I killed him was from 171 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 2: deer observation in satellite imagery. This isn't revolutionary stuff, but 172 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,240 Speaker 2: I find myself thinking too small on this front a 173 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 2: lot of times, or maybe a better way to put 174 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 2: it is, I find myself thinking mostly like to the 175 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 2: size of the property, Like I limit my thought process 176 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 2: to what do I have to hunt? 177 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:38,719 Speaker 3: And that's it. 178 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 2: Now, when you hunt that small twenty five acre property, 179 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 2: you know, I was mostly thinking about just what the 180 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 2: wind is going to do and what limited options I have. 181 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 2: I'm not thinking about the fact that there's no good 182 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 2: food source anywhere near me other than one standing cornfield 183 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 2: on the north end of a sod farm that is 184 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,559 Speaker 2: well over a half a mile away. I'm not thinking 185 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 2: about a scrubby patch of grass and brush that might 186 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 2: be three acres that a handful of does bed in 187 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 2: every day. That's way on somebody else's land. But both 188 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 2: of those spots are vital to the overall deer movement 189 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 2: on that small place I can hunt, and I'll probably 190 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 2: never set foot on either property. I just needed the 191 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 2: deer to show me what they do where I can hunt, 192 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 2: then figure out why via a bird's eye view of 193 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 2: the land. That gave me the confidence to sit there, 194 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,559 Speaker 2: and it worked out really well, really fast. 195 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 3: What does this mean? 196 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 2: Well, there's two things in Iowa. I had to decide 197 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 2: that the connective tissue between those three spots would be 198 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 2: strong enough to host some good buck movement. It was, 199 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 2: and it didn't take long to see that. With a 200 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:44,839 Speaker 2: private place by my house, I had to figure out 201 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 2: why the deer I saw did what they did, and 202 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:49,199 Speaker 2: it made a hell of a lot more sense when 203 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 2: I put those pieces together. This is where I like 204 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 2: to go with deer hunting. You know how, either on 205 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 2: a spot you know really well, or maybe you hunt 206 00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 2: with a buddy on his place. There's just like stay 207 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,079 Speaker 2: spots where you or he is like, hey, they I'll 208 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 2: just go through the woods here, knowing that might be 209 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 2: just good enough to kill it here, and that's it. 210 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 3: But I want to know why, and so should you. 211 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 2: Why do the deer walk through the woods in that 212 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 2: particular spot during certain conditions and not during others. Where 213 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 2: are they coming from and where are they going? What 214 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 2: is the connective tissue holding things together there. The more 215 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 2: you susce out the answer to those questions, the more 216 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 2: you can put that together anywhere you go. This is 217 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,440 Speaker 2: why it's important to use satellite imagery to figure out 218 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:36,079 Speaker 2: as much as you can about the whole dear neighborhood 219 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 2: you hunt, not just the spots you can actually shoot 220 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,840 Speaker 2: a deer in Let me give you another example. I 221 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 2: love to hunt states where you can bait on private 222 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 2: land but not on public. If those states allow feeders, 223 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,840 Speaker 2: that's even better. You know why, because the deer will 224 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 2: often be very shy of those spots in daylight, so 225 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 2: they'll stage up in the cover on public and then 226 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,559 Speaker 2: feed on the private at night. You can sometimes see 227 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 2: feeder on aerial photos, or you can at least see 228 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 2: the spots where there's very likely to be a feeder. 229 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 2: In other situations, you can see food plots in the woods, ponds, 230 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 2: egg fields, all kinds of interesting things that you may 231 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 2: never get to hunt yourself, but could very well influence 232 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,679 Speaker 2: movement on your ground. This is something that you almost 233 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 2: have to understand to be successful with any level of consistency. 234 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,319 Speaker 3: On public land. If you don't. 235 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 2: Understand how the private land influences your hunts there, you're 236 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 2: going to be shit out of luck a lot. But 237 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 2: on private ground you can do a lot of looking 238 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 2: into the neighboring properties to figure out not only why 239 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 2: the deer you hunt might do what they do, but 240 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 2: also to try to predict what the deer should be 241 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 2: doing in the places you might not hunt. 242 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 3: A lot. 243 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 2: Let me give you a hint about this. Even if 244 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 2: you mostly hunt big woods, unbroken tracks of timber way 245 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 2: up north or down south, there will almost always be 246 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 2: some type of cover where the deer feel more secure. 247 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 2: The interesting connective tissue is often just the best cover 248 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:03,040 Speaker 2: for them to go from point A to B and 249 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 2: feel safe while they're in it. Where a lot of 250 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 2: hunters make a mistake here is thinking that any woods 251 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 2: is good cover. 252 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 3: It's not. 253 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 2: Open wood sucks, and deer mostly don't like it unless 254 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 2: they literally don't have a better option or they get 255 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:19,719 Speaker 2: no hunting pressure. Generally, the connective tissue between spots will 256 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 2: be something that has a soft edge, or something that 257 00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 2: just allows them to travel without being seen by people. 258 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,199 Speaker 2: This is most evident and easy to understand. If you 259 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 2: hunt open country, the deer will gravitate toward ever so 260 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 2: slight elevation changes like it's their job, which it kind 261 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 2: of is, because their job is to not get shot 262 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,679 Speaker 2: by you. They'll cater their routes to every patch of 263 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 2: willows or sumac or the little bit taller CRP field 264 00:12:44,679 --> 00:12:46,320 Speaker 2: so that they can go from where they want to 265 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 2: be to where they want to be without being spotted. 266 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 2: It's really that simple, but it's also not because these 267 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 2: routes exist because they are safe. They not only have 268 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 2: the visibility advantage mostly, but they often have a wind 269 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 2: advantage too. That spot that I killed my Minnesota buck 270 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 2: in favors me very specifically around that pond because that 271 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 2: puts a slight wrinkle into their travel plans. They just 272 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 2: kind of have to go to the one side of 273 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 2: it or the other, and primarily to one side, which 274 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:19,239 Speaker 2: allows me to set up and play very specific wind directions. 275 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,679 Speaker 2: Every other location on that property that is along that 276 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 2: travel route doesn't offer the same advantage. So really this 277 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 2: is kind of a big first step to think about 278 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 2: where do the deer prefer to travel because it offers 279 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 2: security and it connects to places they want to be, 280 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 2: Then how the hell do you hunt it? This is 281 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 2: the one that a lot of folks get tripped up on, 282 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:42,959 Speaker 2: but it's a good idea to think about these types 283 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,480 Speaker 2: of spots first. As big as you can on that 284 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 2: property by my house, I could probably say that the 285 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 2: travel route that I can hunt might consist of maybe 286 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:53,560 Speaker 2: two hundred and fifty yards of open country and cover 287 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 2: of that, there's one spot where a pond forces some 288 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:59,959 Speaker 2: level of movement. There are no hills, there are no 289 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,319 Speaker 2: fence crossing. There's just two hundred and fifty yards to 290 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,439 Speaker 2: work with, of which about twenty five of them offer 291 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 2: me a real advantage if the prevailing north or west 292 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 2: winds show up like they're supposed to, but mostly haven't 293 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 2: this year for some reason. And why does this matter again, 294 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 2: I'm going to say this because I have to. People 295 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:18,719 Speaker 2: like to sit the easy spots and try to draw 296 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 2: deer to them by calling or rattling or decoying or whatever. 297 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 3: That's great. 298 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 2: It can be in the nail in the coffin when 299 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 2: you've done the rest of the work to identify a 300 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 2: spot like this, But the ticket to being a good 301 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 2: consistent hunter is figuring out exactly where deer like to 302 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 2: walk first. You can be a master deer caller, but 303 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 2: if you don't have the first part, you won't be 304 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 2: as successful as you could be. It's the defining factor 305 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 2: in great hunters, and it's something that all of us 306 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 2: can benefit from. It's great for bow hunting. It's damn 307 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 2: near a necessity if you gun hunt anywhere with real 308 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 2: hunting pressure. If you spend time on public land, You 309 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 2: better think about this stuff because it'll come into play 310 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 2: in so many different scenarios. And this isn't just a 311 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 2: white tail thing either. Connective tissue between spots and animals 312 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 2: prefers huge in the elkwoods. It'll make you a deadly 313 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 2: turkey hunt once you understand how it works. It's something 314 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 2: to think about no matter what you hunt, where you hunt. 315 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 2: So take a little time to think about your season 316 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 2: thus far. Does any of this give you any idea 317 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 2: on what you should scout digitally? Does it make you 318 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 2: think about the stuff you might be missing. Maybe you 319 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 2: didn't have a great season and you can't figure out 320 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 2: where the deer are. That might be as simple as 321 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,720 Speaker 2: something along some part of their travel route changing, and 322 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 2: it might not have anything to do with the property 323 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 2: you hunt. Take a look at the most current satellite 324 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 2: imagery you can find. Think about the deer you did see. 325 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 2: Were any of them doing something you thought was random, 326 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 2: Because it probably wasn't. It was probably just tied into 327 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 2: something you don't quite understand yet. There's more to this 328 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,040 Speaker 2: stuff than deer like to walk along the swamp across the. 329 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 3: Ridge here in September, but they're in November. 330 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 2: Figure out why if you can and get your ass 331 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,400 Speaker 2: into some of those spots and look for that connective 332 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 2: tissue to with the whole thing together. And come back 333 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 2: next week because I'm going to talk about the challenges 334 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 2: of cold weather hunting and how to overcome some of them. 335 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 3: That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. 336 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 2: This has been the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, which 337 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 2: is brought to you by First Light. As always, thank 338 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 2: you so much for listening and for all your support. 339 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 3: You know, we just went through a big sale. 340 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 2: We really appreciate you guys showing up buying some merch 341 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 2: whatever you're doing, or maybe you're just going to the 342 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 2: mediator dot com to check out some of our other podcasts, 343 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 2: some of the articles, recipes, we drop films all the time. 344 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 2: If you want to get a fix, you can see 345 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 2: me shoot some deer. You can watch Mark shoot some deer. 346 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 2: A lot of good stuff there at the mediator dot com. 347 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 3: Go check it out.