1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, home of the 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:10,639 Speaker 1: modern white tail hunter, and now your host, Mark Kenyon. 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm your host, 4 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyan, and today in the show, Tony Peterson and 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: I are breaking down five hard earned white tail lessons 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,639 Speaker 1: but the two of us were recently reminded of and 7 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: that we believe can help you become more successful this season. 8 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: All right, welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, brought 9 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: to you by First Light. And I'm back. I'm back 10 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 1: from whatever thing Tony has been saying I've been doing. 11 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: I don't know if it's been, uh, filming a fantasy 12 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: movie with Spencer, or collecting seashells or god knows what, 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: but I'm back from it. And hunting season has kicked 14 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: off for me and my partner in crime, Tony. So 15 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: today we are back together and we're here to discuss 16 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 1: what we learned from our first hunts of the year. 17 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 1: We've had some highs, we've had some lows, and we've 18 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: had a whole bunch of what i'd call learning opportunities 19 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: in between. And I think Tony, I think you'd agree 20 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: that there's been some hard earned lessons here. Early on 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: like right out the gate that we can you know, 22 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: as an individuals, but then I think also for everybody 23 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: else listening, I think we can all learn from some 24 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: of these things and take it through the rest of 25 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: the Deer season. So we're gonna talk through our first 26 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: couple hunts of the year. You know, that would be 27 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: my early season hunt in Idaho with further and your 28 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: hunt Tony in Wisconsin, or your hunts I should say, 29 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: with your daughters. Um, And then what I want to 30 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: do is as we use these stories, as we talk 31 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: through these stories, we're gonna highlight and break down maybe 32 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: four five, six major lessons that we can taking these 33 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: that we can take from these hunts, and then you know, 34 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: used throughout the rest of the year. So that's that's 35 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: my game plan, Tony. Uh, good plan, bad plan? Are 36 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: you indifferent? Are you already bored? What do you think? No? 37 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: I think it's a good plan, man. I Uh. I'm 38 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: just continually amazed at how often I bump into something 39 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: out there that just teaches me a valuable lesson. And 40 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: I think you and I have both gone through some 41 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: stuff already this season. That's that's worth sharing in this episode. Yeah, 42 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: that's uh. It's it's both depressing and encouraging that we 43 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: can You know, I've been hunting since I was three 44 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: or four. You've been hunting for gosh knows how long, 45 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: and we're still learning stuff or being reminded of stuff, 46 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: or bumping up against something and saying, damn it, what 47 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: do we do now? You just never stop learning. So 48 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: that's that's a good thing. I think. Oh I do. 49 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: I do too. I mean, I think you know. There's 50 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: one one reminder you get when you're when you create 51 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: content in this space, you know, doing the job that 52 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: you and I do. It's like you hit March and 53 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: you're like, I don't know what to talk about. I 54 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: don't know what to write about. And then you hit 55 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: September and you're like, I have a million different ideas 56 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: I want to cover because you're out there living it 57 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: and there's so many of those things that happened to 58 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: you were like, man, you're just just such a valuable 59 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 1: lessons and in that encounter or that experience or that 60 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: blood trail or whatever, it's just this is this is 61 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: a wild time year. I'm excited for this Mark. Yeah, 62 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: I agree. Hey, real quick, I just remember before we 63 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: get into these hunts. I do have to make a 64 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: couple of plugs. Uh, first off season eleven of meat Eater, 65 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: the newest season, the brand new season of meat Eater 66 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: is going to be Oh gosh, I'm gonna get real 67 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: trouble here if I get the date wrong. So I 68 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: better get this date right. Um. The new season is 69 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: going to be launching, uh on October twenty six. Yes, 70 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: October twenty six, the new season will be launching. But 71 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: here's the kicker. This is different than before. The new 72 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: season is only going to be available on the meat 73 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: Eater website. It's gonna be free. You don't need a 74 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: new account for anything, Like, you don't have to pay 75 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 1: for anything. You just need to be signed into the 76 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: Mediator website and then you can watch that new season 77 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: for free October. And in the weeks leading up to that, 78 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 1: we're gonna be putting season seven, season eight, season nine, 79 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: and season ten all on the website to watch. Two. 80 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,360 Speaker 1: So that's plug number one. If you want to see 81 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 1: some cool new Mediator stuff that's coming your way, to 82 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:46,039 Speaker 1: the meat eater dot com to miss anything on that one, Tony, 83 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: you're you're on the same emails as a mean they 84 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: get that right. I think you nailed it, buddy. Okay, 85 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: plug number two and this one I know pretty well 86 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: because I've been so involved in it. Uh my show 87 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,280 Speaker 1: Deer Country, my brand new whitetail show Deer Country. We 88 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: now have three. No, by the time you're listening to this, 89 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: there will have been four episodes up on the meat 90 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: Eater YouTube channel. So you've heard me mention the Washington 91 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: d C. Hunt. You've heard me mentioned the Arkansas back 92 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: country hunt. You last week hopefully saw me chase white 93 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: tails with a handheld decoy and the great planes. And 94 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 1: this week's episode, I went up to Maine to learn 95 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: how to track deer in the snow, um and learning 96 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,679 Speaker 1: under the tutelage of how blood just like a legend 97 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: in that world. Uh, really really interesting hunt Like. There's 98 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: a lot of great learning opportunities in that one. So 99 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: highly recommend you check that stuff out. Tony. Pretend I'm 100 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: not here. You don't need to, you don't need to 101 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: butter me up, you don't need to fluff me. Can 102 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: you give us your review so far off Dear Country? 103 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: Or what should people expect or be looking for if 104 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,720 Speaker 1: they haven't watched it yet? I think they should check 105 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: check it out because it is not like any other 106 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: You're Hunting show out there, And I truly mean that that. 107 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: The concept is great and it's just a different thing 108 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: than the industry has been delivering for a long long time. 109 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 1: So they should check it on. On that recommendation alone, 110 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: there you go, I think, I think that's accurate, and uh, 111 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 1: I think it's worth watching. Like you said, it's different. 112 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: It's not a bunch of big trophy bucks delivered on 113 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 1: a platter. It's all about new places, new styles of hunting, 114 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 1: and learning and uh that's what we try to hear 115 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: on the podcast too, So I'm proud of it. Well, 116 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: and the good thing about it too is you're right. 117 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: It does highlight the reality of so many different hunting 118 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: situations based around white tails, and we tend to get 119 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: so myopic and almost like xenophobic over our own white 120 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,280 Speaker 1: tail hunting, and we forget that there's this huge world 121 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: out there of people hunting all these different styles and 122 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: all these different places. And it's kind of nice to 123 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: be reminded of that because if you consume a lot 124 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 1: of hunting media, you you tend to see hunts that 125 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: occur in the same places in the same style because 126 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: you know, usually they're filmed or whatever, and it's like 127 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: you kind of got to go to some of these 128 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: places to get an easy hunt on film, and that's 129 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: what happens over and over again. And this is I 130 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: would not say that, this is that. I would say 131 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: this is a different thing. Yeah, we don't need any 132 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: more hunts over a food plot in Iowa, do we Noh? Yeah, Okay, 133 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: So speaking of that, then let's let's continue talking about 134 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: some different kind of stuff because the hunts that you 135 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: and I are talking about today are not the kind 136 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: of thing that gets shown on TV either. Um, so 137 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: you want to kick it off, you you had a 138 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: lot of interesting stuff happened in your first couple of hunts. 139 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: Can you can you fill me in on what happened 140 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: and what you learn from it? Should we start with 141 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: a good story? Yeah? Yeah, good story first, because because 142 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: I know we're gonna we're gonna break bad here eventually 143 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: on this one. Uh yeah, you know. Was we go 144 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: over to Wisconsin a lot, and my my little girls 145 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: started hunting last year because there's no minimum major limit 146 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: over there, and you know, they were nine last year, 147 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 1: and my one daughter killed the dough and my other 148 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: daughter killed a dough in a little buck, and so, 149 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: you know, my plan this year was to get him 150 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: over there every weekend I could that I was gonna 151 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: be home, and my one daughter, who hadn't killed a buck, 152 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: she was up first. And so we had gone over 153 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: in the summer and put up some blinds and some 154 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: cameras and caught some trout and kind of made a 155 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: made a couple of weekends out of it. And when 156 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: we went over there the friday before the opener, it 157 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: was hot, like I don't I don't know if you 158 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: dealt with this level of heat out and Idaho on 159 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: your hunts, but it was it was like humid hot, 160 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: which is the worst you know when you're when you 161 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 1: go out in the morning and you're like, oh, it's 162 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: you know, opening day of deer season, but it's like 163 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 1: sixty five degrees with like a hundred percent humidity. It 164 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,679 Speaker 1: just feels it feels weird, you know, like is it 165 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: not not what you typically expect. But I knew from 166 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: running cameras, I knew we had a decent chance of 167 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: of running into a door or a buck. And she 168 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: was she was hunting anything that didn't have funds or 169 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 1: anything that didn't have spots, and we sat, you know, 170 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: opening day, we sat you know, basically four hours in 171 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: the morning, four hours in the evening, never saw a deer, 172 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:21,959 Speaker 1: which is really typical up there where we're hunting. And 173 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: then the following morning we got in super early because 174 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 1: I think, I keep thinking it's more more important to 175 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: let let our spots settle down, especially when I take 176 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: these girls out, because we have to go into a blind. 177 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: You know, it's not like we're super mobile, so the 178 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: spot the blind is in, I need to preserve that 179 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 1: movement around there as much as possible. And so they 180 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: get they get kind of pisted about it, but I've 181 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: been making them get up earlier and earlier and earlier, 182 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: and we get in there way before first light. And 183 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 1: you know, the second morning of the season, we did 184 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: that and just randomly looked up and here's this bike 185 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,559 Speaker 1: buck walking in from like twenty yards out. And my 186 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: daughter that was with me is like really good at 187 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 1: rushing her shots, like you never know what's going to happen. 188 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: And so our our deal is, you know, like I 189 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 1: want you to aim at them and then you tell 190 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:14,960 Speaker 1: me when you're ready. Then I'm going to take the 191 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: safety off because there uses a crossbow and then you 192 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: you choose your shot. So I'm kind of eyeball in 193 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: the situation until they square up up in their broadside 194 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:25,959 Speaker 1: or quartering away, and you know, it's kind of like 195 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: a little team effort that way, because if I didn't 196 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 1: do that, especially with this daughter, she'd probably shoot the 197 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: moment he stuck his nose. Always like to just get 198 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,960 Speaker 1: it over. And so this buck walks into like twelve 199 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: yards and poses up up and I take that safety 200 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: off and I'm I'm like, I'm thinking, you know, she's 201 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: gonna take a little time or whatever. And I popped 202 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: that safety off, and that crossbow goes off like point 203 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: one seconds later, and all I hear is that bolt 204 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,319 Speaker 1: slam into a tree and I just go, honey, you 205 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,720 Speaker 1: you have to take your time and aim. And she's like, Dad, 206 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,680 Speaker 1: the crosshairs were right on its chest. It was perfect, 207 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: And I'm like, I don't think so I thought she 208 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: missed completely. So we have this little argument in the 209 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: blind because she's like, I think we could go get 210 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 1: him right now. And when he ran off, you know, 211 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: I lost sight of him right away. But it's sounded 212 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: like he fell over. So I was like, maybe maybe 213 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 1: I am wrong, Maybe she zipped it right through him. 214 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: And so we gave him a half hour and got 215 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:26,319 Speaker 1: up and as soon as we got out there, I 216 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: could see blood all over the brush, and so I 217 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: let her start blood trailing and he only made it 218 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: maybe maybe fifty yards, and she had hit him perfect. 219 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: But it was like in my in my head with her, 220 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:39,959 Speaker 1: and if you met her, you'd be like, Okay, I 221 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: get I get his concern a little bit because she's 222 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: real squirrely, but she's just perfect, just lay stems. So 223 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,079 Speaker 1: that was that was a lot better than the second 224 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: week and when I brought my second daughter over, which 225 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: we can talk later, but it really was, you know, 226 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:57,800 Speaker 1: it was a good lesson on two fronts, right, Like 227 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: I always preach about hot weather, cold weather, windy, rainy 228 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,319 Speaker 1: would ever go, especially in the early season, because those 229 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: deer used to that and it was not nice deer 230 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,840 Speaker 1: hunting weather. And the other thing was, you know, you 231 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:15,560 Speaker 1: we're putting in enough time in these spots and and 232 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: trying to preserve the movement so much that I feel 233 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: like it's just paying off in you know, not like 234 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 1: tons of deer sightings because we'd never have them there 235 00:12:23,679 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 1: but good encounters and it just it just worked out 236 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:30,680 Speaker 1: for us. So so tell me a little bit more 237 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:35,319 Speaker 1: about you know, this is something you teased up before 238 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:38,199 Speaker 1: we start recording. You were talking about how the amount 239 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: of time you let something settle matters on a hunt 240 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: like this, even and you you kind of I thought 241 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: it was interesting mentioning the fact that this warm weather, 242 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: cold weather, whatever, you know, get out there. But I 243 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 1: think one thing that I have been guilty of sometimes 244 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 1: is that when the weather is not that good, if 245 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:58,959 Speaker 1: it's like really warm or lousy, like a day you're 246 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: talking about, I'll go in late. I'll be like, they're 247 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,680 Speaker 1: not going to move to the last half hour or 248 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:05,199 Speaker 1: something like that. So like those of the days are 249 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 1: tempted to get in late or you know, whatever might be. 250 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 1: If it's raining and nasty, you might be like, well, 251 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,199 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna get in there an hour before dark, 252 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,199 Speaker 1: you know, or before daylight in the morning. I'll get 253 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: out there right at daylight and just go out because 254 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: I don't want to get silk and wet um. But 255 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,839 Speaker 1: I know you're someone who sometimes advised, you know, putting 256 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:27,560 Speaker 1: in that time regardless. Yeah, I mean I think I 257 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: think it's so important man, And I learned this, you know, 258 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: at least I should say. This is sort of drilled 259 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: home in my head when I go on these hunts 260 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,679 Speaker 1: where you know, you're hunt in public land somewhere and 261 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 1: you don't have anything else to do, and so I'm like, well, 262 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,959 Speaker 1: am I I'm better off being in a tree if 263 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,839 Speaker 1: the if the wind is gonna work for me, then 264 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: being back at camp and you know, you start killing 265 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: deer at off times. And you know, when I when 266 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: I elk hunted earlier in September, I was primarily sitting water, 267 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: and I kept thinking about that, like, you know, I 268 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: don't know when a bull is gonna get thirsty and 269 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: come in, but I know if I'm back at camp 270 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: taking a nap, it's gonna suck if that's when he 271 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 1: comes in. And so it's like, I'd rather just be 272 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 1: out there as much as possible. And you know, for me, 273 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: it's different. I can go sit all day and I 274 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,440 Speaker 1: can you know, not go too crazy. When I've got 275 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,959 Speaker 1: ten year olds with me, there's a different consideration. But 276 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: I'm trying to get them to learn that lesson to that, 277 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,880 Speaker 1: like you know, yeah, you might be tired at nine 278 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: o'clock in the morning, but why not just sit till 279 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: ten just in case, let's figure out a way to 280 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: make it happen. And the more that we do that 281 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: or you know, I know they don't like getting up early, 282 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: but man, I'd rather get in there pretty early. Not 283 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: as early as you did on the back forty when 284 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 1: we filmed together. That was ridiculous, but like somewhat some 285 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: happy medium there in between where you're not pushing it, 286 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,600 Speaker 1: Like you're like, I feel really good about us getting 287 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 1: in super quiet, and that's that's the other thing, you know, 288 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: if you're talking about getting in the morning or getting 289 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: out a little bit later in the afternoon, if you're 290 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: if you're like, man, you know, I'm kind of pushing 291 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,840 Speaker 1: it here. You're gonna go faster, and you're gonna make 292 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: more noise, and you're gonna notice fewer things, right, Like 293 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: you're not going to notice the signs the same way 294 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 1: you might run into one walking in, or you're just 295 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: you're just not in the zone quite as well as 296 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 1: what's just make mistakes to Like, if you're rushing, you're 297 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 1: more prone to all sorts of mistakes. Yeah, I mean, 298 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: you forget stuff, you step on sticks. It's just like 299 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 1: it's not a good state to be in when you 300 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: want to go out there and really not have your 301 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: presence be known by everything. Yeah. Yeah, so true. So 302 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:37,440 Speaker 1: if we're if we're tying a bow on something here 303 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: that you know we should think about for the rest 304 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: of the year, it's always give yourself some extra time 305 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: and don't assume the worst. Always assume you know what 306 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: this might work out. I'm going to give myself proper time. 307 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: Don't give into that temptation to say it's not going 308 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:55,920 Speaker 1: that great, I'll go I'll sleep in for half hour more. 309 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 1: It's not that great, I'll lay in the couch for 310 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: half an hour more. The half hours always more valuable 311 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 1: in the field, whether even if it's just because it 312 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 1: gives you a better state of mind. I think that's 313 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: that's so true and something that's hard to stick with, 314 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 1: especially as you go throughout the year and you get 315 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: more and more exhausted. It's easy to start, you know, 316 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: giving into that. Yeah, And I mean, you just feel 317 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: better about yourself, even even if you go out and blank. 318 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 1: If you're like I'm hunting until ten o'clock, in the 319 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: morning because I feel like there's my chance. It's kind 320 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,320 Speaker 1: of like, you know, if you if you're like I'm 321 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: going for a six mile run after we do this, 322 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: I don't like I could feel okay about myself if 323 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: I quit after three I'm like, well, it's still ran 324 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: three miles. But that's not what I'm there for. You know, like, 325 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 1: you feel better if you just get it done and 326 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: go do go do the work you need, and that's 327 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: that's part of being successful as a deer hunters. Like, 328 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna this, this is my plan and I'm going 329 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: to see it through until something tells me I really 330 00:16:55,280 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: should you know, abandon it and do something else? Yeah? Yeah, true. 331 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: Well what happened next? What was the what was the 332 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,199 Speaker 1: next weekend? You want to get into that one? I 333 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 1: think so so. Uh like a good dad, I pulled 334 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: my daughter out of school early so we could drive 335 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:13,919 Speaker 1: over and sit, and then I took her out of 336 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,919 Speaker 1: school the next day. Uh, so we could make a 337 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: long weekend out of it. Because you know how it is, 338 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:22,159 Speaker 1: once you get into October, you're you've got a lot 339 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: of stuff going on for work in the in the field, 340 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: and not necessarily enough time to take the kids out, 341 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 1: and so I said, let's make a long weekend of 342 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: it and go see what we can do. And we 343 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: got over there, man, and it was like, you know, 344 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: the first night we had to do on a fun 345 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: come in close like eight maybe eight ft from the blind, 346 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 1: and they winded us right before they came out. But 347 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,159 Speaker 1: it was a really cool encounter because it was a 348 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:47,440 Speaker 1: beautiful night, and you know, by then the weather had 349 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: gotten really good, like it was, you know, sixties and 350 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: kind of overcast, and you know, in the morning it 351 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 1: was maybe like fort and so it was it was 352 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: gonna happen. And then you know, the next day of 353 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,880 Speaker 1: rain starting, the rain started move in. We still we still, 354 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 1: we saw some deer got really close to shooting a 355 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 1: dough and just didn't didn't quite step out where we 356 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: needed it too. But up there, you know, if you 357 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: have deer encounters every day, I feel really good about it. 358 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 1: So then we went into the third morning and it 359 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: was pouring rain. We got up and there was just 360 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:24,880 Speaker 1: it was coming down. But I told my daughter, I'm like, well, 361 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: we're gonna get wet going through the woods, but we 362 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: get into the blind will be pretty dry. And it 363 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: was supposed to end at like eight thirty nine o'clock 364 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: in the morning, and I was like, we need to 365 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:35,919 Speaker 1: get out there and just be there for a while. 366 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: And we get out there, you know, it's one of 367 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:41,360 Speaker 1: those mornings it takes four ever to get light out 368 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 1: because it's overcast and rainy and you're in the woods. 369 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,879 Speaker 1: And finally got light out nothing and she was pretty tired, 370 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: and you know, it just randomly, maybe forty five minutes 371 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: into shooting light I looked up and there's a little 372 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:57,720 Speaker 1: five pointer coming in and he he either winded us 373 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:00,040 Speaker 1: a little bit or he saw uce because and I 374 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: I think he saw us because the the light was 375 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: so low and so even it was just not great 376 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: scenario to be in a blind, like they're gonna be 377 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:10,159 Speaker 1: able to see him there pretty well. But you know, 378 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: he's a little buck and he wasn't that smart, so 379 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:14,639 Speaker 1: he started get a little wiggy, and she got on 380 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: the crossbow and he kind of started to trot a 381 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 1: little bit, and I just murped at him, and he 382 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: stopped twenty yards quartered away, and I took her safety off, 383 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: and a couple of seconds later, she shot, and I 384 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,640 Speaker 1: heard that that bolt zipped through him and he bounced 385 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: off there, and I was like, man, I can't believe 386 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 1: that just happened. And I asked her and she said 387 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: it felt really good, you know, like I think I 388 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:38,960 Speaker 1: hit him really well. And so I thought, man, we're 389 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:42,360 Speaker 1: gonna have another blood trail and be back in town 390 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: eating pancakes. And we gave him, you know, some time, 391 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: and got out there because I really needed I was 392 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: really fighting the urge to go right away because of 393 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 1: the rain, but the light just was like not great 394 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: like he was. It was light enough to see anything, 395 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,120 Speaker 1: but looking for like backs of blood on the wet 396 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:02,920 Speaker 1: ground while it was raining. I was like, let's just 397 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: let's give it time. We don't we don't need to 398 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 1: rush it. So we got out there and started looking 399 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 1: and there's blood everywhere, and I'm like, okay, this is 400 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 1: pretty good. But then we hit that point of the 401 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: blood trail where it was like a hundred yards and 402 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 1: I just told her. I was like, honey, I don't 403 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:21,359 Speaker 1: think I don't think this is going to break the 404 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: way we think it's going to now, because this is 405 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:28,440 Speaker 1: not making me feel great. And then you know, he's like, okay, 406 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: do we push it or do we go back? But 407 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 1: the rain was heavy enough and we had a good 408 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: enough blood trail where I was like, I was really conflicted, 409 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: like I don't know, I don't really know what to 410 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: do here, Like I don't want to push it, but 411 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,119 Speaker 1: I know this blood is going to wash away, and 412 00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:46,159 Speaker 1: then I'm mad at myself for even hunting in it, 413 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,679 Speaker 1: you know, because then you're like, if we lose this 414 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,680 Speaker 1: deer because of these decisions, I'm like, this that really sucks. 415 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 1: And so real quick stepping back one half second, that 416 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: the dilemma is you can follow right now because you 417 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: have the good blood, but there's the risk that the 418 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:04,359 Speaker 1: hit wasn't as good as you thought. That deer might 419 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:06,360 Speaker 1: still be alive and you might be pushing that deer 420 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: and then you'll never find it. But on the flip side, 421 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,640 Speaker 1: if you wait, that deer might bet up and die 422 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 1: and you'll find them up there. But the risk is 423 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,520 Speaker 1: that if you wait, the blood trail might disappear with 424 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 1: the rain, and then you've nothing to go off of 425 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 1: and you have a really hard time finding. So that's 426 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: that's the two. You know, possible paths and passable sets 427 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: of outcomes in these kind of rainy situations, and it's 428 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 1: it's a hard decision. Well it is, and what kind 429 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,680 Speaker 1: of ultimately, you know, put its finger on the scale there. 430 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 1: For me was the fact that this is like Northwood's thick, nasty. 431 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,160 Speaker 1: This is not like a nice deciduous forest where grid 432 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,360 Speaker 1: searching is going to be like a real good possibility. 433 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,680 Speaker 1: And I knew if we lost that blood trail, it 434 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: was really going to be like a needle in a 435 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: hay stack type of thing, because this is even the 436 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,439 Speaker 1: higher woods they're they're just thick and nasty. They're like 437 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: good grouse cover type of stuff. And I knew the 438 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: direction he was heading. There's an enormous swamp there. You know, 439 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,679 Speaker 1: it's part of cat tails, part alder thickets, part willows, 440 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 1: just just like rough stuff to to a grid search. 441 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:19,199 Speaker 1: And so I said, we're gonna go slow, but we're 442 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: gonna stay on this blood and see how it shakes out. 443 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,560 Speaker 1: And you know, you get two hundred yards into it 444 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:26,719 Speaker 1: and you go, now, I know this is not what 445 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: I thought it was. Right. There's no way she shot 446 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,359 Speaker 1: him through the ribs the way we were hoping. But 447 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: you've got good blood, and so you keep pushing it 448 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: and sneaking along. And it was It was really rough 449 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,399 Speaker 1: because you know, a couple of hundred yards into it 450 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: and you're soaked, and it's like there's you know, every 451 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 1: every advancement you make on the trail, you're like, well 452 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: this this feels good because we're still on blood, but 453 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: we're going farther and the odds of us running across 454 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: this dear dead, you know. And so what I started thinking, 455 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:01,119 Speaker 1: and I'm sure, but listening to this, they're going, I 456 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: was a muscle hit And that's what I started thinking. 457 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: She hit it too low, or she hit it too 458 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 1: far forward, and you know, hit a whole bunch of 459 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:10,560 Speaker 1: muscle right away, and you get a lot of that 460 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,160 Speaker 1: promising bright red blood, and then you start to lose 461 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:17,240 Speaker 1: it a little bit. And I would say probably, I 462 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: don't know, maybe between like four hundred and five yards 463 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: into it, I started finding just like clotted up blood 464 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: on stuff that he would brush up against. And then 465 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, this is this does not make 466 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: me feel good. And it hadn't stopped raining when I 467 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: was supposed to, and so we got into that swamp 468 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:38,200 Speaker 1: and I lost it completely, Like I'm like, I got 469 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,439 Speaker 1: no more blood and I was just standing there and 470 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,919 Speaker 1: this happens a lot. I'm just standing there and I'm 471 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: looking at her, and she's soaked and she's cold, and 472 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: it's been hours, and that buck got up and ran 473 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 1: away through that swamp like he wasn't even hurt. And 474 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,400 Speaker 1: what he went through I was. I stayed. I had 475 00:23:57,400 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: her stay there, and I went to get on it 476 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: again and and I was like up to my nuts 477 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: and swamp water, I'm like, I can't even go anymore. 478 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,359 Speaker 1: And it was just like he went through there like 479 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: he had no problem. And so we ended up trying 480 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: to get around there and and pick him up again 481 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:15,959 Speaker 1: and lost it again. And it was just like one 482 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,679 Speaker 1: of those deals where you're like we're blood trailing or 483 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,119 Speaker 1: you know, now we're just like looking for sign on 484 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: a deer that I don't think it's dead. And it 485 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,120 Speaker 1: just was one of those deals where it was like 486 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:31,400 Speaker 1: just not fun. It went it went from real fun 487 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:36,359 Speaker 1: to real frustrating and disappointing, and it was a long day. 488 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: How did how did she take it? Like, what did 489 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,199 Speaker 1: you say to your daughter to get through something like that? 490 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 1: You know, she was really beating up on herself on 491 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 1: the blood trail, especially, you know, being out there and 492 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: being soaked and just knowing because she was she went 493 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 1: from you know, like she went on the roller coaster. Man. 494 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,679 Speaker 1: She was she was convinced she smoked it. And then 495 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 1: when we started a greanell that this wasn't the case, 496 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,239 Speaker 1: I think she started to accept it and she was 497 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,119 Speaker 1: really bummed, like really bummed. But you know, by the 498 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:10,679 Speaker 1: time we got back and got dried out, you know, 499 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: she was asking me about the deer I've hit loss. 500 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: I'm like, I don't we have how much time do 501 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 1: you have? You know, like, if you do this stuff 502 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: long enough, that happens, And you know, I think with 503 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:25,119 Speaker 1: her especially, I think you'll leave a real mark. And 504 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:27,639 Speaker 1: I think she'll think long and hard about her shots 505 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: in the future, and I think she'll take better shots 506 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: and it. And it's not like this wasn't a good 507 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:35,119 Speaker 1: shot to take. I think it just happened fast, and 508 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,679 Speaker 1: I think she rushed it. And she's she's usually really 509 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: solid with that stuff, like she's killed deer in turkeys 510 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: and usually pretty good at it. And I think this 511 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 1: one she'll go, I'm gonna make sure that I'm going 512 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 1: to hit that deer right where I want to from 513 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,919 Speaker 1: here on out, And so it was, you know, it 514 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:59,600 Speaker 1: went okay. So what's the what's the takeaway from this one? 515 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:01,399 Speaker 1: Is it to do with the shot? Is to do 516 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: with the tracking? Like, is there any major lesson you're 517 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: reminded of or that you can learn that we can 518 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,919 Speaker 1: all think about from this, you know, I think I 519 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:16,560 Speaker 1: think the lesson is, you know, you you can say, Okay, 520 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: well I hit like this, you need to wait six 521 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:21,479 Speaker 1: hours or eight hours, or hit like that you need 522 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 1: to wait this amount of time or this kind of 523 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: blood or this kind of reaction, and all of that 524 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,960 Speaker 1: stuff is okay. But really, what this, you know, the 525 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 1: post shot recovery boils down to is experience level. And 526 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,720 Speaker 1: when you go through something like this, it just reminds 527 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,440 Speaker 1: you that even you know, even I've been on I 528 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: don't know how many blood shils now, you know, hundreds 529 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: between me and all my buddies and everybody, like you 530 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,919 Speaker 1: still go through those emotions and that those times on 531 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:51,919 Speaker 1: a blood trail where you're like, I don't know. And 532 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,439 Speaker 1: what I felt the worst about on this one was 533 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 1: like I felt like I had to push it because 534 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:01,879 Speaker 1: of the rain, and I'm norm only really cautious about 535 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,399 Speaker 1: blood trails like I'd rather give them way more time 536 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:07,360 Speaker 1: than not enough. And on this one, I was just like, 537 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: should I even have been hunting in this stuff? You know, 538 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 1: like should I? Because I know one of the things 539 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: that I can't stand is when I feel rushed on 540 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,640 Speaker 1: a blood trail. And you know, when you walk out 541 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,320 Speaker 1: there and it's pouring rain. Unless you're a total idiot, 542 00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 1: you're like, Okay, well, if we shoot one and it 543 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: doesn't go perfectly, we're gonna be rushed on this blood trail. 544 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 1: So my my biggest regret there was not really factoring 545 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,679 Speaker 1: that in and and deciding whether it was worth it 546 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 1: to hunt in those conditions or not. So what do 547 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,480 Speaker 1: you stand on that, now, Tony, As far as do 548 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:50,399 Speaker 1: you hunt when you know there's gonna be a steady 549 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: rain or not? I mean that's something that for a 550 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,480 Speaker 1: long time I thought, oh for sure, because I grew 551 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: up in the school of of a certain person who 552 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,360 Speaker 1: reaches always hunting in the rain, it's great hunting. And 553 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:05,199 Speaker 1: and so I started hunting all the time in the 554 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:06,919 Speaker 1: rain and saw a lot of good actions. So I 555 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: was like, Okay, I'm into it. But then you know, 556 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: the more you have bad things happen. Like what you discussed. 557 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:14,280 Speaker 1: The more I start to think more and more about, gosh, 558 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 1: what happens if I do have that blood trail disappear. 559 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: And so I've I've gone back and forth and back 560 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,200 Speaker 1: and forth and back and forth on it myself. Um, 561 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:25,320 Speaker 1: when I'm in a spot where I'm close to home 562 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,320 Speaker 1: with with a buddy that has a tracking dog, that 563 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 1: makes me a lot more comfortable because they can do 564 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 1: very well in the rain. Actually, Um, but I'm curious 565 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 1: what your take is because I don't I don't have 566 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: a I don't have a conclusive answer for every situation. 567 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:40,520 Speaker 1: It's kind of up in the air for me, still 568 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:44,680 Speaker 1: on kind of situation dependent. Yeah, you know, for me, 569 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:46,720 Speaker 1: I'm the same way. I love hunting in the rain. 570 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: I just you know, the deer moving the rain big time. 571 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 1: But I'll probably be a little more cautious because this 572 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 1: was This wasn't like a nice drizzle where they're gonna 573 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: come on the beans and it's gonna be awesome. This 574 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 1: was like pretty heavy and it was probably too heavy 575 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: to take a ten year old in, you know. Like that. 576 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: That was my lesson there. If it was me, you know, 577 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 1: and I was sitting out there, I would hunt that situation, 578 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 1: but I would be I'd be like it's twenty yards 579 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 1: or in or I'd be really really selective. And this one, 580 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:20,960 Speaker 1: I don't. You know, I'm hoping this buck shows back 581 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: up on camera. I'm hoping he didn't die. But I 582 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 1: suspect what she did was just shot a little too 583 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: far forward, and so she probably wasn't off by much. 584 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: It might have been a couple inch difference or something 585 00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:34,360 Speaker 1: like that. But it doesn't matter, you know, Like this 586 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:37,240 Speaker 1: is this is the outcome that happened from it, and 587 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: so it just does make you think, like, and it 588 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: might be different for me. If I took her to 589 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: my buddy's place in southwestern Wisconsin with nice open woods 590 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: and deciduous forests, that might be a different deal than 591 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 1: being up in northern Wisconsin where it's just thick and nasty, 592 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, you might have the same consideration. 593 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: You know, if you live in Nebraska, you might hunt 594 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: in the downpour all the time and never worry about 595 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: losing a deer, But if you hunt Louisiana, you might 596 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: you know, Yeah, that's a good point. Well, ah, that 597 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:11,040 Speaker 1: is the toughest of lessons, right there, No doubt about that. Yeah, 598 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: it was. It was a pain. And what really sucks 599 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 1: is that little five point was like the buck we 600 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: were hunting. I was like, that's the guy who's living here, 601 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:20,240 Speaker 1: and I think that's the one we're gonna kill. And 602 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: now we don't have anything to work with, so I 603 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 1: gotta wait for somebody else to move in. But you know, 604 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 1: it is what it is. It's it's a learning experience 605 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:33,640 Speaker 1: every year, and that one, that one was a lesson 606 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:35,880 Speaker 1: that she was going to learn eventually and I was 607 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 1: gonna be reminded of and it just happened to happen 608 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:44,640 Speaker 1: this year. Yeah. Well, I hope things trend back up 609 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,120 Speaker 1: for you and your daughters here in the coming weeks. 610 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 1: Do you wanna want to hear about my story and 611 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 1: lessons learned? I do. I can't wait. All right, So 612 00:30:55,520 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 1: Idaho year three. I've done full recaps of the previous 613 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,600 Speaker 1: two years of hunts here on the podcast, so any 614 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: long time listeners should should know what's happened here. But 615 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna give you a really quick cliff notes to 616 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,280 Speaker 1: lead you up to this point. Because when I set 617 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 1: out for the first hunt, first day of our season, 618 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,719 Speaker 1: I said, all right, this is like day sixteen, and 619 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: our buddy Sam who tagged along for some of it. Uh, 620 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 1: I was like, what do you mean day sixteen? This 621 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: day one. I'm like, no, this is like day sixteen 622 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 1: because we hunted two different times the previous two years. 623 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: And I feel like now today is like the accumulation 624 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 1: of all these other hunts leading up to it, Like 625 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 1: I've been whittling away, whittling away of figuring out, figuring out, 626 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 1: and finally like I know the spots within the spots, 627 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 1: I have a plan A, and I have a Plan B, 628 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 1: and I know where these things are and like I've 629 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: got it nailed finally. Okay, That's how I thought going 630 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,880 Speaker 1: into this. And um so year one, the very quick 631 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:56,160 Speaker 1: cliff notes like me and my buddy Josh further showed 632 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 1: up to this brand new piece of public that I 633 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 1: had just like Blast one night in summer was the 634 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,640 Speaker 1: extent of experience I had out there in Year one. 635 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 1: We start hunting it and right away like we're seeing 636 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:10,080 Speaker 1: a lot of deer and like we have some close 637 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: calls with nice bucks. But then very quickly like we're 638 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 1: seeing people like every night walking past us or walking 639 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,040 Speaker 1: or we're walking past them or we're seeing trucks at 640 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: the trailheads, and like every day there was some kind 641 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 1: of bump, some kind of running with folks, and like 642 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: very quickly, dear behavior change. I saw a couple of 643 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:29,320 Speaker 1: really nice bucks, but then had like a bunch of 644 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:32,479 Speaker 1: kids drive UTVs all around me and like just destroy 645 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 1: the whole area. So that was year one. It was 646 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: promising in a way because we saw a good deer 647 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,320 Speaker 1: and a bunch of deer, but discouraging because like hunting 648 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: pressure like blew up everything. We thought we might be 649 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: able to make a move on. That was year one. 650 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: Year two we go back in and we said, all right, 651 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:50,960 Speaker 1: hunting pressure is a problem. We're gonna just get past them, 652 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 1: like we're gonna get deeper and both like farther in 653 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 1: from the access points and then also deeper towards the 654 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: deep deep bedding cover that's along this river corridor. And 655 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:05,720 Speaker 1: we start doing that, and right away we uh start 656 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:07,720 Speaker 1: you know, seeing dear, we kind of edge in a 657 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,959 Speaker 1: little bit further. Each day we have close calls. Josh 658 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 1: had several nice close calls with good bucks. Missed a 659 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: buck twice. I had to throw that. I always have 660 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: to throw that in is that why he isn't on 661 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,000 Speaker 1: this podcast. Yeah, he didn't want to relive that again. 662 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:28,400 Speaker 1: And then I pushed in discover this new betting here 663 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 1: on these islands and had you know, two different shooter 664 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 1: bucks within the arrangement behind brush and saw a bunch 665 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:37,640 Speaker 1: more movement that you know, really gave me a firm 666 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:39,600 Speaker 1: idea of okay, like we're so close, but we just 667 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: ran out of time. So that was year two. Again 668 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: though we're seeing people like there were folks going in 669 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 1: two miles with us. I couldn't believe it. There was 670 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 1: you know, bumped into folks here and there, trail cameras, 671 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:52,360 Speaker 1: so we knew pressure was still a thing, but we 672 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 1: were we were in it, like we were getting deep 673 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 1: enough that we were still in it. So year three 674 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 1: I've said, okay, I know we have to get into 675 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 1: where we kind of finally settled on there at the 676 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:05,080 Speaker 1: end last year. Um, I know it'll be deer moving 677 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 1: back there. I know their patterns. We just have to 678 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,640 Speaker 1: tweak things. We are so close. So this summer I 679 00:34:09,640 --> 00:34:11,320 Speaker 1: went back in there and did a little more scouting, 680 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:13,920 Speaker 1: scouting out a few more areas, went further than I've 681 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:16,000 Speaker 1: gone in the past, kind of the spots that I 682 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,720 Speaker 1: had observed last year from afar, I went and walked 683 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 1: on foot and so, okay, this is why the deer 684 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,319 Speaker 1: were doing this thing, and okay, this is why they 685 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:26,600 Speaker 1: were doing that other thing. So, for example, at the 686 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:29,760 Speaker 1: end of year two, I had been on working this island, 687 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 1: and you might remember this, Tony, I was texting you. 688 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:34,960 Speaker 1: I was like, I had these bucks come through heading 689 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:38,600 Speaker 1: kind of northwest to southeast and the head of that 690 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: way in the evening, and then the morning they came 691 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:43,760 Speaker 1: up the opposite side of the island, like seventy yards 692 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:46,000 Speaker 1: across this little opening and went back the other way. 693 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,160 Speaker 1: And then the next day they went back that way again. 694 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:51,239 Speaker 1: And so I was trying to figure out, like, are 695 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:53,000 Speaker 1: they gonna come on the north side of the island 696 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:54,319 Speaker 1: to the south side of the island, and why did 697 00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 1: they always kind of hook down at the end of 698 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:58,960 Speaker 1: this island. I didn't quite know the answer to that. 699 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:01,080 Speaker 1: So the summer, when I back in there, I walked 700 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 1: it all and I found that there's this channel that 701 00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,880 Speaker 1: where I've been crossing. It was pretty narrow and relatively 702 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 1: easy to cross, but if you kept going down to 703 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:12,720 Speaker 1: the east, that channel went from being like a creek 704 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: to all of a sudden expanding into like a great 705 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:19,240 Speaker 1: big backwater and basically impassable, like they could if they wanted. 706 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,320 Speaker 1: But none of these deer, we're going to go across 707 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:25,520 Speaker 1: this like fifty yard sixty yard wide big pond when 708 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:27,920 Speaker 1: they could just cross here at the beginning of that 709 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: little shallow spot. And what I realized when I got there, 710 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 1: I saw that, and then all this sign showed like 711 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,400 Speaker 1: oh wow, all of those deer, they're they're going on 712 00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 1: opposite sides of the island, but when they get to 713 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 1: this point, they're all coming. They're all funneling down to 714 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:43,760 Speaker 1: this crossing. So I realized, like, all right, I found 715 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,120 Speaker 1: the spot within the spot here. And then I found 716 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:48,800 Speaker 1: like a similar kind of thing, different specifics, but another 717 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,600 Speaker 1: one of these like spots within the spot on another 718 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,319 Speaker 1: section of the public and another zone I kind of 719 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,680 Speaker 1: explored a little bit. Year one and two, I found 720 00:35:56,719 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: another one. So I had like three of these spots 721 00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:01,279 Speaker 1: that were fine too, And I thought this summer, so 722 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:04,160 Speaker 1: coming into the hunt, when I talked to Sam, like man, 723 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,719 Speaker 1: this is day sixteen. I got him dialed. I knew, like, 724 00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 1: all right, I've got this Plan A that is like 725 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:11,319 Speaker 1: keyed up, and then that that doesn't work, Okay, I've 726 00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:13,040 Speaker 1: got this other Plan B that I think is just 727 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 1: going to be a great opportunity to and if that 728 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: doesn't work, I still know this other spot that I've 729 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,799 Speaker 1: really you know, worked and figuring it out, and they're 730 00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:23,960 Speaker 1: gonna be there. I should at one other point, which 731 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:27,080 Speaker 1: is that because of all that hunting pressure we experienced 732 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: in year one and year two, that first week, we 733 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:32,200 Speaker 1: got to thinking that this might be like the opening 734 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:35,320 Speaker 1: week effect that you've experienced and I have experienced, and 735 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 1: a lot of folks I think over the last I 736 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:41,160 Speaker 1: don't know, five plus a or something like that. As 737 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:45,280 Speaker 1: as kind of this early season opener hunting has gotten 738 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:47,919 Speaker 1: more and more popular. It seems like everybody's out there 739 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:54,920 Speaker 1: opening day in these early states, Nebraska, Kentucky, North Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, wherever. 740 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,359 Speaker 1: If you've got that early September thing, it's it's kind 741 00:36:57,400 --> 00:36:59,840 Speaker 1: of rare still, right, Not all states are open, so 742 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: everybody floods to these states to hunt those first few days. 743 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:07,399 Speaker 1: So I thought, how about I just devoid that first 744 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: week of crazy, come back two and a half three 745 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,960 Speaker 1: weeks later and come in like late ish September, when 746 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,440 Speaker 1: maybe all these guys that have been hunting or off 747 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:18,279 Speaker 1: to other states now or they're off to hunt Elk 748 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:20,560 Speaker 1: or Mulety or something, and maybe we'll have the woods 749 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,760 Speaker 1: to ourselves now and hopefully, you know, with three weeks 750 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:26,640 Speaker 1: under their belts, maybe these deer have like they got 751 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:29,440 Speaker 1: blown up that first week and got really pressured, but 752 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,960 Speaker 1: if it died off the next two two and a 753 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:34,560 Speaker 1: half weeks, maybe they'd get back to being comfortable again, 754 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:37,480 Speaker 1: and you know, we'd have this shanger a lot of 755 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,960 Speaker 1: type situation. That was my hope and my theory. So 756 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,319 Speaker 1: we decided to show up on September I don't know, 757 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 1: or something like that to hunt that like third and 758 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:53,359 Speaker 1: fourth week of September. So those are my thoughts letting 759 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 1: into it, Tony and listening to this, does it just 760 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,680 Speaker 1: make you laugh? Are you just sitting Chuck? You're just 761 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:02,040 Speaker 1: like following I feel like you're just following my thought 762 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 1: process from like the last couple of years. And I 763 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:07,279 Speaker 1: know how it shakes out. I know how it chok 764 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:08,759 Speaker 1: out for you, and I know how it chook out 765 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:12,839 Speaker 1: for me. And man, there is just a saturation point 766 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:17,239 Speaker 1: out there with pressure that it takes a while to overcome. 767 00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:20,759 Speaker 1: And I know your thought process seems sound when you're like, well, 768 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 1: it's been a couple of weeks the opening, the opening 769 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:25,760 Speaker 1: week for first should have died down and things should 770 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:28,880 Speaker 1: be back to normal. That has not been my experience 771 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:32,919 Speaker 1: in some of these early opener states. It's like maybe 772 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:36,239 Speaker 1: maybe a month later, maybe five weeks later, you can 773 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:38,880 Speaker 1: start getting back on them in a in a natural 774 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: kind of movement pattern. But man, it's it's tough when 775 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: you hunt those states that open early in the in 776 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:48,279 Speaker 1: the velvet pressure is real, and it's just it's just 777 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,640 Speaker 1: a lot of people out there pushing them around. It 778 00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:53,040 Speaker 1: changes things in a hurry, and it changes them for 779 00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:57,799 Speaker 1: a while. Yeah, And and that's that's what we came 780 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:01,680 Speaker 1: to see two. Unfortunately, because that first night I went 781 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: to this that location I told you about with the 782 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:07,560 Speaker 1: island and the backwater and everything, and I felt really 783 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:11,160 Speaker 1: good about it. And Josh went into this location last 784 00:39:11,239 --> 00:39:13,440 Speaker 1: year that heat hunted and fine tuned and had these 785 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:15,880 Speaker 1: close calls over the nice Buck. We both went and 786 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:19,640 Speaker 1: there feeling really good. But I got a couple pieces 787 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:21,759 Speaker 1: of bad news leading up to it, Like a day 788 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:24,479 Speaker 1: or two before this, another hunter that I bumped into 789 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:27,680 Speaker 1: their last year and then exchanged phone numbers texted me 790 00:39:27,719 --> 00:39:29,799 Speaker 1: and said that, man, it doesn't look good in there. 791 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:33,240 Speaker 1: I've been in there. There's very little sign um and 792 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:36,640 Speaker 1: there had been like some development on neighboring private lands, 793 00:39:36,640 --> 00:39:38,320 Speaker 1: some new stuff had been built, and he was just like, 794 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:40,120 Speaker 1: I just don't know what's going on. Doesn't look as good. 795 00:39:40,160 --> 00:39:42,319 Speaker 1: Because I was a little concerning. And then when we 796 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:45,200 Speaker 1: drove up one of the access points, not the one 797 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:46,879 Speaker 1: that we're going to use, but one of them had 798 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:50,080 Speaker 1: three trucks, and so that made me think like, oh, man, 799 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,840 Speaker 1: that doesn't bode well for my theory. Um. But we 800 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:56,640 Speaker 1: go in, I go to this spot I set up, 801 00:39:56,719 --> 00:40:00,440 Speaker 1: feels great. I was very confident going in. We brought 802 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:02,400 Speaker 1: e bikes this year so that we could come in 803 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:05,640 Speaker 1: and out faster and hopefully lower impact on these deer 804 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:07,640 Speaker 1: when we're rolling by them in the mornings or late 805 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:10,399 Speaker 1: at night. Um, because it's like a two plus mile 806 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:13,719 Speaker 1: previously have been a hike, So we were doing like 807 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:16,160 Speaker 1: two miles in the morning, two miles out midday, two 808 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:18,359 Speaker 1: miles in the afternoon, two miles out in the evening, 809 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:21,000 Speaker 1: so we're doing eight mile days. So this year we 810 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:24,160 Speaker 1: brought quiet cats and that was huge, really really nice 811 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:26,040 Speaker 1: to have that. Uh So we get in there. I'm 812 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,759 Speaker 1: feeling great. I'm buzzing along on my bike, just like 813 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:31,839 Speaker 1: thinking about how nice it's gonna be to roll one 814 00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:34,120 Speaker 1: of these bucks out here tonight on my little trailer 815 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,160 Speaker 1: that I've got back in the truck, and YadA, YadA, YadA, 816 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:42,160 Speaker 1: and uh get in the tree and I see one 817 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:47,160 Speaker 1: dough for the entire night, one dough previously in this spot. 818 00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: You know, you're seeing fifteen twenty plus deer, bunch of bucks. 819 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:56,280 Speaker 1: One dough on our first hunt. Josh same thing. First 820 00:40:56,320 --> 00:40:58,719 Speaker 1: hunt of his in this general area last year, he 821 00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:02,520 Speaker 1: saw like two shooters a bunch of deer. He saw nothing, 822 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:06,319 Speaker 1: zero deer. That's day one. I'm gonna fast forward and 823 00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:08,879 Speaker 1: move quickly through some of these events here because day 824 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:13,719 Speaker 1: two we have very similar situations. I decide based on 825 00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:15,840 Speaker 1: what I saw Day one and based on kind of 826 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:19,920 Speaker 1: some funky wind stuff that was happening night number one. Um, 827 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:21,600 Speaker 1: you know, one thing I did have that that made 828 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:23,560 Speaker 1: me a little bit up in the air was that 829 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 1: when the wind died, I had like a weird kind 830 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:29,440 Speaker 1: of like thermal thing with my wind. It was supposed 831 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:32,160 Speaker 1: to be going southwest, and every once in a while 832 00:41:32,239 --> 00:41:35,440 Speaker 1: it would push east, and I think that was what 833 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:37,879 Speaker 1: I found is in some of these spots along this river, 834 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:39,640 Speaker 1: it doesn't happen all the time, so it's like you 835 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:41,920 Speaker 1: don't you don't know it until you're in this situation. 836 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:44,040 Speaker 1: I haven't been able to figure out why or what 837 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:47,080 Speaker 1: features of the land causes, but in some areas you'll 838 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:50,359 Speaker 1: get this effect where the current of the river kind 839 00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:53,160 Speaker 1: of pushes your wind along. It seems to be like 840 00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:57,160 Speaker 1: a very low wind speed um in certain like if 841 00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:00,239 Speaker 1: you're deep enough or close enough to this like canyons wretch, 842 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:02,759 Speaker 1: it pulls. In other places it will be true to 843 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:05,799 Speaker 1: the forecast, and in this particular area that particular night, 844 00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:08,080 Speaker 1: it just gave me a handful of times where it 845 00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:11,640 Speaker 1: pulled more from an easterly direction, and that wasn't good 846 00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:14,319 Speaker 1: for the movement I was expecting. So after that first night, 847 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:17,200 Speaker 1: I was like, Wow, it might have been bad wind ish, 848 00:42:17,239 --> 00:42:19,439 Speaker 1: but also like that was not the way it should 849 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:21,879 Speaker 1: have panned out. I should have still saw more than that. 850 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:24,480 Speaker 1: Josh still should have been seeing something with a good 851 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:29,040 Speaker 1: wind he had, So I decided to one second, mark, 852 00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:30,799 Speaker 1: can we can we hit on that point with the 853 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:33,640 Speaker 1: river quick? Because I think I think something there that's 854 00:42:33,640 --> 00:42:38,200 Speaker 1: worth talking about is you know, probably with that the 855 00:42:38,280 --> 00:42:41,719 Speaker 1: river situation, it's probably the temperature differentiation. Don't we think 856 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:44,680 Speaker 1: like the water is colder and it's that's probably have 857 00:42:44,719 --> 00:42:46,200 Speaker 1: an effect on the wind there, or do you think 858 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:49,080 Speaker 1: it was a train thing? Well, I think it's it's 859 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:51,600 Speaker 1: definitely a combination of those things, right, because there's like 860 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:54,879 Speaker 1: a big hill above the river. So you've got two 861 00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:58,680 Speaker 1: different things possibly happening. You've got a normal thermal dropping 862 00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:01,319 Speaker 1: off of these hills right in the evening of things 863 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,160 Speaker 1: cooled down, so you have that possible thermal feature, uh, 864 00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:07,720 Speaker 1: And then you do have like you said, the water 865 00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:12,600 Speaker 1: temperature difference that's gonna pull things um. And then you 866 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:16,760 Speaker 1: also have just like how like how might a south wind? 867 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:19,320 Speaker 1: So this hill is big hill, like almost a canyon. 868 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:21,360 Speaker 1: It's like a one I don't know how to describe. 869 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:24,000 Speaker 1: It's like almost a cliff on the north side of 870 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:27,239 Speaker 1: this river corridor, but nothing to the south. So if 871 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:30,879 Speaker 1: you have a pure south wind, it's like coming from 872 00:43:30,880 --> 00:43:33,480 Speaker 1: the south and hitting that cliff and then is that 873 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:37,520 Speaker 1: cycling back and doing funky things too. Um, so there's 874 00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:40,359 Speaker 1: like three different possible things happening. And over the last 875 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,400 Speaker 1: three years I've seen I've seen the number of different 876 00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,279 Speaker 1: funky things, but the most consistent thing that I've realized 877 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:48,719 Speaker 1: is that if you have a very low wind, more 878 00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:51,400 Speaker 1: often than not, it's gonna suck. It's gonna turn into 879 00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:54,440 Speaker 1: a wind that kind of goes with the current of 880 00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:58,080 Speaker 1: the river which is going from east to west. So yeah, 881 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:01,120 Speaker 1: I mean, I think we don't it's really hard to 882 00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:04,160 Speaker 1: pin that stuff down, but you know how common it 883 00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:06,759 Speaker 1: is to like encounter that right And you know, we 884 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:09,040 Speaker 1: we talked about thermals, and we write about thermals, and 885 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:13,200 Speaker 1: you know, anybody who's ever hunted in the mountains probably 886 00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:16,080 Speaker 1: understands thermals better than somebody who hasn't, because they're so 887 00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:19,920 Speaker 1: extreme typically in the mountains. But even even when you 888 00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:22,520 Speaker 1: do that and you're in a situation like we were 889 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 1: this year when we were out hunting where it was hot, 890 00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:27,600 Speaker 1: like really hot for out conditions that especially at the 891 00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:30,400 Speaker 1: elevation we were at, and it wasn't getting that cold, 892 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:33,520 Speaker 1: you didn't get that huge rush of thermals in the 893 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:37,280 Speaker 1: afternoon coming down. It took a while for it to switch, 894 00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 1: so you had this like because it wasn't such a 895 00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:43,799 Speaker 1: drastic change in temperature. It was more of a like 896 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,800 Speaker 1: a subdued thermal, which like was terrible because you couldn't 897 00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:49,920 Speaker 1: count on it for a long time doing you know, 898 00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:51,480 Speaker 1: you're like, hey, you're supposed to be rushing down the 899 00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:53,920 Speaker 1: mountain here pretty soon, and it's doing all kinds of 900 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:56,360 Speaker 1: crazy stuff. And I see that in the white tailed 901 00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:00,239 Speaker 1: world to where it's like if your temperatures aren't, like 902 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:02,960 Speaker 1: if it's not really changing throughout the day, sometimes you 903 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,400 Speaker 1: don't get like really reliable thermals. If it's you know, 904 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:08,719 Speaker 1: only drop in a few degrees is the sunsets, you're 905 00:45:08,719 --> 00:45:11,040 Speaker 1: gonna get a thermal, but it's not the same thing 906 00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:13,480 Speaker 1: as if it was really gonna get cold and you know, 907 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:15,600 Speaker 1: drop ten or fifteen degrees in the next hour and 908 00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:18,040 Speaker 1: a half or something. And that's that's like a spot 909 00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:21,600 Speaker 1: situational type of thing, and it saves a lot of 910 00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:26,120 Speaker 1: freaking deer. Yeah, And it's yes, it's it's hard to 911 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:28,719 Speaker 1: predict to like you can't really peg like, oh, it's 912 00:45:28,719 --> 00:45:31,080 Speaker 1: going to happen this situation or not. It's you have 913 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:34,400 Speaker 1: to assess quickly and then make a gut decision on 914 00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:36,239 Speaker 1: like is this gonna stick? Like is it gonna is 915 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:38,439 Speaker 1: this what it's gonna keep doing? And if so, then 916 00:45:38,480 --> 00:45:40,960 Speaker 1: you need to adjust. But then there's always like I 917 00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:43,480 Speaker 1: always worry, like you find like a weird wind thing 918 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:46,759 Speaker 1: that's going on, and then you're stuck thinking, Okay, do 919 00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:48,920 Speaker 1: I trust that this funky thing that's happening right now 920 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:52,320 Speaker 1: is going to continue? Or in half hour is it 921 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:54,719 Speaker 1: going to switch back to the predicted wind? And then 922 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:56,400 Speaker 1: I'm going to be like s O L because I 923 00:45:56,440 --> 00:46:00,040 Speaker 1: didn't set up for that. That's I don't know the 924 00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:02,560 Speaker 1: right answer, just making a gut decision in the moment 925 00:46:02,600 --> 00:46:06,879 Speaker 1: based on you know, experience in the conditions. I guess yeah. 926 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:10,560 Speaker 1: And it's it's so it's so tied to so many 927 00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:13,760 Speaker 1: different things, right. It's tied to the temperature and probably 928 00:46:14,160 --> 00:46:16,799 Speaker 1: partially to the seasonality of it, but also, like you said, 929 00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:20,239 Speaker 1: if you have one weird terrain feature around you, like 930 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:22,040 Speaker 1: I've I've got a spot in North Dakota that I've 931 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:25,160 Speaker 1: killed some bucks on and it it's like next to 932 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,879 Speaker 1: a huge rock wall, like I don't know how tall 933 00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:31,200 Speaker 1: it is, but if you fell off, you'd be dead 934 00:46:31,520 --> 00:46:34,360 Speaker 1: if you hit the rocks halfway down, Like it's it's tall, 935 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:37,600 Speaker 1: and it's always kind of a crapshoot when you get 936 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,200 Speaker 1: in there, like, well, how is that going to affect 937 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:42,680 Speaker 1: the wind? Because depending on which way the wind coming from, 938 00:46:42,680 --> 00:46:44,160 Speaker 1: it might be blowing over you and you might not 939 00:46:44,239 --> 00:46:46,759 Speaker 1: have any wind hardly, or if it's coming the other 940 00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:50,600 Speaker 1: way and it's it's blasting against that rock wall, it's like, man, 941 00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:53,439 Speaker 1: I shouldn't even be here, and it's you know, that's 942 00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:56,080 Speaker 1: only one little small spot there. I bet you if 943 00:46:56,120 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 1: you were, you know, five yards away from that, you'd 944 00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:05,239 Speaker 1: have vastly different experience with the same wind. True, I 945 00:47:05,239 --> 00:47:07,759 Speaker 1: think that. I think the takeaway there is just do 946 00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:17,120 Speaker 1: not trust your wind forecast as gospel ever. Yeah, always takeaway, yes, always, always, 947 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:21,600 Speaker 1: always be monitoring as you're going along, and and be 948 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:24,759 Speaker 1: willing to adjust and accept your new reality. I think 949 00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:30,839 Speaker 1: that's that's a big one right there. Right, So excuse me, 950 00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:34,160 Speaker 1: so back to my next day and kind of a 951 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:36,080 Speaker 1: big kind of I don't know if this is a 952 00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:37,960 Speaker 1: lesson I learned, but this is like a thing I 953 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:40,880 Speaker 1: kept reminding myself of on the trip, so like a 954 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:44,799 Speaker 1: like a maxim or a like don't ever forget this 955 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:47,480 Speaker 1: mark as I'm talking to myself is like, you have 956 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:50,479 Speaker 1: to be willing to pivot fast on these kinds of hunts. 957 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:52,680 Speaker 1: When I only have a way, it's six days. You 958 00:47:52,719 --> 00:47:54,640 Speaker 1: don't have a lot of time to ride a dead horse. 959 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:59,240 Speaker 1: So that first day it was dead. This other hunter 960 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:01,760 Speaker 1: was telling me how was dead. I had one trail 961 00:48:01,840 --> 00:48:04,120 Speaker 1: camera back there that had been dead leading up to this. 962 00:48:04,320 --> 00:48:08,480 Speaker 1: Josh hunts his honey hole, and that's dead. And even 963 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:10,719 Speaker 1: though I had been in love with this place leading 964 00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:13,120 Speaker 1: up to the hunt, I just had a lot of 965 00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:17,120 Speaker 1: red alarm bells going off. And I, like the previous 966 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:19,440 Speaker 1: me would have been like a guy, that place is 967 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:21,160 Speaker 1: so good, you gotta you gotta go on there more. 968 00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:25,480 Speaker 1: But I decided to pull the plug, and I decided, 969 00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:27,160 Speaker 1: you know what I got, you gotta pivot, Like, there's 970 00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:29,240 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of things here that do not seem 971 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:31,840 Speaker 1: to be where you want them to. You need to 972 00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:34,759 Speaker 1: find where the deer are. Now. The pressure thing must 973 00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:36,680 Speaker 1: be more than you thought it was gonna be. These 974 00:48:36,719 --> 00:48:39,040 Speaker 1: deer have been impacted more than you were hoping they 975 00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:43,520 Speaker 1: would be. You gotta find him. So day two I 976 00:48:43,520 --> 00:48:47,880 Speaker 1: went past my night my day one location, worked my 977 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:52,520 Speaker 1: way um into a new area about about a half 978 00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:56,160 Speaker 1: third to a half mile further than my original location. 979 00:48:56,800 --> 00:48:59,200 Speaker 1: Scouted my way into a spot and found a spot 980 00:48:59,239 --> 00:49:03,760 Speaker 1: that was about is deep from like distance between cover 981 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:08,640 Speaker 1: and like the distance from river to food was um, 982 00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:10,439 Speaker 1: but gave me a little bit of an observation zone. 983 00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:12,120 Speaker 1: So this is the zone I've never been into before. 984 00:49:12,480 --> 00:49:14,640 Speaker 1: I could see, like in a couple of different windows 985 00:49:14,640 --> 00:49:17,200 Speaker 1: out to a good distance. I had a number of 986 00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:19,959 Speaker 1: decent runs that were all kind of converging in this 987 00:49:20,480 --> 00:49:22,400 Speaker 1: um I don't know how to describe it. There's like 988 00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:25,080 Speaker 1: this little pockety open stuff and then it pinches down 989 00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:27,919 Speaker 1: to thick cedars heading towards these crop fields like four 990 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:30,680 Speaker 1: yards away or something. And I thought, Okay, this is 991 00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:34,400 Speaker 1: a nice observation location. If deer are in this new chunk, 992 00:49:34,719 --> 00:49:36,719 Speaker 1: there's gonna be some that passed through here. And all 993 00:49:36,719 --> 00:49:38,239 Speaker 1: I wanted to do on this day was like, I 994 00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:40,000 Speaker 1: just want to know I'm back in the deer. Where 995 00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:41,880 Speaker 1: are these deer? Where have they been pushed to? So 996 00:49:41,920 --> 00:49:44,200 Speaker 1: my theories that they were pushed, you know, another third, 997 00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:46,600 Speaker 1: two a half mile back into this stuff. So now 998 00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:48,560 Speaker 1: we're like two and a half miles from the nearest 999 00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:51,680 Speaker 1: road access long story shore. In this I sat at 1000 00:49:51,680 --> 00:49:54,080 Speaker 1: the ground because I didn't find the right tree, decided 1001 00:49:54,080 --> 00:49:56,000 Speaker 1: I wanted to be in the right spot. And I 1002 00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:59,520 Speaker 1: saw almost nothing. Again, I saw one little tiny buck 1003 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:01,399 Speaker 1: like a year probably a year and a half old, 1004 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:04,160 Speaker 1: maybe the worst two year olds you ever saw. Um, 1005 00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:06,960 Speaker 1: but that was it. And so again, and this is 1006 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:09,680 Speaker 1: stuff that should be good. Like in previous years, you 1007 00:50:09,760 --> 00:50:11,759 Speaker 1: hunt this kind of place, this far back off the road, 1008 00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:14,840 Speaker 1: you'd be seeing a lot of deer. Again, nearly blinked. 1009 00:50:15,320 --> 00:50:17,920 Speaker 1: Josh stuck it out kind of near his little honey hoole. 1010 00:50:17,920 --> 00:50:20,480 Speaker 1: He tweaked it a little bit, but again blanked or 1011 00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:25,080 Speaker 1: saw like one spike or something. So again, now I'm thinking, 1012 00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:27,720 Speaker 1: all right, you gotta pivot. You can't ride a dead horse. 1013 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:32,520 Speaker 1: Day three now I'm in real desperate search mode, like 1014 00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:35,760 Speaker 1: this is this is not at all like what we're expecting. 1015 00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:38,000 Speaker 1: There not any of the places we thought they'd be. 1016 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:40,680 Speaker 1: I haven't been seeing fresh tracks, I've not seen a 1017 00:50:40,719 --> 00:50:43,480 Speaker 1: lot of droppings. I've not seen a single rub, nothing 1018 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:46,919 Speaker 1: like no early velot rubs, nothing like that. So Day three, 1019 00:50:46,960 --> 00:50:49,759 Speaker 1: I go hard. I go all the way to that 1020 00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:53,080 Speaker 1: area that I hunted day two and then decide, okay, 1021 00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:55,920 Speaker 1: I'm gonna take this. There's like there's old two tracks 1022 00:50:55,960 --> 00:50:57,480 Speaker 1: and stuff that cut through a lot of this public 1023 00:50:57,560 --> 00:51:00,560 Speaker 1: land because ranchers run cattle and stuff, there's some of 1024 00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:04,680 Speaker 1: these places certain times of the year. So I decided, okay, 1025 00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:06,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna ride my bike as far as I can 1026 00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:08,280 Speaker 1: take it, which is about two and a half miles. 1027 00:51:08,520 --> 00:51:10,239 Speaker 1: I'm gonna get off the bike, lock it up, and 1028 00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:13,640 Speaker 1: then I'm gonna walk this two track all the way 1029 00:51:13,680 --> 00:51:15,799 Speaker 1: to the river. I'm gonna go all the way. Is 1030 00:51:16,160 --> 00:51:18,239 Speaker 1: is far away from the food as I can possibly get. 1031 00:51:18,680 --> 00:51:20,640 Speaker 1: And what I've learned is that they're they're bedding along 1032 00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:22,640 Speaker 1: this river. So I'm gonna go right to the river 1033 00:51:23,040 --> 00:51:24,560 Speaker 1: and then I'm gonna work that river up. And I 1034 00:51:24,600 --> 00:51:26,680 Speaker 1: had a unique situation here, and this brings me to 1035 00:51:27,520 --> 00:51:31,600 Speaker 1: my third I think it's my third major lesson, major takeaway, 1036 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:35,919 Speaker 1: which is do not ignore tracks. And this is something 1037 00:51:35,960 --> 00:51:37,719 Speaker 1: like early on my deer hunting career. I didn't give 1038 00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:40,800 Speaker 1: him much attention at all. Trail cameras are very sexy, 1039 00:51:40,880 --> 00:51:43,399 Speaker 1: all that kind of stuff. But the more and more 1040 00:51:43,480 --> 00:51:45,600 Speaker 1: I'd spend time in the woods in different places, the 1041 00:51:45,640 --> 00:51:48,120 Speaker 1: more I find myself falling back on tracks just like 1042 00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:52,239 Speaker 1: they're the thing. They're the thing. And I had a 1043 00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:55,280 Speaker 1: perfect situation here because the night prior it rained a bunch, 1044 00:51:55,840 --> 00:51:59,280 Speaker 1: and so I knew, okay, that big rain hit. Anything 1045 00:51:59,320 --> 00:52:02,200 Speaker 1: I see today is going to be from the last 1046 00:52:02,360 --> 00:52:04,960 Speaker 1: you know, fourteen hours. I can I can know with 1047 00:52:05,280 --> 00:52:09,279 Speaker 1: one certainty where the deer are right now, and I'm 1048 00:52:09,280 --> 00:52:11,680 Speaker 1: gonna walk until I find where there are significant numbers 1049 00:52:11,680 --> 00:52:13,959 Speaker 1: of deer. And so I pushed. I mean I went 1050 00:52:14,080 --> 00:52:17,040 Speaker 1: back into some good stuff. I went way back to 1051 00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:20,400 Speaker 1: the river, and I crossed all these different tracks, like 1052 00:52:20,440 --> 00:52:23,080 Speaker 1: two tracks, sandy areas where like you could very very 1053 00:52:23,120 --> 00:52:26,680 Speaker 1: clear clearly see if there's any deer. I watched this 1054 00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:29,399 Speaker 1: two track the whole way I biked out, and there 1055 00:52:29,480 --> 00:52:32,399 Speaker 1: was like zero deer for almost three miles, Tony, I mean, 1056 00:52:32,680 --> 00:52:36,439 Speaker 1: they were gone, gone, And so I just kept going 1057 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:39,080 Speaker 1: and I kept pushing. I walked into stuff that like 1058 00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:41,080 Speaker 1: the last two years, I never would have touched with 1059 00:52:41,080 --> 00:52:43,279 Speaker 1: a ten foot poll because I've been so paranoid I 1060 00:52:43,320 --> 00:52:45,520 Speaker 1: was gonna spook deer, so paranoid I blow it up. 1061 00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:49,839 Speaker 1: But I just had came into this with this idea 1062 00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:51,560 Speaker 1: like you're I'm not gonna settle, Like I'm not just 1063 00:52:51,560 --> 00:52:53,600 Speaker 1: gonna ride something because it looks good. I'm not gonna 1064 00:52:53,719 --> 00:52:56,239 Speaker 1: ride something because it should be good. I'm gonna go 1065 00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:59,040 Speaker 1: until I know there's deer and tracks. We're gonna tell 1066 00:52:59,040 --> 00:53:01,680 Speaker 1: me that story. And so I walked and walked and 1067 00:53:01,719 --> 00:53:04,840 Speaker 1: walked and worked my way past this whole island that 1068 00:53:04,920 --> 00:53:07,799 Speaker 1: last year had been loaded with deer. Nothing. This year 1069 00:53:08,120 --> 00:53:10,399 Speaker 1: worked my way aving further. Now I'm three miles back 1070 00:53:10,960 --> 00:53:14,600 Speaker 1: and I get to this next island, and this was like, 1071 00:53:14,640 --> 00:53:17,680 Speaker 1: this is the farthest point from the access points. Like 1072 00:53:17,719 --> 00:53:19,520 Speaker 1: if you came in from the way we were coming, 1073 00:53:19,520 --> 00:53:22,120 Speaker 1: you'd be about three point two miles or something. If 1074 00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:24,480 Speaker 1: you came in from the farthest other side, the far 1075 00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:27,880 Speaker 1: western side, you'd be another three point two miles to 1076 00:53:27,920 --> 00:53:29,560 Speaker 1: come from that way. So this is like as as 1077 00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:32,120 Speaker 1: deep as you can get from east to west waves 1078 00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:36,319 Speaker 1: and this last island, I'm thinking, well, this has got 1079 00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:38,399 Speaker 1: to be where they're at. There should be deer, here. 1080 00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:40,440 Speaker 1: It's really hard to get to. I don't know anyone 1081 00:53:40,480 --> 00:53:43,279 Speaker 1: crazy enough from white tail hunting perspective out here that 1082 00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:46,719 Speaker 1: would do this. And so there was a channel where 1083 00:53:46,880 --> 00:53:49,839 Speaker 1: some parts of the year there was water running through 1084 00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:52,960 Speaker 1: it off of the river, but right now it was dry. 1085 00:53:53,239 --> 00:53:55,759 Speaker 1: It was covered in rocks on the bottom, but there 1086 00:53:55,800 --> 00:53:58,799 Speaker 1: was kind of raised banks on either side. And so 1087 00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:02,480 Speaker 1: I walked the not on the island, but the main 1088 00:54:02,560 --> 00:54:06,000 Speaker 1: land side where you could see trails and stuff where 1089 00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:07,719 Speaker 1: deer head you know, dropped off the bank and got 1090 00:54:07,800 --> 00:54:10,680 Speaker 1: into the channel to cross, and you could just perfectly 1091 00:54:10,760 --> 00:54:13,560 Speaker 1: see where deer historically had gone down because there's this 1092 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,520 Speaker 1: beaten down you know, kind of gullies, little trails where 1093 00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:19,120 Speaker 1: they coming off that cut off bank, and you can 1094 00:54:19,160 --> 00:54:24,440 Speaker 1: see where there's there's nothing, there's nothing. And then tracks, tracks, tracks, tracks, tracks, tracks, 1095 00:54:24,680 --> 00:54:28,920 Speaker 1: all right, my first like good fresh set of tracks. 1096 00:54:29,760 --> 00:54:32,120 Speaker 1: And based on what the wind was doing, I knew 1097 00:54:32,160 --> 00:54:34,919 Speaker 1: like with this kind of river poll with the current, 1098 00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:36,200 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, I gotta get in the west 1099 00:54:36,200 --> 00:54:38,640 Speaker 1: side of this island. So I'm gonna scout my way 1100 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:40,560 Speaker 1: all the way down this and check and see if 1101 00:54:40,560 --> 00:54:42,359 Speaker 1: this continues to be a thing. Like, are there more 1102 00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:45,640 Speaker 1: dear crossing onto this island different spots, And once I 1103 00:54:45,640 --> 00:54:47,200 Speaker 1: get all the way to the west side, I'll have 1104 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:49,719 Speaker 1: I'll know what's going on, and I'll be west of 1105 00:54:49,719 --> 00:54:52,320 Speaker 1: where this wind is gonna pull. And so I worked 1106 00:54:52,320 --> 00:54:55,600 Speaker 1: my way down this channel, and like, here's a crossing 1107 00:54:55,640 --> 00:54:57,400 Speaker 1: with a bunch of tracks. Here's a crossing with a 1108 00:54:57,400 --> 00:54:59,480 Speaker 1: bunch of tracks. Here's a crossing with a bunch of tracks. 1109 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:02,120 Speaker 1: I would say a bunch. I'm not saying like dozens 1110 00:55:02,120 --> 00:55:04,880 Speaker 1: of deer, but like a few deer per track per crossing, 1111 00:55:04,880 --> 00:55:08,160 Speaker 1: a few deer per crossing, which was like monumentally more 1112 00:55:08,200 --> 00:55:11,600 Speaker 1: than anywhere else. It's a long story short. I felt 1113 00:55:11,600 --> 00:55:14,239 Speaker 1: great about this. I finally thought, all right, like I 1114 00:55:14,320 --> 00:55:18,279 Speaker 1: found the deer there in this farthest nastiest part and 1115 00:55:18,480 --> 00:55:21,600 Speaker 1: their back bedded on this like willow nasty thicket island 1116 00:55:21,640 --> 00:55:24,279 Speaker 1: right in the edge of the river set up, and 1117 00:55:25,760 --> 00:55:28,000 Speaker 1: ended up feeling like I was in the game and 1118 00:55:28,000 --> 00:55:30,560 Speaker 1: thought I was gonna like make it happen. I had 1119 00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:32,960 Speaker 1: a little buck pop out of the island, go across. 1120 00:55:33,040 --> 00:55:35,440 Speaker 1: Another little buck popped out of the island, goes across. 1121 00:55:35,719 --> 00:55:38,360 Speaker 1: Another little buck pops out of the island goes across. 1122 00:55:38,840 --> 00:55:41,239 Speaker 1: I see a couple of dolls come out and do it. 1123 00:55:41,719 --> 00:55:44,400 Speaker 1: I actually had some elk pop out, which I was 1124 00:55:44,440 --> 00:55:47,920 Speaker 1: not expecting. Oh, and then it last light to an 1125 00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:51,319 Speaker 1: unidentified deer cross like as far away from me as 1126 00:55:51,360 --> 00:55:53,799 Speaker 1: I can see down the channel they go out. So 1127 00:55:54,680 --> 00:55:56,839 Speaker 1: that night I felt pretty good, like I saw deer, 1128 00:55:56,880 --> 00:55:58,319 Speaker 1: I saw some year and a half old Bucks, and 1129 00:55:58,360 --> 00:56:01,600 Speaker 1: I saw a couple of dolls. That was good. That 1130 00:56:01,680 --> 00:56:03,200 Speaker 1: was like as good as it's been. I felt like 1131 00:56:03,239 --> 00:56:05,480 Speaker 1: I'm kind of in the game. I just said, Okay, 1132 00:56:06,080 --> 00:56:08,719 Speaker 1: tomorrow morning, I'm gonna get up on this mountain and 1133 00:56:08,719 --> 00:56:11,319 Speaker 1: I'm gonna glass down into this channel, and I'm gonna 1134 00:56:11,320 --> 00:56:13,960 Speaker 1: confirm where these deer coming in the most, and i'm 1135 00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:16,719 Speaker 1: gonna see some bucks. Like I'm gonna dial it in 1136 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:18,440 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna come back in here and kill him 1137 00:56:18,560 --> 00:56:20,200 Speaker 1: that next night. So I get out there early the 1138 00:56:20,280 --> 00:56:22,960 Speaker 1: next morning, climb this mountain on the other side of 1139 00:56:23,000 --> 00:56:26,360 Speaker 1: the river, get up top their glass this thing, and 1140 00:56:26,400 --> 00:56:30,680 Speaker 1: I watched this channel for four hours or whatever, and 1141 00:56:30,719 --> 00:56:34,160 Speaker 1: I just saw two doors the whole morning come back 1142 00:56:34,160 --> 00:56:38,040 Speaker 1: in there, and it just like shattered my my idea 1143 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:41,279 Speaker 1: I was really confident this thing I found, and then 1144 00:56:41,280 --> 00:56:44,200 Speaker 1: I watched this whole area and man, like, there's just 1145 00:56:44,360 --> 00:56:49,160 Speaker 1: nothing going in there. So now it's day four, and 1146 00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:53,040 Speaker 1: again I'm thinking, you're just not in them, like they're 1147 00:56:53,040 --> 00:56:55,480 Speaker 1: just they've they've been blown out of town. And we 1148 00:56:55,480 --> 00:56:58,080 Speaker 1: were actually driving around at mid day that day and 1149 00:56:58,160 --> 00:57:00,840 Speaker 1: right across the road i'm private land where there was 1150 00:57:00,880 --> 00:57:03,839 Speaker 1: no hunting allowed. Apparently there was like twenty thirty deer, 1151 00:57:03,920 --> 00:57:07,160 Speaker 1: not thirty, maybe twenty deer feeding in an alfalfa field 1152 00:57:07,200 --> 00:57:09,920 Speaker 1: at noon, including like a couple of nice shooter bucks. 1153 00:57:10,680 --> 00:57:13,000 Speaker 1: So now I'm starting to think, man, did all the 1154 00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:15,879 Speaker 1: deer get pushed off the public onto private Like they're 1155 00:57:15,920 --> 00:57:23,560 Speaker 1: not even here anymore. So now I'm in kind of 1156 00:57:23,640 --> 00:57:26,600 Speaker 1: this this continue with this theme of pivoting and not settling. 1157 00:57:27,240 --> 00:57:31,360 Speaker 1: I decide, okay, we really got to rethink things and see, 1158 00:57:31,440 --> 00:57:34,160 Speaker 1: like what other opportunities are out there. So midday on 1159 00:57:34,320 --> 00:57:38,800 Speaker 1: day four, we went and went to like four totally 1160 00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:42,120 Speaker 1: different public land parcels like half an hour away. Like 1161 00:57:42,120 --> 00:57:44,919 Speaker 1: we explored every different unit for every different like piece 1162 00:57:44,960 --> 00:57:47,640 Speaker 1: of public in our unit, and we went and drove around, 1163 00:57:48,120 --> 00:57:50,400 Speaker 1: looked at parking areas trying to see whether the's truck tracks. 1164 00:57:50,400 --> 00:57:52,880 Speaker 1: We went and walked a bunch of stuff. We went 1165 00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:54,800 Speaker 1: and glassed a bunch of stuff, just to see like 1166 00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:57,720 Speaker 1: what's here, what's it looked like? Um, and we ended 1167 00:57:57,800 --> 00:58:00,440 Speaker 1: up hunting. We end up splitting up that night. Me, 1168 00:58:00,720 --> 00:58:04,080 Speaker 1: Josh and Sam hunted three different areas that night to 1169 00:58:04,200 --> 00:58:07,840 Speaker 1: just try to find like, hey, can we find deer anywhere? 1170 00:58:07,880 --> 00:58:09,600 Speaker 1: Can we just get into a place that hasn't been 1171 00:58:09,600 --> 00:58:13,960 Speaker 1: pillaged and that might have deer? And um, we didn't 1172 00:58:13,960 --> 00:58:16,280 Speaker 1: really find him any of those spots. Josh saw like 1173 00:58:16,480 --> 00:58:19,520 Speaker 1: ten tree stands and five trail cameras. I had a 1174 00:58:19,520 --> 00:58:23,240 Speaker 1: bunch of cameras and tree stands. Sam did see a 1175 00:58:23,360 --> 00:58:27,560 Speaker 1: nice buck at last light, but it busted him in 1176 00:58:27,680 --> 00:58:31,480 Speaker 1: his location, But that was the only deer he saw. Um. 1177 00:58:31,520 --> 00:58:36,080 Speaker 1: And I should also add that day earlier we had 1178 00:58:36,120 --> 00:58:39,160 Speaker 1: found like three different dead bucks on the original piece 1179 00:58:39,160 --> 00:58:42,080 Speaker 1: of public Maybe this is the day prior, But the 1180 00:58:42,080 --> 00:58:43,800 Speaker 1: picture I'm trying to paint here is like what we 1181 00:58:43,800 --> 00:58:46,320 Speaker 1: were discovering was that everywhere we'd been had been like 1182 00:58:46,400 --> 00:58:50,200 Speaker 1: raped and pillaged. I've I think it'd be conservative to 1183 00:58:50,280 --> 00:58:52,800 Speaker 1: say we we saw at least thirty or more tree stands. 1184 00:58:52,920 --> 00:58:55,720 Speaker 1: At least twenty or more trail cameras we found the 1185 00:58:55,760 --> 00:58:58,640 Speaker 1: three dead deer. One of them had its head cut off. 1186 00:58:59,080 --> 00:59:00,919 Speaker 1: One of them was a really nice buck that looked 1187 00:59:00,920 --> 00:59:03,320 Speaker 1: like it had been hit in the guts and just 1188 00:59:03,440 --> 00:59:20,320 Speaker 1: not recovered. Um, so it was not a pretty picture anywhere. Mark, 1189 00:59:20,360 --> 00:59:22,640 Speaker 1: do you think that this is a there's an outfitter 1190 00:59:22,680 --> 00:59:24,640 Speaker 1: situation going on there, or do you think this is 1191 00:59:24,720 --> 00:59:29,000 Speaker 1: just recreational hunter is just flooding the spot, you know, 1192 00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:32,080 Speaker 1: because that's a lot of tree stands. It's a good question, 1193 00:59:32,560 --> 00:59:38,200 Speaker 1: and I han't the only I guess. I don't know. 1194 00:59:38,320 --> 00:59:40,760 Speaker 1: There's two things. One like there's always a lot of 1195 00:59:40,800 --> 00:59:43,880 Speaker 1: trucks of these different trail heads. It's different like access points, 1196 00:59:43,880 --> 00:59:46,600 Speaker 1: which makes me thinks just like average dudes, and we've 1197 00:59:46,600 --> 00:59:49,360 Speaker 1: bumped into average dudes and talked to average dudes. This 1198 00:59:49,440 --> 00:59:52,200 Speaker 1: is like it's too close to a population center, and 1199 00:59:52,240 --> 00:59:53,840 Speaker 1: I should preface this, like you and I have talked 1200 00:59:53,840 --> 00:59:56,080 Speaker 1: about this a little bit. But I've been trying to 1201 00:59:56,120 --> 00:59:58,320 Speaker 1: make this work, this place work because it's close to 1202 00:59:58,360 --> 01:00:00,560 Speaker 1: my cabin out there, and I've wanted, like to have 1203 01:00:00,720 --> 01:00:03,840 Speaker 1: a cool white tail spot near my Idaho cabin and 1204 01:00:03,920 --> 01:00:07,160 Speaker 1: so like I forced the issue even though it's relatively 1205 01:00:07,200 --> 01:00:11,520 Speaker 1: close to a pretty decent population center, and and I 1206 01:00:11,600 --> 01:00:13,200 Speaker 1: kept hoping, like, oh, you can find a way to 1207 01:00:13,240 --> 01:00:15,360 Speaker 1: make it work. And we're seeing deer, so like you 1208 01:00:15,440 --> 01:00:18,520 Speaker 1: kind of could make it work sort of, But what 1209 01:00:18,560 --> 01:00:21,040 Speaker 1: I'm seeing is that it's it's maybe just not the 1210 01:00:21,120 --> 01:00:24,680 Speaker 1: juice isn't worth the squeeze, because you know, there's just 1211 01:00:24,760 --> 01:00:27,040 Speaker 1: so many people. And I will say that when I've 1212 01:00:27,080 --> 01:00:30,720 Speaker 1: done my when I did my summer scouting this year, 1213 01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:34,120 Speaker 1: and when I did more scouting last summer, I guess 1214 01:00:34,120 --> 01:00:36,400 Speaker 1: it would have been when I pushed into like some 1215 01:00:36,480 --> 01:00:39,280 Speaker 1: of this, like three miles back in stuff, I found 1216 01:00:39,280 --> 01:00:43,120 Speaker 1: a bunch of double sets, So someone was in there 1217 01:00:43,160 --> 01:00:45,240 Speaker 1: with two tree stands per tree, Which makes me think 1218 01:00:45,280 --> 01:00:47,160 Speaker 1: that someone was going in there and filming hunts, right, 1219 01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:50,040 Speaker 1: I mean, why else would you have Like I probably 1220 01:00:50,040 --> 01:00:53,680 Speaker 1: found like six seven maybe more tree stands that were 1221 01:00:53,680 --> 01:00:55,800 Speaker 1: set up as double's, Like why else would you do that? 1222 01:00:56,760 --> 01:01:00,320 Speaker 1: Um So, I don't know what the deal is, but 1223 01:01:00,960 --> 01:01:05,880 Speaker 1: it was it was pounded and um to to make 1224 01:01:05,960 --> 01:01:08,800 Speaker 1: what's becoming a long story, I guess a little bit shorter. 1225 01:01:10,160 --> 01:01:14,160 Speaker 1: Day five is pretty uneventful. We end up hunting in 1226 01:01:14,200 --> 01:01:16,240 Speaker 1: the morning and some new spots. We end up hunting 1227 01:01:16,240 --> 01:01:20,080 Speaker 1: in the evening. On the west side access point, which 1228 01:01:20,080 --> 01:01:23,000 Speaker 1: we hadn't hunted yet, but there've been cars in that. 1229 01:01:23,280 --> 01:01:25,120 Speaker 1: They've been cars in that parking lot, so we've been 1230 01:01:25,160 --> 01:01:27,600 Speaker 1: avoiding it, but they've been gone the last two or 1231 01:01:27,640 --> 01:01:30,080 Speaker 1: three days and we hadn't been able to find anything 1232 01:01:30,080 --> 01:01:31,959 Speaker 1: on our side. So I said, all right, well, let's 1233 01:01:32,400 --> 01:01:34,680 Speaker 1: let's give that a shot. I'd scouted some sweet looking 1234 01:01:34,720 --> 01:01:38,480 Speaker 1: locations over there. Maybe these guys are just hunting close 1235 01:01:38,560 --> 01:01:40,360 Speaker 1: up towards the food sources. And if I go deep 1236 01:01:40,360 --> 01:01:43,240 Speaker 1: into the riverbed stuff again and get back on these islands, 1237 01:01:43,240 --> 01:01:47,560 Speaker 1: maybe they're pushed back in there. UM went deep on that. 1238 01:01:48,360 --> 01:01:51,120 Speaker 1: One thing I felt good about this trip was like 1239 01:01:51,360 --> 01:01:53,440 Speaker 1: I and this is like one of those lessons or 1240 01:01:53,480 --> 01:01:55,080 Speaker 1: one of those like takeaways for me, It is like, 1241 01:01:55,200 --> 01:01:58,440 Speaker 1: just don't settle for good enough, don't settle for and 1242 01:01:58,480 --> 01:02:00,920 Speaker 1: it looks like it should be good. I decided this year, 1243 01:02:00,960 --> 01:02:03,920 Speaker 1: like I'm not just gonna ride something that should be good. 1244 01:02:03,960 --> 01:02:06,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna confirm that it is good. So I'm gonna 1245 01:02:06,240 --> 01:02:08,520 Speaker 1: go until I see that concentration of sign, whether it 1246 01:02:08,560 --> 01:02:10,760 Speaker 1: be you know, you know, if it was a rout 1247 01:02:10,800 --> 01:02:12,680 Speaker 1: hunted be rutting signer. Right now, I'm looking for the 1248 01:02:12,680 --> 01:02:15,000 Speaker 1: fresh tracks or fresh droppings or something. So I kept 1249 01:02:15,360 --> 01:02:19,040 Speaker 1: pushing and went deeper than I've ever been on that 1250 01:02:19,120 --> 01:02:22,360 Speaker 1: side and got into a location it looked money. It 1251 01:02:22,440 --> 01:02:24,640 Speaker 1: was like there was a crossing of the main river, 1252 01:02:24,880 --> 01:02:27,800 Speaker 1: and then there was like a flooded ditch that converged 1253 01:02:27,840 --> 01:02:30,160 Speaker 1: with that, that had a crossing over that, and I 1254 01:02:30,160 --> 01:02:34,840 Speaker 1: could see back into two of these different willow covered islands, um, 1255 01:02:34,880 --> 01:02:37,360 Speaker 1: and they all came together right there, and I thought, gosh, 1256 01:02:37,360 --> 01:02:39,680 Speaker 1: there's gotta be something that's gonna come through here, and 1257 01:02:39,760 --> 01:02:44,280 Speaker 1: all I saw was a dough and a moose. Um. 1258 01:02:44,320 --> 01:02:48,520 Speaker 1: So this brings us all to the last evening, which 1259 01:02:48,560 --> 01:02:52,720 Speaker 1: is the last kind of interesting thing that happened. So 1260 01:02:52,880 --> 01:02:56,120 Speaker 1: everything I just told you is now in the rearver mirror. 1261 01:02:56,440 --> 01:02:58,880 Speaker 1: We had our plan a's and Plan b's, and those 1262 01:02:59,000 --> 01:03:02,480 Speaker 1: ended up, you know, being devoid of deer. So then 1263 01:03:02,520 --> 01:03:05,479 Speaker 1: I kept pushing and exploring new places, and I really 1264 01:03:05,480 --> 01:03:08,280 Speaker 1: didn't find anything except for that one island, that three 1265 01:03:08,320 --> 01:03:10,520 Speaker 1: point two miles in island where I had the fresh 1266 01:03:10,560 --> 01:03:13,080 Speaker 1: tracks going in there, but you know, and I didn't 1267 01:03:13,120 --> 01:03:14,960 Speaker 1: see anything but the does and the year and a 1268 01:03:14,960 --> 01:03:17,040 Speaker 1: half old. And when I glassed at the next morning, 1269 01:03:17,040 --> 01:03:19,400 Speaker 1: I just saw few does. So I kind of, you know, 1270 01:03:19,640 --> 01:03:22,080 Speaker 1: lost the confidence in that. And then we went and 1271 01:03:22,120 --> 01:03:25,600 Speaker 1: we hammered. We kind of did like a like a 1272 01:03:25,640 --> 01:03:27,880 Speaker 1: shotgun approach, and tried to look at all these different 1273 01:03:27,920 --> 01:03:29,840 Speaker 1: parcels around there to try to see if there's maybe 1274 01:03:29,880 --> 01:03:31,680 Speaker 1: been a hidden gem that nobody else is hitting, but 1275 01:03:32,320 --> 01:03:34,760 Speaker 1: all the signs pointed to it just being pillaged across 1276 01:03:34,800 --> 01:03:38,480 Speaker 1: the board. So now we're to our last night, and 1277 01:03:38,840 --> 01:03:41,760 Speaker 1: I look at like everything I have available to me 1278 01:03:41,800 --> 01:03:44,480 Speaker 1: and everything I've learned, and I tried to think back, 1279 01:03:44,520 --> 01:03:46,440 Speaker 1: like is there any place that is there any rock 1280 01:03:46,480 --> 01:03:50,360 Speaker 1: I've left unturned? Is there anything that seems worth my 1281 01:03:50,480 --> 01:03:53,080 Speaker 1: time again? And the only thing I could come back 1282 01:03:53,120 --> 01:03:56,360 Speaker 1: to was that island, that three point two miles in 1283 01:03:56,400 --> 01:03:59,240 Speaker 1: their island where I found the fresh tracks going in 1284 01:03:59,640 --> 01:04:01,760 Speaker 1: and we're I saw less than I expected, but I 1285 01:04:01,800 --> 01:04:04,920 Speaker 1: still did see like that was the best movement I saw. Yeah, 1286 01:04:05,520 --> 01:04:08,760 Speaker 1: So I decided, like, all right, I'm gonna give that 1287 01:04:08,800 --> 01:04:11,720 Speaker 1: one more try. A little bit of me thought like 1288 01:04:11,800 --> 01:04:14,040 Speaker 1: that just seems like it could work if if the 1289 01:04:14,080 --> 01:04:17,120 Speaker 1: deer haven't been completely pushed off. The sign you saw 1290 01:04:17,200 --> 01:04:19,840 Speaker 1: indicates that it should be decent, even though you didn't 1291 01:04:19,840 --> 01:04:21,480 Speaker 1: see a good buck like you were hoping and thought 1292 01:04:21,520 --> 01:04:24,800 Speaker 1: you would. And I get in there, I find a 1293 01:04:24,800 --> 01:04:26,959 Speaker 1: good spot to set up along the crossings. They're based 1294 01:04:27,000 --> 01:04:31,680 Speaker 1: on what the wind was doing. And last three minutes 1295 01:04:31,680 --> 01:04:34,600 Speaker 1: of daylight, three or four or five minutes of daylight, 1296 01:04:35,400 --> 01:04:37,880 Speaker 1: a buck steps out into the channel about a hundred 1297 01:04:37,920 --> 01:04:40,400 Speaker 1: yards down from me, and then a second one and 1298 01:04:40,440 --> 01:04:44,640 Speaker 1: they're both nice mature bucks step out in this channel, 1299 01:04:45,320 --> 01:04:47,200 Speaker 1: make a scrape, like both of them. Like one makes 1300 01:04:47,200 --> 01:04:49,760 Speaker 1: a scrape, one the next one walks up, makes a scrape, 1301 01:04:49,800 --> 01:04:52,720 Speaker 1: and then they spar and then it's dark and they 1302 01:04:52,760 --> 01:04:55,360 Speaker 1: I see them like in fading light. I see them 1303 01:04:55,400 --> 01:04:58,000 Speaker 1: turn and they don't cross the channel. They go right 1304 01:04:58,000 --> 01:05:01,640 Speaker 1: back into the island. They didn't even leave this island 1305 01:05:02,280 --> 01:05:04,840 Speaker 1: before dark, and that was the end of the hunt. 1306 01:05:04,880 --> 01:05:09,680 Speaker 1: Way to leave the next morning. So my take away 1307 01:05:09,680 --> 01:05:12,000 Speaker 1: from that, I had two thoughts coming out of that 1308 01:05:12,040 --> 01:05:15,800 Speaker 1: experience that night. One part of me said, one part 1309 01:05:15,840 --> 01:05:17,880 Speaker 1: of me countered that as a win, like a small win, 1310 01:05:18,560 --> 01:05:25,680 Speaker 1: because I had done I had thoroughly explored and tested 1311 01:05:25,760 --> 01:05:30,400 Speaker 1: and tried and examined all my options, and finally the 1312 01:05:30,480 --> 01:05:33,000 Speaker 1: last night I found a shooter Buck. I found mature 1313 01:05:33,040 --> 01:05:36,040 Speaker 1: bucks in this place that just been pillaged. I finally 1314 01:05:36,040 --> 01:05:39,200 Speaker 1: found him kind of confirmed, you know, that I was 1315 01:05:39,240 --> 01:05:40,919 Speaker 1: on the right track, and if I had more time, 1316 01:05:40,920 --> 01:05:42,520 Speaker 1: maybe I could have made a move now that I 1317 01:05:42,560 --> 01:05:44,360 Speaker 1: saw him, and maybe would have had a chance. So 1318 01:05:44,480 --> 01:05:47,040 Speaker 1: a part of me said, hey, cool, you you worked 1319 01:05:47,040 --> 01:05:50,440 Speaker 1: hard and you kind of found him. The other side 1320 01:05:50,440 --> 01:05:54,240 Speaker 1: of me said, was I too fast to judge, to 1321 01:05:54,280 --> 01:05:56,680 Speaker 1: make a judgment on that spot. So I talked earlier 1322 01:05:56,680 --> 01:05:59,240 Speaker 1: about some of my takeaways and lessons were, don't settle, 1323 01:05:59,600 --> 01:06:02,920 Speaker 1: pivot fast, you know, exploring the move on. But in 1324 01:06:02,960 --> 01:06:06,720 Speaker 1: this case, I checked it out and I made a 1325 01:06:06,800 --> 01:06:09,680 Speaker 1: judgment on it after a night in the morning, and 1326 01:06:09,720 --> 01:06:13,200 Speaker 1: then I moved on, when in fact, there were two 1327 01:06:13,200 --> 01:06:16,439 Speaker 1: mature Bucks there that I didn't know, and now I, 1328 01:06:16,600 --> 01:06:19,640 Speaker 1: you know, had skipped the last three days there, that 1329 01:06:19,720 --> 01:06:22,480 Speaker 1: I could have spent their fine tuning and maybe seeing 1330 01:06:22,480 --> 01:06:24,680 Speaker 1: them and making a move on them, and instead I 1331 01:06:24,760 --> 01:06:27,080 Speaker 1: was elsewhere. And now when I finally do see him, 1332 01:06:27,080 --> 01:06:31,000 Speaker 1: it's too late. So that's that's how the hunt ended. 1333 01:06:32,240 --> 01:06:34,320 Speaker 1: Those were like the things I was thinking about, the 1334 01:06:34,400 --> 01:06:38,280 Speaker 1: lessons I learned, or the questions I had, um, what 1335 01:06:38,280 --> 01:06:41,320 Speaker 1: what's your analysis of that last day question? And anything 1336 01:06:41,360 --> 01:06:45,560 Speaker 1: else that talked about. Man, I think you got you 1337 01:06:45,880 --> 01:06:50,320 Speaker 1: got sucked into the conundrum of do I do I 1338 01:06:50,360 --> 01:06:53,080 Speaker 1: put my resources into finding a really good spot or 1339 01:06:53,120 --> 01:06:55,400 Speaker 1: do I put my resources into figuring a spot so 1340 01:06:55,400 --> 01:06:57,480 Speaker 1: I can figuring out a specific spot so I can 1341 01:06:57,520 --> 01:07:00,440 Speaker 1: hunt it really well. And it's tough, man, I mean, 1342 01:07:00,480 --> 01:07:04,640 Speaker 1: it's it's really hard to overcome that level of pressure. 1343 01:07:05,280 --> 01:07:07,040 Speaker 1: But when you keep pushing it like that and you 1344 01:07:07,120 --> 01:07:10,120 Speaker 1: find those bucks on that island and you see that behavior, 1345 01:07:10,160 --> 01:07:13,800 Speaker 1: you go, Okay, they didn't leave, Like there's there's still 1346 01:07:13,880 --> 01:07:16,240 Speaker 1: dear there to work with, but you've got to figure 1347 01:07:16,240 --> 01:07:18,080 Speaker 1: out how to how to beat him at that new 1348 01:07:18,120 --> 01:07:21,560 Speaker 1: game and they're not giving you much and so it's like, 1349 01:07:22,840 --> 01:07:26,000 Speaker 1: I don't know, I consider that a pretty big win. Honestly, 1350 01:07:26,200 --> 01:07:28,280 Speaker 1: like to see those deer and at least get to 1351 01:07:28,400 --> 01:07:31,200 Speaker 1: that point with them, because you know, I mean, if 1352 01:07:31,240 --> 01:07:33,120 Speaker 1: you if you go check out these other spots there 1353 01:07:33,160 --> 01:07:35,000 Speaker 1: and you guys kind of divide and conquer and you 1354 01:07:35,040 --> 01:07:37,680 Speaker 1: go this is this is the same story everywhere else. 1355 01:07:38,360 --> 01:07:40,200 Speaker 1: Then it's time to go back and just figure out 1356 01:07:40,200 --> 01:07:43,720 Speaker 1: what you're missing. And I think I think the not 1357 01:07:43,880 --> 01:07:47,480 Speaker 1: settling approach to that is really really important because it 1358 01:07:47,520 --> 01:07:49,280 Speaker 1: did put you in a position to find those deer, 1359 01:07:49,280 --> 01:07:51,480 Speaker 1: even though you didn't kill them. Like I think, I 1360 01:07:51,480 --> 01:07:53,120 Speaker 1: think that's a good lesson there. I think it just 1361 01:07:53,160 --> 01:07:58,880 Speaker 1: really sucks to learn. Yeah, yeah it was. It was 1362 01:07:58,920 --> 01:08:03,200 Speaker 1: a doozy and I learned. Like you said, like, I mean, 1363 01:08:03,240 --> 01:08:06,400 Speaker 1: there's there, there's that whole not settling thing. The thing 1364 01:08:06,440 --> 01:08:09,600 Speaker 1: I don't have a firm sense of yet is like 1365 01:08:09,920 --> 01:08:12,440 Speaker 1: there's this fine line right as you describe there, Like 1366 01:08:12,440 --> 01:08:16,519 Speaker 1: there's the don't settle, but then there's also like sometimes 1367 01:08:16,560 --> 01:08:18,120 Speaker 1: though you don't want to be too fast to judge, 1368 01:08:18,160 --> 01:08:20,479 Speaker 1: and like how do you like, how much time do 1369 01:08:20,520 --> 01:08:23,760 Speaker 1: you give a spot? How much you know, how do 1370 01:08:23,840 --> 01:08:25,760 Speaker 1: you make that decision? I think that just comes down 1371 01:08:25,760 --> 01:08:28,960 Speaker 1: to the experience and gut feel and how much time 1372 01:08:28,960 --> 01:08:30,720 Speaker 1: you have in general. Right Like in my case, I 1373 01:08:30,760 --> 01:08:32,680 Speaker 1: had six days. I just didn't have much time to 1374 01:08:32,680 --> 01:08:35,760 Speaker 1: work with. I think if I had a season to 1375 01:08:35,800 --> 01:08:38,080 Speaker 1: work this area, I would have been much more patient 1376 01:08:38,120 --> 01:08:40,120 Speaker 1: and willing to give a spot time right, but in 1377 01:08:40,160 --> 01:08:43,400 Speaker 1: this case is like I gotta I gotta get eyes 1378 01:08:43,439 --> 01:08:46,600 Speaker 1: on something, or like I need some kind of confirming 1379 01:08:46,680 --> 01:08:48,960 Speaker 1: sign that I'm in the right zone so then I 1380 01:08:48,960 --> 01:08:51,160 Speaker 1: can start fine tuning. But until I have something that 1381 01:08:51,200 --> 01:08:53,280 Speaker 1: confirms them in the right zone at least, this is 1382 01:08:53,320 --> 01:08:56,000 Speaker 1: my theory. My theory was like, I'm not going to 1383 01:08:56,120 --> 01:08:58,200 Speaker 1: dedicate real time to a spot until I know I'm 1384 01:08:58,200 --> 01:09:00,920 Speaker 1: in the zone. And I just wasn't seeing anything that 1385 01:09:00,960 --> 01:09:02,800 Speaker 1: made me think like this was a this was a 1386 01:09:02,840 --> 01:09:05,680 Speaker 1: spot except for that island. That spot. That island was 1387 01:09:05,720 --> 01:09:07,599 Speaker 1: the one where like I thought, gosh, it should be 1388 01:09:08,120 --> 01:09:11,559 Speaker 1: but I got I got deflated by that morning where 1389 01:09:11,560 --> 01:09:13,840 Speaker 1: I thought like I would see something really great coming in, 1390 01:09:13,880 --> 01:09:15,760 Speaker 1: I'd see a bunch of deer, I would see what 1391 01:09:15,800 --> 01:09:17,800 Speaker 1: should have been there, what the sign told me should 1392 01:09:17,840 --> 01:09:20,479 Speaker 1: be there, And there's just a couple of dolls. And 1393 01:09:20,520 --> 01:09:23,400 Speaker 1: that made me think, yah, more the same and maybe 1394 01:09:23,479 --> 01:09:25,280 Speaker 1: maybe I don't know, maybe I should maybe that was 1395 01:09:25,320 --> 01:09:27,559 Speaker 1: a mistake, or maybe hey, that just was the luck 1396 01:09:27,560 --> 01:09:29,080 Speaker 1: of the draw. And they didn't. They didn't come through 1397 01:09:29,120 --> 01:09:30,960 Speaker 1: that that morning, and they did the next night, and 1398 01:09:30,960 --> 01:09:32,920 Speaker 1: that's you know, that's just hunting. Sometimes they do things 1399 01:09:32,960 --> 01:09:35,080 Speaker 1: and they don't repeat them. Sometimes they do something wonky 1400 01:09:35,120 --> 01:09:37,559 Speaker 1: one day and they do something differently next And no 1401 01:09:37,560 --> 01:09:40,360 Speaker 1: matter what you do, you wouldn't know um on a 1402 01:09:40,360 --> 01:09:44,000 Speaker 1: short hunt like that, So it was it was an 1403 01:09:44,000 --> 01:09:48,920 Speaker 1: interesting challenge. I did feel decent about that kind of 1404 01:09:48,960 --> 01:09:51,519 Speaker 1: small wind there at the end. I was happy with 1405 01:09:51,600 --> 01:09:54,040 Speaker 1: the way that I kind of pushed through places and 1406 01:09:54,120 --> 01:09:57,160 Speaker 1: explored things, was more aggressive in my scouting, and I 1407 01:09:57,240 --> 01:10:00,240 Speaker 1: really think tracks were big thing that I used all 1408 01:10:00,280 --> 01:10:03,400 Speaker 1: of these hunts that you know, I've used more and 1409 01:10:03,439 --> 01:10:05,880 Speaker 1: more every year, and I think last year, you know, 1410 01:10:06,120 --> 01:10:08,200 Speaker 1: on the Deer Country tour, when I went to all 1411 01:10:08,240 --> 01:10:11,320 Speaker 1: these different places, like very different styles, very different regions, 1412 01:10:11,640 --> 01:10:14,439 Speaker 1: I didn't have trail camera information, I didn't have like history, 1413 01:10:14,880 --> 01:10:17,439 Speaker 1: it was all brand new. I kept on finding myself 1414 01:10:17,479 --> 01:10:19,760 Speaker 1: falling back on tracks more and more when you're in 1415 01:10:19,760 --> 01:10:22,880 Speaker 1: those types of situations and getting more comfortable with interpreting. 1416 01:10:23,520 --> 01:10:25,840 Speaker 1: And I think that, you know, even though I didn't 1417 01:10:25,920 --> 01:10:28,679 Speaker 1: kill I think like that was like a really clutch 1418 01:10:29,680 --> 01:10:35,280 Speaker 1: part of my small wind um. I think I think 1419 01:10:35,320 --> 01:10:37,320 Speaker 1: that's one of the biggest benefits of doing on It's 1420 01:10:37,400 --> 01:10:40,479 Speaker 1: like this is you realize what your crutches are at home, 1421 01:10:41,160 --> 01:10:43,240 Speaker 1: and you know you I've talked about this a lot. 1422 01:10:43,280 --> 01:10:44,680 Speaker 1: When you go on the road and you've got four 1423 01:10:44,760 --> 01:10:46,760 Speaker 1: or five, six days to kill one on public land, 1424 01:10:47,240 --> 01:10:50,120 Speaker 1: those trail cameras aren't doing you any good. Like, it's 1425 01:10:50,160 --> 01:10:53,320 Speaker 1: just it's not to me, it's not worth even bringing 1426 01:10:53,360 --> 01:10:55,240 Speaker 1: them along because when you can go out and find 1427 01:10:55,360 --> 01:10:58,360 Speaker 1: fresh sign rubs and scrapes and you can see those tracks, 1428 01:10:58,560 --> 01:11:01,880 Speaker 1: especially if you're on a riverbo the situation, that's the 1429 01:11:01,920 --> 01:11:04,479 Speaker 1: best you can do because you can you can gauge 1430 01:11:04,479 --> 01:11:07,160 Speaker 1: how current it is and and how heavy the traffic 1431 01:11:07,280 --> 01:11:09,760 Speaker 1: is so important and you're just not gonna get that. 1432 01:11:09,800 --> 01:11:11,519 Speaker 1: You don't have enough time to make a trail camera 1433 01:11:11,560 --> 01:11:17,200 Speaker 1: work for you that way. Yeah, yeah, that's Um, it's 1434 01:11:17,200 --> 01:11:19,360 Speaker 1: an easy trap to get sucked into these days of 1435 01:11:19,439 --> 01:11:24,000 Speaker 1: how prevalent cameras are and how short term satisfying cell 1436 01:11:24,080 --> 01:11:27,760 Speaker 1: cameras are. Right, Um, but I'm finding more and more 1437 01:11:27,840 --> 01:11:31,200 Speaker 1: the same thing that, um, they can they're almost like 1438 01:11:31,280 --> 01:11:34,360 Speaker 1: golden handcuffs, Like they seem so great that you don't 1439 01:11:34,360 --> 01:11:36,960 Speaker 1: want to leave him behind. But if you get too 1440 01:11:37,000 --> 01:11:38,759 Speaker 1: dependent on them, you can get stuck in a marriage 1441 01:11:38,760 --> 01:11:40,800 Speaker 1: you don't want to be in. Yeah, so let me 1442 01:11:40,880 --> 01:11:42,800 Speaker 1: let me ask you the question that everybody really wants 1443 01:11:42,800 --> 01:11:46,639 Speaker 1: to know the answer to. Mark. Uh, how come you're 1444 01:11:46,680 --> 01:11:49,439 Speaker 1: going out to Idaho in mid September and you're not 1445 01:11:49,520 --> 01:11:54,240 Speaker 1: hunting elk? You're going back to the same pressured public 1446 01:11:54,360 --> 01:11:57,280 Speaker 1: land for white tails when you could be out there 1447 01:11:57,320 --> 01:11:59,439 Speaker 1: hunting elk. What's going on there? Yeah? Man, me and 1448 01:11:59,560 --> 01:12:02,080 Speaker 1: Josh when we were driving home, we said, we asked 1449 01:12:02,120 --> 01:12:04,519 Speaker 1: ourselves the same questions. We're like, all right, this is stupid. 1450 01:12:04,800 --> 01:12:07,280 Speaker 1: We've been. We've been just like I said, we're trying 1451 01:12:07,280 --> 01:12:09,080 Speaker 1: to make this spot work for white tails because I 1452 01:12:09,080 --> 01:12:10,920 Speaker 1: want to be at my cabin and get my money's 1453 01:12:10,920 --> 01:12:13,680 Speaker 1: worth out of those mortgage payments. And uh, the thing 1454 01:12:13,720 --> 01:12:18,040 Speaker 1: is that we've got running elk two yards away from 1455 01:12:18,040 --> 01:12:21,719 Speaker 1: the cabin. Like what am I doing? Um? So, yeah, 1456 01:12:22,120 --> 01:12:24,080 Speaker 1: one of two things is gonna happen next year. I'll 1457 01:12:24,080 --> 01:12:26,240 Speaker 1: tell you one. We're done with this spot for white tails, 1458 01:12:26,400 --> 01:12:29,240 Speaker 1: like I've done. I've given it three years. Every year 1459 01:12:29,320 --> 01:12:31,360 Speaker 1: after the hunt, we're like, probably shouldn't do that again, 1460 01:12:31,439 --> 01:12:36,639 Speaker 1: and then we get sucked into it. Um we're done. Uh. 1461 01:12:36,680 --> 01:12:40,360 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna do one of two options. Either Number one, 1462 01:12:41,120 --> 01:12:43,720 Speaker 1: I could try to get some private permission in some 1463 01:12:43,800 --> 01:12:45,880 Speaker 1: of these places, Like I still I still love being 1464 01:12:45,920 --> 01:12:47,960 Speaker 1: out there in my place. I still want to have 1465 01:12:47,960 --> 01:12:50,519 Speaker 1: a white tail spot, So I might explore some private options, 1466 01:12:50,560 --> 01:12:52,720 Speaker 1: knock on some doors, talk to some ranchers, that kind 1467 01:12:52,720 --> 01:12:56,000 Speaker 1: of thing. That's a possibility. Or number two, I'm gonna 1468 01:12:56,040 --> 01:12:58,840 Speaker 1: say forget the white tails. I can hunt those other places. 1469 01:12:59,320 --> 01:13:02,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna finally get back to elk hunting and uh 1470 01:13:02,640 --> 01:13:06,720 Speaker 1: scratch that it so tb D my friend. Yeah, I 1471 01:13:07,040 --> 01:13:08,920 Speaker 1: want everybody to remember that you said you're done with 1472 01:13:08,960 --> 01:13:12,439 Speaker 1: Idaho white tails in that spot, because I'm curious what 1473 01:13:12,600 --> 01:13:15,439 Speaker 1: happens next summer when we're bearing down on this season. 1474 01:13:16,080 --> 01:13:18,240 Speaker 1: But my my vote would be to say, you know what, 1475 01:13:18,520 --> 01:13:21,639 Speaker 1: those white tails, the other guys with seven thousand stands 1476 01:13:21,640 --> 01:13:23,360 Speaker 1: in there can have them. I would go chase those 1477 01:13:23,360 --> 01:13:26,320 Speaker 1: googling bowls for a couple of days. Yeah, man, I'm 1478 01:13:26,320 --> 01:13:29,280 Speaker 1: I'm over it, And I do think you know, in 1479 01:13:29,320 --> 01:13:33,639 Speaker 1: all seriousness, there is like a lesson there that should 1480 01:13:33,640 --> 01:13:35,760 Speaker 1: be just like keyed in on again, Like you can 1481 01:13:35,840 --> 01:13:39,080 Speaker 1: sometimes do almost everything right and do all the things 1482 01:13:39,080 --> 01:13:41,120 Speaker 1: you're supposed to do on a public land hunt, and 1483 01:13:41,200 --> 01:13:44,880 Speaker 1: sometimes you know that that pressure is just maybe not 1484 01:13:45,040 --> 01:13:49,640 Speaker 1: one insurmountable because you know, maybe you could, but is 1485 01:13:49,680 --> 01:13:53,640 Speaker 1: it still fun or or could you just explore some 1486 01:13:53,680 --> 01:13:56,080 Speaker 1: new areas and find some places it's a little bit 1487 01:13:56,160 --> 01:14:00,960 Speaker 1: less pounded, or explore some different opportunities. Um, I don't know, 1488 01:14:01,520 --> 01:14:08,720 Speaker 1: there's a there's something to be said for I just 1489 01:14:08,800 --> 01:14:11,400 Speaker 1: not dealing with that bullshit. I guess I'm adress say well, 1490 01:14:11,439 --> 01:14:14,080 Speaker 1: I mean, I honestly think that, you know, when you 1491 01:14:14,120 --> 01:14:17,160 Speaker 1: talk about that, I'm sitting here and I'm like, I'm 1492 01:14:17,200 --> 01:14:20,559 Speaker 1: thinking about hunts myself. I've had that are just like that, 1493 01:14:21,200 --> 01:14:24,439 Speaker 1: and it happens a lot, and it's probably a pretty 1494 01:14:24,439 --> 01:14:26,639 Speaker 1: good thing to talk about in the industry because we've 1495 01:14:26,680 --> 01:14:29,320 Speaker 1: been just painting this picture that you know, go on 1496 01:14:29,439 --> 01:14:31,400 Speaker 1: public land white Tales, it's gonna be a blast. You'll 1497 01:14:31,479 --> 01:14:33,799 Speaker 1: challenge yourself, you'll kill the best trophy of your life. 1498 01:14:34,320 --> 01:14:38,280 Speaker 1: But so often when you go, this is more of 1499 01:14:38,320 --> 01:14:41,479 Speaker 1: the outcome where you're like, man, there's way more people 1500 01:14:41,560 --> 01:14:45,519 Speaker 1: here and wayfeer dear, and this is a real heavy 1501 01:14:45,720 --> 01:14:49,640 Speaker 1: lift to get around any decent buck, And you know 1502 01:14:49,800 --> 01:14:53,240 Speaker 1: you don't see that part in a YouTube video or 1503 01:14:53,320 --> 01:14:57,200 Speaker 1: an Instagram post for the most part, Like it's hard 1504 01:14:57,280 --> 01:14:59,800 Speaker 1: to kind of like wrap your head around what that 1505 01:15:00,040 --> 01:15:03,040 Speaker 1: kind of hunt really entails until you're in it, and 1506 01:15:03,080 --> 01:15:06,000 Speaker 1: it's a vastly different thing, and it's real common. It's 1507 01:15:06,080 --> 01:15:09,920 Speaker 1: and like we said earlier, it's really common now that 1508 01:15:10,000 --> 01:15:12,760 Speaker 1: this is so popular and people are really you know, 1509 01:15:12,840 --> 01:15:15,679 Speaker 1: turned onto the early season hunts and some of these 1510 01:15:15,720 --> 01:15:18,800 Speaker 1: destination hunts like this is this is not like an 1511 01:15:18,880 --> 01:15:24,040 Speaker 1: unusual outcome or experience, and people should be aware of that. Yeah. Yeah, 1512 01:15:24,120 --> 01:15:26,840 Speaker 1: And I mean, like there's to your point about how 1513 01:15:26,840 --> 01:15:28,680 Speaker 1: popular some of the stuff has gotten. And I've heard 1514 01:15:28,720 --> 01:15:31,599 Speaker 1: you talk about this in the past two Like right, 1515 01:15:31,640 --> 01:15:34,040 Speaker 1: there's some media these days that show public Land like 1516 01:15:34,080 --> 01:15:36,320 Speaker 1: incredible success on public Land all over the place, and 1517 01:15:36,320 --> 01:15:38,320 Speaker 1: it makes you think like it's a piece of cake almost, 1518 01:15:38,800 --> 01:15:41,719 Speaker 1: But what you forget is that there's like ninety days 1519 01:15:41,720 --> 01:15:44,559 Speaker 1: of time being invested and there's like ten guys out 1520 01:15:44,560 --> 01:15:46,679 Speaker 1: there all scouting and hunting and doing all this stuff, 1521 01:15:46,680 --> 01:15:48,840 Speaker 1: and they still just have like a handful of winds 1522 01:15:48,880 --> 01:15:51,920 Speaker 1: along the way. Um, you shouldn't beat yourself up if 1523 01:15:51,960 --> 01:15:53,840 Speaker 1: you go out there's a solo person and try to 1524 01:15:53,840 --> 01:15:55,959 Speaker 1: pull it off in six or seven days and instead 1525 01:15:56,000 --> 01:16:00,640 Speaker 1: have a a tough, a tough week. Um. And I 1526 01:16:00,640 --> 01:16:03,360 Speaker 1: don't want to paint any of this is like complaining 1527 01:16:03,400 --> 01:16:09,200 Speaker 1: about people being out there right, because I'm like, personally 1528 01:16:09,400 --> 01:16:12,000 Speaker 1: it makes things hard. But at the same time, like, 1529 01:16:12,040 --> 01:16:14,400 Speaker 1: I'm glad there's other folks that are getting hunting like 1530 01:16:14,400 --> 01:16:17,840 Speaker 1: this is this is not an indictment of folks getting 1531 01:16:17,840 --> 01:16:19,760 Speaker 1: out there and learning to hunt. Like I'm glad there's 1532 01:16:19,760 --> 01:16:22,120 Speaker 1: folks learning hunt. I'm glad people are out there enjoying 1533 01:16:22,120 --> 01:16:26,120 Speaker 1: our public lands. Um. All the things are are good things, 1534 01:16:26,560 --> 01:16:30,400 Speaker 1: but on an individual basis, it does make for challenges 1535 01:16:30,439 --> 01:16:33,240 Speaker 1: sometimes and you just gotta learn how to work around it. Yeah, well, 1536 01:16:33,280 --> 01:16:35,040 Speaker 1: and I don't. I don't know about you, but when 1537 01:16:35,040 --> 01:16:37,519 Speaker 1: I deal with something like that, and the thing that 1538 01:16:37,640 --> 01:16:41,080 Speaker 1: just like constantly, like that little voice in my head 1539 01:16:41,120 --> 01:16:45,000 Speaker 1: always tells me like somebody is figuring it out, you know, 1540 01:16:45,160 --> 01:16:47,840 Speaker 1: like somebody's in there getting that right, and you're not. 1541 01:16:47,920 --> 01:16:51,760 Speaker 1: And that drives me crazy. Oh. I was almost that 1542 01:16:51,920 --> 01:16:54,880 Speaker 1: somebody to those other thirty seven guys out there, and 1543 01:16:54,960 --> 01:16:58,680 Speaker 1: you said one more day, tony, Yeah, one more day, 1544 01:16:58,800 --> 01:17:02,439 Speaker 1: one more day, and would have been another ship show probably, 1545 01:17:02,520 --> 01:17:05,639 Speaker 1: but I'm gonna take my small win. I'm gonna run 1546 01:17:05,640 --> 01:17:07,880 Speaker 1: with it. I'm gonna say that the season got off 1547 01:17:07,920 --> 01:17:11,760 Speaker 1: to an interesting start. Learn some stuff, and uh I'm 1548 01:17:11,760 --> 01:17:16,200 Speaker 1: ready for Michigan open. Nice, nice, alright, buddy, I think 1549 01:17:16,240 --> 01:17:20,840 Speaker 1: that should be a rap today. Um any other final thoughts? No, 1550 01:17:21,160 --> 01:17:23,240 Speaker 1: just get out there and hunt hot weather, cold weather, 1551 01:17:23,360 --> 01:17:25,320 Speaker 1: Be careful of your shots in the rain. Don't go 1552 01:17:25,400 --> 01:17:28,439 Speaker 1: hana ida ha white tales. That's the takeaway, right, that's 1553 01:17:28,479 --> 01:17:33,519 Speaker 1: the big one, and flashing lights on the billboard. All right, man, 1554 01:17:33,720 --> 01:17:37,120 Speaker 1: thanks for joining me. Thanks all right, and that's a rap. 1555 01:17:37,240 --> 01:17:40,639 Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in. Just a reminder, Season eleven 1556 01:17:40,680 --> 01:17:43,600 Speaker 1: of meat Eater coming to the meat eater dot com 1557 01:17:43,640 --> 01:17:49,360 Speaker 1: on October, and my show Deer Country new episodes out 1558 01:17:49,400 --> 01:17:53,200 Speaker 1: every Tuesday on the meat Eater YouTube channel. Check it out. 1559 01:17:53,720 --> 01:17:58,439 Speaker 1: Like those videos, leave me a comment, subscribe and watch 1560 01:17:58,680 --> 01:18:02,760 Speaker 1: Deer Country. I thank you, I appreciate you keep me 1561 01:18:02,800 --> 01:18:06,320 Speaker 1: in a job, folks. Thanks a lot, and until next time, 1562 01:18:06,760 --> 01:18:15,360 Speaker 1: stay wired to hum