1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, 4 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: which is brought to you by First Light. This episode 5 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: is all about having some fun with your muzzleoader. Sometimes 6 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: we take things a little too seriously when it comes 7 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,319 Speaker 1: to deer, and that can suck the joy right out 8 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: of the hunt. This week's show is all about going 9 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: into the woods with your muzzleloader and trying out some 10 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:51,639 Speaker 1: you know, I guess, I don't even know if you'd 11 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: call them unconventional tactics. Maybe they're not as popular as 12 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: they used to be, but they are a hell of 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: a lot of fun, often more fun than the kind 14 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: of girl of warfare strategy that we we preach all 15 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: the time, where you can't make a mistake and you 16 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: you know, give these deers so much credit. So some 17 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: of the things I planned to go through in this 18 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: very episode, you know, they're not relevant just to you know, 19 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: somebody carrying a smoke bowl in the woods, right Like 20 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: you could use these for rifle hunting. You use some 21 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: of these for bow hunting. Whatever you carry into the woods. 22 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: The next couple of weeks, the next maybe month before 23 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:37,839 Speaker 1: the season ends, We've got you covered. My home state 24 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: of Minnesota's muzzled or season last just a shade over 25 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: two weeks. And it was on the very last day 26 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: of that season, probably in like two thousand and four 27 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: or so, that I had had enough of sitting in 28 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: my bow stands freezing my ass off. We had several 29 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: inches of fresh snow and the conditions were just perfect 30 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: for sneaking around. I had super standards, and I had 31 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: one afternoon to get it done. So I set out 32 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: toward a patch of timber that starts high and ends 33 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: low along a meandering trout stream on that farm. At 34 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: that time, that was one of the few spots with 35 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: good patches of real cover, which wildly enough were created 36 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: by a tornado. This is a total aside here, but 37 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: that experience of having an old growth deciduous forest get 38 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: partially raised by a summertime twister changed the way that 39 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: whole property hunted for the better. It went from being 40 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: pretty bad all over to having one pocket of clear cut, 41 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: level thick stuff, and you can imagine that's where most 42 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: of the bucks hold up. It was one of my 43 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: first lessons on micro climates and just how much can 44 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: change in the deerwoods from year to year from things 45 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: that are way way outside of man's influence. It also 46 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: really made me appreciate having good betting cover where I 47 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: can hunt anyway. That afternoon, I set out for that 48 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: patch of tim birth that was thicker than the surrounding 49 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: areas because it always has deer in it. I started 50 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: to still hunt my way through the woods, looking for deer, 51 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: looking for fresh tracks, and kind of just enjoying a 52 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:13,799 Speaker 1: nice early winter time in the woods. I guess I 53 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: must have zoned out a bit, because after covering a 54 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: couple hundred yards, I caught movement up the trail was 55 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: a fox squirrel's tail waving slowly back and forth. You 56 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: know how they do that when they're thinking about getting 57 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: ready to really bark and blow up, but they're just 58 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: kind of kind of kicking it around in their little 59 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: squirrel head. What that squirrel was focused on was a 60 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: pair of does, and they were maybe fifty yards away 61 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: from me down the trail. I quickly moved to a 62 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: nearby tree, used it as a rest, and I don't 63 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: really know what happened other than I must have rushed 64 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: the shop, but I missed badly. It wasn't my finest moment. 65 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: It was one of those times in the outdoors where 66 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: you believe you're about to go from zero to hero, 67 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: only to go from zero to zero or less than zero. 68 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: Maybe I don't know. I'm not really good at math. Anyway, 69 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: they took off and I checked the time, an hour 70 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: left of daylight. I resigned myself to look for another deer. 71 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: I also thought that i'd walk along their tracks, because 72 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: they had cut back down into a valley that would 73 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: keep them on the property I could hunt. I had 74 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: never pulled that Northeast trick of walking down a deer 75 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: in the fresh snow, and it really didn't expect to then. 76 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: But those tracks circled around a spot I knew well, 77 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: and I could see they dropped straight down in the 78 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 1: valley in a way that might give me a shot 79 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: if they were still there. This was because those tracks 80 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: were etched into the fresh powder that showed they perfectly 81 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: cut around a limestone outcropping that not only randomly houses 82 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: a coyote den underneath it most years, but provides one 83 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: hell of a vantage point from on top of it. 84 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: I thought I might just be able to crawl up 85 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: on it and glass those dose up. Once I peeked 86 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: over the edge, I saw there was no need for glassing. 87 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: Both of them were bedded like thirty five yards below me. 88 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: It was a gift of an opportunity to be honest, 89 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: and also happened to be one of the biggest does 90 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: I've ever shot in a lifetime of shooting a lot 91 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,279 Speaker 1: of dos. That moment was one of those times aimes 92 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: during hunting where a mistake led to a new direction 93 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: which led to an Aha moment. While I had killed 94 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: a few deer still hunting with my bow up to 95 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: that point, I always kind of wrote it off as 96 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 1: a way to satisfy my wander lust and my desire 97 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 1: to be in the woods while walking around. I didn't 98 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: really think of it as much of a good strategy 99 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,679 Speaker 1: for killing deer. But that's the thing about white tail hunting. 100 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: It's what we think we know that we don't that 101 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: teaches us the most. Now, while I wouldn't advocate this 102 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 1: type of strategy without the right conditions, I would say 103 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: that you can have some fun with it if mother 104 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,160 Speaker 1: nature serves up the right weather. I'd also say that 105 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:36,720 Speaker 1: you might be able to pull this off a rifle 106 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: hunting in the general season, but it's a different thing 107 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: when there might be several hundred thousand people in the 108 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: woods with you. That's why I like it so much 109 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: for muzzleloader hunting, because that's usually a low participation season 110 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: and the odds of running into other hunters and screwing 111 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: up their hunts pretty low. To sneak around strategy is 112 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,239 Speaker 1: a phenomenal way to learn ground while you're actively hunting, 113 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: and a kind of mirrors what a lot of solute 114 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: killers do on public land with their archery gear. You know, 115 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 1: whether you're chatting with Andy may or Zach Farrenbau or 116 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 1: somebody else who just gets it done wherever they go. 117 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 1: The idea of moving, moving, moving until the deer show 118 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,839 Speaker 1: you to stop is undeniable, even if it makes a 119 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 1: lot of us kind of uncomfortable because we're unfamiliar with it. 120 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: So while following fresh tracks in the snow isn't exactly 121 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: the same thing, some of the same benefits apply. Plus, 122 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: as I've mentioned, sure, it's fun if you've got enough 123 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: room to roam, and you don't need snow to do 124 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 1: this either. A good buddy and I drove down to 125 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: Nebraska in the middle of December to try to see 126 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: if we could find a white tail or a mule 127 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 1: deer with our muzzle orders. Our destination was an enormous 128 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:43,720 Speaker 1: chunk of public land, thinking we would probably be able 129 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: to walk down a buck since we had three days. 130 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: Our hunt took place in the sand hills, and what 131 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: I learned after about six hours of that trip was 132 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: it my ea scouting for it really sucked. I also 133 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: learned that the rifle season had really put the deer down. 134 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: We had split up for most of the day, going 135 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: into areas we thought were the most likely to hold 136 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:04,919 Speaker 1: a buck. My buddy had actually found a couple and 137 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 1: had missed. I hadn't seen a deer in six hours 138 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: of hiking, but I did find plenty of spots where 139 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: other hunters had set up recently. I also realized that 140 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: I was somewhat checked out and not hunting the way 141 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: I should be. We met up for an early afternoon 142 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: lunch of pocket rocket soup on the tailgate of his truck, 143 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: after which we decided to go in where he had 144 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: had his encounter. It was more of the same, which 145 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,000 Speaker 1: is frustrating when you can glass, a ridiculous amount of 146 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 1: good looking cover and not turn up a deer. But 147 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: that happens in the real world. It happens a lot. 148 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: Right after gun season, we had maybe half an hour 149 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: left when we had a little conversation at the bottom 150 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: of a draw about heading back to the truck. It 151 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: was a long day and we were smoked. But I 152 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: looked at my on X and I saw that there 153 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: were two ridges left in front of us that we 154 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 1: hadn't looked at yet. So we had a choice. We 155 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: could hunt them at the best time of the day, 156 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: or we could hunt through stuff we had already seen. 157 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,240 Speaker 1: So we made the obvious choice. And as soon as 158 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: I stuck my head up over the first ridge, I 159 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: saw a buck standing on the next one, playing his day. 160 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: It was as if he was just placed there in 161 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: the wide open waiting for us. That two year old 162 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 1: white tail waited just a couple of seconds too long, 163 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: trying to figure out what we were. And I'll tell 164 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: you what, there was a lot of celebrating going on 165 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: when he tipped over in the yellow december grass. On 166 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: that hunt, it felt like we had about ninety thousand 167 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: acres of public land to ourselves and While it wasn't easy, 168 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: sure it was fun. It got even more fun the 169 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: next day when we found a really good meal deer 170 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: buck that made the amazing, life saving decision to not 171 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: walk in front of my buddy when all eight of 172 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: his girlfriends did. If you're more of a pioneer than 173 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: a settler in the deer woods, and you own a 174 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,960 Speaker 1: front stuffer, then there are opportunities out there to cover 175 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: ground and fill tags while having a hell of a 176 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: lot of fun. Now let me say this again, or 177 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 1: explain it more fully. We have the tendency to internalize 178 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 1: hunting advice, and a lot of that these days involves 179 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:02,680 Speaker 1: developing an amazing and then volume hunting it. If you 180 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: don't have that option, then it's all about grabbing your 181 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: saddle and going mobile over and over and over with 182 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: your ambush sites. Both of these are good, do them 183 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: if you can. But there is a third way to 184 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: which the muzzler is ideally suited, and that's the still hunt, 185 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 1: or in some situations you can more call it a 186 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,719 Speaker 1: spot in stock whatever, I don't care. Or you can 187 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: do the tracking hunt like I did on that dough 188 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 1: you know, seventeen years ago. Now that was one of 189 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: those things I had heard about growing up, you know, 190 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: those model to hunters wearing red plaid and simply walking 191 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 1: down a big woods buck. I honestly thought that was 192 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 1: mostly bullshit when I read about it. But then I 193 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: did a mini version of that myself and realized that 194 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: just because I think something is impossible or very unlikely 195 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: doesn't make it so. Deer hunting is a wonderful route 196 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: to take for many of those types of epiphanes, And 197 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: of course you don't have to track one or still 198 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: hunt one kill them. You can also take a page 199 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: right out of the Rifle Hunters playbook and do a 200 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: deer drive. But before that, let me explain how I 201 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: feel about deer drives before I get into this one. 202 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: As a young hunter who only bow hunted, I hated 203 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: deer drives with a passion. I spent a lot of 204 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: time post gun season scouting and archery hunting and rabbit 205 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: hunting and squirrel hunting and shed hunting. And every year 206 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: I found dead bucks that had slug holes in their guts. 207 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,719 Speaker 1: When I say every year, I'm not lying either. Some 208 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: years i'd find several. I knew the groups that shotgun 209 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: hunted the ground I hunted were big into deer drives, 210 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 1: and I naturally assumed that they were just flinging lead 211 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: without any serious follow up. Now I don't doubt that happened, 212 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: but I also know that I was only speculating and 213 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: looking to get piste off at the folks who are 214 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 1: hunting quote unquote, my dear. The reality with it was 215 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 1: that just like bow hunters, muzzle er hunters, and probably 216 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 1: spear at laddle hunters, there are good shots to take 217 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: and there are bad ones. Everyone takes both if they 218 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: hunt long enough, and the bad ones are tough even 219 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: if you give it a real serious effort. Recovery wise, 220 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: it's a long story long. I've somewhat changed my tune 221 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: on deer drives, even though they don't really do much 222 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: for me personally, at least to be the poster on 223 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,199 Speaker 1: the end. I do love being a driver, and I 224 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: really don't know why. I also love small, well planned 225 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 1: deer drives with a muzzleloader when the conditions are just right. 226 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: The last time they were for me, I was hunting 227 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,440 Speaker 1: a piece of public land in the Twin Cities with 228 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: my dad. I knew there was a gnarly patch of 229 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 1: river bottom cover that probably held a few deer, even 230 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: though the gun season had just raged through. In fact, 231 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,319 Speaker 1: the whole reason we decided to go do a little 232 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: one man drive in there was because someone else had 233 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: walked through our first setup and I really kind of 234 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: wanted to see what the sign looked liked in that bottom. 235 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: So my dad posted up for a close shot where 236 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: a bluff butted up to the river in a classic 237 00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: pinch point type of spot, while I circled way around 238 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: owned the wind direction was perfect for him and would 239 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: allow me to step into the river bottom and get 240 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: winded almost instantly. That's exactly what happened, and as anyone 241 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: who has been on a successful drive can probably relate to, 242 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 1: I went full froggy and jumped when his gun went 243 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 1: off and scared the ship out of me. Not only 244 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: was the whole bottom covered in fresh tracks, a group 245 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 1: of does had bounded out of the cover and stopped 246 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: it right in front of him for an absolute chip shot. 247 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: I'm far far from an expert I'm putting on deer drives, 248 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: but that one shook out exactly the way it was 249 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,600 Speaker 1: supposed to, and it was pretty dang fun. And it 250 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: was also you know, maybe not really like a real 251 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: deer drive. It was more like a subtle nudge coupled 252 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: with an eye towards the wind and the terrain, so 253 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: it felt like there was some strategy involved. This is 254 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: a great option if you want to get together with 255 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,080 Speaker 1: a buddy or two and have an active hunt, but 256 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: it's not easy. I can put you in a position 257 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 1: to take a not so great shot if the deer running, 258 00:12:57,960 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 1: My advice is to try hard to push them in 259 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 1: a way where they aren't going to go full greyhound 260 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: past the standards, and if they are, just to let 261 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: them keep going. But I also advise you, if you're interested, 262 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 1: to try it. Just like with the earlier strategy of 263 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: sneaking around a couple of well planned deer nudges, there's 264 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: a couple of things for you. It keeps you hunting 265 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 1: oftentimes during the hours of the day we're sitting on 266 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 1: stand would not be very productive. But better yet, it 267 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,439 Speaker 1: gets you into spots to look around. Think about this 268 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: this way. Most of the hunting advice you're given from 269 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: traditional media is built on the promise of do this, 270 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: then kill a buck. It's point A to B stuff, 271 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:39,679 Speaker 1: and some of it is good, relevant and worth consuming. 272 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: But it neglects the real secret sauce to becoming a 273 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: skilled deer hunter, which is a wide variety of experience. Sure, 274 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: you could sit for three hours a season on a 275 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:51,599 Speaker 1: stand and that's going to give you a lot of experience, 276 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: valuable experience. But so is a sneaky deer drive in 277 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: the thick patch of cover in December. The deer that 278 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: you move or don't move, or don't move in the 279 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: right way. Those deer tell you a lot. Being where 280 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 1: deer should be at that time of year, that tells 281 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: you a lot. While it's probably a low, low odds 282 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: type of hunting, if booners are the only deer in 283 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 1: your hit list, the odds are high that you'll learn 284 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,719 Speaker 1: something about what dear generally like to do. And it's 285 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: also fun. I know that so many of the voices 286 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: in the white tail space push a very serious narrative 287 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: and often seem to have as much fun on stand 288 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: as you would in the dentist chair getting a root canal. 289 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: In fact, I recently watched a series about hunting White 290 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:34,800 Speaker 1: Tail Box, where the host, who is a very well 291 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 1: known hunting celebrity and authority, could not have seen more 292 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: bored if he tried. Honestly, it was kind of painful, 293 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: and while a lot of big bucks died on that series, 294 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: it really didn't look like fun. It looked like he 295 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: was putting in the motions necessary to kill a huge 296 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: deer where he knew he'd kill them and it worked. 297 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: But you're not like that, and if you feel that coming, 298 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 1: consider heading it off by having some fun. That might 299 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,040 Speaker 1: mean a still hunt, or a deer drive with a 300 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: muzzle or a rifle, or if you've got a hell 301 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: yeah attitude your bo The worst you can do is 302 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: spend some time in the woods learning about deer, and 303 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: the best you can do is fill a tag. Probably 304 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: won't be on a huge buck, but it could be, 305 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 1: Or it could be that you spend a Saturday with 306 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: a trusted hunting buddy and end the night with a 307 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: short blood trail on a delicious dough or a scrapper buck. 308 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: If you don't fill a tag that time spent going 309 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: a bit unconventional with a front stuffer, We'll give you 310 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: a leg up on the remaining days of the bow season, 311 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: because after all, there's still time left that we are 312 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: going to get to the point of the season where 313 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: a lot of folks say the hunting gets easier because 314 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: of that previously mentioned need to load up on carbs 315 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: and cakels is the disappears in the real winner sets in. 316 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: Even if that advice is largely bullshit for you, because 317 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: it mostly will be, there are other ways to stay 318 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: on the action as the clock winds down. The next 319 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: couple of weeks of this podcast will be dedicated to 320 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: that time frame for all of you die hard folks 321 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: out there looking to fill a tag when most of 322 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: your competition is curled up on the couch under a 323 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: blanket watching a bunch of Southern i of bucks turned 324 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 1: into ghosts under the drawal of a monotone voice over. 325 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 1: If you'd rather be in the woods than subject yourself 326 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: to that, keep listening. I promise you we will figure 327 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 1: out together how to kill the most difficult deer in 328 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: the woods during the most difficult time of the season. 329 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: That's it for this week, folks. I'm Tony Peterson and 330 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: this has been the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast. Please 331 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: visit the meat Eater dot com slash wired for more 332 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,960 Speaker 1: white tail hunting information and check out our Wired to 333 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: Hunt YouTube channel as well.