1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,479 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about being a 9 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 2: bad gun hunter but trying to get better. One of 10 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 2: the weirdest things about this job of mine is the 11 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: fact that at some point you have to talk about 12 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 2: your flaws. I'm reminded of them on a more localized 13 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 2: basis in my house from one particular person quite a bit, 14 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 2: some would say more than maybe necessary. But to shout 15 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 2: those same things from the rooftops to a large digital 16 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 2: audience is kind of a different thing. But here it is. 17 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,319 Speaker 2: I am a bad gun hunter. I just am. I'm 18 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 2: actually a pretty bad shot with guns too, but I'm 19 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 2: working on that. I'm working on all of it. And 20 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 2: this is what I want to talk about now, the 21 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: truth about being bad at gun hunting and what can 22 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 2: be done about it. I think there's something we need 23 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 2: to get straight about the hunting world. It bothers me 24 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 2: so much, and even though I talk about it a lot, 25 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 2: I just want to drill this down because it's something 26 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 2: like I truly believe. I don't think success is necessarily 27 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 2: correlated with being good at hunting. You can buy a 28 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 2: giant buck if you have enough money. In fact, you 29 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 2: can buy a whole lot of them. There's a group 30 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 2: of people in the industry who are chasing two hundred 31 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 2: inch deer like crazy, and some of them have killed 32 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 2: quite a few of them. You just don't do that 33 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 2: without money. I'm sorry, you just don't. And are they 34 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 2: good hunters? I don't know. I don't care. I've seen 35 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 2: this so many times in the industry that I really 36 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 2: believe a lot of the most successful hunters maybe aren't 37 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: as skilled at hunting as you'd think, or maybe I'm 38 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 2: just jaded. It's really hard to say at this point, 39 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 2: and I'm kind of sick of thinking about it. We 40 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 2: have this weird thing about us where we look at 41 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,519 Speaker 2: the result, which is a big buck, and we fill 42 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 2: in the rest of the blanks. But there are some 43 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 2: qualifiers out there. I'll think about it if you go 44 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,239 Speaker 2: on a high fence hunt, hunt in quotes, and kill 45 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 2: a giant, most folks universally know that does not mean 46 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 2: you're a good hunter. In fact, I think I can 47 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 2: say this without too much black A lot of folks 48 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 2: would look at that as a signal to the opposite. 49 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 2: I do, But I'm not above being a judgmental prick either. 50 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 2: The next level down is an outfitted hunt. Those are 51 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 2: great for some people, but having someone else scout the 52 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 2: deer and set up for the deer and tell you 53 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 2: where to hunt those deer, you know, it takes a 54 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: little off the top when you kill that deer. The 55 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 2: hunting industry lived off of this type of hunting for 56 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 2: a long time, and a large part of it still does. 57 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 2: But then you go down a little bit more and 58 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: you have the private land hunters with awesome spots. A 59 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 2: really good spot can make up for a lack of 60 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,679 Speaker 2: high level skill pretty quickly. Then you have the rest 61 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 2: of private land, permission based stuff, properties loaded with hunters leases, 62 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 2: tiny properties with no cover. It starts to get muddier 63 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 2: as we add in or take away variables. Then you 64 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 2: have public land. I just did a public land hunt 65 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 2: in Iowa, and while there was no shortage of hunters, 66 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 2: there was also no shortage of deer. It was fun. 67 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 2: I went right from there to northern Wisconsin, where I saw, 68 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 2: on average almost one deer per day. Different story there. Now, 69 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 2: the person who consistently kills in Iowa on public land, 70 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 2: it's probably a pretty good hunter. With a person who 71 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 2: consistently kills in the big woods where the deer density 72 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: is abysmal is unquestionably good. There isn't any way around it, 73 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 2: provided the rules are being followed. The thing you learn 74 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 2: when you travel a lot and hunt different stuff across 75 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 2: many different states is that the variables are so different 76 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 2: from hunt to hunt. But one that isn't is that 77 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 2: a lot of hunters feel like they are much better 78 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 2: at this stuff than they really are. I don't know 79 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 2: how often someone has casually mentioned to me they could 80 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 2: tear it up on public land and such and such 81 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 2: a state if only they had the time or money 82 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 2: or whatever. Maybe they're right, but they could find that 83 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 2: out and they won't. If that tells you anything. Now 84 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 2: here's the thing. I'm one of those people too. There 85 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 2: isn't a hunt out there. I don't think I could crush, 86 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 2: but that's easy because I mostly won't ever do most 87 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 2: of them. I'm not going to hunt sheep or mountain 88 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 2: goats or moose or white tails wherever, or elk wherever. 89 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 2: Most stuff isn't in the cards, and the opportunities aren't 90 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 2: getting easier to come by. What I do know is 91 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 2: that there is one kind of hunting that makes me 92 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: feel like a beginner again, and I sort of hate 93 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 2: it and sort of love it. It's gun hunting white tails. 94 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 2: I've only really done it a handful of times, and 95 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 2: while I've had okay success with it, I don't feel 96 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 2: like I ever really had much of a good plan 97 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 2: or really put in the right effort. I killed a 98 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 2: big target buck of mine one time in northern Minnesota 99 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 2: with a rifle. The second time I ever tried to 100 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 2: hunt with a rifle. I just posted up in a 101 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 2: cattail so that I knew that buck liked, and a 102 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 2: dole led him to his demise. I killed a pretty 103 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 2: decent one in Wisconsin the first time I rifle hunted there, 104 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 2: but it was purely a good luck situation for me 105 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,720 Speaker 2: and a bad luck situation for that eight pointer. There 106 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 2: have been a few others, but mostly I felt like 107 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 2: I wasn't myself while rifle hunting. I was just doing 108 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 2: rifle hunter stuff and it worked out. Maybe that doesn't 109 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 2: make sense, so let me explain it. I think random 110 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 2: chance does a lot of heavy lifting for a lot 111 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 2: of gun hunters. There is a big group of hunters 112 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,600 Speaker 2: that hunts the property to the north of my buddy's 113 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 2: land in Wisconsin, the place where we stay at when 114 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 2: we're over there hunting. Every opening morning they show up 115 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 2: in a bunch of different trucks and they set out 116 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 2: to the same spots to stand in the field and 117 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 2: push some large chunks of woods. The standers actually just 118 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 2: stand right out in the open in a field, and 119 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 2: we've yet to see one with any type of shooting 120 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 2: sticks or bipod. So that tells you anything. It tells 121 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,720 Speaker 2: you they are shooting at running deer freehand. So that's 122 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 2: something that's well not good. I have a feeling that 123 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,599 Speaker 2: fellas in that group all hope this is their year, 124 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 2: just like last year, just like next season. It will 125 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 2: be for a few of them, but that will be 126 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 2: likely up to a lot of chance. It won't be 127 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 2: because the deer drives they put on are suddenly a 128 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 2: very good strategy for hunting. They're just random and they 129 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 2: are pushing rabbits with antlers in a general direction. Some 130 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 2: of those deer are just gonna get unlucky, though. I 131 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 2: can't stand that type of hunting for myself. Now. I 132 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 2: don't care if that's exactly what those guys want to do, 133 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,159 Speaker 2: and I don't care if they do it. I really don't. 134 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 2: I'm happy for them, but for me, the fingers crossed 135 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 2: type of hunting is just not fulfilling. It feels like 136 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 2: a light version of hunting to me, and it bothers me. 137 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,479 Speaker 2: That's also how I've mostly rifle hunted, which is kind 138 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 2: of dumb. I mean, it's dumb for a lot of reasons, 139 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 2: mostly because I already went through this phase as a 140 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 2: muzzloder hunter. When I started doing that, I thought the 141 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 2: extra arrange meant I could just go put my back 142 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 2: to a tree and kill them like I was spring 143 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 2: turkey hunting. And you know what, I killed some those 144 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 2: little bucks anyway, and only when the conditions allowed it 145 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 2: to work. If the snow was crunchy or there was 146 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 2: some other weather factor that made it more difficult, the 147 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 2: tags did not get filled. Even though I had that 148 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 2: extra range of that weapon. The moment I resigned myself 149 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 2: to sitting my bow stands and trying to think through 150 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 2: why I'd sit one place and not another. You know, 151 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 2: given the conditions, my tag started getting notched pretty regularly. 152 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 2: It's so dumb and simple. I'm almost ashamed to admit it. 153 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 2: It turns out, if you hunt like a bow hunter 154 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 2: who doesn't have the benefit of randomness or long range weaponry, 155 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 2: you put yourself close to where deer like to walk 156 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 2: and then you can shoot them. That's so hard to 157 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 2: do with a rifle or a shotgun. You get that 158 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 2: longer range gun in your hands and the gravity pulls 159 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 2: you hard to those big views where you can just 160 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 2: reach out and touch them. You know this, We've been 161 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 2: over this. But what do we do about it? Well, 162 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 2: I know what I'm gonna do about it. I'm gonna 163 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 2: start hunting with a rifle like I do with my bow. 164 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 2: I'm not a very good rifle shot anyway, so close 165 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 2: is always better for me, and this might be a 166 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 2: close range deal. But before that, I want to talk 167 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 2: about something. I think we get married to tradition and 168 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 2: we don't want to rock the boat at deer camp. 169 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 2: But here's the thing. If you want to be a 170 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 2: successful gun hunter, you're going to want to think about 171 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 2: your setups. This is where there is such a difference 172 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 2: between bow hunting and gun hunting in general. With bow hunting, 173 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 2: we obsess over where the deer should be right now, 174 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 2: what they should be eating, where they should be chasing dose, 175 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 2: what the wind is doing for this spot or that spot, 176 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: or what our trail cameras show us we should do 177 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 2: with some more set up somewhere. Then we act on 178 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 2: that info. We try to see if we are right. 179 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 2: Often we aren't, but we might see something that points 180 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 2: us in a better direction. We might find some sign, 181 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 2: We might encounter something that alters our plan and puts 182 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 2: us in a better headspace to complete this whole thing. 183 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 2: With gun hunting, we tend to go, well, I'm going 184 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 2: to sit the ladder stand on the field edge again, 185 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 2: or I'm going to post up on the shooting lane 186 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 2: in the swamp, and that's it. We go, well, I 187 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 2: have one option, or I have two or three. We 188 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 2: might ride it out at our only spot, or we 189 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 2: might file between a couple. But it's often not based 190 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,319 Speaker 2: on anything more than we either saw a deer when 191 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 2: we sat one place, or we didn't. If we did, 192 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 2: we go back. If not, we might, we might move. 193 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 2: I'm planning to hunt Wisconsin this year, and the truth is, 194 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 2: I feel real unprepared. I feel like I'm going to 195 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,680 Speaker 2: hunt just like that, you know, just go wherever. And 196 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 2: I don't want to. In fact, I don't want to 197 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 2: for two very specific reasons. The one I explained before 198 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 2: that it simply just doesn't do much for me. I 199 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 2: don't get out of it what I need. I don't 200 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:11,680 Speaker 2: know why. I guess I'm just a quirky fella. The 201 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 2: other thing is that it's not a good way to 202 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 2: kill deer, and I just really like shooting deer. So 203 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 2: this year, I am going to force myself to avoid 204 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 2: the familiar traps. Will I go sit a ladder stand 205 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,439 Speaker 2: that over looks a swamp on opening day? You betcha? 206 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 2: But mostly because I just walked in there recently and 207 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 2: found one of my neighbors setting up not one, but 208 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:34,319 Speaker 2: two ladder stands right on my property line to shoot 209 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 2: into my land. You know why, Because they know I'm 210 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 2: almost never there. Between their illegal bait piles and this 211 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,959 Speaker 2: kind of shit, it makes it very tough. I have 212 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 2: a strong aversion to a grown man looking me in 213 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 2: the eyes and lying to me. But that's what they 214 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 2: did when I mentioned they were straddling the line and 215 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 2: setting up in a way that makes it look an 216 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 2: awful lot like they're gonna shoot into mine. I'm not 217 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 2: great at letting stuff like that go. The assholes who 218 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 2: sit those stands are going to have to look at 219 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 2: me sitting mine this year. I'm not proud of the 220 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 2: way I am, guys, but I'm too old to fight 221 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 2: my nature. After that, though, where I hope to make 222 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 2: a good point shoot one so they can watch it. 223 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 2: I'm going hunting for real. I'm going to read the 224 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 2: conditions and either go to setups I already have or 225 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 2: hang something to sit. By the day, I will hunt private, 226 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 2: but by Monday I might slip into some public just 227 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 2: to see what I can do about finding some little 228 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 2: honey hoole and watching over it. I have a few 229 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,560 Speaker 2: of those scouted out from bow hunting, and the advantage 230 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 2: of a little range might help me with all of them. 231 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 2: What I'm not going to do is sit around and 232 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 2: just hope a deer comes by me for like five days. 233 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 2: I'm going to go to them like I do with 234 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 2: bow hunting, and I don't know if it'll work yet, 235 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 2: but I'm hoping. It makes me feel like I'm leveling 236 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 2: up and changing a little bit as a gun hunter. Now, 237 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 2: let me ask you this. If you're going gun hunting 238 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 2: this year, what's the plan? Are you going to do 239 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 2: what you always do? If so, will that make you happy? 240 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 2: If that answer is yes, then carry on, my friends. 241 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,319 Speaker 2: Do what blows the wind up your skirt? I say, 242 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 2: or actually Mark says that so much though that I 243 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 2: often wonder if he has petitioned First Light to make 244 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 2: him a camo skirt. What if that's your plan? But 245 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 2: you're wondering if this year is going to be a 246 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 2: lot like a lot of the other years where the 247 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,679 Speaker 2: best you can do is hope that the randomness of 248 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 2: it all chooses you as the big winner. Then it's 249 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 2: time to think about your hunt now. As I mentioned before, 250 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:32,839 Speaker 2: a lot of people don't want to rock the boat 251 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 2: with the group dynamics of a gun hunt. But that's 252 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 2: a personal call. Maybe you love doing the deer drives, 253 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:40,680 Speaker 2: maybe you hate it. Maybe you don't care about being 254 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 2: back at the cabin at noon for the chili cookout. 255 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,200 Speaker 2: Can you move stands midday to something tighter in the cover. 256 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,559 Speaker 2: Can you bring a mobile setup to the spot. You're 257 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 2: just kind of curious about what can you actively do 258 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:54,920 Speaker 2: to hunt them when you have a high powered rifle 259 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 2: in your hands or that scope shotgun. A lot of 260 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 2: these questions don't have answers yet because a lot of 261 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:03,680 Speaker 2: folks listening to this haven't hunted yet. There's a lot 262 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 2: of inputs to take in before you decide to be 263 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 2: the guy who goes rogue and wade into the thickets, 264 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 2: or skip the social stuff to spend the eleven ish 265 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 2: hours of daylight. You have where the deer live and 266 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 2: not where the beer disappears into bellies and the chili 267 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 2: farts radiate off the cabin walls, like that scene in 268 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,680 Speaker 2: Blazing Saddles where the bad cowboys are sitting around the 269 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:26,839 Speaker 2: campfire eating beans. It's good to consider these things though. 270 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:30,200 Speaker 2: I believe this because if you aren't working on something 271 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,240 Speaker 2: in your head, you won't work on something in the field. 272 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 2: It's easy to fall into the same patterns. There's comfort 273 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 2: and familiarity. It's nice to not have to make a 274 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 2: lot of decisions or really think something through. But if 275 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 2: you want to kill deer every year with a gun, 276 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 2: and you currently don't, or at least don't kill the 277 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 2: deer you really want to kill. Ask yourself where you 278 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 2: could improve on that program. The easy one is to 279 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 2: hunt longer than everyone else. That one's so simple, but 280 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 2: it's hard, and it's not like all day sits are 281 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 2: going to always result in filled tags. The deer that 282 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 2: won't cross the open you know, at sunrise, aren't likely 283 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,199 Speaker 2: to cross the wide open at noon, if you get 284 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:12,360 Speaker 2: my drift. This is why I'm an advocate for the 285 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:15,360 Speaker 2: midday move if necessary. Bull hunters do this all the 286 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 2: time and it works a lot. There are setups where 287 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 2: all day sits are money, but you have to believe 288 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 2: in them, and if you don't, a still hunt from 289 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 2: one stand to another during the midday hours is a 290 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 2: nice break, and it's nice to have a different view. 291 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,680 Speaker 2: It's also a good idea to go looking. I think 292 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,920 Speaker 2: a lot of gun hunters like to walk around and 293 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 2: look for deer, but a better bed is to really 294 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 2: sneak around if you have to with another destination in mind. 295 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 2: I mean, how often do you think you're going to 296 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 2: walk up on a buck during gun season and shoot him? 297 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 2: Probably not too often, unless you have a thousand acre 298 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 2: ranch in one of the flyover states. I'm also not 299 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 2: advocating huge moves here either. We are often off by 300 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 2: so little that it surprises me so much. Maybe you 301 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 2: saw a few deer in the cree bottom below you. 302 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 2: A move of one hundred yards might get you some 303 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 2: kind of different opportunity, you know, just to hunt better cover. 304 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 2: That might be all you need. I kill a lot 305 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 2: of deer after little moves while bow hunting, and I 306 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 2: plan to kill some while gun hunting. I also think 307 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 2: that when you approach it this way, you're more open 308 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 2: to going off at instinct, and I think that shit 309 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 2: is important. What if you're sitting there looking at wide 310 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 2: open woods and not seeing deer on day three? Instead 311 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 2: of just giving up and giving in, what does your 312 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 2: gut tell you? Probably tells you the deer in some spot, 313 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 2: And while you don't usually hunt it, you probably could 314 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 2: right instead of trying to blind call one to a 315 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 2: burned out area, go to where they might be and 316 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 2: find out if they are there. If you jump some deer, 317 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 2: which you very well might take note to where they are, 318 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 2: there was a reason, and the reason is probably good 319 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 2: enough for you to sit there today or tomorrow or 320 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,320 Speaker 2: the next day, think it through, try something different, go 321 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 2: try to find them if you have to, and come 322 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 2: back next week because I'm going to talk about making 323 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 2: mistakes and giving ourselves a little grace because we are 324 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 2: all flawed. That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. 325 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 2: This has been the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which 326 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 2: is brought to you by First Light. I just want 327 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 2: to say thank you to everyone you know sticking with 328 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 2: us as we you know, drop new films on the 329 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 2: mediator dot com, or we throw these articles and podcasts 330 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 2: out there, whatever. We are creating so much content right 331 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 2: now and you guys are consuming it like mad, and 332 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 2: we really really appreciate it. If you haven't gotten your 333 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 2: fix completely, you got to work or do something stupid 334 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 2: that's not hunting, and you need a little bit more 335 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 2: of a fix, or you just need some entertainment while 336 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 2: you're working out or you're driving or whatever. We have 337 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 2: so many podcasts, you know, Meet Eater's got three different 338 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 2: podcasts now, between the Mad podcast, the radio podcast Trivia, 339 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 2: We've got Bear Grease Clay puts out amazing shows all 340 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 2: the time. If you haven't checked out. Brent Reeves. This 341 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 2: country life, you need to go check it out. I 342 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 2: would let that man talk me into sleep every night 343 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 2: just to hear his voice in his stories. Go check 344 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 2: 'em out. Thank you so much for everything.