1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,760 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 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: Today's episode is about how easy it is to get 6 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: your rut timing wrong. We are on the cusp, or 7 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,279 Speaker 1: so it feels. Any day now your trail cameras will 8 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: show serious chasing. One of your hunting buddy's gonna call 9 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: you to tell you about the toady saw grunting and 10 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: cruising knows to the ground. You'll think, well, that's it, 11 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: I needg into the woods right now. We've got an 12 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: early ruck going on and I'm going to miss it. 13 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: Here's the deal. Don't at least don't go in with 14 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: a cavalier attitude and thinking that it's the way. It 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: will be an over mess of it. It won't be, 16 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: and you'll just be burning through your best stuff before 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: the big show comes. Trust me on this one. There 18 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: isn't a hunter alive with a decently impressive trophy room 19 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: who hasn't learned this lesson the hard way. We all 20 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: know the rut is based on photo periodism. The amount 21 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: of daylight reaching the brains of all those bucks we 22 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: want to shoot, and the does they want to bang 23 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: is what sets up the pins. A wicked cold front 24 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: can knock them all down, but it isn't necessary. The 25 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: rut happens at the same time every year, whether we 26 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: like it or not, whether we want to believe it 27 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: or not. While this varies from Maine to Alabama, at 28 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: least timing wise, the deer in any given region need 29 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: their fonts to be born at specific times in the 30 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: spring to ensure the greatest chances of survival. This is 31 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: an accident. And while there are outliers as far as 32 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: late breeding, early breeding, and the corresponding fonn drops, you've 33 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: got to forget about those and consider when the rut 34 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: has to happen in your neck of the woods. Do 35 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: you know what that means? It means the third week 36 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: of October for many of us is too early for 37 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: a reliable rud hunt. There are exceptions, like I said, 38 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: and conception studies have shown that a small percentage of 39 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: dose will be bred way outside the main window in November, 40 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: but that's a lottery odd stuff. It's probably not gonna 41 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: happen to you. You could still play off the staging 42 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: area strategy and maybe the scrape strategy described in the 43 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 1: last couple episodes of this podcast. That's a possibility, and 44 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: it's not a bad one if you need to get 45 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: out and you need to hunt. It does come with 46 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: a few caveats if you really want to play it 47 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: safe until November drops the base and all the deers 48 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: start to wave their glow sticks around and really party. 49 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:55,839 Speaker 1: So first off, while it's easy to get tunnel vision 50 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: in relation to bucks, you need to be thinking about 51 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: the doz. What don't want to do now is get 52 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: careless around the ladies and put them off of their pattern. 53 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,519 Speaker 1: This is easier to do than we like to admit, because, 54 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: after all, we think the rut will save us, but 55 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: it might not, and that's an important wrinkle to create 56 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: in your brain. The rut isn't the end all to 57 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: pour deer hunting results for most hunters. It's far, far 58 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: far from a guarantee. That only gets worse when you 59 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: push into your best rut stands two weeks before the 60 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: real action will probably start. So you have to think 61 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: about your time in the woods right now in a 62 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: way that allows you to do a few things. The 63 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: first is to leave the dose alone, or at least 64 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: not spook them. I know I told you not that 65 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: long ago to target them, but now, don't shooting doses 66 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: an early October game, not now. The second thing is 67 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: that your time in the woods needs to be valuable. 68 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: Are you going to be in places where observation, real 69 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: quality observation is possible. That's important. The buck you see 70 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: staging at gas light deep in the woods, that buck 71 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: is killable in the next couple of weeks. Or you 72 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: can see the Doe family groups browsing their way through. 73 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: It won't be long and someone will be on their tail, 74 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 1: provided they stick to that routine. Lastly, ask yourself what 75 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: the sign looks like right now. Where concentrations of rubs 76 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: and scrapes are now is important. It's also important to 77 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: note where new sign shows up every couple of days. 78 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: The rub line that goes from so so to holy 79 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: shit this week is the spy are going to want 80 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: to devote some attention to when the rut is on. 81 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,479 Speaker 1: But let's start with the dose. The biggest mistake a 82 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: lot of hunters make right now is defaulting back to 83 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: their field edge or easy to get two stands. They 84 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: reason that since there should be a few doughs coming 85 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 1: into the cut corner beans, that the bucks will swing 86 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:52,559 Speaker 1: through as well. This may be true, but it probably isn't. 87 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: And you know what I talk about, It probably really isn't. 88 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: If you're hunting pressure deer, a more likely outcome is 89 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: educating the dose tre presence and putting them off of 90 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: a pattern that you really really want them to stick to. 91 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: This doesn't just happen to the folks who hunt egg 92 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: country either. If you hunt big wood swamps and have 93 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: one spot where you usually see a few deer, that's 94 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: where you're going to want to go. The same goes 95 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: for Western white tails on river crossings and other deer 96 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 1: heavy spots. The poll to go where the action is 97 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: as close to as sure thing as you can get. 98 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: It's a hard one to ignore. We all do it. 99 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: But that's not that dangerous on October one. But it 100 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 1: is dangerous. Now. Let me give you an example to 101 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: illustrate this. On opening day of Minnesota season, I slipped 102 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: into a stand located where several fingers of timber meat. 103 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: It was opening morning and my plan was mostly to 104 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: try to shoot a dough. Now, if a good bucket 105 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: shown up, i'd just switched gears, but I knew the 106 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: odds of that were low in this spot. An hour 107 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,799 Speaker 1: into the morning, I spotted alone dough walking down the trail. 108 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 1: That's the kind of dough I really like to shoot 109 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: and I really like to eat. But she was small 110 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 1: and it was early. I hemmed in hot on it 111 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: and whether I should shoot her, but I decided to pass, 112 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: mostly because she was really small. I sat that stand 113 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 1: a couple of times throughout the season, and I saw 114 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: her every single sit. She was just living there. Now 115 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: fast forward to the last couple of days of October, 116 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: and I desperately wanted to hunt a stand near a 117 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: huge community scrape that, according to my cameras, was buck central. 118 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: Even better, the buck I had been paying close attention 119 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,719 Speaker 1: to for a few seasons used that scrape somewhat frequently, 120 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 1: and by that farm standards, that was huge at at least. 121 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: I thought that was my only chance to kill that buck. 122 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: So I really really wanted to go in there for 123 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: an all day sit that time of year. When I 124 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: got out of my truck in the dark on October, 125 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: that was exactly my plan. I also almost instantly realized 126 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: the wind wasn't gonna allow it. That didn't stop me 127 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: from trying to talk myself into hunting there, but I 128 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: just couldn't do it because I knew i'd blow the 129 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,480 Speaker 1: whole thing up. And it's not very often when a 130 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: guy gets to hunt a legitimate booner in Minnesota. So 131 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: I called an audible and I headed back into the 132 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: stand where the young Doe lived. Nothing showed for the 133 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: first two hours, but then I looked down the trail 134 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: and a familiar face was trotting my way. She passed 135 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: by at fifteen yards, and thirty seconds later I heard 136 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: the loudest grunt of my life. I stood up so 137 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: fast that I nearly paid myself a little and then 138 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: I got ready. I heard a grunt again, and honestly, 139 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: it was actually more like a roar. To this date, 140 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: it's the only time I've ever heard about make that sound. 141 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: And I'll tell you what, if big Bucks did that 142 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: more often, the cost of leases would triple because that 143 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: ship is crazy exciting. And when he showed, he was 144 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: on a mission to catch up to his young girlfriend, 145 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: and I had about five seconds to draw, stop him 146 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: and shoot. He died just out of sight and proved 147 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: to be a split browed ten pointer that I knew 148 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: well but thought wasn't using the area whole lot. Maybe 149 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: he wasn't, or maybe I just didn't know about it. 150 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: But either way, that little doe brought him right in 151 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: and placed him in my lap. If she had been 152 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: dead or just put off her pattern, things would have 153 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: played out differently for me. I'm absolutely confident of that. 154 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: So I handle your dose with kid gloves now, because 155 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: you're gonna need them really soon. Now let's talk about observation. 156 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: The woods are open, ish will call it. You can 157 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,119 Speaker 1: usually see quite a bit, and here a fair amount. Now, 158 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: dialing into distant deer movement is a real possibility, and 159 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: it's important. I do a lot of sets this time 160 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: of year, both in trees and on the ground, where 161 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: my odds of actually arrowing a deer are really low. 162 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: The goal is just to see them and to figure 163 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: out who is walking or feeding and where. If you 164 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: watch a family group of dose walking along a ridge today, 165 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: you can bet they'll probably be there in two weeks. 166 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: This goes for public land and it goes for private land. 167 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: Now I know it's random, and they can get put 168 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: off of there, but you just have to operate on 169 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: the assumption that if you don't screw him up, nobody 170 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: else will. It also goes for the random does on 171 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: your trail cameras. If you're getting semi regular images of 172 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: dose and one of your spots, don't go sit there yet. 173 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: The cameras on the work for you. Keep those does 174 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: there and be patient. Now if you have to observe 175 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: or you just want to pay attention to all of 176 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 1: the bucks as well. Obviously you're going to make note 177 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: of the hundred and forty inchure that works his way 178 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: out of a wood had drawn into a patch of sumac, 179 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,680 Speaker 1: But what about the forkey that feeds and scrapes his 180 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: way along an overgrown fence line. That deer is important too. 181 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: What one deer does, other deer will do, including big bucks. 182 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: You should remember this. In high density areas with lots 183 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: of deer, it's crucial, and for everyone hunting in low 184 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: density areas it's even more important. Bigwood swamps, whatever. When 185 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: I'm hunting where very few deer live, every sighting is 186 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: a gift. It doesn't matter if it's a clueless spike, 187 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: because how he travels through the Big Woods is probably 188 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: how other deer will travel through there as well. Even 189 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 1: in flat, mostly featureless cover, there are preferred routes that 190 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: are easiest to ide if I through observation. Remember that 191 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: because it's important not only to dialing in those daily 192 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: travel routes, but keeping sane when you sat for a 193 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: few days and haven't seen hardly any deer. Those situations 194 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: are when confidence in the spot is huge, and you 195 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: can really develop confidence by watching. Dear do what, Dear do? 196 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:21,680 Speaker 1: I say that a lot in this podcast, and I 197 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: know it, but I mean it every time. I also 198 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 1: shouldn't have to say this, but I will. If you're 199 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: going to observe, you can check out all of Mark 200 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: kenyan sweet insta posts about the best moors ingredients later, 201 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: because now is the time to be watching, to be glassing. 202 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: When that buck goes through the power line two yards away, 203 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: you want to be able to look at him with 204 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: your binos and mark the exact trees he walks by. 205 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: When the does pop out in the clear cut, the 206 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: same rules apply. You're not just there to see, dear, 207 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 1: You're there to learn about what the deer doing right now. 208 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: Just like with summer glassing, make note of the wind 209 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: direction and the conditions. If the buck you just saw 210 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: slip through was heading in a certain direction, did he 211 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: also happen to have a favorable wind? I'll bet he did, 212 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: and I'll bet that's not a coincidence. This also goes 213 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: for trail cameras. It's fun to see an image of 214 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: a buck working a scrape or moving along a trail, 215 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: But can you look up what the wind direction was, 216 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: then you should. You might think he'll just go nuts 217 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: during the rut and run everywhere, but he won't. He'll 218 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: run where the wind favors him, and those routes are 219 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: routes he's probably traveled hundreds of times in his life, 220 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: partially because of how he can live off his nose 221 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: when he's not concerned about making little bucks. Lastly, let's 222 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: just talk about sign right now. If you're sitting up 223 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: in your stand and staring through your binos, can you 224 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 1: see an your rubs, the peninsula of high ground that 225 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: juts into the swamp below you? Is it all rubbed up? 226 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: The thing about rubs is they prompt you to ask 227 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: the question why they're Why would a buck make a 228 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,479 Speaker 1: series of rubs on a ridge or down in the bottom. 229 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: Why is there a random signpost rub in the middle 230 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: of a thousand acres of Northwood's timber. You might not 231 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,440 Speaker 1: be able to answer those questions definitively, but you can 232 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 1: make him educated guesses. You can probably figure out why 233 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 1: a buck would travel in a certain direction while leaving 234 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: his calling card along the way the big timber rub. 235 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: Maybe it's at the junction of two soft edges, or 236 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: maybe it's situated at the top of a slight rise 237 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,319 Speaker 1: that leads from a gnarly swamp bottom to a higher 238 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,319 Speaker 1: spine a ground. I am convinced that some bucks make 239 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: random rubs because they enjoy tussling with saplings. But I'm 240 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: also convinced that those random rubs rarely show up in 241 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: random spots. How's that for a terrible explanation. What I 242 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:30,960 Speaker 1: mean is that a rub here there might not look 243 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: like it gives you much to work with, but it 244 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,679 Speaker 1: tells you where a buck was at some point. One 245 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 1: or two rubs isn't all that exciting. But what if 246 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: you look around and realize there are ten or twenty 247 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: within a couple of acres. It's a different story, my friends. 248 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:45,960 Speaker 1: It's also going to get you thinking about why a 249 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: buck or a couple of bucks spent so much time 250 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: there and where they came from, where they're going clues, 251 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:55,839 Speaker 1: my friend clues. This is set up time. You should 252 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: be learning as much as you can about right where 253 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: the deer want to be right now. It's almost like 254 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,079 Speaker 1: glasting summertime bucks in the weeks leading up to the 255 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: bow open. You know that they might stick to their 256 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: usual bed to food routes, and if they do and 257 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: the conditions don't conspire against you, you can kill one. 258 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:14,559 Speaker 1: But the setting has changed and the motivation for movement 259 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 1: has somewhat changed, But the same rules apply again, same rules. 260 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 1: Where you see deer doze, little bucks whoppers is where 261 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: you'll see them in two weeks in a way that 262 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: is probably going to be amplified. Where the sign is 263 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: now is where you can call your shots later, or 264 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: at least narrow down your best stand sites into relation 265 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: to where the bucks are likeliest to feel most comfortable. 266 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: And of course you're gonna have to factor in those 267 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,199 Speaker 1: train features at all funnel movement as well. It all 268 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: comes together, But the key right now is caution and 269 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: the realization that you've got the opportunity to remove a 270 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: fair amount of randomness right out of the rut. Of course, 271 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: you can't control your target buck taking a two mile 272 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,839 Speaker 1: stroll in the wrong direction, or the three bucks in 273 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,560 Speaker 1: your bigwood section that all glom onto an early Estra stoll. 274 00:13:56,880 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: But you can play the odds. You can set yourself 275 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: up to be where a buck will eventually cruise through 276 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: at some point because of multiple reasons which are way 277 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: more in depth than simply crossing your fingers and hoping 278 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: that the rut sends when your way through a likely 279 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: looking funnel. Now, the rut does send a lot of 280 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:13,719 Speaker 1: bucks in a lot of different ways, and you can 281 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 1: figure out where by doing something right now and getting 282 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: into the woods. So go out there, my friends, but 283 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: be careful. Consider this like a nine split maybe between 284 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: mostly recon and and real serious hunting. Get the info 285 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: you need to be the killer you want to be soon. 286 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: But that comes with a big old butt. It always does. 287 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: There is a danger to being too cautious if you're 288 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: onto something good right now. If you see a buck 289 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: that is giving you the green light to move in 290 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,280 Speaker 1: on him, or or the sign is just so hot 291 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: that it needs to be hunted, there's really no reason 292 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: to wait. In fact, waiting is a bad idea, but 293 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: this is special circumstance stuff that you'll learn to read 294 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 1: with more encounters and more experience. So what I mean 295 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: by that is there's a difference between seeing a few 296 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: rubs and talking yourself into hunting every second you can, 297 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: because you feel that this shows the rut is definitely 298 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: on Versus walking into a soft edge in the big 299 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: woods that is absolutely littered with fresh rubs, scrapes, and droppings, 300 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: or you know, maybe seeing a buck out at last 301 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: light as he came out to feed and he looks 302 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: pretty decent, versus watching one two nights in a row 303 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: stage on a ridge that provides really good cover a 304 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: place he looks comfortable. The beauty and the frustration of 305 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: deer hunting is that there is no right answer for 306 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: everyone in every situation. It's too variable. You've got to 307 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 1: be the one to judge your own situation and be 308 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: honest with yourself. If you have the discipline to mostly 309 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: watch but strike if the stars aligned, then you're on 310 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: the right track. If you're worried that you'll talk yourself 311 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 1: into hunting your best spots just because the rut is 312 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: kind of close or you see one you know giving 313 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 1: you just a glimpse of this antler's walking through the brush, 314 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: or more likely, you get a photo of a buck. 315 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: Then factor that in to your decision making. Be careful 316 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 1: to not mess up something that could really work in 317 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: your favor in a couple of weeks when that your 318 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,160 Speaker 1: do get dumber. But don't be so careful you talk 319 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: yourself out of hunting when you absolutely have something to 320 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: work with right now, even I'm tired of listen to myself, 321 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:19,560 Speaker 1: so I'm gonna wrap it up right there until next 322 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: week when we get into almost the best part of 323 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: the season and what you should be doing as the 324 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: end of October closes in. That's it for this week, 325 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: my white tail loving brothers and sisters. I'm your host, 326 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:35,040 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson, and this has been the Wire to Hunt 327 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: Foundations podcast. Be sure to tune in next week for 328 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: more white tail wisdom and to check out our Wire 329 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: to Hunt YouTube channel, which is chock full of how 330 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: to content.