1 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wire to Hunt podcast, your home for 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:11,479 Speaker 1: deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon. Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: your host, Mark Kenyan. This is episode number one fifty 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: two Tan the show, we are joined by the One 6 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: and Only stand Pots, and we're discussing some of his 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: most memorable hunts and the lessons learned along the way 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: that have led to his incredible hunting success. All Right, 9 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: welcome to another episode of the Wire to Hunt podcast, 10 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: brought to you by Sitka Gear. And today in the show, 11 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: we're joined by an absolute legend in the white tail 12 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 1: hunting world, the one the Only stand Pots and Stands 13 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: a long time big buck killer. He's been the host 14 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: of shows such as North American Whitetail TV, Whitetail Explorer 15 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: and Matthews Dominant Bucks, and he's appeared on many other 16 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: shows and videos as well. And stand has killed mature 17 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: bucks on public land and private land. He's killed him 18 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: d I Y, and he's killed them without fitters. And 19 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: so he's got a lot of different types of experiences 20 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: and along the way he's killed four different two bucks. 21 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: So today our plan is to dive into the world 22 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: of stand pots. I want to hear about some of 23 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: his most interesting experiences over the years, and I'm hopefully 24 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: most importantly, you know, hopefully, we're gonna be learning about 25 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: what some of those most important hunting lessons are that 26 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: he's learned as he's chased his big deer all across 27 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: the country. So that's the game plan. And before we 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: get stand in the line though, back with me today 29 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: is my buddy and co host, the Nine Fingered Man 30 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: from Iowa, Dan John Mark Kenyon. Oh, you know, just uh, 31 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: living that dream, living the American dream. Yeah. White picket fence, Yeah, 32 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: except like it's not really white. It's like the paint. 33 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: The fence needs paint and I haven't had a time 34 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: to fix the fence yet. If that makes sense, it does. 35 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: It sounds just about right. Can I tell you a 36 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: really quick This just popped in my mind? But speaking 37 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: of you, um great, I love where this is gonna go. 38 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 1: I almost had a nine fingered dad, my dad. That 39 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: sounding weird now it's almost figured dad, It's not like 40 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: you were almost my dad. My dad almost lost one 41 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: of his fingers last week doing what he was going 42 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: fishing and he him and his buddy had they're putting 43 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:58,959 Speaker 1: the boat in the water, and somehow, I don't I 44 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: don't know all the details. On sure if they know 45 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: all the details. But somehow, when my dad put his 46 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: hand back on the hitch of the trailer in between 47 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: the ball and the receiver, my buddies or my dad's 48 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: buddy was just getting out of the vehicle and must 49 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: have let his foot off the pet left the brake 50 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: or something. Somehow the truck shifted back and smashed and 51 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: crushed my dad's finger between the hitch and the receiver, 52 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: and it almost completely severed it and the bone was 53 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: sticking out completely, five fractures in there, and they almost 54 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: had to amputate it. Um, but it looks like they 55 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 1: saved the finger. So I almost had nine fingered Wonder 56 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: on the podcast and a nine fingered dad. Well, I 57 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: tell you what, I'm looking for a good co host 58 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: for my podcast. You know, maybe if he goes through 59 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: with an amputation, we could talk. But until then, I'll 60 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: send him your way if that happens. Yeah, yeah, he's good, 61 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: he's good enough. He he had surgery last week and 62 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: it looks like that one well, so um knock on 63 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: wood looks like should be should be set moving forward? 64 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: Cool beans, man, you're back from Montana. I am back 65 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: from Montana. You know, I got back to it late 66 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: last week. Does it suck to be back or are 67 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: you glad you're back? You know, I'm actually glad to 68 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: be back. Um. It was at a blast out there, 69 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: did a lot of awesome stuff, but you know, it 70 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: was also exhausting. Um, and it's just nice to kind 71 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: of get settled back into the routine and and be 72 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: able to kind of get some work done in a 73 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: regular place. It was just a little bit more challenging, 74 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: I think, trying to trying to work, trying to record podcasts, 75 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: trying to do different things when you know we're living 76 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: out of a campground or national forest, and you know, 77 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: it's hard sometimes get power, hard, sometimes get internet, um, 78 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: different stuff like that. So, um, it was fun. But 79 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 1: it's nice to be back and I can get to 80 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: work on some of my white tailed shores. So so 81 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: many white tailed shores. So that's right, the two lists long. 82 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: I'll tell you what. Let's see real quick. I went 83 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: fishing this weekend. Called a ton of fish my daughter. 84 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: Awesome fish. Yeah, really awesome. Fishing is fun blah blah 85 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: blah blah blah. But but you can never be a 86 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: fishing podcast host if that's how you talk about Well, 87 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: I love I love fishing, right, It's it's really fun, 88 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: especially when the fish are biting. I got my father 89 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: in law. He's been um fishing this specific portion of 90 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:29,480 Speaker 1: the Mississippi River for forty two years so and he's retired. 91 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,039 Speaker 1: So not only does he know where all the hot 92 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: spots are the good spots depending on how you know 93 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,279 Speaker 1: low or high the river is, he's there all the time. 94 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 1: So as soon as that shift happens, let's say the 95 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,359 Speaker 1: water the river drops a foot, he knows where the 96 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: fish are gonna be. So when whenever we go up there, 97 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: it's like we have our our own personal guide. So 98 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: the fishing ever really sucks. Yeah, But more importantly and 99 00:05:55,440 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: kind of the white tail thing, man, I like, I 100 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 1: got some money set aside this year for some gear 101 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: that I'm gonna buy, and it's burning a hole in 102 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: my pocket and it's it's gonna be dangerous. Like I 103 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: don't know if you ever go through these phases where 104 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: I got some catalogs in the mail from a couple 105 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: of companies that I've made purchases from in the past, 106 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: and it's just like it's it's kind of like fishing. 107 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 1: It's like a fishing lure where I'm gonna bite and 108 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna lose. I'm not gonna lose because I'm actually 109 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: gaining good gear. But you know, I've already bought arrows 110 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: this year. I bought a pack frame this year. What 111 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: else I'm gonna probably buy some boots I'm gonna buy. Uh, 112 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: let's see what else am I gonna buy. I'm probably 113 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: gonna buy some additional like Camo slash gear, you know, 114 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:51,679 Speaker 1: uh that I'm gonna buy some more wool bass layers 115 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: and stuff like that. It's just like it's so dumb 116 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 1: because I probably I have everything I really need, but 117 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: I want more. You and me and everyone everyone listening. 118 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 1: Probably it's especially this time of year, like it's it's bad, 119 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: but I know it's just true. Like you get a 120 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: little like dopamine burst when you can't you can't actually 121 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: go hunting, but you can get this little tiny bit 122 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: of hunting excitement when you go to the gear store 123 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: and you buy something, so like I do that to 124 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: like hit the hunting feel good. Buzzing button and then 125 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: my checking account doesn't look good. Amen on that man. 126 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: Other than that, I mean, you've been back for what 127 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 1: to three days? Now? For how long? Yeah, we got 128 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: back like late Thursday, but then we went up to 129 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: visit my family over the weekend, so I've only really 130 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: been home at the house for two days. Um, but 131 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: I did I didn't go turkey hunting. Finally, I went 132 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: turkey hunting twice yesterday. Um. No, I actually took my 133 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 1: nephew out both days, trying to get him his first bird, 134 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: and um, we had somewhat close calls both days, but 135 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: just couldn't quite get him coming to range. Um, he's 136 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: just using a little twenty gage, so we definitely have 137 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 1: to have him close. But um, but it was cool 138 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: the first time he's ever been turkey hunting and had 139 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: him You know, they're working in and they're gobbling and 140 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: responding to the calls, and he was pumped. And at 141 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: one point I thought they were gonna come and coming 142 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: to range where we're at, and I told him to 143 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: get ready and he was holding the gun up and 144 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: you can see him like breathing really heavy and shaking, 145 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: and I was like, all right, he's feeling it. He's 146 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: feeling it, so I'm pretty excited about this. I'm gonna 147 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: try to get him out some more before the season 148 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: is done, and I'd rather him get a bird than me, 149 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: so hopefully, hopefully that will happen. And I think we're 150 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 1: gonna do some hunting this weekend and finish off the 151 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 1: month of May and hopefully high note awesome. Alright, so 152 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:45,439 Speaker 1: I guess we got stand coming on here pretty soon. 153 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: But I got have you checked any trail cameras? Did 154 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: you have any trail cameras up and running on some 155 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: of your old food plots or anything like that? I mean, 156 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: do we have a holy Field update or anything like that? 157 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: No Holy Field update. Um, I pulled all my cameras 158 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: before I left to go out, so no cameras are up. 159 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: But but I'm definitely gonna be putting him out here 160 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:12,199 Speaker 1: soon and just just a lot of a lot of stuff. 161 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: I've been seeing a lot of deer last day's while hunting. 162 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: Keep an eye out for a chunk out of the 163 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: year of a buck, but haven't seen him yet, but 164 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: fingers crossed. And the food plot works gonna be starting soon. 165 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: And I did do some Habita at work before I 166 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: left that we never did talk about that. Maybe we 167 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 1: can talk about more another time. Worked on some betting 168 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 1: areas and stuff. So so the plan is in the 169 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: works and I'm doing trial camera studying, still looking at 170 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,080 Speaker 1: things and you know, this is the topic that we 171 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: could talk about for an hour. So but yeah, it's 172 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: it's all in the works. So Ben Harshine, you know, 173 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: the owner of hunter are our friend of both of ours. 174 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:54,559 Speaker 1: He uh, he got a call from the landowner that 175 00:09:54,600 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: he hunts on and he had um a buck still 176 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 1: holding They were out there mushroom hunting a buck that 177 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 1: it's still holding on. I think it was April both sides. Geez, 178 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: that's crazy. Yeah, it's been a weird year, very weird. 179 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: And we haven't talked about this. We went me and 180 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: Kylie went shed hunting, right, we haven't talked about this 181 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: in Montana. Yeah, we went hunt in Montana. That's awesome. 182 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 1: It was sweet. So we hit up the property where 183 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: I killed my buck last year and we found four 184 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:36,040 Speaker 1: sheds in a deadhead and Kylie found her very first 185 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:38,679 Speaker 1: shed and it was a really nice one. Um man, 186 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: it had a long main beam in a big split 187 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: g three deep split G three and two times busted 188 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: off had an inside time and then like it's G 189 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 1: two was busted off. So if it had those times, 190 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:53,680 Speaker 1: I mean, this would have been a six point side 191 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: then and it would have been substantial, like I don't know, 192 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: sixty lost inches probably when it was all said and done. 193 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: Back out there here, I am hunting. Excuse me, I 194 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: am going to hunt Montana, But I was planning on 195 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: hunting a different spot, um, just to try new things. 196 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: And I know I wanted to hunt federal public land 197 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:18,680 Speaker 1: instead of UM state, but I don't know. Now that 198 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: I know that, now that I know this guy is 199 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 1: still there, UM, it's it's very tempting and I know it, 200 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: and uh, I don't know. So we'll see. Maybe I'll 201 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 1: maybe I'll try a little bit in the new spot 202 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: and then if it doesn't go well after the first 203 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: couple of days, head over this one. I don't know. 204 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 1: We'll see. But because I didn't know he's there, yea amen. So, 205 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: but we're gonna do another podcast here soon. We can 206 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: just catch up on what's going on with our world, 207 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,160 Speaker 1: because this wasn't enough. UM two, there's so much talk 208 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: about there's so much to talk about velvet. Velvet antlers 209 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: are beginning to pop out. Oh, I'm getting excited. I 210 00:11:56,280 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: love this. I love June and July and August when 211 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: you start seeing those deer in the fields. I love 212 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: going and checking the trail camera for the first time. 213 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: Uh you know when they're like in July, when they're 214 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: for the most part done growing, you know, they still 215 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,080 Speaker 1: got like a couple of inches left, and you're flipping 216 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: through the trail camera and you go, oh, yeah, that 217 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: is the big that you've been chasing for like three years. Yeah, alright, Well, 218 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: let's let's take a break from our little joy fest here. 219 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: Let's get our sickest story and then we'll get stand 220 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 1: on the line and he will help us scratch that 221 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:37,439 Speaker 1: white tail each and our sickest story today comes from 222 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,679 Speaker 1: our very own Spencer new Hearth. He's a producer here 223 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 1: at Wired Hunt and the co host of our radio 224 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,200 Speaker 1: podcast series The Errors in the Fall, and Spencer just 225 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 1: completed an absolutely amazing Turkey hunt, one truly for the 226 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 1: record books. So here's his story. So it was April 227 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 1: fift My fiance and I were on our way to 228 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 1: our family Easier. Now on the way, they're convinced her 229 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: to let me drive by some of my turkey spots 230 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: to see if anything was going on out there, And 231 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: sure enough, on the middle of this pasture was just 232 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: this huge tom. He had like a paintbrush of a beard. 233 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: I could see through my binoculars, and I knew I 234 00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: had to go after this bird. So I drove her home, 235 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: dropped her off, grabbed my matthews and put on my 236 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 1: stratus pants and my fanatic coodie and went back after 237 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: that bird. So I get out there and that tom 238 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: is gone, and I don't see him anymore, um until 239 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 1: I realized that he's looking right at me. We're about 240 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,320 Speaker 1: eighty yards apart, and I think, oh man, this is over. 241 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,440 Speaker 1: So I ducked back into the trees, watched him for 242 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 1: a little bit and realized that he has a hen 243 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: with him. Now that hen did not know I was there, 244 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: and so I still had a chance at this bird. 245 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: So I sneaked to within about forty yards and the 246 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: two turkeys had yet to move, and I crawled out, 247 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 1: laid out my hand decoy, and I called a couple 248 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: of times and turn off. It peaked that hen's interest 249 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: and she came walking over towards me, and the Tom 250 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,439 Speaker 1: was hesitant, but he was not about to give up 251 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:07,959 Speaker 1: that hand that he had. So here comes the hen 252 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: right through my shooting lane about twelve yards. I'm just 253 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: tucked back in the trees, no blind and following her 254 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 1: is that Tom at full strut. I shoot him at 255 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: eight yards. Uh. It was a great shot, but I 256 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: still had to make a follow up shot about ten 257 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 1: minutes later to put him down. And I knew right 258 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: away this was my biggest turkey had ever shot. And 259 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: got up to him and then I realized just how 260 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: special he really was. He had three beards. Uh, the 261 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: biggest one was over eleven inches and totally measured over 262 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: twenty seven inches. And he's going to go into the 263 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: record book is South Dakota's new archery state record for 264 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: Rio's and in the world he'll be number fifteen overall. 265 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: So that's my sitk of story. If you'd like to 266 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 1: create your own sitk of story or to see sit 267 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: because technical hunting apparel, visit sit good gear dot com. 268 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: All right, now, with this on the line, stand pots, 269 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: welcome to the show stand. Hey, thanks for having me. 270 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to it. My favorite subject talking about 271 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: big deer. Hey, you and me both, and Dan I'm 272 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: sure too, So this, uh, this will be fun. And 273 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: I was just saying a second ago before we started 274 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: recording UM, that you and I had chatted a few 275 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 1: months ago with the Drewies on our other podcast, One 276 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: Wild Podcasts, and coming out of that conversation, I just 277 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: just I was excited because I knew you're gonna be 278 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: joining us on the Wired Hunt podcast, and you had 279 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: so much great stuff to share, and I'm just I'm 280 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: just excited for today and there's a lot I want 281 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: to talk about, So I'm not gonna beat around the bush. 282 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: So stand what I want to kind of kick us 283 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: off with here is hearing a little about who you 284 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: were before the stand pots that we all know from TV. 285 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 1: Before you were up on the tree stand on the 286 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: television screen telling everyone to give you a quick second. 287 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 1: What were you doing before all of that, and how 288 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: did you get to this point? Well, I mean before that, 289 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: I've been a deer hunter. I mean back in the 290 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: in the sixties. I shot my first deer with a 291 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: bowl in n seven. I was seventeen years old, and 292 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:15,640 Speaker 1: I hunted um for a few years before that. Uh, 293 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: you know, I loved it. I grew up as a 294 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: hunter when you know, I went with my dad when 295 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 1: I was just big enough to walk. I mean, we 296 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: squirrel hunted, rabbit hunted. My dad had bird dogs, so 297 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: we always says in whale hunted. Back in those days 298 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: in the Midwest. Here in Illinois, you know, we had 299 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: tremendous pheasant hunting. Now of course they're gone basically, I mean, 300 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,360 Speaker 1: the environment's gone. But I started deer hunting in an 301 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: early age. My my my dad never hunted here, you know. 302 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: And when I started in the in the mid sixties, 303 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: there wasn't any gun season in the county that I 304 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 1: lived in. There was some counties in supprom Illinois that 305 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:04,919 Speaker 1: had a shotgun season, but none here in central Illinois. 306 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,359 Speaker 1: And so I started bow hunting with a recurve. Loved it. 307 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: I mean from a minute I started, I just loved it. 308 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: And I've never stopped to this day. And it's just 309 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: as exciting and I get just as much out of 310 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 1: it today as I did back in the sixties. That's awesome. 311 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: That's that's good to know that that it never wears off. 312 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:29,640 Speaker 1: It hasn't worn off for me, and twenty five years 313 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 1: or so, but I'm glad to know that I've got 314 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: many many more years of that fire in the belly. 315 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: So once once you started hunting, you know in Illinois, 316 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: right away, were you able to have success on those 317 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:45,359 Speaker 1: big bucks? I mean, is it like they say that 318 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: back in the day, they're just behind every tree in Illinois, 319 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: or to take a long time for you to make 320 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: that transition to being able to kill those bigger, older deer. Oh, 321 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: it took a long time for me to kill those 322 00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 1: big old bucks. Absolutely. Like I said, the first year 323 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,960 Speaker 1: I shot was in nineteen sixty seven. It was a 324 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:04,399 Speaker 1: dough with a re curve and I was standing on 325 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 1: all of course, I didn't use three stands back in 326 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: those days, and I had hunted for two or three 327 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: years with the bowl before that. But you know, big 328 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: bucks never came to me until I'm gonna say the 329 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: first one I killed was in the in the seventies, 330 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 1: mid seventies, and at that time I wouldn't call it 331 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:33,959 Speaker 1: a big buck, but it was. It was They were 332 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: nice bucks. My first big deer was in the early eighties. 333 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: The first, the first what I would call big deer 334 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 1: I shot with the ball in um eighty one, and 335 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,920 Speaker 1: it was a big nine pointer, big white deer close 336 00:18:54,000 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: to one. And then of course I shot what at 337 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:04,919 Speaker 1: the time would have been the number three pope young 338 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:10,720 Speaker 1: in the world, typical you know, two twelve grows and 339 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: sixth eighth gnat, and you know I mean to shoot 340 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,199 Speaker 1: a deer like that, um third largest ever taken with 341 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:23,639 Speaker 1: a bow on the typical side. You know, I just 342 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: field the fire and then I just started. It was 343 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: a an obsession hunting big mature box From that point forward, 344 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:36,439 Speaker 1: I've been I've been blessed though. You know. I was 345 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:40,399 Speaker 1: born and raised and grew up in Illinois, and there's 346 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:45,439 Speaker 1: no place any better than the Midwest in Illinois, you know, 347 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 1: for big mature white tails, right here through the farm belt. 348 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 1: So I was blessed. I was bent with the bug, 349 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: had a passion for it, and lived right smack in 350 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:02,359 Speaker 1: the middle of the last world. Now, you mentioned that 351 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 1: your first I guess quote unquote big buck was shot 352 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:11,880 Speaker 1: in the mid seventies. Was it at that point that 353 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 1: you started going after um bigger, more mature bucks or 354 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:19,199 Speaker 1: was it until you shot that big one in the 355 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:23,120 Speaker 1: eighties that you know I started. No, I started going 356 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,919 Speaker 1: after him after when I when I was able to 357 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,959 Speaker 1: take that big mature nine pointer, that just you know, 358 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: that kind of lit a fire and it was such 359 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:38,919 Speaker 1: a it was such a thrill, such a uh moment 360 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,480 Speaker 1: of satisfaction to shoot a big buck like that. I 361 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: wanted to do it again, you know. I wanted that 362 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 1: feeling again and again. And so I started hunting mature 363 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 1: big bucks. And that's what I hunted. Not that I 364 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: didn't shoot dose down the down the line and stuff 365 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:58,119 Speaker 1: like that, but primarily with bowl hunting, I was hunting 366 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 1: for big mature beer. Well, what was like the biggest 367 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: what do you think was the biggest shift you made 368 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:07,959 Speaker 1: that allowed you to start being able to do that consistently? 369 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:09,600 Speaker 1: And what did you have? It? There? Was there one 370 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,680 Speaker 1: like watermark moment where you all of a sudden changed 371 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: one thing and now all of a sudden you started 372 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: having opportunities at that that first big mature buck and 373 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 1: then in those subsequent years. Was there anything you remember 374 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,359 Speaker 1: that really was like the light switch moment for you? Well? 375 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:28,360 Speaker 1: I I yes, I mean I realized back then that 376 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:35,200 Speaker 1: your opportunities at at these bigger mature bucks was going 377 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: to be around the rut, meaning not peak rud peak 378 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:45,680 Speaker 1: rud is by far the best, but late October, all 379 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:47,760 Speaker 1: through the month of November, the last week or so 380 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 1: of October, all through the month of November, and then 381 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,640 Speaker 1: a little bit in early December. It's what I concentrated 382 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:58,240 Speaker 1: on because I realized and I knew that that is 383 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: flynn these deer or on their feet, that's when that's 384 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 1: when they're the most vulnerable. Not that you can't kill 385 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:12,240 Speaker 1: one in the early season, because you can, but not 386 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 1: with any regularity. And I just felt like if I, 387 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:24,359 Speaker 1: if I stayed uh, if I stayed true to that 388 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: time period, I would be more successful. I just wanted 389 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:33,400 Speaker 1: to put myself in the best situation. And that was it. Now, 390 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 1: eventually you became worked with an outfit or correct, was 391 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 1: that during the same time period or was that later 392 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: on after you've been doing this for a while. Oh, 393 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 1: that was later on and and um that was that 394 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 1: was that's actually later on, And that's when I first 395 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: met Mark and Terry. I went to work for UM 396 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: for a place a lot of people probably heard of, 397 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,040 Speaker 1: Heartland Lodge. They had just started Heartland Lodge and they 398 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:04,159 Speaker 1: hired me and Brenda to UM to run it, to 399 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,760 Speaker 1: come in send it all up and manage it. And 400 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:14,000 Speaker 1: that's when I first started um dealing with outfitters and 401 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: and if you would call me an outfitter, I guess 402 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: I was managing the Heartland Lodge kind of going back 403 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:24,199 Speaker 1: that was back in the nineties, kind of going back 404 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: to you know, the eighties, before all the trail cameras, 405 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 1: you know, before knowing, uh, every buck on a particular property, 406 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: How did you go about finding and locating a big buck? 407 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:43,240 Speaker 1: Or was it something where you just sat in a 408 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: tree and waited for a big buck to come by? No? No, no, 409 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: you know, I mean I you know, primarily where I 410 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: was hunting was Illinois. That's where That's where I lived. 411 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: And when I became obsessed with hunting these big bucks, 412 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:01,720 Speaker 1: and that's what I wanted to do. Then I learned 413 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 1: everything I possibly could about hunting them, and I started 414 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: scouting for I started scouting the postseason. I started looking 415 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:14,440 Speaker 1: for big rubs, scrape lines, I mean big giant rubs. 416 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:19,440 Speaker 1: To me, is is one of the most important pieces 417 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: of sign that I can find that tells me that 418 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: that a particular or multiple big bucks are in the area. 419 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: Because big bucks rub big trees, not that little bucks 420 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,480 Speaker 1: don't rub big trees, because they do, but they don't 421 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,399 Speaker 1: make big rubs. I mean where the tree is tore 422 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: up and you can see it fifty yards down through 423 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: the timber. That takes a big buck to rub a 424 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 1: big tree like that and tear it up. And that 425 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: it's what I looked for. And then I started putting 426 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: the puzzle together. I start finding the big rub lines 427 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: in conjunction with scrapes. Then I start figuring out where 428 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: the betting areas was versus where the food source was. 429 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,720 Speaker 1: And then I started figuring out how I felt like 430 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:12,120 Speaker 1: he would move from point A to point B, reading 431 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:16,359 Speaker 1: everything I possibly could, talking to other people, you know, 432 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 1: reading Jean Winstle's book. I mean, just on and on 433 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 1: and on. You know, I was just gonna ask um, 434 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 1: And maybe you just mentioned him, but I was gonna 435 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 1: I was gonna ask who were your greatest um resources 436 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: or mentors, or who did you learn the most from 437 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: when you were just figuring all this out yourself. To 438 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 1: be honest with you, I didn't really have local mentors 439 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 1: as far as shooting big bucks goes. As far as 440 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:46,680 Speaker 1: hunting big bucks, you know, I learned it on my own. 441 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 1: But I read everything I could, And you know, back 442 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:55,120 Speaker 1: in it's when the first issue of North American White 443 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,159 Speaker 1: Out magazine. What I thought and what most of her 444 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 1: I unders think of it is the bible for big 445 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: buck hunters. And you know, I started reading everything I could, 446 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,879 Speaker 1: but I learned all on my own, as far as 447 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: in the field and figuring them out. So eighty two 448 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: North American White Tail came out and you said in 449 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 1: three was the year you killed the two twelve? Is 450 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: that right? Bright? And and then in eighty four they 451 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: did a feature article on him. Wow, could you tell 452 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 1: us about that hunt? How that all came together? Uh? 453 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: Shooting the buck or the article the buck? Yeah? I 454 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,680 Speaker 1: mean I had seen this buck. I was hunting a 455 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: little piece of property that butted up against some state 456 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 1: ground that there was no hunting. And I had seen 457 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,920 Speaker 1: this buck a year before, and I knew he was there, 458 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:51,639 Speaker 1: but I only see any once, and of course I 459 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 1: was hunting multiple big bucks. I knew it was in 460 00:26:54,560 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: the area. And the day after the gun season that here. 461 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: It was November one, and we have a three day 462 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 1: gun season in Illinois Friday, Saturday, the Sunday, and those 463 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 1: three days prior um was a gun season. Well, Monday, 464 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: it was the twenty one November, and it was an 465 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 1: unfeasibly warm day. You know, it was seventy degrees plus. 466 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:29,600 Speaker 1: And I went that afternoon and I had a southwest wind, 467 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:31,480 Speaker 1: and I had a tree right in the corner of 468 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: this little piece of property. It was a big burgle tree. 469 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: And at that time of year, you know, it's a 470 00:27:39,119 --> 00:27:43,960 Speaker 1: it's a great time to raffle, because I mean I 471 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: rattled a lot. But you know, I've always felt like 472 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: just before the peak of the rut and just after 473 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,200 Speaker 1: the peak of the rut goes down as the best time. Well, 474 00:27:56,200 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: November one in Illinois is when the rut is starting 475 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: to dip down the other way. And what that means 476 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:10,360 Speaker 1: is these big bucks are having a little bit of problem, 477 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 1: big mature white tails are having a little bit of 478 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:18,880 Speaker 1: a problem having a hot dough. There's not as many. 479 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: They got to spend a little more time on their 480 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:24,440 Speaker 1: feet to find one, if you're with me, So that's 481 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: a great time to rattle. I got in the tree 482 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:30,880 Speaker 1: early afternoon, I mean one thirty two o'clock, probably got 483 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:34,440 Speaker 1: in there early and and went through a rattling sequence. 484 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: Didn't see anything about three o'clock. I picked the horns 485 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: back up again, crack the antlers together, and I get 486 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 1: the antlers out of my hands quick, because a lot 487 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 1: of times they come running in. I've had them, I've 488 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: had that happen, but sometimes they don't. I hung the 489 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: antlers up real quick, picked up the bow, and immediately 490 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: looked in front of me, looked to the last, look 491 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 1: to the right, because they can come in quick, like 492 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: I said. And and I looked back to my right, 493 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 1: and I heard something back over my left shoulder. I 494 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: heard a noise. So I turned real slow to look. 495 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 1: And this is like thirty seconds after I hold the 496 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:17,000 Speaker 1: horns up. I turned and I looked. Well. When I looked, 497 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 1: I saw a squirrel jumped up on the side of 498 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 1: the tree and went up the tree. You know, well, 499 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,160 Speaker 1: my brain tells me that's what I heard, you know, 500 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 1: as a rustling noise. So I turned back to my right. 501 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: I'm looking in front of me, looking to my right, 502 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 1: looking behind, I hear the same noise to my left again, 503 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: jump jump, like something in the leaves walking. And I 504 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,960 Speaker 1: slowly turned and looked back over there again, and there 505 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: he was. He had come into the rattling He was 506 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: there quick, and he was just standing there looking. He 507 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:53,320 Speaker 1: was about four yards away in this little waterway that 508 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 1: led from the tree I was in down to this 509 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,840 Speaker 1: pond to my left, and he had just come out 510 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:00,200 Speaker 1: of the thicket and he was just staying in and 511 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: they're looking back and forth. He was looking for what 512 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,959 Speaker 1: he heard. There was no doubt. And as soon as 513 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,880 Speaker 1: I saw him, I was certain it was a buck 514 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: that I've seen the year before. And when I saw 515 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: him the year before, it was in the late season. 516 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: It was in December, and I was sitting on that 517 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,520 Speaker 1: corn field, on a small corn field, and he came 518 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 1: from half a mile away, and there was a bunch 519 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 1: of deer out in the field, and I noticed. I 520 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:27,240 Speaker 1: just looked up, and I was trying to be as 521 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 1: inconspicuous as possible with deer out in the field. Nothing 522 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 1: I wanted to shoot, but you know I was. I 523 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: was being as careful because you've got a lot of 524 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 1: eyes out there, and and all of a sudden, I 525 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: just happened to notice that every deer in the field 526 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:43,800 Speaker 1: had their heads up, looking all in the same direction. 527 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:48,720 Speaker 1: I looked completely across this field, and here's this giant coming. 528 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:50,880 Speaker 1: I can see his rack almost a half a mile 529 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:54,560 Speaker 1: and he's coming across there. Well, he comes all the 530 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 1: way across, comes down, in comes into my cornfield and 531 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: he's on an angle that's gonna put him at forty 532 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:04,400 Speaker 1: yards broadside. But there's some limbs kind of in the way. 533 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,720 Speaker 1: But there's one pretty good hole that I can shoot through. 534 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 1: But I need to stop him because he's walking, but 535 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: he's walking slow, and I come to full drawing when 536 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: he gets into that opening night. Back then, I wasn't 537 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 1: experienced enough to stop him with a soft grunt. So 538 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: what I did was I just like that wrong spooking. 539 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: He just immediately took off and they three or four 540 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 1: or five leaps straight away from me and stopped and 541 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:39,720 Speaker 1: turned and looked and looking at for that noise that 542 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: spooked him, and he starts stopping and they started blowing, 543 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: and he just went right back out the field away, 544 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,360 Speaker 1: come with his flagging up tick talk, just like the 545 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: second hand on the clock and gone. So we're back 546 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:54,440 Speaker 1: in November the following year, and one time I've seen 547 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: the buck. He comes into the rattling antlers. He's standing 548 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: there looking at me in four yards, looking my direction. 549 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: Then he hops over that little waterway and he starts 550 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 1: up into a thicket, and that thicket goes up on 551 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 1: a hillside right in front of me, into my left. Well, 552 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: I know that he's gonna come out of that thicket, 553 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: and he's gonna come out right in front of me. 554 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: And there's a run at forty yards, and there's a 555 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: run at twenty and I don't know which one he's 556 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: gonna be on because when he went up in there, 557 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: he's on a run and it forks something that thicket, 558 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:28,880 Speaker 1: so I don't know which one he's gonna be on. 559 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,640 Speaker 1: But I'm squaring myself around, getting my boat in position 560 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,440 Speaker 1: and getting everything because I've made so many stupid mistakes 561 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:38,040 Speaker 1: over the years. You got you know, I mean, you 562 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:41,120 Speaker 1: don't get many chances like this. And I squared around, 563 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:46,040 Speaker 1: and I'm just standing there sideways, waiting to draw my bowl, 564 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: but waiting for him to appear where he's gonna be. 565 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:51,600 Speaker 1: And I can hear him walk and and and as 566 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 1: he starts to come out of that thicket, I don't 567 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,240 Speaker 1: know for sure where he's at. And then I catch 568 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:58,720 Speaker 1: him out of the corn my eye walking. He's got 569 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:00,080 Speaker 1: his head down and he said to one of the 570 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:04,520 Speaker 1: yards he's on that pointy, hard run and as he 571 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 1: steps out, he goes behind a little red hole bush. 572 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,440 Speaker 1: That gave me a chance to draw. You cannot draw 573 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 1: on those big giant beer like that. If they can 574 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,240 Speaker 1: see it, they'll see the movement. So when he went 575 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:17,960 Speaker 1: behind that little bush, I drew. I come to full draw. 576 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:20,960 Speaker 1: And as he comes out, he's got his head down, 577 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:24,840 Speaker 1: he's sniffing the ground, but he stops at All I've 578 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: got is his head and his neck just up to 579 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:31,240 Speaker 1: about the front part of his shoulder, and he sniffed 580 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:33,479 Speaker 1: in the ground. Looking around. He raises his head up, 581 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: and I'm the full drawest at this point, you know, 582 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:38,480 Speaker 1: And I'm waiting for him to step out, you know. 583 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: And and he stands there and stands there well you know. 584 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:43,960 Speaker 1: I mean, if he was still standing there today, I 585 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 1: could have kept that bow back. That's not much adrenal 586 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:50,240 Speaker 1: on my head. So finally he starts walking, and in 587 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:54,960 Speaker 1: my mind, and I don't know if if wire how 588 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: I figured this all out, but I knew that it 589 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: was the I've seen the year before. I knew I 590 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:07,520 Speaker 1: couldn't stop him. I knew that he was walking super 591 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:10,319 Speaker 1: super slow, and I was real high in the tree 592 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:12,279 Speaker 1: and he's real blow me. So I felt like I 593 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 1: needed to hit him at the last rib because he's 594 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:20,319 Speaker 1: quartering away. So I put the pen about six eight 595 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: inches in front of where I wanted it to hit, 596 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 1: and I just and I just followed him. He was 597 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 1: walking real slow, and I kept my blue arm swinging. 598 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:33,400 Speaker 1: I hit the release and arrow hitting perfect right behind 599 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:36,480 Speaker 1: the right behind the last rib, angling forward, and he 600 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 1: just blew out there, I mean just blew. Everything just 601 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:45,160 Speaker 1: was bang bang bang. Happened so quick up over the 602 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:48,759 Speaker 1: little ridge, gone crash, crashed down through the brush, and 603 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:50,399 Speaker 1: then it got quiet, and then I heard a big 604 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:54,840 Speaker 1: crash way down. Well. Immediately I'm thinking, uh, oh, you know, 605 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,480 Speaker 1: was that him going down? This man? And I started 606 00:34:57,480 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 1: second guessing the shot. It wasn't too far back, was 607 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:02,560 Speaker 1: at the it was a bat well. I was gonna 608 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:11,160 Speaker 1: wait thirty minutes to get down. I waited about one minute. Yeah, 609 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: I was on the ground. I was on the ground 610 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,920 Speaker 1: in a minute probably. I lowered my bow down, got down, 611 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,239 Speaker 1: and I thought, well, I'm gonna walk up there. I 612 00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 1: started to go up there. I come back. I went 613 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,400 Speaker 1: back and forth a couple of times, about ten ft 614 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:27,759 Speaker 1: I got back to the three and I said, no, 615 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: you know you're hit him. It looks good. Get out 616 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:36,520 Speaker 1: of here, go get help. You'll need help anyway. Just leave. 617 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:40,160 Speaker 1: It was about three thirty in the afternoon something like that. 618 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,120 Speaker 1: So I left, went home, got two of my buddies, 619 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,560 Speaker 1: grabbed the wheat light because it was it was a 620 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:48,480 Speaker 1: pretty good dry fifteen miles to get get home. And 621 00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:50,640 Speaker 1: time we got back it was dark, you know that 622 00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: time of the year, And get started five o'clock and 623 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:57,359 Speaker 1: when it was dark m hmm. I went up there. 624 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:01,400 Speaker 1: I found a couple of drops of blood. Last little 625 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 1: spot of blood was on the side of a little 626 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:09,160 Speaker 1: bitty sapling about knee high, and that was it. And 627 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 1: that was only within about thirty yards from where I shot, 628 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: and no blood nowhere. Looked and looked and looked and 629 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 1: looked in a small area. They're split up in a 630 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: small area, making little circles. I didn't just want them 631 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:27,160 Speaker 1: guys to go wandering off and we so we went 632 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,799 Speaker 1: back to the last spot of blood there and they're 633 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:34,040 Speaker 1: up to my right was a big wooven water tight fence, 634 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:36,839 Speaker 1: and so I thought, I told them, I said, if 635 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 1: he went to the right I said, he had to 636 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:41,560 Speaker 1: jump that fence because it's only up there thirty yards. 637 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:43,799 Speaker 1: I said, if he jumped that fence, when he hit 638 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:45,680 Speaker 1: the ground on the other side, there's gotta be a 639 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,359 Speaker 1: little blood coming off that arrow or something. I said, 640 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:51,200 Speaker 1: you guys go up there and look on both sides 641 00:36:51,239 --> 00:36:54,239 Speaker 1: of that fence and I and I got on my 642 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:57,080 Speaker 1: hands and knees and started crawling, looking down every little 643 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:01,640 Speaker 1: game trail and I went about thirty yards and I 644 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:04,800 Speaker 1: broke out into a little grass field with sparse trees, 645 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:09,879 Speaker 1: which is the worst place you can be for trying 646 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: to find blood in tall grass. So I stood up 647 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 1: walked about another ten yards, and I had a wheat light, 648 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 1: but I didn't have it on my head. I had 649 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:19,960 Speaker 1: it in my hand where I could move it around, 650 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: and I just looked. There was a big scrape down 651 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 1: below a big oak tree to my left, and I 652 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:27,799 Speaker 1: kind of went downhill, and I thought, you know what, 653 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:30,239 Speaker 1: he might start circling downhill, and I just showing that 654 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:33,120 Speaker 1: light down there by that scrape. I don't know why, 655 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 1: but I did. And I could see his left antler 656 00:37:35,719 --> 00:37:39,319 Speaker 1: sticking up above the grass. It was WAISTI and he 657 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 1: died right in that scrape and what I heard crashing 658 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:47,840 Speaker 1: from the tree was him going down. Wow, an absolute 659 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:53,880 Speaker 1: epic story. And I got and I got and I forgot. 660 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:59,279 Speaker 1: I had two buddies with me. I sat down with 661 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:01,359 Speaker 1: the deer and his head in my lafe, and I'm 662 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,759 Speaker 1: just sitting there and shocked, you know, knowing because I 663 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 1: knew Mel Johnson. I know Mel Johnson. He has the 664 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: world record still today with the bow. I've been in 665 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:14,360 Speaker 1: his house, I held being the deer and everything, and 666 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:18,319 Speaker 1: this deer has a has a bigger frame, and I'm 667 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:20,799 Speaker 1: looking at it. I'm thinking, this is the biggest deer 668 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:25,399 Speaker 1: I've ever seen in my lifetime. And I'm sitting there 669 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: and I don't know how long I sat there before 670 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:30,879 Speaker 1: I realized that I had Kirby and john afterre with 671 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:33,919 Speaker 1: me somewhere, and so I stood up and I could 672 00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:36,719 Speaker 1: see their flashlights way up through the trees and I 673 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:38,759 Speaker 1: hollered at him. I got him down here where they 674 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,240 Speaker 1: didn't hear exactly what I said. They just hurt me holler. 675 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:42,959 Speaker 1: And they all are back and said, did you find 676 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:45,799 Speaker 1: some blood? And I hollered in as loud as I 677 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,960 Speaker 1: could in a plain clear voice, No, I am standing 678 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:53,800 Speaker 1: over my got him right here. It looked like airport 679 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:57,719 Speaker 1: searchlights coming. They was running their lights going, and it 680 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:02,239 Speaker 1: was well, all the listeners right now. I wished everybody, 681 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:08,839 Speaker 1: everybody could experience something like that moment. It was it's 682 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:12,000 Speaker 1: you know when I talked about it now, it's like 683 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 1: it was yesterday. I mean that it was like it 684 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:18,799 Speaker 1: was yesterday. How much bigger was this buck than your 685 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:23,080 Speaker 1: previous biggest buck? Oh it was my biggest buck before 686 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:26,520 Speaker 1: that was high forties, almost one fifty. I mean it 687 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:30,640 Speaker 1: was this bucks the two twelve gross six ages, and 688 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:33,480 Speaker 1: that is the third largest typical ever taken with a 689 00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:38,520 Speaker 1: bow in the world. So I mean there was no comparison. 690 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:41,040 Speaker 1: I mean back in those days, I mean there were 691 00:39:41,239 --> 00:39:44,160 Speaker 1: mega giant deer. I mean the Jordan buck was killed 692 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:47,480 Speaker 1: in six you know, and and there was a lot 693 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:49,520 Speaker 1: of but not around here, not where I'm at. I 694 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:52,600 Speaker 1: mean the local hunters and everything. I mean, you know, 695 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:56,239 Speaker 1: nobody saw a deer like that, nobody, nobody ever seen 696 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:58,880 Speaker 1: anybody pull up with something like that in the bathroom run. 697 00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:06,279 Speaker 1: How do you shock value? How did you handle that 698 00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:08,440 Speaker 1: moment of truth when you when you see him and 699 00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:11,600 Speaker 1: this is so much dramatically larger of a deer than 700 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,839 Speaker 1: anything you've shot before. When you were about to shoot him, 701 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:16,200 Speaker 1: when you were in that moment before the shot, how 702 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:18,800 Speaker 1: did you handle it? Then? What was going through your mind? 703 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,239 Speaker 1: How were you able to handle that moment and pull 704 00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:23,879 Speaker 1: off a successful shot? And then I'm curious, how does 705 00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:28,640 Speaker 1: that compare to today or any of your later massive 706 00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: bucks there's others after you've become much much more experienced. 707 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:36,240 Speaker 1: What was that like originally early and then now, well, 708 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:39,239 Speaker 1: I'll tell you it was like this. I mean, I 709 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:42,880 Speaker 1: had made without going into all the all the details 710 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 1: and all the stories, I've made some stupid mistakes on 711 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:53,040 Speaker 1: big giant deer. I've made my share of mistakes already, 712 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:58,759 Speaker 1: and I had, I had disciplined myself enough, and I 713 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,799 Speaker 1: knew that this deer was by far the biggest deer 714 00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:04,960 Speaker 1: I've ever seen. I knew that I had to basically 715 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:08,399 Speaker 1: get mad and and not let that piece of her 716 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:10,799 Speaker 1: down there dictate to my brain that I couldn't get 717 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:13,279 Speaker 1: it done. So I had to slow everything down. And 718 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,840 Speaker 1: that's what everybody needs to do even today, right now. 719 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:20,240 Speaker 1: It's the same for me, I mean, it's the same 720 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:24,120 Speaker 1: for everybody that loves to hunt these big deer like 721 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,120 Speaker 1: we all do. I mean, when one appears, your heart rate, 722 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:34,520 Speaker 1: everything is accelerated tremendously, and if you don't make yourself 723 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:39,279 Speaker 1: slow down, get that pin where it needs to be 724 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:44,160 Speaker 1: and hold it and then get that smooth release, you 725 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 1: can't do it. You won't get it done. And it's 726 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:49,439 Speaker 1: the hardest thing, you know. I got some really good 727 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:52,600 Speaker 1: friends that are that are that are world class athletes, 728 00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: some great guys. A lot of people don't realize that 729 00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 1: I love to play golf. I got some great p 730 00:41:57,360 --> 00:42:00,960 Speaker 1: GA professionals that are buddy's mind, and they've told me 731 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:07,360 Speaker 1: that I'm telling you, a big giant white tail is 732 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:11,200 Speaker 1: more stressful in front of you and making a thought 733 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:20,360 Speaker 1: for a million, and you just gotta discipline yourself. And 734 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 1: the way back then, I just used to say, you know, 735 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,799 Speaker 1: I am not going to let that dictate to my 736 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:32,000 Speaker 1: brain that I cannot get it done, because it'll happen. 737 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:35,040 Speaker 1: I mean, you'll get that bow back and you'll get 738 00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:42,000 Speaker 1: the pen in a general direction. It's gone. Yeah, you 739 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:46,040 Speaker 1: just because it's just everything. Your heart rate, your leg 740 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:52,040 Speaker 1: is shaken, you know, it's just but that's why that's 741 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:54,879 Speaker 1: why we do it, isn't it? That's why we're doing 742 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:58,759 Speaker 1: and the success, the successful part of it, when we 743 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:03,480 Speaker 1: are successful we do it is so gratifying because we 744 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 1: have to put ourselves in very uncomfortable positions like that 745 00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:14,400 Speaker 1: to be successful. No different than an athlete, you know, 746 00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:19,240 Speaker 1: and you know, like a Michael Jordan's or I was watching, Um, 747 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:22,600 Speaker 1: I was watching Stephan Curry the other night in an 748 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:25,319 Speaker 1: interview and he was saying, how he you know, he 749 00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:28,759 Speaker 1: wants to put be uncomfortable, He wants to put himself 750 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:32,839 Speaker 1: in that situation to knock down that three under all 751 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:37,760 Speaker 1: that pressure because when he does it, and he doesn't 752 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,879 Speaker 1: do it all the time, but when he does do it, 753 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:47,280 Speaker 1: it's that much sweeter. Yeah, if that makes any sense, 754 00:43:47,719 --> 00:43:51,400 Speaker 1: it does. It does so so of all of your 755 00:43:51,719 --> 00:43:55,840 Speaker 1: bucks that you've killed, whether it be your twos or 756 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:57,520 Speaker 1: any of the other deer that you've killed like this, 757 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:00,279 Speaker 1: he's big mature deer that have required you to put 758 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:04,040 Speaker 1: yourself in these difficult situations and somehow overcome it. Is 759 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:06,440 Speaker 1: there any one of those that stands out as the 760 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:10,960 Speaker 1: most rewarding, um or or memorable for some reason, Um, 761 00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:14,840 Speaker 1: that you could tell us about why no, absolutely, I 762 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:18,160 Speaker 1: mean there's not without a question about a doubt. It's 763 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:20,000 Speaker 1: the one I shot in Ohio, and a lot of 764 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:22,839 Speaker 1: people get a little bit puzzled when I tell him 765 00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 1: that because it's a muzzle or kill. I was up 766 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:31,120 Speaker 1: hunting with Joel Snow in Ohio and it's it's it's 767 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:36,560 Speaker 1: a two danger. And but the reason it's always going 768 00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:40,160 Speaker 1: to be my favorite is because my son Tim was 769 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:44,680 Speaker 1: in the tree with me as a cameraman and we 770 00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:50,960 Speaker 1: went there and got on the deer on Halloween and 771 00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:55,200 Speaker 1: on the next day, November the one, no Honey, we 772 00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:57,720 Speaker 1: got on him. We got him on film. We almost 773 00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:02,000 Speaker 1: got him, and stayed two extra days and didn't see 774 00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:05,640 Speaker 1: him again. But I knew that he would be in 775 00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:09,200 Speaker 1: that area because it was late October, just before the 776 00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:11,120 Speaker 1: doze had come in heat, and I felt like we 777 00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:13,560 Speaker 1: were in his home corep area, and if he made 778 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:16,120 Speaker 1: it through the rut, made it through the season in 779 00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:18,359 Speaker 1: the late season, he would be back. And when you 780 00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:22,760 Speaker 1: buy a deer tag in Ohio, it's good for any season, 781 00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: any weapon. So I him and I formulated this plan 782 00:45:29,520 --> 00:45:33,320 Speaker 1: that we would come back to Ohio for the muzzleoader season. 783 00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:37,120 Speaker 1: That was between Christmas and New Year. It was the seventh, 784 00:45:37,280 --> 00:45:40,359 Speaker 1: eighth and ninth, I think, or maybe twenty eight, nine 785 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:43,239 Speaker 1: and thirty, but it was. It was right between. It 786 00:45:43,280 --> 00:45:45,560 Speaker 1: was a four day season, and we felt like, if 787 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:49,200 Speaker 1: we could get back there with a muzzloader in late season, 788 00:45:49,960 --> 00:45:52,680 Speaker 1: we have a good chance to kill this mega giant. 789 00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:59,919 Speaker 1: And so we were together during Halloween and the next 790 00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:03,239 Speaker 1: night and we didn't get him killed and it was tremendous. 791 00:46:03,560 --> 00:46:08,040 Speaker 1: And then we left there and for the next almost 792 00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:14,439 Speaker 1: two months, um it would have been almost two months. Yeah, 793 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:18,120 Speaker 1: it was two months. All we traveled the country. He 794 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:20,719 Speaker 1: was filming for me at that time, and we were 795 00:46:20,719 --> 00:46:24,120 Speaker 1: in other states hunting and and in Illinois and stuff, 796 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:27,760 Speaker 1: but we always came back to that Ohio. Buck talked 797 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:29,959 Speaker 1: about a lot when we were driving down the road 798 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:33,200 Speaker 1: when we're in the three stands, you know, planning and 799 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:35,719 Speaker 1: figuring this out and doing all that. And then we 800 00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:38,840 Speaker 1: went back got there on the day before, on the 801 00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:43,560 Speaker 1: day after Christmas, and Joel told me he had a 802 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:45,799 Speaker 1: really good spot for me that morning and I said, no, 803 00:46:45,920 --> 00:46:48,200 Speaker 1: I'm not hunting in the morning. He said, we mean 804 00:46:48,239 --> 00:46:51,359 Speaker 1: it's opening day. I said no, I said, I'm here 805 00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:53,919 Speaker 1: to try to shoot that big buck for at least 806 00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:57,560 Speaker 1: the first two days. And I said, I really don't 807 00:46:57,600 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 1: want to go in that spot in the morning because 808 00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:02,080 Speaker 1: I don't don't know where he's at, and if he's 809 00:47:02,200 --> 00:47:04,479 Speaker 1: right there around that thicket that he was coming out 810 00:47:04,520 --> 00:47:06,600 Speaker 1: of us and Halloween, I said, I didn't want to 811 00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:09,000 Speaker 1: bump him in the dark going in because he won't 812 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:10,920 Speaker 1: come out there in the afternoon the way he should. 813 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:14,320 Speaker 1: So I'm not hunting the first morning nor the second morning. 814 00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:17,439 Speaker 1: I'll hunt the the third and the fourth morning, even 815 00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:19,640 Speaker 1: if I hunt somewhere else. But I'm gonna give myself 816 00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:24,919 Speaker 1: at least two opportunities to shoot that there. And that's 817 00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:27,000 Speaker 1: what we did. We went in there the first afternoon, 818 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:30,120 Speaker 1: got in the same dream that we was in back 819 00:47:30,120 --> 00:47:38,480 Speaker 1: in October, got up thirty minutes before dark. He pops 820 00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:42,160 Speaker 1: out right behind the buck that he was with in October. 821 00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:44,239 Speaker 1: There was another buck to have a big, heavy eight point, 822 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:47,000 Speaker 1: and he comes. He come out in a different place, 823 00:47:47,080 --> 00:47:49,160 Speaker 1: but he came all the way across into that little 824 00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:51,960 Speaker 1: cover field where he was at and gave me a 825 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:55,440 Speaker 1: hundred twenty five yard broadside shock for that muzzleloader. And 826 00:47:58,960 --> 00:48:01,799 Speaker 1: the rest of history, and Tim and I got to 827 00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:06,480 Speaker 1: share that together that whole time for two months and 828 00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:09,760 Speaker 1: got to share that killing that deer together and doing 829 00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:14,680 Speaker 1: the recovery together and everything, and hands down, I don't 830 00:48:14,719 --> 00:48:18,920 Speaker 1: care what I shoot unless it's one bigger with Hamburg 831 00:48:19,040 --> 00:48:23,520 Speaker 1: carry either said, but that will always be my favorite 832 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,719 Speaker 1: because of that. That's awesome. So what do you think 833 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:30,360 Speaker 1: was why? Why did that come together? Because that's pretty 834 00:48:30,360 --> 00:48:33,759 Speaker 1: incredible that you saw this buck in October in a 835 00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:36,319 Speaker 1: certain spot. Two months later you came back to the 836 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:38,879 Speaker 1: exact same place and you killed them that first night. 837 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:41,640 Speaker 1: How did you do that? What was the key to 838 00:48:41,719 --> 00:48:45,359 Speaker 1: that all coming together? Well, you know, a lot of luck, 839 00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:48,839 Speaker 1: of course, but you know, I know I was smart 840 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:52,799 Speaker 1: enough to realize that that in late October, like that, 841 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,080 Speaker 1: a buck like that, six and a half year old 842 00:48:56,120 --> 00:49:01,960 Speaker 1: deer like that is in his whole core area, meaning 843 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:05,480 Speaker 1: you know, these big giant bucks have a home core area, 844 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:09,719 Speaker 1: and it's relatively small, it's not that big. And I 845 00:49:09,800 --> 00:49:14,960 Speaker 1: felt like if he disappeared, we saw him few days 846 00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:17,879 Speaker 1: in a row, he disappeared, and we stayed two extra 847 00:49:17,960 --> 00:49:19,960 Speaker 1: days in the disappeared we didn't see him. So that 848 00:49:20,040 --> 00:49:22,840 Speaker 1: tells me on about the second or third or the 849 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:25,239 Speaker 1: night of the first of November. He found a hot though, 850 00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:27,360 Speaker 1: because that's when they're just getting ready to come in, 851 00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:29,799 Speaker 1: and who knows where he's going to be. He could 852 00:49:29,840 --> 00:49:33,360 Speaker 1: be five miles away. But I knew that if he 853 00:49:33,520 --> 00:49:36,960 Speaker 1: made it through the run, made it through the seasons, 854 00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:40,360 Speaker 1: made it through the shotgun season, which is the Monday 855 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:44,799 Speaker 1: after Thanksgiving in in a while, made it through all that. 856 00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:50,000 Speaker 1: Then we had a good crack at him in late December, 857 00:49:50,520 --> 00:49:54,080 Speaker 1: in the late season because we knew where he lived 858 00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:57,279 Speaker 1: and where he came out on Halloween evening and the 859 00:49:57,400 --> 00:50:00,480 Speaker 1: evening and the first of November, he am out of 860 00:50:00,560 --> 00:50:06,080 Speaker 1: about a ten or fifteen acre thicket. That's that's right 861 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:08,960 Speaker 1: up against this big hardwood camber. I mean a thicket 862 00:50:09,680 --> 00:50:16,960 Speaker 1: you know, Rose Bruce mollifor Rose Briars. Nasty, just you 863 00:50:16,960 --> 00:50:19,919 Speaker 1: couldn't even get through it. If you have, you better 864 00:50:19,960 --> 00:50:22,920 Speaker 1: have car hearts on if you're going through there. And 865 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:25,759 Speaker 1: he lived there, and I felt like he lived there, 866 00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:28,480 Speaker 1: and that's why it came out of there just before 867 00:50:28,560 --> 00:50:30,880 Speaker 1: dark two evenings in a row at the end of October, 868 00:50:30,920 --> 00:50:34,680 Speaker 1: in the first day in November, and so I felt 869 00:50:34,719 --> 00:50:39,160 Speaker 1: like if he survived, he would be right back there 870 00:50:39,800 --> 00:50:45,840 Speaker 1: close in that area in December and late December, because 871 00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:50,920 Speaker 1: their number one priorities then it's route. And you know 872 00:50:51,280 --> 00:50:53,200 Speaker 1: that's just you know, I mean it might not have 873 00:50:53,280 --> 00:50:56,800 Speaker 1: happened that way, but I mean all the experience and stuff, 874 00:50:56,880 --> 00:50:59,600 Speaker 1: and you know that's that's what you do. You formulate 875 00:50:59,680 --> 00:51:05,680 Speaker 1: a plant and and you stick to it, and you 876 00:51:05,719 --> 00:51:10,399 Speaker 1: know it doesn't always happen that way, but you gotta 877 00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,960 Speaker 1: give yourself that chance. Yeah, And so Tam and I 878 00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:17,920 Speaker 1: gave us, gave ourselves that chance and grow back, you know, 879 00:51:17,960 --> 00:51:20,280 Speaker 1: six seven hours whatever it is up there to Ohio 880 00:51:20,280 --> 00:51:24,239 Speaker 1: where we're hunting with Joel and and shot him out 881 00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:28,480 Speaker 1: of the the same tree the first time. It's amazing. All right. 882 00:51:28,560 --> 00:51:31,040 Speaker 1: Before we continue on with stand, we're going to pause 883 00:51:31,120 --> 00:51:34,640 Speaker 1: briefly for a weekly white Tail Wisdom with white Tail Properties, 884 00:51:34,760 --> 00:51:38,560 Speaker 1: and our producer Spencer Newhart will take him here. This 885 00:51:38,640 --> 00:51:41,960 Speaker 1: week with white Tail Properties, we are joined by Steve Purviance, 886 00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:45,680 Speaker 1: a land specialist out of northern Oklahoma, and Steve is 887 00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:48,040 Speaker 1: going to be telling us about what he thinks separates 888 00:51:48,040 --> 00:51:54,560 Speaker 1: the most successful hunters from everyone else. Well, to start with, 889 00:51:54,920 --> 00:51:58,480 Speaker 1: you've got to be in an area, um, really a 890 00:51:58,560 --> 00:52:03,799 Speaker 1: specific area that even potential to produce the biggest deer. 891 00:52:03,880 --> 00:52:05,840 Speaker 1: Let's just use that for an example. You know, the 892 00:52:05,880 --> 00:52:07,840 Speaker 1: guys that are killing the biggest are the big bucks. 893 00:52:07,920 --> 00:52:10,000 Speaker 1: You know, they're hunting in states that can produce them 894 00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:12,839 Speaker 1: to begin with, in areas of the state that can 895 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:16,000 Speaker 1: grow them. Um. And there's just so many factors, So 896 00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:19,759 Speaker 1: I guess really the first one would be just the 897 00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:23,160 Speaker 1: tract of land or the tracts of land that they 898 00:52:23,160 --> 00:52:27,279 Speaker 1: had to hunt. UM. Secondly, you gotta have time. You 899 00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:30,160 Speaker 1: gotta have once you get into that area that's got 900 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:31,799 Speaker 1: a big deer, and a lot of people can start 901 00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:35,160 Speaker 1: identifying them now. You know, years ago you just had 902 00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:37,319 Speaker 1: to put in the time. Now, with all the technology 903 00:52:37,320 --> 00:52:39,880 Speaker 1: trail cameras, et cetera, you can pretty much pinpoint a 904 00:52:39,920 --> 00:52:41,759 Speaker 1: big buck. And once you find one, you've got to 905 00:52:41,800 --> 00:52:45,200 Speaker 1: have the time to put in the hunting. UM. And 906 00:52:45,239 --> 00:52:47,360 Speaker 1: that's a lot of things that you know, that's a 907 00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:49,399 Speaker 1: that's a big thing that a guy can't do these days, 908 00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:53,239 Speaker 1: it seems everybody's busy. So the more successful hunters are 909 00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:58,000 Speaker 1: going to have time, um and energy to put into 910 00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:01,839 Speaker 1: hunt that specific big deer. If you'd like to learn 911 00:53:01,840 --> 00:53:04,520 Speaker 1: more and to see the properties that Steve currently has 912 00:53:04,680 --> 00:53:09,520 Speaker 1: listed for sale, visit whitetail properties dot com, backslash purvyant. 913 00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:13,440 Speaker 1: That's p U R B I A N c E. 914 00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:16,920 Speaker 1: You're hunt in so many different types of situations now, 915 00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:19,759 Speaker 1: I mean, from what I understand, you're hunting, you know, 916 00:53:20,440 --> 00:53:22,680 Speaker 1: all over the country, all sorts of different places across 917 00:53:22,680 --> 00:53:25,000 Speaker 1: the country. You're hunting all sorts of different types of properties. 918 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:26,560 Speaker 1: I mean it sounds like, you know, sometimes you're hunting 919 00:53:26,560 --> 00:53:29,040 Speaker 1: with someone like Joel snow and outfitter. Sometimes you're hunting, 920 00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:32,719 Speaker 1: you know, on your own places. Sometimes I understand you've 921 00:53:32,719 --> 00:53:35,319 Speaker 1: funding some public You've hunted all these different types of 922 00:53:35,360 --> 00:53:39,800 Speaker 1: situations across all sorts of different circumstances. If you had 923 00:53:39,840 --> 00:53:44,200 Speaker 1: to kind of drill down what you do to like 924 00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:47,360 Speaker 1: a few core elements, maybe the three most important elements 925 00:53:47,480 --> 00:53:51,440 Speaker 1: to how you successfully kill mature deer across all these 926 00:53:51,440 --> 00:53:54,640 Speaker 1: different situations, What would be those couple two or three 927 00:53:54,680 --> 00:54:00,239 Speaker 1: core principles that lead to the success that you keep having. Well, 928 00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:03,359 Speaker 1: the first thing would be and and this is this 929 00:54:03,400 --> 00:54:05,839 Speaker 1: is gonna sound sally to some people that go, oh yeah, 930 00:54:05,880 --> 00:54:09,360 Speaker 1: I've heard that a lot, but it is. It's true. 931 00:54:09,760 --> 00:54:13,080 Speaker 1: You gotta go early and you gotta stay late, and 932 00:54:13,160 --> 00:54:15,080 Speaker 1: you get out of it what you're willing to put 933 00:54:15,080 --> 00:54:19,400 Speaker 1: in it. You're not going to be successful in anything 934 00:54:19,480 --> 00:54:23,560 Speaker 1: in life. It's no different hunting big white heles. If 935 00:54:23,680 --> 00:54:27,279 Speaker 1: if you don't give it everything you've got, if you 936 00:54:27,320 --> 00:54:30,680 Speaker 1: don't give it the effort that it deserves. You know, 937 00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:34,440 Speaker 1: you might kill one once in a while, but not 938 00:54:34,560 --> 00:54:37,759 Speaker 1: on a consistent basis, not there in year out. And 939 00:54:37,800 --> 00:54:42,680 Speaker 1: then the second thing would be, no the habits of 940 00:54:42,760 --> 00:54:47,480 Speaker 1: big mature white heiles, and they're no different here or 941 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:50,680 Speaker 1: in wy only. They're no different once they get to 942 00:54:50,719 --> 00:54:54,799 Speaker 1: be mature, get the age on them. I mean, they're 943 00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:59,960 Speaker 1: no different. Their their their number one things becomes survived 944 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:03,120 Speaker 1: of all, they don't like a lot of the other deer. 945 00:55:03,400 --> 00:55:06,800 Speaker 1: You'll see him in the early season in Bashford groups 946 00:55:06,880 --> 00:55:09,080 Speaker 1: once in a while, but they don't like being around 947 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:12,040 Speaker 1: a lot of deer. They like being off by theirselves, 948 00:55:13,080 --> 00:55:17,160 Speaker 1: you know, for the most part. And probably the third 949 00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:24,000 Speaker 1: thing is don't shoot anything on the last day that 950 00:55:24,120 --> 00:55:32,520 Speaker 1: you wouldn't shoot on the first. Hm Oh, I mean, 951 00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:35,719 Speaker 1: you know, when you set a goal, stick to it. 952 00:55:36,360 --> 00:55:38,400 Speaker 1: Because some of the greatest hunts I've ever been on 953 00:55:38,480 --> 00:55:43,440 Speaker 1: in my life, I never shot nothing. Elaborate on that 954 00:55:43,520 --> 00:55:47,600 Speaker 1: a bit, because you've got to you've sat in a 955 00:55:47,680 --> 00:55:51,719 Speaker 1: tree stand for a long amount of you know, not 956 00:55:51,800 --> 00:55:54,480 Speaker 1: only just a long amount in one day, but throughout 957 00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:58,240 Speaker 1: the entire years. What are some things that you've learned 958 00:55:58,880 --> 00:56:03,360 Speaker 1: from a mature whitetailed deer that have helped you become 959 00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:09,000 Speaker 1: the hunter that you are today? Just you know, the 960 00:56:09,080 --> 00:56:11,600 Speaker 1: same thing that we've been talking about. Really, I mean, 961 00:56:11,680 --> 00:56:14,040 Speaker 1: he's one thing I'd like to add to it, though, 962 00:56:14,080 --> 00:56:16,040 Speaker 1: is he's a different animal than the rest with there 963 00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:18,879 Speaker 1: in the herd. He is, He's different once he gets 964 00:56:18,920 --> 00:56:23,600 Speaker 1: to be mature. He reacts to situations different. And you 965 00:56:23,600 --> 00:56:25,480 Speaker 1: you so you got a hunt different. You gotta you 966 00:56:25,560 --> 00:56:27,959 Speaker 1: gotta know, you've got to do your homework. You gotta 967 00:56:28,040 --> 00:56:33,120 Speaker 1: know that a big buck, whenever he's traveling through an area, 968 00:56:33,520 --> 00:56:37,080 Speaker 1: you know, he doesn't travel into the wind. He quarters 969 00:56:37,120 --> 00:56:41,719 Speaker 1: into the wind. He quarters into it. He's got the 970 00:56:41,719 --> 00:56:45,040 Speaker 1: wind coming from the side, quartering into it. Most of 971 00:56:45,080 --> 00:56:47,080 Speaker 1: the time. I mean, I've seen big bucks come out 972 00:56:47,120 --> 00:56:50,320 Speaker 1: with the wind right behind them, but very very rarely. 973 00:56:51,719 --> 00:56:53,799 Speaker 1: You know, you got to know those things when he's 974 00:56:53,840 --> 00:56:56,880 Speaker 1: when he's when he's traveling, he quarters into the wind 975 00:56:56,880 --> 00:56:59,440 Speaker 1: when you're looking for three stand locations, and no one 976 00:56:59,680 --> 00:57:02,640 Speaker 1: would travel. Corridors are from the food to the bed, 977 00:57:02,760 --> 00:57:04,799 Speaker 1: or from the bed to the food. Then you've got 978 00:57:04,800 --> 00:57:06,680 Speaker 1: to pick a tree. You've got to know that you've 979 00:57:06,680 --> 00:57:09,480 Speaker 1: got to be right on the edge where he's almost 980 00:57:09,480 --> 00:57:14,080 Speaker 1: gonna get you, but he's not gonna get you if 981 00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:16,120 Speaker 1: you if you know, if you know what I mean, 982 00:57:16,200 --> 00:57:19,160 Speaker 1: I mean, you gotta put you know, really the odds 983 00:57:19,160 --> 00:57:21,919 Speaker 1: are mostly in his favor, and you've got to think 984 00:57:21,960 --> 00:57:24,640 Speaker 1: that there. You gotta let him think that he's the 985 00:57:24,640 --> 00:57:26,800 Speaker 1: odds are in his favor when he's coming through there. 986 00:57:27,480 --> 00:57:30,200 Speaker 1: You know, just a lot of things like that. Here's 987 00:57:30,280 --> 00:57:33,160 Speaker 1: one thing that I would tell people that that that 988 00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:38,280 Speaker 1: how I learned a lot of stuff. I feel like 989 00:57:38,800 --> 00:57:44,200 Speaker 1: back in the early days, is I um I back 990 00:57:44,360 --> 00:57:49,720 Speaker 1: a long time ago, seventies. I started going out after 991 00:57:49,800 --> 00:57:52,520 Speaker 1: the season was over. The season used to go out 992 00:57:52,520 --> 00:57:54,840 Speaker 1: the end of December here in Illinois. Now it runs 993 00:57:54,880 --> 00:57:57,240 Speaker 1: into about the twelfth of January. But I would go 994 00:57:57,280 --> 00:58:01,000 Speaker 1: out and and if I was killed. Now you could 995 00:58:01,000 --> 00:58:02,920 Speaker 1: only shoot one buck back in those days. If I 996 00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:05,280 Speaker 1: was killed Rale, i'd go out in December. But my 997 00:58:05,440 --> 00:58:08,480 Speaker 1: point is I would wait for a fresh snow, a 998 00:58:08,560 --> 00:58:12,240 Speaker 1: good fresh snowfall, and I would go out to the 999 00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:16,600 Speaker 1: food source. Cut cornfield was corn on the ground where 1000 00:58:16,640 --> 00:58:19,040 Speaker 1: the gear coming to it in late season, and I 1001 00:58:19,080 --> 00:58:22,240 Speaker 1: would pick up I would pick up a big buck track. 1002 00:58:23,120 --> 00:58:25,360 Speaker 1: It's easy to tell a big buck track. Some people 1003 00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:27,520 Speaker 1: might tell you that you can't, but I mean, big 1004 00:58:27,560 --> 00:58:30,640 Speaker 1: buck have big big bucks have a big feet. It 1005 00:58:30,760 --> 00:58:34,840 Speaker 1: didn't take rocket signs figure it out. But but I 1006 00:58:34,840 --> 00:58:37,720 Speaker 1: would pick up the track and I would track those 1007 00:58:37,800 --> 00:58:41,120 Speaker 1: bucks back to the timber when they left the food source. 1008 00:58:41,160 --> 00:58:44,280 Speaker 1: And I would take my time, and I would watch, 1009 00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:47,280 Speaker 1: and I would stop, and I would look, and I 1010 00:58:47,320 --> 00:58:51,280 Speaker 1: would analyze why he's doing where he's going, and why 1011 00:58:51,360 --> 00:58:55,040 Speaker 1: he's going here versus there, what he's doing and how 1012 00:58:55,080 --> 00:58:57,919 Speaker 1: he's doing it, because they don't, you know, they don't 1013 00:58:57,920 --> 00:59:01,560 Speaker 1: really have the power of reason. Things are instinctively done 1014 00:59:03,240 --> 00:59:05,800 Speaker 1: by these big deer. But I would figure out why 1015 00:59:05,920 --> 00:59:08,080 Speaker 1: he was doing what he was doing, and how he 1016 00:59:08,120 --> 00:59:12,280 Speaker 1: was moving through an area. And then I started realizing 1017 00:59:13,240 --> 00:59:16,600 Speaker 1: where I needed to set up to kill these big deer. 1018 00:59:17,480 --> 00:59:21,600 Speaker 1: And it, and that holds true not only where I'm 1019 00:59:21,640 --> 00:59:24,560 Speaker 1: tracking in the snow, but another timber and another state. 1020 00:59:26,280 --> 00:59:28,080 Speaker 1: They were acting the same. It's just like a big 1021 00:59:28,480 --> 00:59:30,960 Speaker 1: just like a big bass, I mean a bass fisherman 1022 00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:33,720 Speaker 1: out there. You pull a big giant five six seven 1023 00:59:33,760 --> 00:59:37,440 Speaker 1: pounder out from under a certain stump, it won't be 1024 00:59:37,520 --> 00:59:42,520 Speaker 1: long to for another just like him right there, you know. 1025 00:59:42,680 --> 00:59:45,680 Speaker 1: And so that's how I learned how to pick the 1026 00:59:45,800 --> 00:59:50,680 Speaker 1: right tree. And the right tree is everything. And shooting 1027 00:59:50,760 --> 00:59:54,880 Speaker 1: big giant deer, especially with the bow, it's everything. There's 1028 00:59:54,880 --> 00:59:57,280 Speaker 1: a lot of guys that see big bucks, but seeing 1029 00:59:57,320 --> 01:00:01,720 Speaker 1: big bucks and killing them as a whole different deal. Yeah, 1030 01:00:01,880 --> 01:00:04,560 Speaker 1: can you elaborate on what makes for the right tree? 1031 01:00:04,720 --> 01:00:08,280 Speaker 1: I mean, first generically, um, But then maybe can you 1032 01:00:08,280 --> 01:00:10,480 Speaker 1: share this a couple of examples of what some of 1033 01:00:10,520 --> 01:00:13,320 Speaker 1: the you know, an example right tree might be for 1034 01:00:13,640 --> 01:00:16,520 Speaker 1: different parts of the year, even um, because I think 1035 01:00:16,520 --> 01:00:18,320 Speaker 1: there's there's so much talk about in this topic, but 1036 01:00:18,320 --> 01:00:20,720 Speaker 1: we don't always dive deep into it. Um. I'd love 1037 01:00:20,800 --> 01:00:24,880 Speaker 1: to better understand what you mean by that in detail. Well, 1038 01:00:25,320 --> 01:00:28,600 Speaker 1: what I mean is when when a buck's traveling through 1039 01:00:28,600 --> 01:00:31,120 Speaker 1: a piece of woods, I'd say from a betting area 1040 01:00:31,160 --> 01:00:34,960 Speaker 1: to a food source. You you learn that he travels. 1041 01:00:35,080 --> 01:00:37,560 Speaker 1: He doesn't travel on top of the reagion. He doesn't 1042 01:00:37,560 --> 01:00:41,560 Speaker 1: travel in the bottom very often. Now I want to 1043 01:00:41,600 --> 01:00:45,200 Speaker 1: say that once in a great while he'll be on top, 1044 01:00:45,280 --> 01:00:48,600 Speaker 1: or once in a great while he'll be in the bottom, 1045 01:00:48,600 --> 01:00:52,600 Speaker 1: but not very often. And this is a game of percentages. 1046 01:00:53,560 --> 01:00:56,240 Speaker 1: Most of the time he'll be halfway up or on 1047 01:00:56,280 --> 01:01:01,680 Speaker 1: the side hill. He'll be running the hogbacks. And and 1048 01:01:01,760 --> 01:01:04,479 Speaker 1: you'll learn that if you do what I did, you'll 1049 01:01:04,560 --> 01:01:07,800 Speaker 1: learn that. And then you'll find an area where maybe 1050 01:01:07,800 --> 01:01:11,240 Speaker 1: he's pinched down a little bit where if he's quartering 1051 01:01:11,400 --> 01:01:16,240 Speaker 1: end of the wind, you'll find that tree where you 1052 01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:19,640 Speaker 1: can get in that tree. And even though he's coming 1053 01:01:20,040 --> 01:01:23,840 Speaker 1: quartering into the wind, you're off to the side just slightly. 1054 01:01:24,320 --> 01:01:27,240 Speaker 1: The photography of the ground will allow you to do 1055 01:01:27,320 --> 01:01:30,040 Speaker 1: that to where he can't get you. He's not gonna 1056 01:01:30,040 --> 01:01:34,720 Speaker 1: bust and he's not gonna wind you. Things like that. 1057 01:01:35,480 --> 01:01:37,800 Speaker 1: You got to analyze it all. You've got to analyze 1058 01:01:37,800 --> 01:01:41,200 Speaker 1: the situation and figure it out and figure out you know, 1059 01:01:42,160 --> 01:01:43,959 Speaker 1: and it's still not going to work all the time. 1060 01:01:44,600 --> 01:01:48,200 Speaker 1: Don't believe me. You will it will you'll be more 1061 01:01:48,240 --> 01:01:53,280 Speaker 1: successful if you figure all this stuff out. Yeah, So 1062 01:01:53,560 --> 01:01:55,960 Speaker 1: could you give us an example of maybe what you 1063 01:01:56,040 --> 01:01:58,520 Speaker 1: would consider a great tree stands set up in the 1064 01:01:58,560 --> 01:02:01,600 Speaker 1: early season, a great he stands up in the rut in, 1065 01:02:01,640 --> 01:02:03,960 Speaker 1: a great set up for the late season. I mean, 1066 01:02:04,000 --> 01:02:05,920 Speaker 1: maybe you've got an example you can look back on 1067 01:02:06,040 --> 01:02:08,360 Speaker 1: you actually used, or maybe you could just kind of 1068 01:02:08,400 --> 01:02:12,919 Speaker 1: make up an ideal scenario. Well, an early season, an 1069 01:02:12,920 --> 01:02:16,640 Speaker 1: early season like I hunt in the West or hunt 1070 01:02:16,720 --> 01:02:20,200 Speaker 1: down in Kentucky. Early season is all about the food source, 1071 01:02:20,560 --> 01:02:23,120 Speaker 1: and it's all about hunting in the afternoons. Now I'm 1072 01:02:23,120 --> 01:02:25,680 Speaker 1: not saying you can't. You may going early season in 1073 01:02:25,720 --> 01:02:28,080 Speaker 1: the mornings, but you're not going to do it very often. 1074 01:02:28,440 --> 01:02:32,600 Speaker 1: And I don't even hunt mornings hardly ever an early season. 1075 01:02:32,680 --> 01:02:35,000 Speaker 1: So it's all about the food source, and it's all 1076 01:02:35,040 --> 01:02:39,440 Speaker 1: about scouting, and all about watching the bean fields or 1077 01:02:39,440 --> 01:02:41,800 Speaker 1: the alp hower for or whatever your food sources that 1078 01:02:41,920 --> 01:02:45,560 Speaker 1: they're coming out in in September and early October, and 1079 01:02:45,680 --> 01:02:49,160 Speaker 1: watching that and watching where they come out and pattern 1080 01:02:49,240 --> 01:02:52,600 Speaker 1: them and then slipping in and putting your three stand 1081 01:02:52,640 --> 01:02:56,439 Speaker 1: in with the right wind so he comes on out 1082 01:02:56,520 --> 01:02:59,640 Speaker 1: and he doesn't bust you. That's that's not that difficult 1083 01:03:00,120 --> 01:03:05,840 Speaker 1: with early seasons. You know, late season is similar to that. 1084 01:03:07,480 --> 01:03:09,960 Speaker 1: And one thing you want to remember in early season. 1085 01:03:09,960 --> 01:03:12,240 Speaker 1: In late season, it's all about the food. But one 1086 01:03:12,280 --> 01:03:16,360 Speaker 1: thing that you've got to remember is that either late 1087 01:03:16,440 --> 01:03:19,960 Speaker 1: season or early season, afternoons are the best. But you 1088 01:03:20,080 --> 01:03:23,200 Speaker 1: gotta left the small bucks and all the dose get 1089 01:03:23,200 --> 01:03:27,560 Speaker 1: out past you and get out in the field in 1090 01:03:27,640 --> 01:03:31,360 Speaker 1: the food source and still not win you, because he's 1091 01:03:31,400 --> 01:03:33,760 Speaker 1: going to be the last one out or one of 1092 01:03:33,840 --> 01:03:36,680 Speaker 1: the last ones out. And if those other deer get 1093 01:03:36,680 --> 01:03:39,360 Speaker 1: out and you've got the wind bowling from in the 1094 01:03:39,400 --> 01:03:41,640 Speaker 1: timber out into the food source, and they get out 1095 01:03:41,680 --> 01:03:44,360 Speaker 1: in the food source and get your wind, they're gonna 1096 01:03:44,400 --> 01:03:47,600 Speaker 1: get squirrely out there. Sometimes they blow and spook and 1097 01:03:47,600 --> 01:03:50,200 Speaker 1: the run and off. Sometimes they just get squirrely and 1098 01:03:50,240 --> 01:03:54,000 Speaker 1: get to bouncing around or acting funny. If they're doing that, 1099 01:03:54,040 --> 01:03:58,160 Speaker 1: he ain't coming. He's not coming. So you got to 1100 01:03:58,200 --> 01:04:01,160 Speaker 1: pick the right tree in early season. In late season, 1101 01:04:01,200 --> 01:04:03,360 Speaker 1: the win over there get by you and still not 1102 01:04:03,760 --> 01:04:07,000 Speaker 1: lend you once they get past. It's not that that's 1103 01:04:07,040 --> 01:04:10,560 Speaker 1: the hard part of of early season and and during 1104 01:04:10,560 --> 01:04:13,800 Speaker 1: the rut. My favorite time, probably everybody's favorite time to 1105 01:04:13,920 --> 01:04:18,760 Speaker 1: hunt is I look for the perfect trees. Let me 1106 01:04:18,800 --> 01:04:21,320 Speaker 1: give you a scenario of a creek crossing, for instance, 1107 01:04:22,920 --> 01:04:25,560 Speaker 1: you've got a certain win. You know, he's coming quartering 1108 01:04:25,600 --> 01:04:27,919 Speaker 1: into the wind. But when he's quartering into the wind, 1109 01:04:27,960 --> 01:04:32,560 Speaker 1: he crosses, he crosses the creek in this low spot 1110 01:04:33,320 --> 01:04:36,840 Speaker 1: below this riffle or above right above on the top 1111 01:04:36,880 --> 01:04:39,440 Speaker 1: side of this riffle. So he will he will be 1112 01:04:39,520 --> 01:04:42,120 Speaker 1: quartering into the wind, but he will cut that off 1113 01:04:42,960 --> 01:04:46,120 Speaker 1: and give you that opportunity when he crosses that creek 1114 01:04:46,200 --> 01:04:48,600 Speaker 1: to go to the other side. So he set up 1115 01:04:48,600 --> 01:04:51,840 Speaker 1: on that crook crossing or same thing. You do the 1116 01:04:51,880 --> 01:04:55,640 Speaker 1: same thing. If you've got a little hog back where 1117 01:04:55,640 --> 01:04:58,000 Speaker 1: he goes through a little hog back, you know what 1118 01:04:58,040 --> 01:05:01,400 Speaker 1: I mean, a little saddle. Times when he squartering into 1119 01:05:01,400 --> 01:05:03,120 Speaker 1: the wind, you can get off the side of that 1120 01:05:03,160 --> 01:05:06,320 Speaker 1: little siddle and he'll change his travels just there for 1121 01:05:06,440 --> 01:05:10,040 Speaker 1: a little short distance to cut through by saddle and killing. 1122 01:05:11,360 --> 01:05:18,200 Speaker 1: It stands like that. Yeah, it's it's amazing. The You know, 1123 01:05:18,240 --> 01:05:19,960 Speaker 1: I think a lot of us as deer hunters, we 1124 01:05:19,960 --> 01:05:22,240 Speaker 1: we begin our process, you know, just figuring out where 1125 01:05:22,320 --> 01:05:24,280 Speaker 1: the core elements. So you talked about earlier. Where do 1126 01:05:24,360 --> 01:05:26,480 Speaker 1: they bed, where do they feed? You know, where do 1127 01:05:26,520 --> 01:05:28,840 Speaker 1: they travel? And then as we continue to progress, I 1128 01:05:28,880 --> 01:05:31,320 Speaker 1: think we start moving up to these types of discussions 1129 01:05:31,360 --> 01:05:33,440 Speaker 1: where we're then talking about, Okay, how is the deer 1130 01:05:33,480 --> 01:05:36,880 Speaker 1: going to be traveling between those places with winding consideration? 1131 01:05:37,000 --> 01:05:38,440 Speaker 1: And then I think that next step is what you 1132 01:05:38,560 --> 01:05:41,880 Speaker 1: just talked about there. It's how do you find the 1133 01:05:42,000 --> 01:05:44,439 Speaker 1: kind of anomalies in his travel where he had where 1134 01:05:44,480 --> 01:05:47,320 Speaker 1: he's forced into a slightly different thing which gives you 1135 01:05:47,360 --> 01:05:49,880 Speaker 1: that little tiny edge. And it's it's really hard, I 1136 01:05:49,960 --> 01:05:54,040 Speaker 1: think to find that unless you have been out hunting 1137 01:05:54,080 --> 01:05:56,360 Speaker 1: for a long period of time and start knowing how 1138 01:05:56,400 --> 01:05:59,240 Speaker 1: to notice those things. I mean, the the example you 1139 01:05:59,240 --> 01:06:02,040 Speaker 1: talked about it is sounds perfect um, but what a 1140 01:06:02,160 --> 01:06:04,880 Speaker 1: challenge is to identify that unless you've been able to 1141 01:06:04,880 --> 01:06:06,720 Speaker 1: see dear do these types of things over and over 1142 01:06:06,720 --> 01:06:09,120 Speaker 1: again and you start to recognize that as almost a pattern. 1143 01:06:09,400 --> 01:06:12,919 Speaker 1: You can say, Okay, this is yeah, yeah, you're right, 1144 01:06:12,960 --> 01:06:15,520 Speaker 1: I mean, that's it's or unless you went out in 1145 01:06:15,680 --> 01:06:18,920 Speaker 1: December January on a fresh not went tracking and I 1146 01:06:19,040 --> 01:06:21,000 Speaker 1: track them all the way and see what they do 1147 01:06:21,080 --> 01:06:23,760 Speaker 1: and watch him do those kind of things by his tracks, 1148 01:06:23,760 --> 01:06:25,480 Speaker 1: and I tracked him all the way until I jump in. 1149 01:06:26,480 --> 01:06:29,800 Speaker 1: I want to know where he's laghing do. I want 1150 01:06:29,800 --> 01:06:31,919 Speaker 1: the whole I want the whole thing. I want all 1151 01:06:31,920 --> 01:06:35,160 Speaker 1: the information, and I'll jumping because when I jumping, when 1152 01:06:35,200 --> 01:06:39,880 Speaker 1: season is over doesn't make any difference. Right, Well, he'll 1153 01:06:39,920 --> 01:06:41,800 Speaker 1: be back there. He might be a few days before 1154 01:06:41,840 --> 01:06:43,800 Speaker 1: he comes back there, but he'll be back there because 1155 01:06:43,840 --> 01:06:49,720 Speaker 1: you're not going to be back there for eight nine months. Yeah, 1156 01:06:49,960 --> 01:06:53,000 Speaker 1: what's the rest of your scouting repertoire look like throughout 1157 01:06:53,080 --> 01:06:55,760 Speaker 1: the rest of the year, the off season and in season. 1158 01:06:55,840 --> 01:06:57,440 Speaker 1: It sounds like I mean, we just talked about a 1159 01:06:57,440 --> 01:07:00,360 Speaker 1: really great idea to use during the winter once filled 1160 01:07:00,360 --> 01:07:02,840 Speaker 1: your tag um, what else are you doing from a 1161 01:07:02,880 --> 01:07:06,439 Speaker 1: scouting standpoint to put you in a position for success? Well, 1162 01:07:06,480 --> 01:07:09,800 Speaker 1: I'm done now, I'm not. I'm done scouting right now, 1163 01:07:10,040 --> 01:07:12,480 Speaker 1: and I will and I will be done until at 1164 01:07:12,560 --> 01:07:17,080 Speaker 1: least around the fifteenth of July. And around the fifteenth 1165 01:07:17,160 --> 01:07:20,120 Speaker 1: or so of July, then I'll be out in my 1166 01:07:20,240 --> 01:07:23,120 Speaker 1: spots or I'll have somebody out in the spots that 1167 01:07:23,200 --> 01:07:25,680 Speaker 1: I hunt out of state, because I don't I hunt 1168 01:07:25,720 --> 01:07:27,640 Speaker 1: with a couple of outfitters. I don't hunt with many 1169 01:07:27,880 --> 01:07:29,960 Speaker 1: when I hunt out of state, you know, I usually 1170 01:07:30,000 --> 01:07:33,200 Speaker 1: do my own thing there too. But you know, I'll 1171 01:07:33,240 --> 01:07:35,960 Speaker 1: be done until mid July, and then I'll be watching 1172 01:07:36,360 --> 01:07:41,280 Speaker 1: the bean fields, watching the food sources from long range 1173 01:07:41,320 --> 01:07:45,720 Speaker 1: with a spotting scope, looking to see what's there and 1174 01:07:45,760 --> 01:07:49,120 Speaker 1: what's left over and get an idea. And I'll tell 1175 01:07:49,160 --> 01:07:52,680 Speaker 1: you what. Even if your season, like in Illinois here, 1176 01:07:52,760 --> 01:07:57,160 Speaker 1: our season doesn't open, Talktober first, and once once you 1177 01:07:57,240 --> 01:08:01,160 Speaker 1: get much past the eighteenth of Septem berk those big 1178 01:08:01,200 --> 01:08:04,280 Speaker 1: deer get really really hard because they rubbed their velvet 1179 01:08:04,320 --> 01:08:07,400 Speaker 1: off in early September, and once their velvet has been 1180 01:08:07,440 --> 01:08:09,920 Speaker 1: off for a little while, they get away from their buddies. 1181 01:08:09,920 --> 01:08:13,040 Speaker 1: They're not in bachelor groups anymore, and they go off 1182 01:08:13,120 --> 01:08:17,880 Speaker 1: by theirselves and you can't find them. I mean, half 1183 01:08:17,880 --> 01:08:19,960 Speaker 1: of these big giant deer here in the Midwest and 1184 01:08:20,000 --> 01:08:23,200 Speaker 1: Illinois live out in the standing cornfields in the summertime. 1185 01:08:24,479 --> 01:08:27,040 Speaker 1: But you know, I'll watch the food source and I'm 1186 01:08:27,040 --> 01:08:31,280 Speaker 1: primarily doing that at that time of year to see 1187 01:08:31,320 --> 01:08:34,640 Speaker 1: what I've got and to see what they turned into 1188 01:08:34,760 --> 01:08:38,040 Speaker 1: from the previous year, and to build my confidence because 1189 01:08:38,080 --> 01:08:41,280 Speaker 1: if I if I, for instance, my place over here 1190 01:08:41,800 --> 01:08:45,200 Speaker 1: West before we live that Tim and Terry and I 1191 01:08:45,479 --> 01:08:48,439 Speaker 1: are hunting, you know, if I go over there in 1192 01:08:48,520 --> 01:08:55,320 Speaker 1: July and we see two or three big megabucks coming 1193 01:08:55,360 --> 01:08:58,400 Speaker 1: out every night into a field, it's gonna make a 1194 01:08:58,400 --> 01:09:02,400 Speaker 1: difference when I get there in November because I'm gonna 1195 01:09:02,400 --> 01:09:05,360 Speaker 1: stay early, or I'm gonna go early and I'm gonna 1196 01:09:05,360 --> 01:09:07,840 Speaker 1: stay late. It's gonna make a difference to me. It's 1197 01:09:07,840 --> 01:09:12,200 Speaker 1: a confidence builder. You know, I know they're there because 1198 01:09:12,240 --> 01:09:15,240 Speaker 1: I just saw them in July and August. I know 1199 01:09:15,320 --> 01:09:18,840 Speaker 1: they're I know they're there somewhere. And so when I 1200 01:09:18,880 --> 01:09:21,200 Speaker 1: do lock in and in the Midwest, I don't start 1201 01:09:21,280 --> 01:09:26,000 Speaker 1: hunting here until late October, and I'm gonna lock in, 1202 01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:30,920 Speaker 1: and it's gonna it's gonna it's gonna motivate me at 1203 01:09:30,960 --> 01:09:33,320 Speaker 1: my age even I mean, I don't need a lot 1204 01:09:33,320 --> 01:09:35,639 Speaker 1: of motivation, to be honest with you, because I've never 1205 01:09:35,680 --> 01:09:40,360 Speaker 1: found anything that I like better never, But you know, 1206 01:09:40,560 --> 01:09:44,439 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm gonna I'm gonna go go and stay late. 1207 01:09:44,560 --> 01:09:46,679 Speaker 1: And you know, if I've got a couple of deer 1208 01:09:46,760 --> 01:09:51,639 Speaker 1: that I know is something outstanding that that I want 1209 01:09:51,640 --> 01:09:54,280 Speaker 1: to try to take that. I want to work on 1210 01:09:55,439 --> 01:10:01,599 Speaker 1: m makes it easier, Yeah, I imagine. So then moving 1211 01:10:01,640 --> 01:10:04,439 Speaker 1: forward after that, you you've scouted your summer bucks, you're 1212 01:10:04,520 --> 01:10:08,160 Speaker 1: moving now into the season. What's what's the nd season 1213 01:10:08,200 --> 01:10:12,400 Speaker 1: type of scouting look like? If at all, I do 1214 01:10:12,479 --> 01:10:14,879 Speaker 1: a little bit, but not a lot. You know, I've 1215 01:10:14,960 --> 01:10:18,639 Speaker 1: I've already got my place is picked for the most part, 1216 01:10:18,720 --> 01:10:21,000 Speaker 1: where I'm gonna hunt. I got I gotta picked now 1217 01:10:21,360 --> 01:10:24,920 Speaker 1: for where I'm gonna hunt here in Illinois fall, I've 1218 01:10:24,920 --> 01:10:27,920 Speaker 1: already gotten picked. So you're doing. I've already been out, 1219 01:10:28,120 --> 01:10:33,120 Speaker 1: you know. I've been out in in January, February, March, 1220 01:10:33,240 --> 01:10:36,799 Speaker 1: before I started getting green. I've been looking, I've been walking. 1221 01:10:36,880 --> 01:10:39,840 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I mean I don't I don't 1222 01:10:39,920 --> 01:10:42,360 Speaker 1: hunt for sheds like I used to. I let Terry 1223 01:10:42,360 --> 01:10:44,720 Speaker 1: and then do that. Terry picked up fifty something this year. 1224 01:10:45,720 --> 01:10:49,599 Speaker 1: There's a buck. He's got both sides of that that 1225 01:10:49,880 --> 01:10:52,680 Speaker 1: we're gonna be hunting this year. That's um, it's a 1226 01:10:52,760 --> 01:10:55,240 Speaker 1: five by five clean typical. I think you'd be one 1227 01:10:55,360 --> 01:11:00,760 Speaker 1: ninety plus this fall. Wow. Yeah. And that's Bay. That's 1228 01:11:00,800 --> 01:11:05,920 Speaker 1: a big ten point And and he's there, you know, 1229 01:11:06,040 --> 01:11:09,120 Speaker 1: and and actually, you know, going forward in the future 1230 01:11:09,200 --> 01:11:12,559 Speaker 1: for all the all the listeners out there, you know, um, 1231 01:11:13,680 --> 01:11:19,040 Speaker 1: I've got I found a spot in early March that 1232 01:11:19,280 --> 01:11:21,200 Speaker 1: is as good as it gets, and I am going 1233 01:11:21,240 --> 01:11:26,000 Speaker 1: to shoot a giant out of it. It'll be hopefully 1234 01:11:26,040 --> 01:11:28,800 Speaker 1: it'll be it'll be him, or it'll be another one 1235 01:11:29,560 --> 01:11:34,040 Speaker 1: that that that's in there. But it's a perfect, perfect spot. 1236 01:11:34,640 --> 01:11:39,120 Speaker 1: It's on the side of a ridge, big hardwood ridge. 1237 01:11:39,120 --> 01:11:44,000 Speaker 1: It's on the side of it. And he's running that ridge. 1238 01:11:44,080 --> 01:11:46,840 Speaker 1: He's got a rub line there. There's rubs. There's rubs 1239 01:11:46,840 --> 01:11:51,519 Speaker 1: in their last falls, big as you're like, and you 1240 01:11:51,560 --> 01:11:56,360 Speaker 1: know he's running it with a certain wind. And I 1241 01:11:56,439 --> 01:11:59,880 Speaker 1: found a place right there where there's a little sad 1242 01:12:00,000 --> 01:12:02,719 Speaker 1: when it comes off the field way down below the ridge. 1243 01:12:03,040 --> 01:12:05,559 Speaker 1: It comes off the field and comes up that ridge, 1244 01:12:06,520 --> 01:12:08,960 Speaker 1: and he goes, he goes up and he and he 1245 01:12:09,080 --> 01:12:13,679 Speaker 1: drops through that little saddle right there. And when he does, 1246 01:12:15,360 --> 01:12:19,200 Speaker 1: when winds out of the northwest, he's quartered into it. 1247 01:12:19,520 --> 01:12:22,160 Speaker 1: But when he had but when he when he goes 1248 01:12:22,200 --> 01:12:24,200 Speaker 1: through that saddle, when he cuts off to the side 1249 01:12:24,200 --> 01:12:27,320 Speaker 1: a little bit and goes through that saddle, he's vulnerable. 1250 01:12:29,400 --> 01:12:32,400 Speaker 1: And I'll kill him right there. So when I'm gonna 1251 01:12:32,439 --> 01:12:34,760 Speaker 1: get me, when do you hunt it? And how do 1252 01:12:34,840 --> 01:12:36,280 Speaker 1: you get in there to hunt it? How will you 1253 01:12:36,320 --> 01:12:39,240 Speaker 1: access that spot? And when will you do That'll come 1254 01:12:39,360 --> 01:12:41,519 Speaker 1: right up the ridge. I'll come right up the ridge 1255 01:12:41,560 --> 01:12:44,360 Speaker 1: from the field and the bottom and I'll and I'll 1256 01:12:44,400 --> 01:12:49,599 Speaker 1: park my ranger, my a TV. I'll park it right 1257 01:12:49,720 --> 01:12:51,920 Speaker 1: below it. It's about a hundred and fifty yards. I'll 1258 01:12:51,920 --> 01:12:54,400 Speaker 1: park it right there. There's a perfect spot for it. 1259 01:12:54,400 --> 01:12:56,880 Speaker 1: It's kind of a little low ditch right there, and 1260 01:12:56,920 --> 01:12:58,720 Speaker 1: I'll pull it right in there and I'll walk right 1261 01:12:58,760 --> 01:13:00,559 Speaker 1: straight up the ridge. I'm why to walk for a 1262 01:13:00,600 --> 01:13:05,560 Speaker 1: hundred hundred fifty yards popping into three. And this is 1263 01:13:05,600 --> 01:13:08,600 Speaker 1: a rut set. It sounds like, yeah, it's it's a 1264 01:13:08,640 --> 01:13:11,160 Speaker 1: it's a it's a set for late October and all 1265 01:13:11,200 --> 01:13:14,120 Speaker 1: through the month in November. Yeah, And it's about a 1266 01:13:14,200 --> 01:13:19,439 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty yards. I'm gonna say below, just down 1267 01:13:19,479 --> 01:13:23,960 Speaker 1: the hill and and a little bit below a primary 1268 01:13:24,000 --> 01:13:28,080 Speaker 1: food source and he'll he'll he's cut, he's cutting up 1269 01:13:28,080 --> 01:13:31,400 Speaker 1: through there and he's he'll be wind checking that food source. 1270 01:13:31,720 --> 01:13:33,720 Speaker 1: He won't even have to go out in it with 1271 01:13:33,800 --> 01:13:40,040 Speaker 1: the northwest wind to check it. So you got a 1272 01:13:40,080 --> 01:13:44,160 Speaker 1: buck like this, a gigantic typical buck, and you just 1273 01:13:44,240 --> 01:13:47,360 Speaker 1: mentioned one example of a great spot you found to 1274 01:13:47,400 --> 01:13:50,920 Speaker 1: set up on him possibly, What what else do you 1275 01:13:51,040 --> 01:13:53,880 Speaker 1: do knowing that a giant like that is there? You 1276 01:13:53,920 --> 01:13:57,320 Speaker 1: mentioned the summer scouting, um. Is there anything else that's 1277 01:13:57,320 --> 01:14:00,439 Speaker 1: going into your strategy this year specifically just for that deer. 1278 01:14:02,320 --> 01:14:05,200 Speaker 1: I've got a couple of spots picked out that is 1279 01:14:05,760 --> 01:14:10,120 Speaker 1: real uh, real short points. It's crossing. Uh, it's crossing 1280 01:14:10,120 --> 01:14:13,719 Speaker 1: our pasture. Um. And what I mean by short points, 1281 01:14:13,720 --> 01:14:16,360 Speaker 1: it's where the timber lion goes along through the pasture 1282 01:14:16,400 --> 01:14:19,000 Speaker 1: and then it sticks way out in the pasture and 1283 01:14:19,280 --> 01:14:23,320 Speaker 1: comes back. And it's a little low area that cuts 1284 01:14:23,360 --> 01:14:26,559 Speaker 1: across the pasture. So from one point of the timber 1285 01:14:27,080 --> 01:14:29,360 Speaker 1: to the other point of the timber is is a 1286 01:14:29,400 --> 01:14:32,760 Speaker 1: relatively short distance. It's only about a hundred yards and 1287 01:14:32,800 --> 01:14:36,439 Speaker 1: the rest of it is several hundred yards across, and 1288 01:14:36,520 --> 01:14:38,560 Speaker 1: that's where they'll cross. And I got I got a 1289 01:14:38,600 --> 01:14:41,280 Speaker 1: couple of trees picked out to hunt, hunt with my 1290 01:14:41,320 --> 01:14:44,160 Speaker 1: buck decoy there and if I can catch him on 1291 01:14:44,240 --> 01:14:47,120 Speaker 1: his feet by himself, cutting the cutting from one spot 1292 01:14:47,160 --> 01:14:50,400 Speaker 1: to another, cutting out of one timber to cut across another, 1293 01:14:50,439 --> 01:14:52,519 Speaker 1: and I got that buck decoy l getting to come 1294 01:14:52,520 --> 01:14:57,720 Speaker 1: into it now killing. Tell us about your buck decoy strategy. 1295 01:14:57,920 --> 01:14:59,880 Speaker 1: How when are you using that? How do you set 1296 01:14:59,920 --> 01:15:01,960 Speaker 1: the it up? How often do you use that type 1297 01:15:01,960 --> 01:15:06,280 Speaker 1: of thing? Well, I use it any time I'm hunting 1298 01:15:06,320 --> 01:15:08,720 Speaker 1: in the Midwest from late October through the month in 1299 01:15:08,760 --> 01:15:11,640 Speaker 1: November and early December. Just when I'm hunting the Midwest. 1300 01:15:12,040 --> 01:15:14,320 Speaker 1: I'm using the decoy. If I'm setting in the open 1301 01:15:15,120 --> 01:15:18,240 Speaker 1: during the run during that time period brand to catch 1302 01:15:18,280 --> 01:15:21,479 Speaker 1: those big bucks cruising. I'm using the decoy if I'm 1303 01:15:21,520 --> 01:15:23,840 Speaker 1: setting on a food source, if I'm setting on that 1304 01:15:23,960 --> 01:15:29,160 Speaker 1: open pasture or a short shortcut down CRP field. You know, 1305 01:15:29,200 --> 01:15:31,080 Speaker 1: I don't use them When the graphs is tall and 1306 01:15:31,120 --> 01:15:33,200 Speaker 1: that stuff. I want to be able to see it, 1307 01:15:33,680 --> 01:15:35,799 Speaker 1: and that's when I'm using them. And I picked places 1308 01:15:35,840 --> 01:15:37,960 Speaker 1: where that If I've got my decoy out there in 1309 01:15:38,000 --> 01:15:40,360 Speaker 1: front of me in the open, the wind's bowling from 1310 01:15:40,360 --> 01:15:42,439 Speaker 1: the decoy to me and I'm sitting right on the 1311 01:15:42,520 --> 01:15:48,400 Speaker 1: edge of the timber. Okay, Yeah, it's uh. It's one 1312 01:15:48,439 --> 01:15:51,479 Speaker 1: of those things that seems high risk, high reward, but 1313 01:15:51,840 --> 01:15:53,680 Speaker 1: a lot of guys seem to be able to pull 1314 01:15:53,720 --> 01:15:54,920 Speaker 1: it off. Do you find that to be the same 1315 01:15:54,960 --> 01:15:56,200 Speaker 1: case of me as that one of those swing for 1316 01:15:56,240 --> 01:15:59,320 Speaker 1: the fences type moves for you? Well, yeah, I mean 1317 01:15:59,400 --> 01:16:02,679 Speaker 1: I've spooked year. I spooked him with a decoy. And 1318 01:16:02,840 --> 01:16:05,439 Speaker 1: if you're setting on a food source and it gets 1319 01:16:05,520 --> 01:16:07,840 Speaker 1: late in the day, you know, and there's a lot 1320 01:16:07,880 --> 01:16:10,080 Speaker 1: of dose. A small bucks come out after they've been 1321 01:16:10,120 --> 01:16:12,960 Speaker 1: out of while staring at that decoy. Sometimes they get squirrely, 1322 01:16:13,040 --> 01:16:17,519 Speaker 1: but it doesn't you know, there's not enough of a 1323 01:16:17,640 --> 01:16:20,479 Speaker 1: negative there for me not to do it, because I 1324 01:16:20,720 --> 01:16:23,960 Speaker 1: killed so many big mature deer doing that, you know, 1325 01:16:24,120 --> 01:16:26,080 Speaker 1: And I and the and the deer that I am 1326 01:16:26,200 --> 01:16:31,960 Speaker 1: targeting is a big mature buck looking for a hot 1327 01:16:32,040 --> 01:16:39,479 Speaker 1: dough cruise and during the daytime by himself, and more 1328 01:16:39,560 --> 01:16:43,000 Speaker 1: times than not, when you get that situation, more times 1329 01:16:43,040 --> 01:16:45,400 Speaker 1: than not, he will come to that buck decoy. I 1330 01:16:45,439 --> 01:16:49,760 Speaker 1: don't use it though, decoy hardly ever, other than I 1331 01:16:49,760 --> 01:16:51,920 Speaker 1: will use it once in a great while. If I've 1332 01:16:51,960 --> 01:16:54,160 Speaker 1: had a buck come out and spook on my buck 1333 01:16:54,200 --> 01:16:57,280 Speaker 1: decoy and I'm hunting in the same spot again, I 1334 01:16:57,280 --> 01:16:59,879 Speaker 1: will bring the second decoy and I'll take the antlers 1335 01:16:59,880 --> 01:17:01,560 Speaker 1: and the legs off of it, and I'll set it 1336 01:17:01,600 --> 01:17:05,439 Speaker 1: in front of my buck decoy about or so like 1337 01:17:05,520 --> 01:17:10,080 Speaker 1: attending buck pen than the dough. You've seen him do, 1338 01:17:10,320 --> 01:17:12,080 Speaker 1: bend it out in the open field, the buck just 1339 01:17:12,160 --> 01:17:16,800 Speaker 1: standing off to the side. You know, I've done that, 1340 01:17:16,880 --> 01:17:20,200 Speaker 1: and I've done that, and that's worked before. It too interesting? 1341 01:17:21,160 --> 01:17:24,720 Speaker 1: What what are you thinking, Dan? Well? You know we 1342 01:17:24,800 --> 01:17:29,599 Speaker 1: always like to share the success. You know, you've been 1343 01:17:29,600 --> 01:17:33,880 Speaker 1: on multiple covers of magazines, you shot multiple bucks, But 1344 01:17:34,320 --> 01:17:38,519 Speaker 1: has there ever been a story or a particular buck 1345 01:17:38,880 --> 01:17:42,559 Speaker 1: that ended up beating you and you you kind of 1346 01:17:43,840 --> 01:17:47,160 Speaker 1: held a grudge on that buck or or use that 1347 01:17:47,160 --> 01:17:51,559 Speaker 1: that you know, you being unsuccessful with that particular dear 1348 01:17:52,000 --> 01:17:57,200 Speaker 1: to change how you hunt. No, not really change. But 1349 01:17:57,280 --> 01:17:59,559 Speaker 1: I've had way more of them out smartly and I'm 1350 01:17:59,560 --> 01:18:03,160 Speaker 1: not and I never got. You know that that then 1351 01:18:03,200 --> 01:18:07,559 Speaker 1: I've gotten because I'm always always usually going into every season, 1352 01:18:07,600 --> 01:18:09,880 Speaker 1: I always know where there's a big buck here there, 1353 01:18:10,000 --> 01:18:13,240 Speaker 1: you know, and places that I hunt, and I try 1354 01:18:13,280 --> 01:18:15,960 Speaker 1: to hunt them and I lock in on them. But 1355 01:18:16,240 --> 01:18:19,040 Speaker 1: you know, if something else comes by that's good and solid, 1356 01:18:19,439 --> 01:18:21,479 Speaker 1: I'll go ahead and take them. Because I'm making TV 1357 01:18:21,800 --> 01:18:25,400 Speaker 1: but I never hope to grudge. I never get mad. 1358 01:18:25,760 --> 01:18:29,719 Speaker 1: I never you know, I mean you can't. I mean, 1359 01:18:30,600 --> 01:18:33,040 Speaker 1: you just can't. I mean, it's it's the thrill of 1360 01:18:33,080 --> 01:18:36,120 Speaker 1: doing it. And then when you are successful, which you're 1361 01:18:36,160 --> 01:18:39,080 Speaker 1: not going to be successful on them as much as 1362 01:18:39,080 --> 01:18:43,480 Speaker 1: you're gonna be unsuccessful. It's just it's just that way, 1363 01:18:43,760 --> 01:18:46,240 Speaker 1: you know. And but never get mad. Just tip your 1364 01:18:46,240 --> 01:18:53,400 Speaker 1: hat that big boy put it on you, you know, 1365 01:18:53,520 --> 01:18:56,320 Speaker 1: I mean, I just you know, that's that's you know, 1366 01:18:56,400 --> 01:19:01,040 Speaker 1: a true big buck hunter. You know, it's they love 1367 01:19:01,080 --> 01:19:04,160 Speaker 1: what they do and they have a passion for the animal. 1368 01:19:05,160 --> 01:19:07,840 Speaker 1: There is you know, I mean a big mature white 1369 01:19:07,840 --> 01:19:14,160 Speaker 1: tail right here in the Midwest that lives to be eight, nine, 1370 01:19:14,439 --> 01:19:18,599 Speaker 1: ten years old. I mean, you know, he is living 1371 01:19:18,640 --> 01:19:25,200 Speaker 1: in your backyard almost, and it's just, you know, you 1372 01:19:25,280 --> 01:19:28,040 Speaker 1: gotta love them. I mean, they are they they are 1373 01:19:28,080 --> 01:19:33,599 Speaker 1: a different animals. There's nothing like them, nothing they're they're 1374 01:19:33,640 --> 01:19:37,280 Speaker 1: they're just so smart and so cunning. Their instincts are 1375 01:19:37,320 --> 01:19:41,320 Speaker 1: so good. And you know, I mean when they get 1376 01:19:41,360 --> 01:19:47,160 Speaker 1: to be six or seven, they they don't even participate 1377 01:19:47,200 --> 01:19:51,439 Speaker 1: that much in the rut. You know, people think you're 1378 01:19:51,479 --> 01:19:54,160 Speaker 1: crazy when they hear somebody like me say that, but 1379 01:19:54,200 --> 01:19:57,200 Speaker 1: they don't. You know, I'm not saying that they don't 1380 01:19:57,240 --> 01:19:59,120 Speaker 1: breed those they do, but they do it on their 1381 01:19:59,120 --> 01:20:01,559 Speaker 1: own terms. And they don't breed very many of them 1382 01:20:01,600 --> 01:20:03,439 Speaker 1: once they get to be seven or old. But they 1383 01:20:03,520 --> 01:20:07,479 Speaker 1: just don't because they can't, you know, they it's you know, 1384 01:20:07,560 --> 01:20:11,400 Speaker 1: they still participate in it when they can, but it's 1385 01:20:11,479 --> 01:20:15,120 Speaker 1: not the number one thing for him anymore, perpetuating the species. 1386 01:20:15,160 --> 01:20:17,640 Speaker 1: It's not number one. It's not number one to me 1387 01:20:18,040 --> 01:20:24,760 Speaker 1: at my age. You're number one to me living and 1388 01:20:24,800 --> 01:20:29,160 Speaker 1: that's no different with a big giant whitehil Living is 1389 01:20:29,200 --> 01:20:32,799 Speaker 1: more important to them. Survival. That's one of the best 1390 01:20:32,880 --> 01:20:35,320 Speaker 1: moments we've ever had in this podcast, I think right there, 1391 01:20:35,360 --> 01:20:40,439 Speaker 1: that's that's a that's some wisdom right there. Well, I 1392 01:20:40,439 --> 01:20:43,200 Speaker 1: mean it's true though we just stop and think about it. 1393 01:20:43,439 --> 01:20:46,280 Speaker 1: If they're no different thing we are, Yeah, I mean, 1394 01:20:46,320 --> 01:20:48,880 Speaker 1: they're just you know, I mean, it's you know, things, 1395 01:20:48,880 --> 01:20:52,960 Speaker 1: that's all things change and living is more importantly. And 1396 01:20:53,000 --> 01:20:55,519 Speaker 1: besides that, that that four and a half or five 1397 01:20:55,560 --> 01:21:02,599 Speaker 1: and a half year old well whipped their ass. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, 1398 01:21:02,640 --> 01:21:06,720 Speaker 1: I know it makes it makes perfect sense. You you 1399 01:21:06,840 --> 01:21:11,719 Speaker 1: have been around. I'm sure some of the very most 1400 01:21:11,760 --> 01:21:16,200 Speaker 1: experienced and most successful deer hunters in the world. And 1401 01:21:16,240 --> 01:21:18,320 Speaker 1: this is something I often like to ask our guests, 1402 01:21:18,360 --> 01:21:21,360 Speaker 1: some who have kind of experiences like you do um 1403 01:21:21,720 --> 01:21:23,559 Speaker 1: because of the perspective I think you're able to get 1404 01:21:23,600 --> 01:21:27,919 Speaker 1: from all these different people. Are there any core traits 1405 01:21:28,600 --> 01:21:31,960 Speaker 1: or tactics or anything like that that the very best 1406 01:21:32,120 --> 01:21:34,360 Speaker 1: deer hunters that you know all have. Is there anything 1407 01:21:34,400 --> 01:21:36,160 Speaker 1: that you can put your finger on and say these 1408 01:21:36,240 --> 01:21:39,120 Speaker 1: they all do it, or they all have it what 1409 01:21:39,320 --> 01:21:41,800 Speaker 1: you do. The only thing is the only thing I 1410 01:21:41,800 --> 01:21:45,559 Speaker 1: would say is they all have the passion for baked 1411 01:21:45,560 --> 01:21:48,880 Speaker 1: mature white tail box. They have that passion. They love 1412 01:21:49,840 --> 01:21:54,800 Speaker 1: that animal that they hunt. They love them, they can't 1413 01:21:54,800 --> 01:21:59,599 Speaker 1: get enough of it. They have so much respect and 1414 01:21:59,600 --> 01:22:03,960 Speaker 1: and that's that's that. That goes just goes down the line. 1415 01:22:04,040 --> 01:22:09,920 Speaker 1: I mean, Gene and Barry and the Wide and Mr 1416 01:22:09,960 --> 01:22:13,840 Speaker 1: and you know, these guys are all great buddies of 1417 01:22:13,880 --> 01:22:16,800 Speaker 1: mine and people like that, you know, and lots of 1418 01:22:16,840 --> 01:22:19,639 Speaker 1: people that I could mention that that that nobody would 1419 01:22:19,640 --> 01:22:25,360 Speaker 1: even recognize, you know, but that they you know, that's 1420 01:22:25,960 --> 01:22:30,720 Speaker 1: that's it. They just have the passion for hunding, the 1421 01:22:30,800 --> 01:22:37,280 Speaker 1: big giant white tail bucks. That's it that they just 1422 01:22:37,360 --> 01:22:40,599 Speaker 1: have that passion. They love that animal and they put 1423 01:22:40,640 --> 01:22:46,559 Speaker 1: everything into it, h and whatever. And another thing that 1424 01:22:46,560 --> 01:22:51,160 Speaker 1: that you notice about people like that is whatever they 1425 01:22:51,200 --> 01:22:55,479 Speaker 1: get out of it, it's fine with them. Whatever it is, 1426 01:22:55,800 --> 01:22:59,920 Speaker 1: it's fine. It's it's it's the experience. It's it's being 1427 01:23:00,080 --> 01:23:04,120 Speaker 1: able to do it and be out there and and 1428 01:23:04,120 --> 01:23:07,640 Speaker 1: and just do it. You know, if you don't get it, 1429 01:23:07,840 --> 01:23:10,880 Speaker 1: you don't get it, but which you're nice when you do. 1430 01:23:13,160 --> 01:23:20,439 Speaker 1: That's the truth. Is is there anything out there as 1431 01:23:20,479 --> 01:23:22,120 Speaker 1: we as we're talking about these different things. We've talked 1432 01:23:22,120 --> 01:23:23,960 Speaker 1: about some things kind of high level, we've talked about 1433 01:23:24,000 --> 01:23:27,400 Speaker 1: some things kind of in the weeds. Is there any 1434 01:23:27,479 --> 01:23:29,880 Speaker 1: one thing that if you could talk to the average 1435 01:23:29,920 --> 01:23:34,000 Speaker 1: deer hunter and tell them focus on this more, or 1436 01:23:34,200 --> 01:23:37,240 Speaker 1: change this or really improve in this way. If there's 1437 01:23:37,320 --> 01:23:40,120 Speaker 1: one place that you could, like, you know, use a 1438 01:23:40,160 --> 01:23:42,840 Speaker 1: magic wand to help everybody fix this one core thing. 1439 01:23:43,160 --> 01:23:44,719 Speaker 1: What would you want that to be for the average 1440 01:23:44,760 --> 01:23:48,400 Speaker 1: deer hunter out there, well, for the average deer hunter, 1441 01:23:48,560 --> 01:23:51,000 Speaker 1: the average hunter, but you know, we're talking about deer 1442 01:23:51,080 --> 01:23:56,760 Speaker 1: hunting today. Um, but one thing is is, you know, 1443 01:23:56,960 --> 01:24:00,320 Speaker 1: don't get caught up. I mean, so many people now 1444 01:24:00,960 --> 01:24:05,720 Speaker 1: think that they need to force their beliefs and their 1445 01:24:05,840 --> 01:24:09,000 Speaker 1: thoughts and the way they do things on everybody else, 1446 01:24:10,080 --> 01:24:14,120 Speaker 1: just like the deer management, for instance, managing for big 1447 01:24:14,160 --> 01:24:20,599 Speaker 1: bucks on your property, getting upset whenever your neighbor down 1448 01:24:20,640 --> 01:24:23,400 Speaker 1: the road shoots a buck that's three and a half 1449 01:24:23,479 --> 01:24:25,439 Speaker 1: years old that you let go is a year and 1450 01:24:25,520 --> 01:24:28,320 Speaker 1: a half and a two and a half. You know, 1451 01:24:29,560 --> 01:24:32,559 Speaker 1: it's not about that. It's it's about doing what you 1452 01:24:32,600 --> 01:24:38,200 Speaker 1: want to do, and it's about explaining where you're coming from. 1453 01:24:38,200 --> 01:24:43,080 Speaker 1: But it's not about thinking that everybody needs to do 1454 01:24:43,479 --> 01:24:46,800 Speaker 1: what you believe they need to do and everybody will 1455 01:24:46,840 --> 01:24:51,360 Speaker 1: be better off. I just think that it's I just 1456 01:24:52,320 --> 01:24:54,360 Speaker 1: that's the number one thing. I would like to see 1457 01:24:54,400 --> 01:24:57,800 Speaker 1: people take a step back and just look at the 1458 01:24:57,840 --> 01:25:01,479 Speaker 1: whole situation. Say hey, I am old blasts. I can 1459 01:25:01,520 --> 01:25:03,240 Speaker 1: do what I want to do. I want to try 1460 01:25:03,280 --> 01:25:05,599 Speaker 1: to hunt these big bucks. I want to do the best. 1461 01:25:05,760 --> 01:25:09,360 Speaker 1: But that doesn't mean the guy down the road has 1462 01:25:09,439 --> 01:25:11,760 Speaker 1: to do that, because if he doesn't do that, he's 1463 01:25:11,800 --> 01:25:14,559 Speaker 1: gonna hurt me, and he's gonna hurt what I want 1464 01:25:14,560 --> 01:25:24,080 Speaker 1: to do. We live in America. Yeah, that's it. Yeah. 1465 01:25:24,240 --> 01:25:30,519 Speaker 1: Is there anything that you do stand that other people, 1466 01:25:30,560 --> 01:25:33,479 Speaker 1: other great deer hunters would think is crazy or would 1467 01:25:33,520 --> 01:25:35,160 Speaker 1: be surprised by. Is there anything that you do this 1468 01:25:35,280 --> 01:25:38,439 Speaker 1: contrary to the rest of the rest of the big 1469 01:25:38,479 --> 01:25:43,280 Speaker 1: buck hunters out there. Yeah, there is. There's one thing 1470 01:25:43,400 --> 01:25:47,240 Speaker 1: I've gotten black on so many times, and you probably 1471 01:25:47,280 --> 01:25:49,160 Speaker 1: won't believe it when I tell you, but it's it's 1472 01:25:49,200 --> 01:25:53,240 Speaker 1: tremor shoot lines. I'm the tremor. If it's in the way, 1473 01:25:53,280 --> 01:25:57,559 Speaker 1: I get it out. And I've I've went back and 1474 01:25:57,640 --> 01:25:59,720 Speaker 1: forth with a lot of my good buddies and that 1475 01:25:59,840 --> 01:26:03,599 Speaker 1: are grace hunters. They tell me I can't do that. Well, 1476 01:26:03,840 --> 01:26:05,679 Speaker 1: come on over and take a look on the wall. 1477 01:26:07,000 --> 01:26:10,040 Speaker 1: Yeah you know. I mean they think that if they 1478 01:26:10,080 --> 01:26:12,320 Speaker 1: cut a branch, or cut this or cut that, but 1479 01:26:12,400 --> 01:26:16,040 Speaker 1: the buck is gonna look where, Look where Johnny cut 1480 01:26:16,080 --> 01:26:18,920 Speaker 1: that limb? I better back out of here. I don't 1481 01:26:18,960 --> 01:26:22,559 Speaker 1: mean I go in there with a bobcat and clean 1482 01:26:22,600 --> 01:26:25,759 Speaker 1: the whole place out. But but I trim shooting lanes 1483 01:26:26,320 --> 01:26:28,200 Speaker 1: and a lot of guys don't. And I'll tell you 1484 01:26:28,240 --> 01:26:30,840 Speaker 1: one of the best big buck hunters that I know 1485 01:26:31,200 --> 01:26:37,600 Speaker 1: in this North America period is don kissing. I have 1486 01:26:37,720 --> 01:26:40,240 Speaker 1: as much respect for him as I do for anybody. 1487 01:26:40,240 --> 01:26:43,080 Speaker 1: And he doesn't cut a branch. And him and I 1488 01:26:43,280 --> 01:26:46,080 Speaker 1: went around and around because I've hunted with him in 1489 01:26:46,160 --> 01:26:49,160 Speaker 1: Candy many times. And when they turn me loose and 1490 01:26:49,200 --> 01:26:51,360 Speaker 1: they go in there and find more my tree stand 1491 01:26:51,400 --> 01:26:58,479 Speaker 1: locations that I've picked, she's trimmed out. That drives That 1492 01:26:58,600 --> 01:27:03,280 Speaker 1: drives Donnie crazy. Is that you know what I mean? 1493 01:27:03,320 --> 01:27:05,880 Speaker 1: It's my way, it's not his way. And believe me, 1494 01:27:05,920 --> 01:27:09,800 Speaker 1: you cannot argue with DARNTISTI success. There's nobody out there 1495 01:27:09,880 --> 01:27:13,559 Speaker 1: kills any bigger ones more often than them. Yeah, So 1496 01:27:13,640 --> 01:27:16,240 Speaker 1: is there anything that you do to compensate for that? 1497 01:27:16,320 --> 01:27:19,439 Speaker 1: I mean, you've got great, big shooting lanes. So do 1498 01:27:19,560 --> 01:27:21,960 Speaker 1: you do you hang your stands higher or are you 1499 01:27:22,000 --> 01:27:24,120 Speaker 1: more careful about being still or anything like that to 1500 01:27:24,200 --> 01:27:28,880 Speaker 1: avoid the negative, the potential negative of having big shooting lanes. Yeah, 1501 01:27:28,920 --> 01:27:30,960 Speaker 1: you've gotta You've got to pick the tree that maybe 1502 01:27:31,040 --> 01:27:34,679 Speaker 1: you can, you can be more inconspicuous in. And sometimes 1503 01:27:34,800 --> 01:27:37,519 Speaker 1: higher is not better. A lot of people, a lot 1504 01:27:37,600 --> 01:27:40,759 Speaker 1: of people miss out on that. Sometimes higher is worse 1505 01:27:41,800 --> 01:27:44,000 Speaker 1: because if you stand back and you get too high, 1506 01:27:44,040 --> 01:27:47,640 Speaker 1: your skylighted. It just depends on the situation and and 1507 01:27:47,800 --> 01:27:51,320 Speaker 1: the and the photography of the ground and everything else 1508 01:27:51,400 --> 01:27:54,280 Speaker 1: and your background of stuff. Like sometimes you're much better 1509 01:27:54,360 --> 01:27:57,200 Speaker 1: off the fifteen feet than yard twenty five because of 1510 01:27:58,000 --> 01:28:00,519 Speaker 1: you're you're out in the open and a team, You've 1511 01:28:00,520 --> 01:28:02,479 Speaker 1: got a lot of back dropped in a lot of ground, 1512 01:28:03,120 --> 01:28:07,519 Speaker 1: and and you know it's it's just you just look 1513 01:28:07,600 --> 01:28:10,479 Speaker 1: at the situation. I don't have a set hight. People 1514 01:28:10,880 --> 01:28:13,000 Speaker 1: ask me in a lot of my seminars, how high 1515 01:28:13,080 --> 01:28:15,800 Speaker 1: do you like to put your tree stand? Well, I 1516 01:28:15,840 --> 01:28:18,160 Speaker 1: don't have a set high jock, but my core stand. 1517 01:28:18,840 --> 01:28:21,800 Speaker 1: If it's the right tree in the right spot, and 1518 01:28:21,920 --> 01:28:24,479 Speaker 1: it's and it would allow me to get up about 1519 01:28:24,560 --> 01:28:27,040 Speaker 1: twenty ft, that's why I like to be. But if 1520 01:28:27,080 --> 01:28:29,720 Speaker 1: it's the right tree in the right spot and I 1521 01:28:29,880 --> 01:28:33,720 Speaker 1: can get twelve feet, that's where I'm gonna be. I've 1522 01:28:33,760 --> 01:28:35,639 Speaker 1: got a two oh seven in there on the wall. 1523 01:28:35,720 --> 01:28:38,280 Speaker 1: But you could have jumped up and touched my platform. 1524 01:28:39,640 --> 01:28:42,160 Speaker 1: I could have. I could have jumped up and touched it. 1525 01:28:42,520 --> 01:28:44,799 Speaker 1: And believe me, for me to jump up and dutches. 1526 01:28:44,880 --> 01:28:49,680 Speaker 1: It's not very high, but it was in a big 1527 01:28:49,840 --> 01:28:52,519 Speaker 1: old stage. It was in a big old stage, orange tree, 1528 01:28:52,600 --> 01:28:54,639 Speaker 1: hedge tree, a lot of trunks on it, a lot 1529 01:28:54,720 --> 01:28:58,639 Speaker 1: of limbs low, a lot of stuff around me. I was, well, hit, 1530 01:29:00,240 --> 01:29:02,360 Speaker 1: can you tell us about that hunt? How that all 1531 01:29:02,439 --> 01:29:05,760 Speaker 1: came together? To I always find I think maybe it's 1532 01:29:05,800 --> 01:29:10,400 Speaker 1: just me, but I tend to learn more from stories 1533 01:29:10,479 --> 01:29:13,479 Speaker 1: and specific applications, and I'm always interested to hear how 1534 01:29:13,600 --> 01:29:16,360 Speaker 1: something wanting down and then pick all the different right 1535 01:29:16,479 --> 01:29:20,320 Speaker 1: choices that person made to actually have it all come together. So, uh, 1536 01:29:20,520 --> 01:29:23,160 Speaker 1: forgive me for for keeping them prying into your stories, 1537 01:29:23,240 --> 01:29:26,479 Speaker 1: But I'm fascinated is that when you can tell well, yeah, 1538 01:29:26,600 --> 01:29:29,400 Speaker 1: I can tellt here. I killed that deer on November, 1539 01:29:30,720 --> 01:29:34,720 Speaker 1: which was right after Thanksgiving, um, just a few days 1540 01:29:34,800 --> 01:29:38,400 Speaker 1: after Thanksgiving. I don't remember exactly what the day was 1541 01:29:38,560 --> 01:29:42,240 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving or what, but I remember that that the day 1542 01:29:42,280 --> 01:29:44,320 Speaker 1: that I killed him was the twenty eight in November. 1543 01:29:44,400 --> 01:29:46,960 Speaker 1: And I saw him that morning, and I was about 1544 01:29:47,360 --> 01:29:51,519 Speaker 1: about three d fifty yards that morning from where I 1545 01:29:51,600 --> 01:29:54,080 Speaker 1: killed him that afternoon, and I was in an oak tree, 1546 01:29:54,120 --> 01:30:00,879 Speaker 1: and I had a light southwest wind, cold frosty morning, perfect, 1547 01:30:01,000 --> 01:30:03,280 Speaker 1: and I was up. I had an open field behind 1548 01:30:03,400 --> 01:30:06,960 Speaker 1: me and behind me where the open field was to 1549 01:30:07,080 --> 01:30:10,560 Speaker 1: the north, all from right where it started there. It 1550 01:30:10,720 --> 01:30:13,200 Speaker 1: was a mile before you got to the next member, 1551 01:30:13,560 --> 01:30:15,200 Speaker 1: so it was wide open. And I was in this 1552 01:30:15,400 --> 01:30:18,160 Speaker 1: tree and I was set up where where where there 1553 01:30:18,760 --> 01:30:22,240 Speaker 1: you know, they'd be right in front of me. And 1554 01:30:22,320 --> 01:30:25,880 Speaker 1: I was sitting there, and I've been there since before daylight, 1555 01:30:26,680 --> 01:30:29,880 Speaker 1: and it was about eight thirty in the morning. I've 1556 01:30:29,920 --> 01:30:33,799 Speaker 1: been there a while and hadn't seen much. I don't remember, 1557 01:30:34,200 --> 01:30:36,439 Speaker 1: you know, a few two little does probably or whatever. 1558 01:30:36,520 --> 01:30:39,400 Speaker 1: But I hadn't seen much. And I'm sitting there and 1559 01:30:39,600 --> 01:30:42,360 Speaker 1: all of a sudden behind me and to my right, 1560 01:30:44,600 --> 01:30:46,760 Speaker 1: not very far away. I'm just sitting there, and you know, 1561 01:30:46,840 --> 01:30:49,680 Speaker 1: I'm kind of lackadaisical. I sat down the tree. I 1562 01:30:49,800 --> 01:30:53,559 Speaker 1: hadn't seen anything, a lot of action going, and all 1563 01:30:53,600 --> 01:30:56,280 Speaker 1: of a sudden behind me and to my right just 1564 01:30:57,400 --> 01:31:02,760 Speaker 1: ah ah, you know, and you can tell if it's 1565 01:31:02,800 --> 01:31:05,320 Speaker 1: a dough or a buck blowing, if you know. I mean, 1566 01:31:05,400 --> 01:31:10,839 Speaker 1: there was big mature bucks, got a deep, loud snort 1567 01:31:11,640 --> 01:31:16,400 Speaker 1: and he just started blowing snorting behind me, got my wind, 1568 01:31:16,640 --> 01:31:18,840 Speaker 1: got a little bit of my wind, and I just 1569 01:31:18,920 --> 01:31:21,599 Speaker 1: sat there and I just real slow turned my head 1570 01:31:21,640 --> 01:31:24,360 Speaker 1: to the right and looked back behind me, and I 1571 01:31:24,439 --> 01:31:27,320 Speaker 1: could see him through the trees by sixty yards away. 1572 01:31:27,360 --> 01:31:30,640 Speaker 1: He was just standing there, stomping, bawling. Every once in 1573 01:31:30,640 --> 01:31:32,559 Speaker 1: a while he gotten a little bit of my wind, 1574 01:31:32,640 --> 01:31:36,040 Speaker 1: not a lot, but a little bit. And he stood 1575 01:31:36,080 --> 01:31:37,760 Speaker 1: there for a little bit and then he turned he 1576 01:31:37,840 --> 01:31:42,040 Speaker 1: started walking away from me, but but but quartering, kind 1577 01:31:42,080 --> 01:31:46,960 Speaker 1: of quartering down and away from me, you know. And 1578 01:31:48,200 --> 01:31:50,280 Speaker 1: when he started walking away from me, I mean, he 1579 01:31:50,439 --> 01:31:55,800 Speaker 1: was freaking giant, a monster, I could tell, you know. 1580 01:31:56,160 --> 01:31:58,160 Speaker 1: They looked so gig going away from me. But this 1581 01:31:58,360 --> 01:32:02,120 Speaker 1: was a magatre. And he just walked away from me, 1582 01:32:02,280 --> 01:32:05,000 Speaker 1: walked down through this grass is tall grass, and there 1583 01:32:05,080 --> 01:32:08,280 Speaker 1: was hedge freeze mixed in there and stuff, and about 1584 01:32:08,360 --> 01:32:13,840 Speaker 1: every third step he was just ah wow, and he 1585 01:32:13,960 --> 01:32:16,800 Speaker 1: just walked off. Finally, when he got down in there 1586 01:32:16,880 --> 01:32:19,320 Speaker 1: and out of sight, you know, I knew where he 1587 01:32:19,400 --> 01:32:21,599 Speaker 1: was going. He was gonna go down and go through 1588 01:32:21,680 --> 01:32:26,160 Speaker 1: this drawl, this headge drawl, and then um go up 1589 01:32:26,200 --> 01:32:28,920 Speaker 1: on top of this, up on top of this ridge 1590 01:32:29,600 --> 01:32:32,280 Speaker 1: in a in a choked up thicket and bent down 1591 01:32:32,360 --> 01:32:33,920 Speaker 1: to what I thought he was probably gonna do it. 1592 01:32:34,920 --> 01:32:37,240 Speaker 1: And it was late run I mean, there was still 1593 01:32:37,240 --> 01:32:39,200 Speaker 1: a little bit going on, but you know, he was 1594 01:32:39,280 --> 01:32:42,680 Speaker 1: just out rolling around looking for a last though. And 1595 01:32:42,800 --> 01:32:45,560 Speaker 1: so I thought I had a stand down there in 1596 01:32:45,640 --> 01:32:48,760 Speaker 1: that other drawl. And I thought, as soon as he 1597 01:32:48,920 --> 01:32:51,479 Speaker 1: gets down through that drawl, and I think he's got 1598 01:32:51,680 --> 01:32:54,400 Speaker 1: enough time where he's out of there, I'm gonna get down. 1599 01:32:55,240 --> 01:32:57,160 Speaker 1: I'm gonna slip down. I'm gonna get out of here, 1600 01:32:57,160 --> 01:32:59,120 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna slip right down there in another three 1601 01:32:59,439 --> 01:33:01,920 Speaker 1: And I also rising, I'll sit there all day if 1602 01:33:01,960 --> 01:33:05,080 Speaker 1: I need to, but he'll come out there tonight. I 1603 01:33:05,200 --> 01:33:07,960 Speaker 1: figured that's what I did. I got down and went 1604 01:33:08,040 --> 01:33:09,600 Speaker 1: over and gotten that other tree and I got up 1605 01:33:09,640 --> 01:33:11,240 Speaker 1: in it, and I said him. I sat there for 1606 01:33:11,280 --> 01:33:17,360 Speaker 1: another hour or so, and I realized that I hadn't lunch. 1607 01:33:17,560 --> 01:33:19,479 Speaker 1: I brought lunch because I was gonna hunt all day, 1608 01:33:19,600 --> 01:33:21,800 Speaker 1: maybe get down for an hour or two and eat, 1609 01:33:22,720 --> 01:33:24,559 Speaker 1: you know, but get right back in just to break 1610 01:33:24,600 --> 01:33:26,840 Speaker 1: the monotony. Well, I left my lunch in the back 1611 01:33:26,880 --> 01:33:32,160 Speaker 1: of the trup, you know, and I sat there agonized 1612 01:33:32,200 --> 01:33:35,040 Speaker 1: him on whether to get down or not and go 1613 01:33:35,200 --> 01:33:40,360 Speaker 1: get it. And I got hungry, so finally I decided 1614 01:33:40,760 --> 01:33:43,559 Speaker 1: I could get down leave my bow hanging in the tree, 1615 01:33:43,640 --> 01:33:46,920 Speaker 1: leave everything, get down, slip up through there. It was 1616 01:33:46,960 --> 01:33:48,759 Speaker 1: about an eighth of a mile up to the truck, 1617 01:33:48,880 --> 01:33:51,360 Speaker 1: and and get that lunch and get right back to 1618 01:33:51,479 --> 01:33:53,720 Speaker 1: the tree as quick as I couldn't then eat my 1619 01:33:53,840 --> 01:33:56,120 Speaker 1: lunch in the tree. And so that's why I did. 1620 01:33:56,200 --> 01:33:57,560 Speaker 1: I got all the way up there and all the 1621 01:33:57,600 --> 01:33:59,720 Speaker 1: way back to that tree. I kept thinking, he's gonna 1622 01:33:59,720 --> 01:34:03,240 Speaker 1: be and an under it. That's just what happens. This 1623 01:34:03,439 --> 01:34:07,160 Speaker 1: was stupid. Why did you leave it? You know, sometimes 1624 01:34:07,240 --> 01:34:09,120 Speaker 1: you're in a hurry to get out and get down 1625 01:34:09,200 --> 01:34:12,080 Speaker 1: and stay in the morning, to forget well. I got 1626 01:34:12,120 --> 01:34:14,680 Speaker 1: back down to the tree, never seen nothing happened, you 1627 01:34:14,720 --> 01:34:17,120 Speaker 1: know which I thought my I got back up in 1628 01:34:17,160 --> 01:34:20,000 Speaker 1: the tree, sat there and eight months ate my sandwich. 1629 01:34:20,080 --> 01:34:25,200 Speaker 1: I had two sandwiches, stuff ate and had a catch 1630 01:34:25,280 --> 01:34:28,560 Speaker 1: some pop with me, and and you sat there and 1631 01:34:29,280 --> 01:34:31,120 Speaker 1: seen the dough here and the dough there, you know, 1632 01:34:31,680 --> 01:34:35,759 Speaker 1: set the rest of the day. At about three thirty 1633 01:34:35,800 --> 01:34:39,240 Speaker 1: four o'clock that afternoon, I had four or five deer 1634 01:34:39,960 --> 01:34:44,000 Speaker 1: right in front of me in the draw, melting around, browsing. 1635 01:34:44,360 --> 01:34:46,040 Speaker 1: It's kind of thick in there, but I could see 1636 01:34:46,120 --> 01:34:48,960 Speaker 1: them a couple of small ducks, and they were browsing around. 1637 01:34:49,040 --> 01:34:50,960 Speaker 1: They were on their feet, and I had already stood 1638 01:34:51,040 --> 01:34:53,880 Speaker 1: up and got my boat, because when you get deer 1639 01:34:53,920 --> 01:34:56,560 Speaker 1: around you like that, you know, dear, that you're not 1640 01:34:56,640 --> 01:34:58,600 Speaker 1: gonna shoot. You need to get on your feet, and 1641 01:34:58,680 --> 01:35:00,599 Speaker 1: you need to get your bow in your hand, because 1642 01:35:00,640 --> 01:35:04,479 Speaker 1: you never know when all of a sudden you hear something. 1643 01:35:04,520 --> 01:35:06,960 Speaker 1: You look down there, he stands at twenty yards and 1644 01:35:07,040 --> 01:35:08,880 Speaker 1: then you can't reach over and get your bow because 1645 01:35:08,880 --> 01:35:11,240 Speaker 1: you've got all these other deer right around underneath you, 1646 01:35:11,560 --> 01:35:14,920 Speaker 1: and they'll see you moving. And you bought it, you know. 1647 01:35:15,040 --> 01:35:17,679 Speaker 1: Those are things that you learned by by being stupid. 1648 01:35:18,600 --> 01:35:21,320 Speaker 1: So I was standing there with my bow and I'm 1649 01:35:21,360 --> 01:35:23,680 Speaker 1: watching these other deer, keeping an eye on him, you know, 1650 01:35:23,920 --> 01:35:26,760 Speaker 1: not moving much, just moving my head, and all of 1651 01:35:26,800 --> 01:35:29,960 Speaker 1: a sudden, right on the left outside edge of the 1652 01:35:30,080 --> 01:35:32,439 Speaker 1: draw and his hands draw I was in, I can 1653 01:35:32,520 --> 01:35:37,800 Speaker 1: hear a deer walking coming up the draw, and I 1654 01:35:37,960 --> 01:35:40,240 Speaker 1: just kind of looked down there a little bit to 1655 01:35:40,320 --> 01:35:43,599 Speaker 1: my left, down in front of me. I figure, it's 1656 01:35:43,640 --> 01:35:45,439 Speaker 1: one of these deer that's been around me right here, 1657 01:35:45,520 --> 01:35:50,240 Speaker 1: melling around. And I looked down at about died. I 1658 01:35:50,320 --> 01:35:54,320 Speaker 1: mean here he comes, I mean a one two o seven. 1659 01:35:54,520 --> 01:35:58,200 Speaker 1: Well that's pretty good. He's coming right on the outside 1660 01:35:58,360 --> 01:36:01,000 Speaker 1: edge of the draw in that tall asked. And he 1661 01:36:01,120 --> 01:36:05,000 Speaker 1: walked right up there and stops about thirty yards from me. 1662 01:36:05,320 --> 01:36:08,439 Speaker 1: But I can't shoot him over there because he's outside 1663 01:36:08,479 --> 01:36:10,559 Speaker 1: the draw and there's way too much stuff in the way. 1664 01:36:11,160 --> 01:36:14,240 Speaker 1: And he stops and he wants to go on up 1665 01:36:14,280 --> 01:36:17,720 Speaker 1: through that siddle, up through that grass, up towards where 1666 01:36:17,760 --> 01:36:21,080 Speaker 1: I was that morning. And the reason I know it 1667 01:36:21,240 --> 01:36:23,040 Speaker 1: was the same book as well as I know my 1668 01:36:23,160 --> 01:36:28,080 Speaker 1: own name. He stood there and stared right up there 1669 01:36:28,160 --> 01:36:30,560 Speaker 1: where I was that morning, where he winded me, and 1670 01:36:30,640 --> 01:36:33,840 Speaker 1: he would just stomp his foot. He just stomped his 1671 01:36:34,000 --> 01:36:39,599 Speaker 1: right foot every couple three seconds. He just just stomping. 1672 01:36:39,640 --> 01:36:42,880 Speaker 1: He was just staring up there, staring. He stood there 1673 01:36:42,920 --> 01:36:45,680 Speaker 1: for the longest time doing that, never blew enough, and 1674 01:36:45,760 --> 01:36:48,800 Speaker 1: just stood there. He didn't like that up there. There 1675 01:36:48,920 --> 01:36:53,160 Speaker 1: was something up there he didn't like. And I'm standing 1676 01:36:53,240 --> 01:36:56,080 Speaker 1: there and I'm shaking like a leaf. And then all 1677 01:36:56,160 --> 01:37:00,400 Speaker 1: of a sudden, he just does a complete circle, turns 1678 01:37:00,600 --> 01:37:03,800 Speaker 1: right around and walks starts walking right into the drawing 1679 01:37:03,920 --> 01:37:05,960 Speaker 1: right in front of me, and he's gonna come out 1680 01:37:06,000 --> 01:37:08,200 Speaker 1: in my shooting lane at one of the yards. He's 1681 01:37:08,240 --> 01:37:10,800 Speaker 1: got his head down, he's just walking slow. He don't 1682 01:37:10,840 --> 01:37:13,360 Speaker 1: know I'm in the world. And he's to the south. 1683 01:37:13,479 --> 01:37:16,080 Speaker 1: I mean, I got a southwest wind, all the deer 1684 01:37:16,200 --> 01:37:18,840 Speaker 1: south on me. I just come to full drawing when 1685 01:37:18,880 --> 01:37:20,600 Speaker 1: he stepped in that shooting lane. I just went to 1686 01:37:21,600 --> 01:37:25,400 Speaker 1: just stopped him. I smoked him perfect. He wrote about 1687 01:37:25,720 --> 01:37:27,840 Speaker 1: eighty or a hundred yards and piled up, and he 1688 01:37:27,960 --> 01:37:30,599 Speaker 1: had twenty one score able points. He was a big 1689 01:37:30,720 --> 01:37:33,479 Speaker 1: five by five. He's a big five by five main 1690 01:37:33,680 --> 01:37:37,200 Speaker 1: frame with a bunch of stickers and kickers gross two 1691 01:37:37,240 --> 01:37:40,240 Speaker 1: oh seven. If I know it was the same buck 1692 01:37:40,280 --> 01:37:43,040 Speaker 1: I saw that morning, And if I hadn't went down 1693 01:37:43,080 --> 01:37:46,120 Speaker 1: and gotten that three and decided to stay all day, 1694 01:37:46,920 --> 01:37:49,320 Speaker 1: I wouldn't probably killed him. If I went into that 1695 01:37:49,439 --> 01:37:51,240 Speaker 1: three at two or three in the afternoon, I might 1696 01:37:51,280 --> 01:37:57,960 Speaker 1: have bumped some deer. Whatever, it doesn't take much. I'm 1697 01:37:58,000 --> 01:37:59,880 Speaker 1: glad I asked you to tell that story too, because 1698 01:38:00,000 --> 01:38:01,080 Speaker 1: I don't know. I mean, I think there are a 1699 01:38:01,120 --> 01:38:03,240 Speaker 1: lot of lessons that can be taken from that. You know, 1700 01:38:03,360 --> 01:38:05,680 Speaker 1: Number one, we just said there you are willing to 1701 01:38:05,720 --> 01:38:10,120 Speaker 1: sit all day. Number two, you had the knowledge to 1702 01:38:10,360 --> 01:38:12,320 Speaker 1: know that when that deer went down in that draw, 1703 01:38:12,400 --> 01:38:14,560 Speaker 1: after you watched him from up on the field, you 1704 01:38:14,640 --> 01:38:17,360 Speaker 1: knew he was probably headed into that thicket to bed there. So, 1705 01:38:17,439 --> 01:38:19,960 Speaker 1: because of that knowledge you had probably from previous hunting 1706 01:38:20,080 --> 01:38:23,120 Speaker 1: or scouting, you knew you knew where to go. You 1707 01:38:23,240 --> 01:38:25,439 Speaker 1: also had the confidence to make that move, which I 1708 01:38:25,479 --> 01:38:27,680 Speaker 1: think is another great lesson we can all learn the 1709 01:38:27,720 --> 01:38:29,760 Speaker 1: fact that you have to sometimes when the time was right, 1710 01:38:29,840 --> 01:38:31,760 Speaker 1: you have to be aggressive to get after this big 1711 01:38:31,840 --> 01:38:34,679 Speaker 1: mature bucks. Um. I think the fact that you knew 1712 01:38:34,760 --> 01:38:37,479 Speaker 1: to stand and have your your bowl ready when there's 1713 01:38:37,520 --> 01:38:39,240 Speaker 1: other deer around, I think that's a great lesson we 1714 01:38:39,280 --> 01:38:42,000 Speaker 1: can all take from this, Um. And then even back 1715 01:38:42,000 --> 01:38:43,599 Speaker 1: to the very beginning where you talked about the fact 1716 01:38:43,640 --> 01:38:45,560 Speaker 1: that this was that really short true right, you you 1717 01:38:45,640 --> 01:38:49,719 Speaker 1: probably put yourself a position with good cover that maybe 1718 01:38:49,760 --> 01:38:51,640 Speaker 1: other hunters wouldn't have wanted to sit there, but you 1719 01:38:51,760 --> 01:38:53,120 Speaker 1: knew that was the right spot to be, and you 1720 01:38:53,240 --> 01:38:55,880 Speaker 1: placed yourself lower than most people would go, but in 1721 01:38:55,960 --> 01:38:59,120 Speaker 1: a place that's still I guarantee the platform. I guarantee 1722 01:38:59,120 --> 01:39:03,479 Speaker 1: you the platform. Mom. That stand was not nine ft. Wow, 1723 01:39:04,240 --> 01:39:07,080 Speaker 1: it was just a little portable tree stand I popped in. 1724 01:39:09,000 --> 01:39:11,920 Speaker 1: I only had one. I only had one little rapid 1725 01:39:12,000 --> 01:39:14,400 Speaker 1: rail along the tree. I only needed one just to 1726 01:39:14,520 --> 01:39:16,400 Speaker 1: get a few feet up. And then I had a 1727 01:39:16,479 --> 01:39:18,240 Speaker 1: couple of three lambs I could step on to get 1728 01:39:18,280 --> 01:39:21,840 Speaker 1: up in it. And I had five or six years 1729 01:39:21,840 --> 01:39:25,360 Speaker 1: around me for an hour or more before that. They 1730 01:39:25,400 --> 01:39:27,680 Speaker 1: didn't get back behind me down when they was just 1731 01:39:27,840 --> 01:39:31,400 Speaker 1: right in there messing around, browsing, eating them little leaves 1732 01:39:31,439 --> 01:39:34,840 Speaker 1: that fell off in them hedge trees and stuff, you know. 1733 01:39:35,000 --> 01:39:37,240 Speaker 1: I mean, they were just all around me named not 1734 01:39:37,479 --> 01:39:42,000 Speaker 1: one of them even knew I was in the world. Yeah, 1735 01:39:42,560 --> 01:39:46,720 Speaker 1: that's not always about getting I think that's that's just 1736 01:39:46,840 --> 01:39:51,519 Speaker 1: a really great illustration of of all the different little 1737 01:39:51,560 --> 01:39:54,440 Speaker 1: things that you need to do to put a successful 1738 01:39:54,520 --> 01:39:57,560 Speaker 1: hunt together like this. Um, I think that was that 1739 01:39:57,640 --> 01:40:00,200 Speaker 1: was a great example. So I'm glad. I'm glad. Thank 1740 01:40:00,240 --> 01:40:03,559 Speaker 1: you for sharing that one. Stand That one was super healthful. Dan, 1741 01:40:03,720 --> 01:40:06,400 Speaker 1: Thanks for that. Dan. Do you have any final question 1742 01:40:06,560 --> 01:40:12,720 Speaker 1: for for stand here? Just one ultra vague question, and 1743 01:40:12,840 --> 01:40:17,679 Speaker 1: that is what is your favorite part about bow hunting 1744 01:40:17,760 --> 01:40:26,679 Speaker 1: white tails? What's your favorite the preparation the preparation building 1745 01:40:26,800 --> 01:40:30,200 Speaker 1: up to the moment. That's my favorite thing. It's my 1746 01:40:30,360 --> 01:40:33,439 Speaker 1: favorite thing. It's it's all about the preparation, all about, 1747 01:40:34,000 --> 01:40:36,400 Speaker 1: you know, trying to put the puzzle together and doing 1748 01:40:36,439 --> 01:40:38,920 Speaker 1: it all and then of course the moment of truth 1749 01:40:39,080 --> 01:40:43,000 Speaker 1: is great, but the preparation lasts so much longer, Right, 1750 01:40:45,920 --> 01:40:50,160 Speaker 1: I can relate to that. Amen, And I'm excited because 1751 01:40:50,160 --> 01:40:51,760 Speaker 1: this time of year, there's a whole lot of that 1752 01:40:51,840 --> 01:40:55,400 Speaker 1: stuff to do, that's for sure. Oh yeah, it's hey, 1753 01:40:55,439 --> 01:40:59,800 Speaker 1: it'll be hereful you know it. It's true. It's true. Well, stand, 1754 01:41:00,160 --> 01:41:02,519 Speaker 1: I appreciate you. I appreciate you having me on. I 1755 01:41:02,600 --> 01:41:05,479 Speaker 1: really do. Absolutely, It's it's mutual. This is a lot 1756 01:41:05,520 --> 01:41:07,360 Speaker 1: of fun. I think there's a lot of different lessons 1757 01:41:07,400 --> 01:41:10,280 Speaker 1: that we can all take from this. And stand. If people, 1758 01:41:10,360 --> 01:41:13,080 Speaker 1: if our listeners would like to see some of your 1759 01:41:13,160 --> 01:41:15,640 Speaker 1: hunts on TV in the future, where should they go 1760 01:41:15,760 --> 01:41:17,680 Speaker 1: to see those and when should they be looking for him? 1761 01:41:18,760 --> 01:41:22,240 Speaker 1: They should go to the Sportsman's channel on Wednesday nights 1762 01:41:22,360 --> 01:41:25,439 Speaker 1: North American White Tale and they should go to the 1763 01:41:25,520 --> 01:41:31,759 Speaker 1: Sportsman's channels on Tuesday evening and look for White Tale Explorer. 1764 01:41:32,640 --> 01:41:36,519 Speaker 1: That's my show. And I also host North American White Tale, 1765 01:41:36,560 --> 01:41:39,160 Speaker 1: but Whitetail Explorers, Mine and a couple of buddies. We 1766 01:41:39,720 --> 01:41:42,720 Speaker 1: were all three our partners in it. And those are 1767 01:41:42,760 --> 01:41:44,920 Speaker 1: the two shows that I'm on now, and you'll see 1768 01:41:45,000 --> 01:41:48,080 Speaker 1: me sprinkled here and there and some other stuff that 1769 01:41:48,160 --> 01:41:50,519 Speaker 1: I do for some friends, but those are the main 1770 01:41:50,920 --> 01:41:54,040 Speaker 1: Wednesday Night in North American White Tale, Tuesday Night Whitetil 1771 01:41:54,120 --> 01:41:59,479 Speaker 1: Explore excellent. Well, I'm sure anyone who has watched your 1772 01:41:59,560 --> 01:42:02,120 Speaker 1: hunts in the past knows it's always a good time 1773 01:42:02,160 --> 01:42:04,120 Speaker 1: following along with Stand on a Hunt, So I'd recommend 1774 01:42:04,160 --> 01:42:06,880 Speaker 1: anyone else out there check it out and stand Thank 1775 01:42:06,920 --> 01:42:10,320 Speaker 1: you so much and good luck this coming season. Okay, 1776 01:42:10,439 --> 01:42:12,360 Speaker 1: thanks for having me on and we'll have to do 1777 01:42:12,439 --> 01:42:14,160 Speaker 1: it again. Guys. It was a lot of fun, Thank 1778 01:42:14,200 --> 01:42:18,080 Speaker 1: you much. It sounds great and that's it, folks. But 1779 01:42:18,280 --> 01:42:20,880 Speaker 1: a couple quicker minders before you hit the stop button 1780 01:42:21,040 --> 01:42:23,679 Speaker 1: on your phone or car. First off, are you following 1781 01:42:23,680 --> 01:42:26,320 Speaker 1: Wired to Hunt on social media yet? If not, you 1782 01:42:26,439 --> 01:42:29,639 Speaker 1: really ought to do that. I'm constantly posting new articles 1783 01:42:29,760 --> 01:42:33,519 Speaker 1: and podcasts, questions, stories and photos across all of our 1784 01:42:33,560 --> 01:42:37,360 Speaker 1: social platforms um, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Are where we're 1785 01:42:37,360 --> 01:42:39,599 Speaker 1: the most active, so be sure to follow along there. 1786 01:42:39,920 --> 01:42:42,040 Speaker 1: You know, Facebook is the best spot to get updates 1787 01:42:42,120 --> 01:42:45,200 Speaker 1: and links to our newest content. Twitter is probably the 1788 01:42:45,240 --> 01:42:47,400 Speaker 1: best way to share quick feedback with me or to 1789 01:42:47,439 --> 01:42:50,360 Speaker 1: ask quick questions. And Instagram is the best spot to 1790 01:42:50,400 --> 01:42:53,080 Speaker 1: stay up to date on my latest outdoor and hunting 1791 01:42:53,080 --> 01:42:55,960 Speaker 1: adventures as I'm always sharing different photos from all the 1792 01:42:55,960 --> 01:42:58,240 Speaker 1: stuff I'm up to there, so be sure to follow 1793 01:42:58,240 --> 01:43:01,720 Speaker 1: along with Wired to Hunt on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Next, 1794 01:43:01,800 --> 01:43:03,640 Speaker 1: I want to give a big shout out to our 1795 01:43:03,720 --> 01:43:06,200 Speaker 1: partners who have continued to step up to keep the 1796 01:43:06,240 --> 01:43:09,080 Speaker 1: Wired to Hunt podcast on the air. If these companies 1797 01:43:09,080 --> 01:43:11,519 Speaker 1: didn't help us out, there would be no podcast. So 1798 01:43:11,680 --> 01:43:15,759 Speaker 1: big thanks to Sick Gear Yetie Cooler's, Matthew's Archery, Maven Optics, 1799 01:43:15,840 --> 01:43:19,280 Speaker 1: White Tail, Institute of North America, Trophy Ridge and Hunt 1800 01:43:19,360 --> 01:43:22,360 Speaker 1: Terror Maps. And if you found the wire Hunt podcast valuable, 1801 01:43:22,439 --> 01:43:24,400 Speaker 1: you know, give these companies a quick shout sometime and 1802 01:43:24,560 --> 01:43:26,280 Speaker 1: just let them know that you appreciate their part in 1803 01:43:26,360 --> 01:43:30,360 Speaker 1: making this happen. And finally, thank you all for listening. 1804 01:43:30,520 --> 01:43:33,160 Speaker 1: You know, sponsors or no sponsors. If it wasn't for you, 1805 01:43:33,760 --> 01:43:36,160 Speaker 1: none of this would exist. So thank you for being 1806 01:43:36,200 --> 01:43:39,120 Speaker 1: hardcore hunters, thank you for being supporters of Wired to Hunt, 1807 01:43:39,479 --> 01:43:42,640 Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning in today and until next time. I 1808 01:43:42,800 --> 01:43:45,000 Speaker 1: hope you'll stay Wired to Hunt.