1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about predators and 9 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: their white tail connection. This is probably the worst time 10 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 2: of year to be a white tail junkie, at least 11 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 2: in my opinion. We're just like too far away from 12 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 2: turkeys for it to be a real distraction. Now. A 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 2: lot of us don't have much for fishing opportunities right now. 14 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 2: It's a real bummer, so you have to keep slogging 15 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: away at something. And something that kind of fell into 16 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 2: my lap recently is just a topic of predator control, 17 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: which brings up a bigger topic in my mind of 18 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 2: just hunting around different predators who aren't humans. This is 19 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: something that might not even be an issue for you, 20 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 2: or it might be constantly top of mind depending on 21 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 2: where you hunt. So buckle up because it's time to 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 2: get toothy. Last week, in a desperate bid to get 23 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 2: my boss to pick up the phone and let me 24 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 2: know that I'm still employed here at meat Eater, I 25 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 2: sent a Slack message his way, saying I needed exactly 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 2: one minute of his time. Twenty four hours later, I 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: sent another one with roughly the same message, but a 28 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: little more urgent in a little less PC than the 29 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 2: first one. He messaged me right back then, saying he 30 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 2: was wrapping up a coyote calling set and would give 31 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 2: me a shout in a little bit. When he called 32 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 2: me on his way to the office, which was well 33 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 2: after normal business hours had started for everyone else, he 34 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: told me all about his morning exploits while trying to 35 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: call in and decoy a few song dogs. You know 36 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 2: how it is when you're talking to someone about something 37 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 2: they are really passionate about, and you can hear the 38 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 2: intensity creeping into their voice by the word. That's what 39 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 2: this was like. By the time the coyotes were responding 40 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 2: to him and his story, he sounded a little like 41 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 2: a heavy set eight year old who had had to 42 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 2: run upstairs and steal two dollars from his dad's wallet 43 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 2: because he heard the ice cream truck round the corner 44 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 2: and start to drive down his street and come hell 45 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 2: or high water. It was a rocket pop time, so 46 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 2: he pushed himself to the limit, taking the stairs two 47 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 2: at a time on the way up and the way down, 48 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 2: and burst through the screen door like a kool aid man. 49 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 2: Well that's, you know, kind of what my boss sounded like, 50 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 2: but honestly like he's in a little bit worse shape 51 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: and also had forgotten to take his ADHD meds with 52 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 2: his ego waffles for breakfast. In some ways, his excitement 53 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 2: over predator hunting is totally related to me, and in 54 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 2: other ways it's not relatable at all. I don't personally 55 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 2: care to kill predators, and even though I know that's 56 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 2: not all that popular in hunting circles, it just does 57 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 2: nothing for me. So I'm not interested in it. And 58 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 2: I don't know why. But when I see a coyote 59 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 2: while I'm deer hunting, my instinct is not to shoot it. 60 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 2: I have in the past, but that's kind of why 61 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 2: I don't today. I'm just not interested in killing a 62 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 2: wild dog because he hunts the same critics that I hunt. 63 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 2: I'm also totally fo anyone who wants to predator hunt 64 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 2: or trap their happy asses off all winter. It's just 65 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 2: not for me, I guess. And I don't know if 66 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 2: this is true or not, but I think it might 67 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 2: be because it's just rare to see most predators. Most 68 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 2: hunters talk a big game about some of the apex 69 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 2: predators out there without ever actually laying eyes on one. 70 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 2: Mountain lions are a great example here. I don't know 71 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: how much time I've spent in the heart of lion country, 72 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 2: but in total, I've seen two and had a wild 73 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 2: encounter with a third that I saw. That kitty must 74 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 2: have been patrolling the highest reaches of the Black Hills 75 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 2: out there in South Dakota while I was looking to 76 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 2: call in a long beard while keeping my eye to 77 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 2: the sky as a monster storm rolled in. In order 78 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 2: to not get soaked and then have to spend the 79 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 2: night sleeping in the back of my buddy's truck while 80 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,279 Speaker 2: freezing my giblets off, I decided to cut down a 81 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 2: cliff and then book it to camp. But as soon 82 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 2: as I started, I found a spike shed antler, and 83 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: then a four point side, so instead of heading right 84 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 2: to camp, I shed hunted until dark and then booked 85 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 2: it as the rain really started to fall. It was 86 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 2: a miserable night that got real cold, real fast. In 87 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 2: the morning. When I went to take a leak, I 88 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 2: looked at my bootprints frozen solid in the mud and 89 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,159 Speaker 2: saw that there were lion tracks on top of my 90 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 2: tracks all the way to the edge of camp. I'm 91 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 2: sure that lion was hunting the deer that were dropping 92 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 2: the antlers I was looking for, and he seemed interested 93 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 2: enough in me to follow me all the way down 94 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 2: that hill in the dark. And let me tell you something. 95 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 2: As skilled as I like to think I am as 96 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 2: a hunter, I had no clue he was there, and 97 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 2: judging by how quickly it got cold that night, I 98 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: have to assume he shadowed me down that hill while 99 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 2: he was wondering how tasty I might be. A few 100 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 2: years later, I went back to the Black Hills to 101 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,600 Speaker 2: see if I could remove another long beard from the landscape. 102 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 2: When I bumped into a cat crossing a road at 103 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 2: dawn while I walked down and listening for a gobble, 104 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 2: that cat went straight up a limestone cliff on a 105 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 2: dead run, which was like watching a super athlete do 106 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 2: something you didn't even realize was possible. It was incredible, 107 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,279 Speaker 2: and I'm not joking. I've never seen anything like it 108 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 2: before or since. I did, while cow calling next to 109 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 2: a small pond in Colorado like eight years ago, call 110 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 2: in another cat that seemed to think it was going 111 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 2: to have some elk meat for dinner. When that cat 112 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 2: slow stepped over a log not twenty yards from me, 113 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 2: my partner and I both looked directly at it and 114 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,479 Speaker 2: realized how easy it was for something that has built 115 00:05:57,480 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 2: to be sneaky to sneak up on a couple of 116 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 2: dudes who aren't as sneaky as they think. I've always 117 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 2: heard that high country meal deer are so neurotic because 118 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 2: of the presence of lions, and I kind of believe it. 119 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 2: I can't imagine having that kind of threat living in 120 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 2: the same place where you live, and knowing that it's 121 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 2: a terminator level eating machine with a whole lot of 122 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 2: patients and nothing else to do but pursue its next meal. Fortunately, 123 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 2: for most white tail hunters, despite widespread rumors that they 124 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 2: are everywhere, mountain lions aren't much of an issue for 125 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 2: most of us. Coyotes, wolves, bobcats, and bears. Different story. 126 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 2: If you hunt anywhere with a prevalence of these critters. 127 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 2: You know it because the fawn recruitment will be pretty dismal, 128 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 2: which tends to result in low deer densities. That feels 129 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 2: awful real during the season. We all know about coyotes 130 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 2: and what they're capable of, but bobcats are apparently a 131 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 2: sneaky predator too, that will take down a deer sometimes. 132 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 2: I've never seen one mess with it, but I have 133 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 2: seen quite a few of them in northern Wisconsin, and 134 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 2: I'll tell you what, they're pretty damn cool. I had 135 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 2: one walk right up to me a few years ago 136 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 2: while I was sitting on the ground waiting on a deer, 137 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 2: and my first indication that it was close was that 138 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 2: I heard soft purring, and I thought, why can I 139 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 2: hear a cat purring right now? Do I smell burnt toast? 140 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 2: Turns out I wasn't having a stroke. There was a 141 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 2: bobcat maybe six feet away from me, who was as 142 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 2: surprised as I was when he figured out I was there. 143 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 2: Wolves are a different story. There isn't a critter out 144 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 2: there that more quickly divides hunters. Most of them fall 145 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 2: on the side of the fewer the wolves out there. 146 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 2: The better. Hunting in wolf country is tough, and while 147 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 2: the blame often falls solely on those wild canines, the 148 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 2: truth is that it's almost always due to a variety 149 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 2: of factors. Wolves happen to live where winter is real 150 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 2: and real winters tend to knock back deer number often, 151 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 2: even if it's only once every five or seven years, 152 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 2: a real bad winner will set the herd back a 153 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 2: long ways. Wolves also tend to live where there's woods everywhere, 154 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 2: but not a ton of destination food sources. Logging helps, 155 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 2: of course, but it's just a fact of life that 156 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 2: if you're in wolf territory, you're also kind of just 157 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 2: in an environment where the deer aren't going to spend 158 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 2: all winter eating in a pitcornfield to survive. There's plenty 159 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 2: of food up there. Don't get me wrong, but life 160 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 2: is tough in the north country, and of course the 161 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 2: wolves don't help if you hunt around them. At least 162 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,320 Speaker 2: in my experience, they can make it seem like there 163 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 2: are literally no deer left for very long stretches of time. 164 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 2: It's not fun, and it's really not fun to see. 165 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 2: How many non hunters and anti hunters have a weird 166 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 2: wolf fetish as if they are something more than wild 167 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 2: dogs and are deserving of as much range as possible. 168 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 2: I'm not going to get into it, but I'll say 169 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:03,080 Speaker 2: this only. I think there are enough wolves out there, 170 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 2: and I think they should be managed. I also don't 171 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 2: think we need to drop wolves off in places they 172 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 2: aren't currently at because of the feel good idea that 173 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:13,959 Speaker 2: we can suddenly turn parts of the country back two 174 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 2: hundred years and return nature to whatever natural state we 175 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 2: have romanticized in our heads. It doesn't work like that, 176 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 2: and it's frustrating to hear from people who have zero 177 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:29,080 Speaker 2: connection to nature advocate for such things, or worse, weaponize 178 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 2: the court systems to make it happen. Now, aside from 179 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 2: the woofies, you have the Black Bears, which is the 180 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 2: undisputed champion of the Toothy Critters League when it comes 181 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 2: to turning adorable little spotted fawns into breakfast Yogi doesn't 182 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 2: get enough credit for this, But when the fawns drop, 183 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 2: or you know, out west, the elk or moose, calves, whatever, 184 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,839 Speaker 2: bears of all varieties tend to shift gears heavily towards 185 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,679 Speaker 2: scouring meadows and other fawn friendly areas to see what 186 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 2: they can turn up. It's really a short wind of 187 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:02,719 Speaker 2: time where they are hell on the youngsters. But they 188 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 2: are good at it, really really good at it. Does 189 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 2: any of this have any bearing on how you should hunt? 190 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 2: I'd say yes, but maybe that's because I think about 191 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 2: this a lot. Let me give you a couple examples 192 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 2: on how predators shape my strategy when I'm hunting in 193 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 2: specific locations. Let's take western North Dakota for example. The 194 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,559 Speaker 2: bad lands are maybe my favorite environment to hunt for 195 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 2: so many reasons. It's one of the places I've traveled 196 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 2: to the most to hunt, and I don't know how 197 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 2: many days I've spent living in a tent out there 198 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 2: while trying to arrow meal deer and white tails and 199 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 2: sometimes antelope at least back when you could get a tag. 200 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 2: It's also a coyote heavy region, or at least it 201 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 2: seems that way. It might not have a higher density 202 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 2: of song dogs than a lot of other places, but 203 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,199 Speaker 2: they are highly visible in that terrain and they are 204 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 2: really easy to hear out there, so maybe it just 205 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 2: seems like they are everywhere. I honestly don't know. There 206 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:10,319 Speaker 2: are also quite a few lions living in that area, 207 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 2: and while I've never seen one. I sure have found 208 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 2: a lot of their tracks. I've also spent a stupid 209 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 2: amount of time trying to stalk animals out there and 210 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 2: just kill them from the ground in natural blinds. Those 211 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 2: deer in that territory are masters of spotting movement or 212 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 2: something out of place on the ground, but it's like 213 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:34,319 Speaker 2: they are blind when you get into a tree, even 214 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 2: if you only get like eight feet into a tree. Now, 215 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 2: part of this is influenced by a hunter tactics. We 216 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 2: all know that the deer that don't get hunted from 217 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 2: tree stands a lot don't understand how dirty of a 218 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 2: trick it is. That's a huge contributor. But I also 219 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 2: think the reason they are so good at figuring out 220 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:54,439 Speaker 2: who is on the ground waiting for them is because 221 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 2: they are so keyed into predators stalking them all the time. 222 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 2: This means that if you're heading into an area with 223 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,839 Speaker 2: lots of coyotes and enough lions where they are a consideration, 224 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 2: your best bet might be to leave the stalking to 225 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 2: the flat brimmers out west and get up in a 226 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,440 Speaker 2: tree Eastern bow hunter style. Now, I'll give you a 227 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 2: life pro tip here, just because I'm on the topic. 228 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 2: If you are a white tail hunter who primarily sits 229 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 2: stands or saddles, and you go out west with the 230 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 2: idea you're going to spot in stock, do yourself a 231 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 2: favor and bring one mobile tree stand setup, just some 232 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 2: sticks in a stand or your saddle. Then if you 233 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 2: find yourself not being good at stocking, which is pretty likely, 234 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 2: you have the chance to get a leg up on 235 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:39,840 Speaker 2: the deer and the other hunters by using a tactic 236 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:44,679 Speaker 2: that is absolutely deadly on Western critters. Now, what if 237 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,559 Speaker 2: you're nowhere near the west and you're hunting around predators. 238 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 2: I think the best way to look at this is 239 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:54,440 Speaker 2: lump all of the hunters into the same category. I 240 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 2: know that doesn't really make sense, So let me explain. 241 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 2: Hunting pressure is hunting pressure, and it doesn't seem to 242 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 2: matter much if it comes from two legged or four 243 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 2: legged predators. The more things that are trying to kill 244 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 2: the deer, the fewer deer there will be, and the 245 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 2: harder those deer will be to kill. That's it. It's 246 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:16,679 Speaker 2: not revolutionary, it's not something that you don't inherently know. 247 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 2: What that means is that Southern Iowa idea that you 248 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 2: can rattle all morning, or put a bunch of cent 249 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 2: out and just wait on bucks to come in. As 250 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 2: some grade A level bullshit. The more you announce your presence, generally, 251 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 2: the worse you'll be off as a hunter in a 252 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 2: high predator area. This is something that hunters in wolf 253 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,079 Speaker 2: territory often get wrong, and it's part of the reason 254 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 2: they genuinely believe that all of the deer are gone. 255 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 2: They aren't. But what we do to compensate for low 256 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 2: confidence in our hunts is to try to make something 257 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 2: happen in spots where we always hunt. So we go 258 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,319 Speaker 2: back to the same stance and we increase the level 259 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 2: of our presence in those spots, spots where we undoubtedly 260 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 2: run cameras, which causes us to increase our general presence there. 261 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 2: It's a bad spiral to get into, but it's really 262 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 2: really common. We take a situation where we should be 263 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 2: as stealthy as possible, and we should be open to 264 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 2: trying to find current deer concentrations, and instead we default 265 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 2: to the spots that we are comfortable hunting while trying 266 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 2: more and more tactics that only work Sometimes in really 267 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:29,320 Speaker 2: good areas, it's easy to compartmentalize the presence of predators. 268 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 2: When we think about hunting, we know there are coyotes 269 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 2: out there, or wolves or bobcats or bears, whatever, but 270 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 2: we don't think of them as competition. We think of 271 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 2: them as something tangential to the experience of being in 272 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 2: the woods. But the deer don't see it that way. 273 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 2: You wouldn't either, if you were being hunted every single 274 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 2: day of your life. You'd be neurotic anxious, while more 275 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 2: anxious than usual, and you'd have a low tolerance for 276 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 2: threats of any type. The deer do too, and that's 277 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 2: something to remember. I know that when I hunt northern Wisconsin, 278 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 2: I'm more cautious about the scent I leave around and 279 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 2: the noise I make and the ways I access spots 280 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 2: that I am just about anywhere else I hunt. When 281 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 2: you're dealing with very few deer that are just fed 282 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 2: up with being on the menu, just feels like the 283 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 2: only way, at least that I've ever found to keep 284 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 2: finding deer and give myself that feeling like I'm someone 285 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 2: in the game. Still, I also tend to set up 286 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 2: as high as I can, often like eighteen to twenty 287 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 2: feet up, which is kind of my personal limit for 288 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 2: reasons I can't explain other than I don't have a 289 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 2: fear of heights when I'm below that arbitrary mark, and 290 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 2: when I get above it, I'm suddenly not comfortable at 291 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 2: all with how much gravity there is and how if 292 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 2: it could that invisible force it all matter has would 293 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 2: bring me from being in a tree to being a twisted, 294 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 2: first light covered pretzel of a human on the forest floor. 295 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 2: The height generally feels necessary unless there's a way to 296 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 2: get into a big, old pine tree or some clump 297 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 2: of trees that provides real c I pay attention more, 298 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 2: I move less too. Some deer are pretty tolerant a 299 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 2: poor hunting behavior while you're on STAN, but that deal 300 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 2: with a lot of predators genuinely are not fun. Fact 301 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 2: about this too. But other than maybe a few random 302 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 2: bears I've seen off Stan, I've had very few encounters 303 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,760 Speaker 2: with bobcats and coyotes where they didn't pick me out 304 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 2: of the tree almost instantly. You know, this obviously depends 305 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 2: on a lot of factors, but it sure seems like 306 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 2: they are just good at noticing anything that's a little unnatural. 307 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 2: I don't know if that's the case for wolves, because 308 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 2: I've only seen a few and they were all on 309 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 2: the ground and I was not hiding. I guess the 310 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 2: gist of it is it's worth thinking about the prevalence 311 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 2: of predators where you hunt or where you are thinking 312 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 2: about hunting, which might even be more important. You know, 313 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 2: they might not affect your strategies much, or they might 314 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 2: factor into your plan in a major way. This will 315 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 2: depend on a lot of things. But it's not something 316 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 2: that is this abstract idea that doesn't influence your hunt, 317 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 2: because that's just not how it works. They are out 318 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 2: there pressuring the deer too. Use that however, you need to, 319 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:13,679 Speaker 2: but at the very least acknowledge that it's true and 320 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 2: consider what it might do to your hunts, and at 321 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:21,360 Speaker 2: least come back next week to keep listening because I'm 322 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 2: going to talk about water access and how it can 323 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 2: be a white tail hunter's best friend. That's it for 324 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 2: this week. I'm Tony Peterson and this has been the 325 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:32,879 Speaker 2: Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which is brought to you 326 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 2: by First Light. I say this every week and I 327 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 2: absolutely truly mean it. Thank you so much for your 328 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 2: support everybody here at Meat Eater. We truly appreciate it. 329 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 2: We would not be anywhere. We wouldn't be able to 330 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,080 Speaker 2: do what we do without you, so thank you for 331 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 2: your support. If you want some more white tail content, 332 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 2: you can head over to the meadeater dot com. And 333 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 2: if you're there and you're like, ah, this is I 334 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 2: don't want to read too much whitetail stuff or listen 335 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,399 Speaker 2: to too many podcasts about white tails, the good news 336 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 2: is every podcast we create here in the entire organization, 337 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 2: every video, all the articles, recipes, whatever, it's all right 338 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,480 Speaker 2: there at the mediator dot com. You're not gonna get bored. 339 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:11,439 Speaker 2: You're gonna keep finding stuff that interests you, so go 340 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 2: check it out.