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 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your 8 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 2: House Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about breaking 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 2: down edges because I keep getting asked about it and 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 2: I feel like there needs to be a definitive, once 11 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 2: and for all podcasts on understanding edges when it comes 12 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 2: to white tail habitats and behaviors, just about every day, 13 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 2: after driving my daughter's somewhere or pick them up from somewhere, 14 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,919 Speaker 2: or usually both, it reminds me of how weird it 15 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,959 Speaker 2: is that so many people we know won't make their 16 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 2: sixteen year olds get their licenses these days. That definitely 17 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 2: was not the case when I was growing up. And 18 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 2: once you're the designated uger driver and door dasher, a 19 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 2: grub hubber, lifter, shape shifter, whatever of the family, you 20 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 2: start to fantasize about your kids being able to get 21 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: places without your help. That's not really what this episode 22 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 2: is about. But during a recent trip to the middle 23 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,680 Speaker 2: school to drop off my daughters, I realized something about 24 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 2: deer hunting that I'm going to talk about right freaking now. 25 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 2: If you're not married to a complete and total psycho, 26 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 2: you might not know this, but there are unfrosted pop 27 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 2: tarts for sale at grocery stores across the US, and 28 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 2: I can only guess probably the world. I didn't even 29 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 2: know they existed until I got married. Growing up, when 30 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 2: I did, we ate a lot of food that was 31 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: just barely barely real food. I'd rank pop tarts in 32 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 2: this category, along with toaster strudels, lucky charms, and most 33 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 2: of the stuff that my sister and I ate while 34 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 2: we wondered where our parents were. Now, I wouldn't say 35 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 2: that I eat a lot of pop tarts these days, 36 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: because that would be a lie. We do always seem 37 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 2: to have a steady supply of them, and they mostly 38 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:10,679 Speaker 2: get into our house after I shop for hunting or 39 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 2: fishing trips. I don't know what it is, but I 40 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 2: never really want a pop tart ever. But if I'm 41 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 2: going to be hunting out of a tent for five days, 42 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 2: I will load up on those some bitches and eat 43 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 2: very few of them, so then they come back home 44 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 2: and live in the pantry until I have a moment 45 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 2: of weakness and I just need something quick. My wife, 46 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 2: on the other hand, you know, the previously mentioned lunatic 47 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 2: always has a stash of pop tarts. And here's the kicker. 48 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 2: They are always unfrosted. She prefers them that way. Here's 49 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 2: my advice to all you young bucks listening who think 50 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 2: that maybe the right dough can make your life better. 51 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 2: Don't take a dough back to your bedding area if 52 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 2: you think she might be the kind of dough who 53 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 2: intentionally eats unfrosted pop tarts because she prefers them. I 54 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 2: know there's a lot to unpack here, but I think 55 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 2: you can hear that giant red flag flapping in the 56 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 2: morning wind. I don't understand it. There are only two 57 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 2: good parts to pop tarts, the frosting and the filling. 58 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 2: The rest is cardboard grade crust that is just basically 59 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 2: like the caloric equivalent of attacks on your sugary bonus. 60 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 2: I don't even like it when whoever or whatever food 61 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 2: producing robots get a little lazy and the frosting ratio 62 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 2: on my pop tarts gets thrown off, you know the 63 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,919 Speaker 2: ones where instead of a nice rectangle of frosting on top, 64 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 2: it's all shifted to one end or the other, like 65 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 2: the conveyor belt hit warp speed for a second, and 66 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 2: the frosting paintbrush just couldn't keep up. Gross anyway, even 67 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 2: a perfectly frosted pop tart has a fair amount of 68 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 2: real estate that is unfrosted, and that sucks. They could 69 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 2: do better, but they don't because at some point you 70 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 2: just look at a product like that and go, eh, 71 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 2: that's enough of this shit. They'll eat it anyway, and 72 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 2: they're right, Bill. We will also feed them to our 73 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 2: children when we need to take them to school, because 74 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: they have giant tagboard science fair projects that and I'm 75 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 2: not making this up, nearly tore our family apart because 76 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 2: it was a lot to ask of sixth graders, and 77 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: a lot to ask of six grader parents, who, you know, 78 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: like they do in the nineteen eighty sitcoms. Really keep 79 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 2: the whole science fair industry from growing belly up because 80 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 2: we do all the freaking heavy lifting. Anyway, my daughters 81 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 2: needed to get their science fair projects to school safely 82 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 2: and early, so I had to drive them in. The 83 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 2: route is I don't know, maybe five miles, and we 84 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: often see a few turkeys are deer along the way 85 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,359 Speaker 2: mixed in with the morning traffic. We also drive past 86 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 2: this giant cattail slew that is pock marked with tiny 87 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 2: islands of trees, and right through the center this kind 88 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 2: of subtle line of saplings. When I say line, I 89 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 2: actually mean it. I don't know if someone planted them, 90 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 2: which seems kind of unlikely, or if there's just a 91 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 2: sliver a high ground in there, maybe something that was 92 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 2: artificially created to help with drainage or something. It doesn't matter, 93 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 2: because what inevitably happens is I drive down that road 94 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 2: by their school. I said, I look at that very faint, 95 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 2: subtle edge in that cattail sleugh and I feel a 96 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 2: strong desire to walk it. It's a similar feeling to 97 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 2: driving by a lake or going on a bridge over 98 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 2: some trout or smallmouth river. There's just some serious gravity 99 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 2: to certain natural settings that pull us in so we 100 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:28,039 Speaker 2: can see what fish live there or what deer have 101 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 2: left rubs on the saplings. Now, listen, I wouldn't want 102 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 2: to hunt this property. I don't have any desire for 103 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,359 Speaker 2: that due to its location the makeup of the habitat, 104 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 2: but I just want to walk that edge and pat 105 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 2: myself on the back when I inevitably find rubs in there, 106 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 2: because you know they're there. It's just one of those 107 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,839 Speaker 2: things where if you spend enough time inhaling cattail fuzzs 108 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 2: while chasing roosters or trying to find deer beds, there's 109 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,720 Speaker 2: just some consistencies out there, and that's fun to find 110 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,479 Speaker 2: over and over. Another consistency in the white tail world 111 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 2: that I've noticed recently, and which plays nicely with the 112 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 2: idea of edges that I'm going to really dive into here, 113 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 2: is that I almost never find deer antlers or deer 114 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 2: beds without feeling like I'm walking through something thorny. This 115 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 2: might seem like a dumb point, but pay attention to 116 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 2: that when you're out there this winter. Pay attention when 117 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 2: you're hunting next fall. Maybe when you're going mobile, or 118 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 2: when you're blood trailing a deer that hasn't been hit perfectly. 119 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 2: You'll often realize that you're being careful with the path 120 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 2: you choose and where you put your hands because there 121 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,119 Speaker 2: are pokey plants all around. I ran into this last 122 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 2: October while hunting Oklahoma public dirt with Steve. The best 123 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,719 Speaker 2: spot I found was in one hundred yard wide strip 124 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 2: of timber that funneled deer threw on their way to bed, 125 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 2: but not before they got a belly full of acorns 126 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 2: and per simmons. The first buck I arrowed in there 127 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 2: was a tiny spike where he died. Was just kind 128 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 2: of a little nightmare to get through. The next buck 129 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 2: I killed, and the deer Steve killed in there all 130 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 2: pretty much follow the same program. And it made me 131 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 2: realize that even though I considered myself to be hunting 132 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 2: an edge pattern already, just because of the overall shape 133 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 2: of the woods, inside of that strip of timber was 134 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 2: a world of smaller edges. It's kind of like fishing 135 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 2: for smallies or walleyes in a boulder field. If you 136 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 2: find the edge where it meets mud or sand, you 137 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 2: will find fish, but you'll also graft piles of boulders 138 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 2: inside of it, and smaller patches of sand or mud 139 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 2: that create smaller edges throughout the general area of the fisher. 140 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 2: Relating to we often think of edges in terms of 141 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 2: hard edges, like where the swamp meets the hardwoods, or where 142 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:46,559 Speaker 2: a pine plantation meets a patch of CRP. Those are edges, 143 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 2: no doubt, just like the edge of a bean field 144 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 2: or a food plot or a clearcut is also an edge, 145 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 2: an easy to identify edge that a lot of people 146 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 2: will be drawn to, and they're hunting setups in fact. 147 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 2: But there is so much more more to it than 148 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 2: those hard edges that every hunter out there can easily 149 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: identify that edge in the cattails by my daughter's school, 150 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 2: That one might contain one hundred saplings in total, and 151 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 2: it would be really easy to miss. You wouldn't even 152 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 2: be able to hunt it from the middle, because you'd 153 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 2: essentially be either right on top of where the deer 154 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 2: are going to go, or you'd be hunkered down in 155 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 2: six foot cattails, listening to them as they walk by, 156 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 2: but probably not being able to see them. So what 157 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 2: good does that soft edge in the middle of a 158 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 2: nearly impenetrable piece of cover do for you? Well, it 159 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:49,680 Speaker 2: tells you how they'll get through that slew for starters, 160 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 2: and that's not nothing this game of white tail hunting. 161 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 2: If you're not in a situation where you can manipulate 162 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 2: the land to get them to come to you. Is 163 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 2: all about figuring out where they lie to walk, and 164 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,959 Speaker 2: then figuring out if where they like to walk also 165 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 2: takes them through a spot that gives you some kind 166 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 2: of advantage, you know, a spot that allows you to 167 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 2: set up somewhere while hiding your presence and surprising them 168 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 2: with an arrow through their chest cavity. This is the 169 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,840 Speaker 2: whole game. And I'll tell you something else. I've been 170 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 2: finding a lot of random scent wicks hanging in trees 171 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 2: this winter while I'm out winter scouting and shed hunting. 172 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 2: Here's the deal on that, my friends. If you want 173 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 2: to use scents, go ahead, but think about this. If 174 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 2: you know where a buck is going to walk, where 175 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 2: he'll be close enough to smell that scent and will 176 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 2: come in, you already know enough to not need that scent. 177 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 2: You know enough to not have to go leave more 178 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 2: than the scent of bottle Dopey down there, because you're 179 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,079 Speaker 2: gonna have to go in and hang that wick. If 180 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 2: you think that doesn't send mixed messages to passing bucks, 181 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 2: you're probably wrong. They can smell that synthetic dopey or 182 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:00,839 Speaker 2: that doughinestra scent that was probably not collected from a 183 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 2: doan estris. And they also smell you in some way 184 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 2: because you were there and you handled that wick, and 185 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 2: so did whoever made it and packaged it, not to 186 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 2: mention the brush you touched while hanging it and the 187 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 2: noise you made as well. You sent, don't you sent? 188 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 2: I don't care, but I do care. If you think 189 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 2: about why you're setting up in a specific spot and 190 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 2: why you think that a quarter ounce of dopey on 191 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 2: a cent wick is the final piece of the puzzle 192 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 2: for that setup, it might be can work, but think 193 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 2: about what you're doing, think about why the deer would 194 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 2: be there, or why they'd pass too far away for 195 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 2: you to shoot them, and maybe think about changing your 196 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:43,959 Speaker 2: setup if you can. This might seem like I'm talking 197 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 2: in circles or that I got distracted by a squirrel here, 198 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 2: but the benefit to figuring out soft edges in the 199 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 2: world of white tails is that they tend to give 200 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 2: you options for your setups. Let's say hypothetically that you're 201 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 2: walking through the woods. You know, a nice deciduous forest 202 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 2: with old growth trees, and you're thinking that maybe it'd 203 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:05,680 Speaker 2: be a good place to hunt when the acorns are 204 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:09,560 Speaker 2: dropping fair enough, there's nothing wrong with that plan. But 205 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 2: then you see an old barber ware fence. It's intact 206 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 2: in some places, but in others it's sagging or held 207 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 2: down by fallen trees. It's also just kind of this 208 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 2: little vein of brush and shrubs in in otherwise pretty 209 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 2: open woods. You know, maybe there's a few vines that 210 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 2: have climbed up and used the old fence like lattice 211 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 2: work on a house. That line of cover in the woods. 212 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 2: That soft edge might be fifty yards longer, it might 213 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 2: be five hundred. It might have one good crossing or many. 214 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 2: It will almost undoubtedly convince the deer to parallel it, 215 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 2: but also to cross through it at specific points. Anytime 216 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 2: you find that you have a spot that gives you 217 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 2: two chances to encounter deer, you know, the parallel traveler 218 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 2: and the jumping across travelers. My right mass says that 219 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 2: doubles your chances of seeing deer, although that might not 220 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:03,480 Speaker 2: be true. Who instead of finding one good crossing and 221 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 2: calling it good enough, walk the length of it, find 222 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,079 Speaker 2: all the crossings, find where it hangs across a ravine 223 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 2: or where it ends completely. You know, dude to time 224 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 2: and disrepair. The more you investigate, the more you'll find 225 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 2: setups for the morning or the evening, or a north 226 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 2: wind and a west wind, all from a stupid fence 227 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 2: in the woods that has created a soft edge. The 228 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 2: same rules apply when you're dealing with swamps, when you're 229 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 2: dealing with timber harvest in the big woods or not 230 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 2: so big woods, anywhere the two types of habitat meet 231 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 2: up is an edge, and those edges are all over 232 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 2: out there, and the deer use them a lot. And 233 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 2: the reason for this is, well, remember what I said 234 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 2: about thorns being a good sign you might be around 235 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,200 Speaker 2: deer antlers, or deer beds, or hell, real live deer 236 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 2: throughout the season. Well, soft edges like that represent a 237 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 2: boundary between where some hunters will go, but where most won't. 238 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 2: That's almost it. We can say that they might like 239 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 2: soft edges for the brows, which could certainly be true. 240 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 2: We can say it's a great option to allow for 241 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 2: escape should the sudden need arise, which is also true. 242 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 2: There are a lot of reasons for deer to relate 243 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 2: to edges. This means more than you might think. Consider 244 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 2: what the typical deer hunting strategies hinge upon feeding areas. 245 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 2: If you don't know where the food is, good luck 246 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 2: betting areas, find them and all of your big buck 247 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 2: woes are over. But not really. It's good knowledge, for sure, 248 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 2: but food and betting is highly variable when it comes 249 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 2: to actionable choices. Then you have edges places deer will 250 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 2: stage walk, browse, bed, and cruise for company. If you 251 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:50,719 Speaker 2: don't know anything about deer and you want to start somewhere, 252 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 2: this is a good place to start. This is especially 253 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 2: true if you're hunting a place with some pressure. The 254 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:02,199 Speaker 2: easy stuff, particularly the easy food in the nice open woods. 255 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 2: Those places are hunter magnets. They concentrate pressure. Very few 256 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 2: weekend warriors or average hunters are out there trying to 257 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 2: figure out an edge pattern. And edges are also highly 258 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 2: visible on aerial photography, which is a huge advantage for you. 259 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 2: The downside to this is they are everywhere. That cat 260 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 2: tail slewed by my daughter's school has that cool little 261 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 2: spine of saplings that I consider an edge, but it 262 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 2: also has a bunch of little islands of trees and 263 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 2: a mix of plumb thickets and dogwood thickets. All edges 264 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 2: within edges within edges. Then you have mode yards around it, 265 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 2: which represent another edge. Then you have busy roads and 266 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 2: not so busy roads. In that little forty acresh chunk, 267 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 2: you might find all kinds of edges that either draw 268 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 2: deer traffic or possibly repel it, like in the case 269 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 2: with certain roads or certain bodies of water, certain wide 270 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 2: open pastures that are full of cows. It's an easy 271 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 2: concept on paper to understand, but gets a lot muddier 272 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 2: when you try to figure this stuff out in person. 273 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 2: But the good news this is the kind of thing 274 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 2: that transcends states and regions. It's something that a Florida 275 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 2: hunter will deal with while messing around into palmeadows and 276 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 2: trying not to get eaten by a giant swamp lizard 277 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 2: or carried away by biblical swarms of mosquitoes. It's actionable 278 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 2: in Pennsylvania on public land when you're on top of 279 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 2: the mountain or roaming the valleys below. The Midwest the South. 280 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 2: Those wonderfully dumb Western white tails who don't look up 281 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 2: too often, it's good for them too, So if you're 282 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 2: struggling to kill big bucks, or more importantly, just have 283 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 2: more enjoyable hunts when you feel you're putting yourself in 284 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 2: the game versus just sitting the same field edge and 285 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 2: crossing your fingers. Go out there now, look around, Ask 286 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 2: yourself where you can see hard edges on aerial photos 287 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 2: and soft edges. Look at them from a bird's eye view, 288 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 2: and then go look at them in person. Pay attention 289 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 2: to the sign particularly the trails. Are there parallel trails 290 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 2: along the soft edge or just one or two that 291 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 2: cut right through it for some reason. Then follow the 292 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 2: advice of last week's show and ask yourself why. The 293 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: more you do this now, the more you'll give yourself 294 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 2: an edge this season. It'll take you from the spots 295 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 2: that literally any hunter with a season or two hundred 296 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 2: his belt could find to something most hunters don't even 297 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 2: look for. This not only helps you actually find overlook 298 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 2: good hunting locations, but it also puts you in the 299 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 2: mindset of thinking differently from your competition. That's probably the 300 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 2: most valuable asset a hunter could have when dealing with 301 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 2: pressure ground, and honestly, often when dealing with lightly pressure ground, 302 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 2: Because even if the deer on your lease rarely get pressured, 303 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 2: they probably spend time on the neighbor's place at some 304 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 2: point they deal with typical hunters somewhere, and if they don't, well, 305 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 2: you're probably not going to listen to this podcast because 306 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 2: you probably don't need any help killing. If you do, 307 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,120 Speaker 2: think about those edges, my friends, go look at them now. 308 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 2: Don't wait until turkey season when it's green and the 309 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 2: ticks are all over. Go now and come back next 310 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,960 Speaker 2: week because I'm going to talk about hunting around predators, 311 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 2: the four legged kind. That's it for this week. I'm 312 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson. This has been the Ware to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 313 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by First Light. As always, 314 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 2: thank you so much for listening and for all your support. 315 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,440 Speaker 2: Everybody here at Meat Eater we love you to death. 316 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,679 Speaker 2: We wouldn't be anywhere we would be able to do 317 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 2: anything without you, so thank you for your support. If 318 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 2: you want more white tail content, or you just want 319 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 2: to check out some cool hunting videos or some other 320 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 2: podcasts or whatever, themeatheater dot com is your place to go. 321 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 2: So much content there for you to check out. Thanks again, 322 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 2: talk to you next week.