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 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by First Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and this episode is all about deer densities. 9 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 2: Something occurred to me recently while recording an episode of 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 2: Wired to Hunt with the trout bum himself. As Mark 11 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 2: told the story of hitting his target buck this year, 12 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 2: I realized that he sees more dear on one Michigan 13 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: sit than I see in an entire season in northern Wisconsin. 14 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: His stories go something like, at first I saw a buck, 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 2: and then four doughs, and then a buck in another buck, 16 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 2: and then six more bucks plus some doze, while my 17 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 2: stories go well, I saw one squirrel and then probably 18 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 2: the same squirrel, and then two sits later, the loneliest 19 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 2: dough in all the land briefly emerged from the swamp 20 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: Shrek style to take a look around Mark's very easy, 21 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 2: privileged hunting, when contrasted with my extremely difficult workingman's hunting, 22 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 2: made me realize we don't talk about deer densities enough, 23 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 2: but they are so important to strategy, and this is 24 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 2: what I'm going to talk about right now and next week. 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 2: So buckle up. Did you know that your vision runs 26 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,320 Speaker 2: one hundred milliseconds behind what's actually happening in the world. 27 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 2: It doesn't take much time for light to bounce off 28 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 2: an object so you can see it, and then your 29 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 2: eye has to send a signal to your brain so 30 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: it can decide what it's looking at. But it does 31 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 2: take a little bit of time. Do you remember that 32 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 2: short lived fad about the dress that was either gold 33 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 2: or blue? On the internet, like in twenty fifteen. Randomly 34 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 2: something like that pops up and it divides people because 35 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 2: some see one color, some see a different color. But 36 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 2: how can that be? How can address that is blue 37 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 2: appear gold to us or vice versa, or let's take 38 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: it a step further. Neuroscientists have studied how much our 39 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: brains fill in the blanks with what we perceive to 40 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 2: be reality, and they've studied how we as individuals have 41 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:32,239 Speaker 2: unconscious bias, which means we are totally unaware of it. 42 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 2: They've done studies with people who were tasked with watching 43 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 2: videos of civilians interacting with law enforcement, where they were 44 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 2: instructed to either focus on the civilian or the police 45 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 2: officer depending on their backgrounds and interactions with law enforcement. 46 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 2: The perceptions of the interactions on video varied wildly, yet 47 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 2: they all watched the same video. Our brains work hard 48 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: to mold and shape reality to fit our prior experiences. 49 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 2: We make up our minds to fit the reality that 50 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 2: we are most comfortable with. Take chronic wasting disease CWD 51 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 2: for example. If you want something that hits close to 52 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 2: home with a lot of us anyway, this is a 53 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 2: good topic. There are a lot of people who have 54 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 2: their minds made up with CWD, but most of the 55 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 2: staunch opinions aren't really rooted in reality because there's a 56 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 2: lot we don't know, a lot that just isn't backed 57 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 2: up by data on both sides. So we draw our 58 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 2: own lines in the sand, fill in the blanks. I'd 59 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 2: bet you'd be more willing to take the thread of 60 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 2: CWD more seriously if you had had positive interactions with 61 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 2: Game and Fish employees, or had a generally positive view 62 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 2: of the agency. Now, if you have a negative view 63 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: for whatever reason, I bet there's generally more of a 64 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 2: chance that you think that it's just bullshit built in 65 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 2: around CWD. There are two different perceptions of reality around 66 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 2: this issue, and we really don't know yet which one 67 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 2: is right. What is far more likely is that the 68 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 2: truth is going to be some type of hybrid reality 69 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 2: between the two. Or take another hot topic, wolves. I 70 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 2: had a conversation with a fellow at the gym earlier 71 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 2: this year who couldn't blame our Minnesota DNR enough for 72 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: the prevalence of wolves and how disastrous they have been 73 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 2: to the Northern Minnesota deer heerd. He also didn't understand 74 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: anything about the Endangered Species Act, or federal activist judges 75 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 2: working out at Washington, DC, or the sheer complexity of 76 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 2: the legal system as it transcends federal and state levels 77 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 2: and involves a species like wolves. His thought was that 78 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 2: the DNR wanted wolves to replace hunters, and that was that. Now. 79 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 2: I don't know if the agency that relies heavily on 80 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 2: the license sales from deer hunters would cut its own 81 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: throat by conspiring to proliferate an apex predator across the land, 82 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 2: a predator I'm pretty confident has never bought a hunting 83 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 2: license ever. A part of the reason these issues suck 84 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 2: to think about and deal with is because even though 85 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 2: our tendency is to see them in black and white 86 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 2: because that's easy, they are far from simple issues. Society 87 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 2: is plagued by complex issues. If you talk to young 88 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 2: folks these days, wealth inequality is a big one. Their 89 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 2: take on it is quite a bit different from how 90 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 2: many in my parents' boomer generation feel about it. Things 91 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 2: get even weirder when we see a couple of the biggest, 92 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 2: most outspoken billionaires working on my favorite subject, which is 93 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 2: going into space, or they see Bill Gates on TV 94 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 2: trying to guess the price of some simple grocery and 95 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 2: home goods item. Did you know that Bill Gates did 96 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,559 Speaker 2: this one time on I think it was The Ellen 97 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 2: DeGeneres Show, and he thought a bag of Totino's pizza 98 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 2: rolls cost twenty two dollars. Let that sink in and 99 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 2: tell me if he isn't experiencing a different reality from you. 100 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 2: Where the perception of reality gets real weird. We let 101 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 2: what others believe about life bleed into our world and 102 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 2: sometimes shape how we proceed with our actions. This happens 103 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 2: in hunting all the time. Trust me, if you think 104 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 2: there isn't a difference and the opportunities presented to you 105 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 2: versus I don't know some of the hunting industry people, 106 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 2: you're off your rocker there, Betty Crocker from media hunts 107 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 2: and outfitters, trading hunts for exposure to people who just 108 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 2: have badass places to hunt that want to associate with 109 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:38,159 Speaker 2: big names. The world is kind of like Candyland for 110 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 2: a lot of hunting industry folks. Now, naturally, some of 111 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 2: them do things the hard way. Some of them also 112 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 2: built their own empires and they hunt their own ground, 113 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 2: which is pretty cool, But the reality there is still 114 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 2: not something you're going to experience. Let me try to 115 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:55,119 Speaker 2: explain this in a way that's something like we should 116 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 2: all be able to relate to. We are all aware 117 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 2: of the concept of deer density. In some places, the 118 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 2: general deer density might be forty or sixty or more 119 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 2: dear per square mile. In other places that might be 120 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 2: closer to ten or fewer deer. You might hunt the 121 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 2: up of Michigan and see a handful of deer all 122 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 2: season in southern Michigan, you might average a dozen or 123 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 2: more sightings per sit. You might watch the big names 124 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 2: on the outdoor channel passing up one forties left and 125 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 2: right to wait for a giant. They can do this 126 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 2: because not only do they have an extremely high deer 127 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 2: density to work with, that deer density is flush with 128 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 2: prime age bucks. There are properties in Iowa that might 129 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 2: have more mature bucks on them than some counties have 130 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 2: in other parts of the country. Okay, that might be 131 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 2: a slight exaggeration, but I bet it's somewhat true. Pretty close. Now, 132 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 2: imagine if every TV host had to tell you how 133 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 2: many deer they saw on every set they showed, or 134 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 2: you know, every Instagram post about a day buck. Would 135 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 2: you still believe some of those folks were the best 136 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 2: hunters alive? If you heard them say once again that 137 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 2: they saw seventy six deer in their food plot on 138 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 2: some random night in October, how hard would you think 139 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 2: it would be to hold out for one hundred and 140 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 2: eighty inch deer If you knew that you could at 141 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 2: any given point in the season kill one hundred and 142 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 2: fifty or one hundred and sixty inch or in a 143 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 2: few days time. Their reality is different from yours, which 144 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,119 Speaker 2: I know is obvious, but I don't think some people 145 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 2: understand the gap. Part of this is because we are 146 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 2: hardwired to make things sound more difficult, and I do 147 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,000 Speaker 2: this too. Take the buck I shot a couple weeks 148 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 2: ago in Wisconsin. The hunting there is tougher for me 149 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 2: than anywhere else I hunt. That's just due to the 150 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 2: deer density being really low. Now you know, the predator 151 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 2: one hundred density is high too, which doesn't help, but 152 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 2: that just contributes to the deer density. It's just a 153 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 2: different beast than a lot of places, but it's also 154 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 2: very similar to a lot of places, such as the 155 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 2: nature the big Woods. Now, on that hunt, I hunted 156 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 2: all day for three days, and I saw a do 157 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 2: Then a buck that looked like someone took the body 158 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 2: of a horse and married it to the rack of 159 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 2: a coups deer came running in and stiffed my decoy. 160 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 2: I killed him, and it was wonderful. I also want 161 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 2: you and everyone else who listens to know how hard 162 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 2: it is to hunt over there, because that makes me 163 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 2: look better. The truth is it's it is a difficult 164 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 2: place to hunt, but I also love it. I don't 165 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:31,839 Speaker 2: not enjoy hunting over there, even if I know I'm 166 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 2: only going to see very few deer and am very 167 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 2: unlikely to see a big one. It just is what 168 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 2: it is. There really isn't a reason to try to 169 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 2: make it sound worse than it is besides ego, and 170 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 2: we have our biases and that colors our perception of reality. 171 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 2: But reality isn't really up for negotiation. It just is 172 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 2: what it is. This is the case with deer densities, 173 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 2: and I don't think we fully understand how much this 174 00:09:56,559 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 2: affects our season. Just think about the com confidence you'd 175 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 2: have if you knew when you went hunting that you'd 176 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 2: always see deer, and a lot of them. And when 177 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 2: you see a lot of deer, there are almost always 178 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 2: a few good bucks mixed in at some point. Would 179 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 2: that change your view on getting up at o dark 180 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 2: thirty again? I know it does for me. It's a 181 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 2: hell of a lot easier to go hunting and stay 182 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 2: in the game when you know it's going to be 183 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 2: a freaking blast. Or look at it this way. Over 184 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 2: in Wisconsin, my daughters and eye hunted parts of twenty 185 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 2: days before we saw a single dough Literally we saw 186 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 2: a few bucks, but we averaged one deer sighting per weekend. 187 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 2: The last time I drew in Iowa Tag, I hunted 188 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 2: public land and saw twenty six deer on my first 189 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 2: full day of hunting. In the beginning of October, I 190 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 2: saw fourteen deer on my first morning hunt there, including 191 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:49,599 Speaker 2: six bucks ranging from one hundred to one hundred and 192 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 2: seventy inches. In which situation would you be able to 193 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:57,199 Speaker 2: rally and keep getting up and ready to go When 194 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 2: we believe we are going to have fun. It's so 195 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:01,839 Speaker 2: much easier to go than when we believe you're not 196 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 2: going to see anything. This is reflected in the harvest 197 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:07,079 Speaker 2: data that is coming out from some of the general 198 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 2: firearm seasons that just wrapped up in Minnesota and Wisconsin. 199 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,680 Speaker 2: The numbers are low compared to last season. The obvious 200 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 2: culprit is the warmer than average weather we had, but 201 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 2: the less obvious culprit is that the perception of hunting 202 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 2: in warm weather does bad things to hunters. It convinces 203 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 2: them to put in less effort, which is the exact 204 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 2: opposite way to approach a difficult hunt. Hunters believe the 205 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 2: reality of their hunt will be low deer movement because 206 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 2: of the weather. They then hunt with less enthusiasm, and 207 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 2: suddenly we're in like a manifest destiny situation. All right, 208 00:11:44,679 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 2: So where am I going with this? Well? A lot 209 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:49,080 Speaker 2: of directions actually, But for right now, I want you 210 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,440 Speaker 2: to be honest about the deer density and the properties 211 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 2: you hunt. I don't care if you live in Michigan 212 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 2: or Louisiana wherever, and you think you have the hardest 213 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 2: hunting ever, I want you to think about the properties 214 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 2: you hunt. Don't break it down by stay or region 215 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 2: or something else that can color your bias. Go to 216 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 2: the individual properties. How many deer live there or use 217 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 2: them somewhat consistently. This is the basis for a lot 218 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 2: of the decisions you'll make throughout the season, so it's 219 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 2: important to be honest. Trail cameras and in person observations 220 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 2: are huge for this because they show us two things, 221 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 2: the deer we can confidently say live on or around 222 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 2: our properties, and the deer that might use them somewhat 223 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 2: but aren't regulars. Of course, this doesn't take into account 224 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 2: shifting home ranges or what factors can change deer densities. 225 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 2: But I'm not going to get into that this week. 226 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 2: That's topic for a podcast that's coming up. For now, 227 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 2: just try to be honest about how many deer you 228 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 2: really have access to. If you're in a low deer 229 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 2: density world, then you have to be very careful with 230 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 2: all of the deer you might encounter. If you hunt 231 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 2: where the deer are thickest thieves, your concerns are different. 232 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:01,720 Speaker 2: Both circumstances come with unique challenge, but you can't get 233 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 2: into those until you think about what you have to 234 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,679 Speaker 2: work with overall, and you have to be willing to 235 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 2: be wrong. This past winter looked like it was a 236 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 2: really rough one on the deer in my world, at 237 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,160 Speaker 2: least some of the places I hunt. We had wet, 238 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 2: heavy snow at some really inopportune times, and I thought 239 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 2: going into spring that the northern deer herds were going 240 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 2: to be decimated. A random conversation with a forester convinced 241 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 2: me that I was probably wrong. He said that the 242 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 2: amount of treetops that suddenly became accessible to the deer 243 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 2: helped the herd out a lot, which makes sense, and 244 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 2: my springtime observation seems to show that I had overestimated 245 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 2: the severity of the winter kill. But By August, I 246 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 2: was less sure I won property I own. I had 247 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 2: a handful of little bucks, two dos, and one decent 248 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 2: deer on camera. I saw several of those deer in 249 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 2: person as well. When I was scouting. I never got 250 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 2: a picture of a dough with a fawn all summer 251 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 2: or fall, nor did I see I didn't have a 252 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 2: bunch of new deer show up. And the more I 253 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 2: scouted other public properties in that area and ran cameras 254 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 2: on a few of the private areas I hunt, I 255 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 2: realized that I couldn't find a fawn to save my life, 256 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 2: and I could barely find a dough. My reality there 257 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 2: shifted multiple times, and it ended up forcing me to 258 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 2: hunt my highest odd spots for all days sins while 259 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 2: lowering my standards to whatever buck might come in. I 260 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 2: also left my dough tags at home because there was 261 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 2: no reason for me to kill a few baby makers 262 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 2: when there just weren't that many around. So I started 263 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 2: out in the preseason with a plan based around a 264 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 2: certain deer density that I expected to have to work with, 265 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 2: but by opening day I had to alter that strategy, 266 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 2: and by the rut, my entire perception of the hunt 267 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 2: and how I had to go about. It had changed 268 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 2: completely and this was all tied to the amount of 269 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 2: deer that were available to me, which wasn't very many. 270 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,920 Speaker 2: So what does this have to do with your hunting everything? 271 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,360 Speaker 2: Should you be rattling NonStop during the run if you 272 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 2: have one mature buck per section to work with and 273 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 2: totally horrible buck to dough ratio? Probably not, despite the 274 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 2: fact that a lot of people who have better places 275 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 2: to hunt will swear by that tactic. Or should you 276 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 2: kam a cozi your way right into a prime betting 277 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 2: area with questionable wind to shoot a big one when 278 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 2: you know that you have a high deer density and 279 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 2: you'll be spooking non target deer all day long with 280 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 2: that move. Or think about in season scouting. If you 281 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 2: hunt where the winners are mild and the ag is plentiful, 282 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 2: you know there's deer everywhere. How much damage versus benefit 283 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 2: will you get from in season scouting every acre to 284 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 2: find the exact spot to kill a big one. Now 285 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 2: take that same scenario and put it in a low 286 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 2: density woods and it's kind of the only game in 287 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 2: town to get around any deer. Pay attention because this 288 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 2: is important. What is a good dial or strategy for 289 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 2: someone else might be a total disaster for you. This 290 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 2: will hinge on a lot of things like personal skill 291 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 2: level and a real deep understanding of the strategy, But 292 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 2: the risk reward ratio of these things is heavily dependent 293 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 2: on the quantity and quality of deer you have to 294 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 2: work with. I'll frame this up another way. Do you 295 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 2: know who the most annoying elk hunter in the West is? 296 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 2: It's the guy who hunts an over the counter unit 297 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 2: on public land and thinks that the only thing he 298 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 2: has to do is walk ridgelines of bugling his head 299 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 2: off all day long. His idea is that the more 300 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 2: ground he covers, the more likely he is to run 301 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 2: across a bowl that will respond accordingly. The problem is 302 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 2: that the bulls that live in those places have had 303 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 2: so many negative interactions after checking out a strange bugle, 304 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 2: the odds of a bull giving his location in response, 305 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 2: or better yet, coming in while bugling are low. In 306 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 2: a place where a high density and limited pressure this 307 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:06,439 Speaker 2: move will net you response is like crazy. It won't 308 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 2: spook elk probably and will instead convince enough of them 309 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:13,199 Speaker 2: to come in or bugle back that it seems like 310 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 2: the best strategy ever, and it is if you're on 311 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 2: the Deseret Ranch in Utah and you have a twenty 312 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:21,760 Speaker 2: thousand dollars ELK tag in your pocket. But if you're 313 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 2: in and over the counter unit in Colorado, it's almost 314 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 2: guaranteed to fail every time, and worse work against you. 315 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:32,159 Speaker 2: You might be thinking that this has more to do 316 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,639 Speaker 2: with pressure than game density, and you're right, sort of. 317 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:39,880 Speaker 2: With fewer animals, the mistakes are compounded because the opportunities 318 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 2: are lessened with each screw up. The margin for error 319 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:46,920 Speaker 2: just isn't in your favor. So think about the density 320 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 2: you're working with on your home ground or the place 321 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,560 Speaker 2: you love to travel, to be honest about it, and 322 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 2: think about how you'll take an even better census next year. 323 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 2: And then come back next week because I'm going to 324 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 2: talk about all all kinds of strategies for hunting low 325 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 2: deer densities, and then the week after I'll probably touch 326 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,680 Speaker 2: on that high deer density thing. But should listen in 327 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:12,600 Speaker 2: because there's a lot to consider just when you're working 328 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 2: around the amount of deer that might be available to you. 329 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,719 Speaker 2: That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has 330 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 2: been the wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, which is brought 331 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,479 Speaker 2: to you by first Light. As always, thank you so 332 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:28,760 Speaker 2: much for your support, for listening, for reading the articles. 333 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 2: For whatever you're doing in this media world, we really 334 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,879 Speaker 2: really appreciate it. If you want more content, you know 335 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 2: where to go, the medeater dot com. You can check 336 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:40,399 Speaker 2: out all kinds of stuff there. Maybe pick up the 337 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 2: new board game of Meat Eater Trivia if you want 338 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 2: to play that over the holidays or something. Lots of 339 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 2: good stuff there at the medeater dot com.