1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: First Light Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. 8 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 3: I'm your host, Tony Peterson. 9 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 2: Today's episode is all about really truly understanding deer trails. Look, 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 2: I get it, scrapes, I don't know scrapes and rubs 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 2: anyway a matter a lot. 12 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 3: I like buck sign just as much as the next hunter. 13 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 2: But if you put a gun to my head and said, 14 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 2: what's the key to killing more big bucks and more 15 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 2: deer in general than really anything else, I'd probably say 16 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 2: that truly understanding how to read deer trails might be 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 2: it when the deer literally show you exactly where they 18 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 2: might walk at any given times. A huge piece of 19 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 2: the puzzle. But it's not so simple. It's also what 20 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 2: I'm going to talk about right now. It is a 21 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 2: popular belief amongst humans that there are animals and there 22 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 2: are US fish and US bacteria In us virus in 23 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 2: us whatever to the deer. There is probably no distinction 24 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 2: between us and the coyote or the wolf. It's just 25 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 2: them and the animals that try to kill them. Predator 26 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 2: and pray. We really don't think of ourselves as predators, 27 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 2: and truthfully, as animals at all. We think of ourselves 28 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 2: as special, sentient, and generally better than the rest of 29 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 2: the animals, even other primates. When civilized cultures started bumping 30 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: into wild apes, which wasn't that long ago, really, the 31 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: natural reaction was that they were uncomfortably like us. So 32 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 2: those researchers and the people interested in science set out 33 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 2: to prove that those primates were nothing like us. But 34 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 2: it didn't work that way. Primate attitudes toward making new 35 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 2: apes and monkeys made researchers very uncomfortable, because we've been 36 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 2: told for a long time by the authorities that that 37 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 2: kind of situation should be kept in the dark and 38 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 2: left largely unspoken and unseen. Researchers watched them fight and 39 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 2: didn't make the connection between that activity and ours. Chimpanzees 40 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 2: which share ninety nine point six percent of their DNA 41 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 2: with ours or ours with them, and bnobo's, which share 42 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: just slightly less than that have mostly erased the idea 43 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 2: that there is truly an US in them. Most people 44 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,679 Speaker 2: don't want to hear that, but consider this. They make 45 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 2: tools and they use them. They engage in trade, They play, 46 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 2: they make art, they make music, they engage in politics. 47 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 2: They kiss, They engage in face to face little monkey 48 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 2: making where the females uh also get their cookies. They laugh, 49 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,679 Speaker 2: They can be altruistic. They play, They have their own language, 50 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 2: and they reason out problems, some of which involve many 51 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 2: steps of planning. Makes a lot of us uncomfortable to 52 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 2: think about the traits we share with gimps and bonobos, 53 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 2: many of which we view as uniquely human. Now, this morning, 54 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 2: I drop my daughters off at their school, and while 55 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 2: much of our snow is gone, not all of it is. 56 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 2: And if you look at the grounds around their school, 57 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 2: you'd see trails leading from various streets and parks, connecting 58 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 2: the school to the greater world around it. I'm not 59 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 2: proud of this, and I want to make sure that 60 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 2: everyone listening knows I absolutely do not want to bowhunt humans. 61 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 2: But when I'm out with the dogs in the park, 62 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 2: or you know, at the canoe landing or on the river, 63 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 2: down the road wherever. I often look at the trails 64 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 2: people have created by hunting around a fence, or to 65 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 2: go across the corner of a soccer field or whatever. 66 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 2: Then I like to look at the trees and I think, 67 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 2: where would I hang a stand if I had to 68 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 2: hunt the folks who use the trails, so that not 69 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 2: only would I have a good shot, but also wouldn't 70 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 2: get busted by approaching soccer moms or other dudes with 71 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 2: their dogs. Again, this is not something I'm interested in. 72 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 2: It's just something that occurs to me often, probably because 73 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,599 Speaker 2: I have a lot of zombie apocalypse nightmares, so subconsciously, 74 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 2: maybe I'm preparing for the end of the days I 75 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 2: don't know, or I'm just bored and I miss scouting deer. 76 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,359 Speaker 2: Hard to say, but those trails we make around the 77 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 2: places we congregate, they are evidence of our patterns. How 78 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 2: are multiple trails carved through a neighborhood parked or some 79 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 2: backyards leading to and from a middle school really any 80 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 2: different from multiple trails carved into the woods leading to 81 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 2: and from a small watering hole. If we had someone 82 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 2: hunting us, it'd be pretty much the exact same thing. Luckily, 83 00:04:58,000 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 2: we are pretty much at the top of the food 84 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 2: so we can walk those trails relatively oblivious to the 85 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 2: threats around us. This is not the case for white tails. 86 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 2: They walk their trails for two reasons, to get where 87 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 2: they are going in a manner that keeps them from 88 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 2: burning excessive calories, and to not become excessive calories. For 89 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 2: some other life form, the balance is always between efficiency 90 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 2: and safety when it comes to prey animal travel during 91 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:30,599 Speaker 2: the rut. You could make the case that this is 92 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 2: not true, and you'd probably be somewhat correct. Efficiency is 93 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 2: a big factor in rut travel because exposure to potential 94 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 2: estrius doze is always the goal. So as we all know, 95 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 2: safety takes somewhat of a secondary role there mostly, but 96 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 2: that's a couple of weeks window where the rules change somewhat. 97 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 2: Although I would argue that an understanding of trails and 98 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 2: how deer use them is a huge factor in being 99 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 2: successful for the pre rut and at least partially in 100 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 2: the peakra well in hell, the post route too, I 101 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:05,719 Speaker 2: guess anyway, I like deer trails a lot. When I 102 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 2: travel to random places to hunt public land white tails, 103 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,720 Speaker 2: I generally can't glass for days on end to find them. 104 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 2: Some environments like the big Woods don't allow for that anyway. 105 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 2: No trail cameras can tell you a lot, but not 106 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 2: if you don't have a lot of them or a 107 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:23,679 Speaker 2: lot of time to use them. So sure, a huge 108 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 2: concentration of rubs or a community scrape is also you 109 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 2: know it's going to get my attention. But what if 110 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 2: it's the end of September and the buck sign is 111 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 2: almost non existent, or what if it's the late season 112 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 2: for that matter, And even if I do find some 113 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,119 Speaker 2: bucks sign, I can't ignore how valuable is that without 114 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 2: knowing how the bucks will get there and where they'll 115 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 2: go when they leave. Understanding deer travel throughout the year 116 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 2: and definitely throughout the season is the base upon which 117 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 2: a lot of great hunters are built. We often think 118 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 2: it's about finding the right deer, that's a huge component, 119 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 2: but finding how that deer goes from place to place 120 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 2: is how you kill him. Knowing how existence alone is 121 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 2: usually not enough, especially considering how everyone is pretty much 122 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 2: running trail cameras these days and can generally be aware 123 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 2: of most, if not all, of the mature bucks using 124 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 2: their area. It takes more and The easiest way to 125 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 2: get more is to start thinking about deer trails scratch. 126 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 2: That's to start going out in the woods and not 127 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 2: just noticing trails, but figuring out the why behind them. 128 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 2: Shed hunting and winter scouting are perfect for this task 129 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 2: because we often generally default to the strategy of walking 130 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 2: deer trails during both activities. There's also just a lot 131 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 2: that goes into learning deer travel, and if you want 132 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 2: to learn how to use deer trails more effectively as 133 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,760 Speaker 2: a hunter, it's got to be a priority. I'm going 134 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 2: to get into that, but the first thing I want 135 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 2: to talk about is understanding trails in your specific world. 136 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 2: Now this might seem dumb, but think about this. When 137 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 2: I first started hunting the big woods and scouting big cranberries, 138 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 2: bogs and swamps and wetlands and huge swaths of tamaracks 139 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 2: generally wet, soft conditions, I was blown away by the trails. 140 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 2: They were all cut deep into the moss and mud, 141 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 2: so easy to read it seemed almost fake. What I 142 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 2: realized after a few years of hunting there was that 143 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 2: the deer population was really low, and that didn't jive 144 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 2: with how well worn and used the trails. Looked while 145 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 2: they were certainly carved into the landscape, it wasn't because 146 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 2: there were tons of big bucks walking them every day. 147 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 2: It was because generations of low density deer used them 148 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,439 Speaker 2: some and the landscape just holds those memories. 149 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 3: Well. 150 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 2: Now take a twelve or fourteen hour drive from there 151 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 2: to some of the stuff I've hunted in Nebraska and Kansas. 152 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 2: Then you have a different story. Suddenly you have much 153 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 2: dryer ground, you have way less pronounced trails, and you 154 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 2: have way way more deer using them. While this is 155 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 2: probably easy enough to do on your home turf, recalibrating 156 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,920 Speaker 2: your understanding of the land and the likely amount of 157 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 2: deer using trails, it's an important skill to possess. It's 158 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 2: important to understand that a deer trail in some area 159 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 2: might only have a handful of travelers on it in 160 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 2: any given week, no matter how well used it might appear. 161 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 2: Just as it's important to understand in some places the 162 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 2: trails might not look great but might have a bonker's 163 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 2: amount of activity on them due to the high prevalence 164 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 2: of deer in the area. 165 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 3: Then you have the reality of. 166 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 2: Parsing out the trails that are mostly for all the 167 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 2: deer and the ones that are more likely to witness 168 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 2: some big buck activity. I'm going to get to that first. 169 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 2: I want to talk about figuring out trails in general. 170 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 2: There is a common thing people do when they are 171 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 2: scouting or out on a summer stand hanging mission that 172 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 2: walk through the woods or along a field edge and 173 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 2: they'll notice a super well used trail. They'll say, hot, damn, 174 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 2: found my But and believe me, you can kill a 175 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 2: pile of deer by not doing much more than this. 176 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:07,720 Speaker 2: But a better bet is to find that trail and 177 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 2: figure out what they use it for, not just walking, 178 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 2: but to and from what and when. I love spring 179 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 2: scouting for this very task. If I find a trail 180 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 2: that was definitely in use last fall, then I want 181 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,839 Speaker 2: to walk it out both directions if I can, as 182 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 2: far as I can go until I either hit a 183 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 2: property line or the trail just peters out or it 184 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 2: ends up somewhere at a destination. I try to think of, 185 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 2: you know, think of it kind of like a road 186 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 2: system or the way a city could be laid out. 187 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 2: There's interstates, there's two lane highways, there's back roads, gravel roads, 188 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 2: and they all lead from betting areas to food sources 189 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:48,320 Speaker 2: or water sources. The ridgetop trail that goes from the 190 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,079 Speaker 2: thick betting knob to the egg field. That one might 191 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 2: be simple enough, But what about the secondary trail that's 192 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,719 Speaker 2: quarter of the way down the hill. What purpose does 193 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 2: that one serve? And why does that one have a 194 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 2: few more rubs on it than the main trail above it? 195 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 2: Walk that one out, figure out why. Maybe that trail 196 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 2: leads to a betting nob that is just ideal for 197 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,079 Speaker 2: catching the early October sun. Maybe it has a perfect 198 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 2: dead fault to lay against while prevailing winds deliver any 199 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 2: old factory news that might portend to visit from a predator. 200 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:20,319 Speaker 3: I remember reading about. 201 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 2: Dan Infalse Bedhunting Strategy a long time ago, and he 202 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 2: talks about climbing into a buck bed to look around. 203 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 2: At the time, I thought that was bullshit, but I 204 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 2: didn't understand it. I walked trails a lot, and I 205 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 2: look around when I'm walking trails a lot to see 206 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 2: how visible I might be and how visible nearby openings are. 207 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 2: I try to think about the wind and what directions 208 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 2: it would have to be blowing to make that trail 209 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 2: the best one for travel or make it kind of 210 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:48,080 Speaker 2: a no go. 211 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 3: Now. 212 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 2: You can definitely reinforce these findings with trail camera recon 213 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 2: and you definitely should, but you won't learn the purpose 214 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:59,560 Speaker 2: of any given individual trail just through trail camera work. 215 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 2: Take some boots on the ground effort. This will also 216 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 2: give you a chance to pick out really good ambush sites. 217 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 2: I cannot stress this enough, but understanding where deer walk 218 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 2: and when they should walk there is important. But without 219 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 2: identifying the spot along the way where you have an 220 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 2: ambush advantage, it just leaves you with a lesser value plan. 221 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 2: So let's give a nod to the Southern hunters who 222 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 2: don't get much love on this podcast because I mostly 223 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 2: don't know what the hell I'm doing down there. But 224 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 2: there's a lot of big woods and a lot of 225 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:29,680 Speaker 2: swamps in that world. Just like in the northern parts 226 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 2: of the Midwest, those wet areas might be ankled deep 227 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 2: to a deer or something they just don't want to 228 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 2: wade or swim through. If they don't have to, you 229 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,240 Speaker 2: might scout there and you might find parallel trails around 230 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:44,839 Speaker 2: most of the water, which just makes sense. But you 231 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 2: might also find a trail that it just cuts through 232 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 2: some part of the swamp through the wet stuff. There's 233 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 2: a reason, and you want to know that reason. It 234 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 2: might be just because there's a little bit higher spine 235 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 2: of land under the water there. Even if it's an 236 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 2: elevation chain of a single foot, just allows for a shallower, 237 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 2: lower effort crossing. There might be a difference in bottom 238 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 2: composition there where it's sucking stinky mud everywhere else. But 239 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 2: for whatever reason, the one spot has a vein of 240 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:18,559 Speaker 2: sandy or a rocky bottom, whatever it is. You now 241 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 2: have a situation where two trails meet, the one going 242 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,800 Speaker 2: around the water and the one going through. One offers 243 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,200 Speaker 2: an easy path around the landscape, and one goes. 244 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 3: Through this feature. 245 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 2: That's huge, But it doesn't do any good if the 246 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 2: only tree to hang a stand in that spot also 247 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 2: happens to be right on top of the crossing trail 248 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 2: or just won't work with prevailing winds. You gotta walk 249 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 2: that sucker out until you find a landscape feature you 250 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 2: can work with, something that will give traveling bucks a 251 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:47,679 Speaker 2: reason to not look for you. This happens when they 252 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 2: go from super thick cover to something thinner. They almost 253 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,079 Speaker 2: always walk through the last buffer of thick stuff and 254 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 2: then stop at the edge to survey the easier to 255 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:57,439 Speaker 2: see parts of their world in the area I grew 256 00:13:57,520 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 2: up hunting with a lot of bluffs. You can watch 257 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 2: dear c I'm a trail that eventually ends up on 258 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 2: a ridgetop. There's almost always a point when they hit 259 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 2: a ridge where they'll look around, but mostly look in 260 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 2: the direction they intend to travel. You can almost predict 261 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 2: where their focus will be at certain points along a 262 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 2: trail by walking them yourself and reading the land. I 263 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:18,840 Speaker 2: kind of look at this like how deer cross fences. 264 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 2: While they are individuals and they can do as they please, 265 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:23,880 Speaker 2: there's sort of a template for deer behavior when they 266 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 2: jump a fence. You know, they walk up, spend some 267 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 2: time looking around, surveilling what's on the other side, then 268 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 2: jump land with a couple of quick steps, and either 269 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 2: put their head down to feed or stop again for 270 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 2: a quick look. But mostly they get the looking done 271 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,600 Speaker 2: before they jump. If you're set up twenty yards away 272 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 2: from a fence crossing, you can damn near scene into 273 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 2: the future and when you should draw and when a 274 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 2: buck is going to be distracted by the crossing. That 275 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 2: stuff matters, and it's one of the reasons that when 276 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 2: hunters have a ton of experience with pressure deer, they 277 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 2: tend to not surprisingly be really good at hunting because 278 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 2: they study behavior. Now, there's another thing I want to 279 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 2: say about scouting deer trails before I wrap this up. 280 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 2: That also involves looking into the future. When you're out 281 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 2: there in March, walking out trails and looking for ambush sites, 282 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 2: you have to try to understand when individual trails would 283 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 2: be the most likely to see some usage. Why would 284 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 2: a big buck walk a certain trail in September or 285 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 2: October or November. A pounded trail now doesn't necessarily equate 286 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 2: to season long travel, and I'd argue almost never does. 287 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 2: There are windows when these trails are the best, and 288 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 2: that means you have to scout them now, run trail 289 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 2: cameras this summer, and still try to learn what you 290 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 2: can from in person observation when you actually hunt them. 291 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 2: Even more than that is the fact that some of 292 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 2: the trails just seem to be more conducive to buck travel. 293 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 2: I think we look at this a little bit wrong, 294 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 2: but maybe not. I think we often think that these 295 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 2: bucky trails are used because they offer a lot more 296 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 2: security and predator detection advantages or whatever. And that might 297 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 2: be true, but I think that's selling the whole thing 298 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 2: short a bit bucks, especially big mature bucks, claim prime 299 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 2: betting spots. There are many benefits to being at the 300 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 2: top of the hierarchy in an animal group, humans included, 301 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 2: and bucks bed where they are likely to be safe, 302 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 2: They feed where the food is the best, and they 303 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 2: travel between those spots. Does and smaller bucks have less 304 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 2: access to high value resources, so they sometimes start and 305 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 2: end at slightly different locations than mature bucks. All of 306 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 2: this is to say that if you get starry eyed 307 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 2: over a well used trail and fully expect to kill 308 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 2: a giant on it, you should definitely try. But big bucks, 309 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,600 Speaker 2: at least the ones I've been around on public land 310 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 2: and other pressured spots, seem just as likely to use 311 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 2: a little bit more of a subtle trail than the 312 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 2: deer highway that any hunter could identify in an instant. 313 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 2: That's why the intersection of trails and the planning around 314 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 2: really good ambush sites makes the whole thing start to hum. 315 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 2: If you hunt the maten trail, great, he might walk 316 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 2: right down it, but he might also skirt you by 317 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:07,760 Speaker 2: seventy five yards and if you let him know you're there, 318 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 2: you might not see him use that secondary trail. Ever, again, 319 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:13,280 Speaker 2: you want to use what he just showed you as 320 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:16,560 Speaker 2: the basis for moving over to the next trail option, 321 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:20,400 Speaker 2: and hopefully several months earlier, you walk that trail out 322 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 2: as well, so that you know when you see a 323 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:24,960 Speaker 2: toad go down it that there is a spot where 324 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 2: he had to have jumped across a small ditch and 325 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 2: twenty yards from that ditch with awesome access as a 326 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:34,199 Speaker 2: clump of bassboads that are perfect for a stand. That 327 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 2: might sound like a made up dream scenario, but it 328 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 2: doesn't have to be. You just have to put in 329 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 2: some of the work now to start figuring out individual 330 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 2: trails and use that to inform your fall strategy. So 331 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 2: do that and come back next week because I'm going 332 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 2: to talk about spring scouting specifically to find mature buck hotspots. 333 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:55,119 Speaker 3: That's it. 334 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,120 Speaker 2: I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the Wire to Hunt 335 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,640 Speaker 2: Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 336 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 2: If you want some more content, maybe you want to 337 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,199 Speaker 2: watch a hunting film, Maybe you want to listen to 338 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:08,879 Speaker 2: Brent Reeves this country life podcast and be entertained and 339 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 2: learn something on your way to work or traveling wherever. 340 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 2: Maybe you need a recipe to cook up a spring 341 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,360 Speaker 2: turkey here that you're going to be killing in no time. Whatever, 342 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 2: the medieater dot com has you covered. We drop new 343 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 2: content every single day, so much good stuff on there. 344 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 2: Go check it out, and as always, thank you, thank you, 345 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 2: thank you so much for your support. 346 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 3: We truly appreciate it. 347 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,440 Speaker 2: Here we have the best audience that you could ever 348 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,159 Speaker 2: have in the outdoors, and we love you for it. 349 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:41,880 Speaker 3: So thank you.