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 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:23,440 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about thinking for yourself. 9 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 2: This white tail season, we are finally on the cusp 10 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 2: of it. Hell, a few states already open, and the 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 2: velvet bucks have been hitting the ground in the Midwest, East, 12 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 2: and down south. Most of the whitetail opportunities will be 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 2: open within a couple of weeks, and that's great news. 14 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 2: But the bad news is that a lot of folks 15 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 2: won't fill their tags then, and they won't have a 16 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: very enjoyable season. The reasons for both are many, but 17 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 2: one that I think we really don't understand as a 18 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 2: whole is prevalent and pretty damaging. And that's something I'm 19 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 2: going to talk about right now. Way back in nineteen 20 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 2: sixty eight, many of the world's best athletes descended on 21 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 2: Mexico City to compete in the Summer Olympics. It was 22 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 2: an event of first including being held at higher elevation 23 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 2: than the Summer Olympics had ever been held at before 24 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 2: or since, at seventy three hundred and fifty feet above 25 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 2: sea level. The athletes, especially the flatlanders, felt it It 26 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 2: was the first time that a synthetic all weather surface 27 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 2: had been used for track and field events. The track 28 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 2: surface was developed by three AM for horse racing, but 29 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 2: it must not have been all that great because it 30 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 2: never really caught on. This was also the first year 31 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 2: that doping tests were introduced, and the first person to 32 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 2: get the boot from a failed test was a kidish 33 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 2: pentathlete who consumed several beers before one of his events, 34 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 2: making him, at least in my opinion, in honorary wisconsinight 35 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 2: as well. The nineteen sixty eight Olympics also featured a 36 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 2: fella who won the gold medal in the high jump 37 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 2: using an unconventional technique instead of running up toward the 38 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 2: bar and jumping over so that he was faced down 39 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 2: as he went over. It kind of I guess, like 40 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,959 Speaker 2: how a dolphin might jump along behind a boat. Dick 41 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 2: Fossburry went over back first. He called it the Fosbury flop, 42 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 2: And while it might seem dumb to us now, at 43 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 2: the time, he changed the game by simply jumping just 44 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 2: a little bit of a different way. And who knows 45 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 2: how he figured it out or how many other athletes 46 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 2: had tried it but decided they wouldn't do it because 47 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:48,799 Speaker 2: everybody does it a certain way. We know that he 48 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 2: did figure it out, and no one else at that 49 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 2: point had at least developed enough confidence to use that 50 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 2: move in any major competitions, let alone the Olympics. Now, 51 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: imagine working your whole life, which for Olympic athletes is 52 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 2: usually not that long because they're all damn near kids, 53 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 2: except for that Turkish dude this year who shot that 54 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 2: pistol even while looking a hell of a lot like 55 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: a professional hitman, or the infamous breakdancer who calls herself 56 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,920 Speaker 2: a ray gun and who really colored outside the lines 57 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 2: with their dance moves. Anyway, imagine working so hard to 58 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 2: make the Olympics, no matter what your age, and then 59 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 2: you compete like everyone else, and then you get beat 60 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 2: by some dude who just decided to, I don't know, 61 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 2: reinvent the jumping style. It's pretty wild. But we see 62 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 2: this in sports. Sometimes we see it in other things 63 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 2: too that aren't really sports, like golf, but also deer hunting, 64 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 2: which actually takes some real skill instead of just hitting 65 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 2: a ball into a hole while driving a little electric 66 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 2: car around and drinking with your buddies while wearing polo shirts. 67 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 2: The way things have changed in the whitetail world is interesting. 68 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 2: We went from figuring out where deer like to walk 69 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 2: to changing the landscape to make deer walk to us 70 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 2: in like the last twenty years. Not everyone does this, 71 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 2: of course, but a lot of folks do. We kind 72 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 2: of figured out how to hack white tails, and with 73 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 2: enough money or land, which usually go hand in hand, 74 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 2: you can do this too, and a lot of people do. 75 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 2: Here's where things get a little squirrely, though. Just because 76 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 2: other folks engage in some type of tactic that results 77 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 2: in a lot of big dead deer doesn't mean that 78 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 2: it means anything to you, or that you should be 79 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 2: doing things the same way. An obvious example here is 80 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,159 Speaker 2: the difference between hunting public land and hunting good private land. 81 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 2: They aren't the same thing in almost any way, and 82 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 2: yet it's pretty common for people to try to adopt 83 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,719 Speaker 2: some of the private land techniques to use in the 84 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 2: public land space. Now, is there some crossover? Sure, you're 85 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 2: both just hunting deer. A cold front might be as 86 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 2: good for you as it is for them. The acorns 87 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 2: might just be the ticket for you and for them. 88 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 2: The rot happens at the same time the public land 89 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 2: as it does on the private There are similarities, but 90 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 2: it seems like a lot of hunters try to draw 91 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 2: connections where there are none, or the thread connecting the 92 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 2: two is so thin that a slight puff of wind 93 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 2: could split it. I've started to think of this as 94 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 2: a not you, not now situation. Let me give you 95 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 2: an example that i've You know, I've brought it up 96 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 2: a few times, but it really kind of stuck with me, 97 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 2: and I want to use it one more time. Last season, 98 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 2: a buddy of mine texted me that he was headed 99 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 2: to his farm to hunt a Brassica plot in early October. 100 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 2: His reasoning was that he saw an Instagram post about 101 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 2: one of the big whitetail names killing a very big 102 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 2: deer in the Brassicas Now, the difference in available land 103 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 2: between my buddy and that fella is literally thousands of acres. 104 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 2: They are also in different states, and while my buddy 105 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 2: stuff is really good, you know, it's Wisconsin land and 106 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 2: it's top not stuff, it's not really, really really good 107 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 2: southern Iowa Land. I don't know the details of the 108 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 2: big buck in the social post, and I don't care. 109 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 2: I can fill in the blanks enough to know that 110 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 2: deer might have been in there to eat brassicas, or 111 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,359 Speaker 2: he might have been in there to walk through the 112 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 2: Brassicas to go eat something else. I will bet good 113 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 2: money that the guy who killed that buck gets paid 114 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 2: by a food plot seed company and honestly might even 115 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 2: own one. That entire hunt might have been built around 116 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 2: selling people food plot seed, and might not have had 117 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 2: anything to do with how much deer like brassicas. I 118 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 2: don't know. What I do know is that my buddy 119 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 2: didn't go in and shoot a two hundred inch buck 120 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 2: off of his brassicas. It doesn't work like that. Let 121 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 2: me frame this up another way. When Dan Infault started 122 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 2: getting a lot of attention for killing big bucks on 123 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 2: a betting pattern, I thought it was great a bullshit. 124 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 2: The reason I thought that was because I couldn't figure 125 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 2: out how to use it in my life. It just 126 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 2: didn't click for me, and while I tried to scout 127 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 2: beds and try to make some sort of effort to 128 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 2: understand that part of a deer's life better, I failed badly. 129 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 2: Instead of becoming a stone cold killer around bed patterns, 130 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 2: I got frustrated. But I've also paid a lot more 131 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 2: attention to beds in the last ten years or so 132 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 2: and have just tried to acknowledge that in my hunting strategy. 133 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 2: It's just not really my style at all. It's just 134 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 2: a hole in my game. The lesson in there is 135 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 2: maybe a little hidden, but it goes like this. When 136 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 2: you take a really good hunter and they work really 137 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 2: hard to develop a hunting style or some set of skills, 138 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 2: you probably won't be able to emulate it very well. 139 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 2: That's not to say that you shouldn't try, because you should. 140 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 2: Doing different stuff is important, especially if that stuff is challenging. 141 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 2: I think that every private land hunter out there would 142 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 2: benefit greatly from going on one public land hunt. The 143 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 2: world that that opens up can never fully be closed, 144 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 2: and that's a good thing. I think you should try 145 00:07:57,720 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 2: new stuff, and you should pay attention to what other 146 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 2: people are doing, but you should also try to understand 147 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 2: how it's relevant to you or how it might not 148 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 2: matter at all to your hunting situation. So let's look 149 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 2: at this another way. Hit listers are all of the 150 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 2: rage right now. Right it seems like everyone is naming 151 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 2: bucks and passing bucks and talking like they are a 152 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 2: celebrity power couple on the Sportsmouth channel. You might really 153 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 2: aspire to that lifestyle too. And I get it. I mean, 154 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 2: after all, who doesn't want to be able to pass 155 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 2: up four year old bucks so they can shoot them 156 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 2: when they are five? Who doesn't want years of history 157 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 2: with certain deer to a point where they just become 158 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,960 Speaker 2: giants and are worthy of a tag. But here's the thing. 159 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,720 Speaker 2: There are only two kinds of hunters who hunt this style. 160 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 2: People who have really good spots to hunt, or people 161 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 2: who really don't understand that they don't have very good 162 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 2: spots to hunt. If you're able to pass up three 163 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 2: year old bucks at all, that's incredible. If you can 164 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 2: do it and expect that some of them will come 165 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:01,079 Speaker 2: back next year, you probably have a good spot to hunt. 166 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 2: There's no way around that. Now. If you're out there 167 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 2: trying this style and your basis for it is that 168 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:09,599 Speaker 2: a lot of other people do it, and you're just 169 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 2: using trail cameras to build your hit list off of 170 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 2: nighttime buck images, you know when they swing through once 171 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 2: a month. I have bad news for you. That's a 172 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 2: not you, not now a situation. Maybe you'll get a 173 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 2: spot where that's entirely possible someday, and I hope you 174 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 2: do if that's what you want, but you have to 175 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 2: be honest about what you're working with. Now. Where this 176 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 2: gets even muddier is let's say you hunt a state 177 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 2: that is known for having a lot of hunters. You 178 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 2: got your Pennsylvania's and your Michigan's whatever, or you hunt 179 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:42,600 Speaker 2: a state that just generally isn't known for having booners 180 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 2: behind every tree, like some of the southern states, you know, 181 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 2: South Carolina, Mississippi, whatever. There are generalities that apply to 182 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 2: all states and all regions. But the white tail is 183 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 2: a small ground kind of critter. Even the biggest home 184 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 2: ranges of white tails, according to a hell a lot 185 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 2: of studies, might top out at around nine hundred acres. 186 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 2: That's a big home range, and a lot of bucks 187 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 2: live on less land than that. In other words, a 188 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 2: deer born on a section of land might spend his 189 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 2: entire life there, or he might, as a young buck, 190 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 2: end up in a section of land when he's a 191 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 2: year and a half old and spend the rest of 192 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 2: his life from that point on there. Someone who owns 193 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 2: or leases that section or maybe half a section, has 194 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 2: a hell of a lot better chance of naming deer 195 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 2: and keeping tabs on them until they are mature. They 196 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,199 Speaker 2: can do that in the most pressured state out there, 197 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 2: because it's about the land they have access to, and 198 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 2: that's it. You can take a terrible hunting state and 199 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:50,959 Speaker 2: create a little oasis because it really doesn't take that 200 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:54,680 Speaker 2: much land, and suddenly you don't have typical Michigan or 201 00:10:54,679 --> 00:11:00,680 Speaker 2: South Carolina hunting. But is that your situation. Probably not. Again, 202 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 2: it's not like you shouldn't try this if you want to. Hell, 203 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 2: you could go try to build some inventory on public 204 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 2: land and target specific bucks. The key point I'm trying 205 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 2: to make here is you might not really be able 206 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,719 Speaker 2: to do this at all, or more likely, you might 207 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 2: be able to just borrow a few key elements from 208 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 2: this style and apply them to your own hunting. Now, 209 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 2: this is something I can't stress enough and is really 210 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 2: kind of the gist of this whole podcast. You don't 211 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 2: want to follow someone else's path, and most likely you 212 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,679 Speaker 2: couldn't even if you tried. Being aware of what other 213 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,080 Speaker 2: people are doing in their techniques is a great thing. 214 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 2: It's a great thing, but you have to figure out 215 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 2: where the line is between you and them. This is 216 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 2: a good strategy on many levels, but maybe the most 217 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:49,079 Speaker 2: important is that it mitigates some of the frustration. Most 218 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 2: of us know how frustrating it can be to scroll 219 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 2: through Instagram the first week in November and just see 220 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 2: grip and grin after grip and grin after grip and grin. 221 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 2: It can pretty easily feel like you're you're the only 222 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:04,559 Speaker 2: one not posting photos of one hundred and forty inches. 223 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,439 Speaker 2: But you're not, and it's not even close. The truth 224 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 2: is that there are very few hunters who are really 225 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 2: unbelievably good at hunting. Most of the best hunters you 226 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 2: know of have access to really good properties, which is 227 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 2: the key to consistent success for most folks. That's just 228 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 2: the way it is, but we don't want to look 229 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:25,680 Speaker 2: at it that way. Now. I'm not saying the folks 230 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 2: with great land can't be great hunters, but the way 231 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 2: we look at It is just kind of silly to me. 232 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 2: It would be like someone only fishing private farm ponds. 233 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 2: If you saw them posing with ten pound large mouth 234 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 2: every year, it would be easy to assume they are 235 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,600 Speaker 2: really good at bass fishing. But are they? I don't know. 236 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 2: They might be good fishermen, but there's no denying the 237 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 2: huge benefit to fishing where no one else can fish 238 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 2: and where the bass are babiesat their entire life, so 239 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 2: they grow real big. You know, that's not the same 240 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:57,440 Speaker 2: thing as going out on Lake of the Ozarks and 241 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 2: catching a ten pound er you know, every season, or 242 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 2: let alone any given season. Ever, It's just a different beast. 243 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 2: And hunting is like that, and your hunting is highly 244 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 2: specific to you and your region. Your effort, your access 245 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 2: to ground, your experience level, and your commitment to the 246 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 2: whole thing. All of these factors should feed into your 247 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 2: goals and your decision making process. I'll give you an easy, 248 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 2: relatable one here. Everyone wants to kill big bucks for 249 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 2: obvious reasons, and almost no one kills big bucks for 250 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:34,440 Speaker 2: obvious reasons. There is a huge disconnect in that department 251 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 2: for an awful lot of hunters. Most of them would 252 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,640 Speaker 2: be way better off calibrating their goals to their actual 253 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 2: hunting situation. But that's hard. We tend to lean into 254 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 2: our egos here, but that just leads us down a 255 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 2: frustrating path. So we think, well, this guy kills big 256 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 2: bucks this way, so I'm going to try it. But 257 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 2: you don't have the time, or the skills, or the 258 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:56,880 Speaker 2: spot or the understanding of the tactic, and so it 259 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 2: doesn't work well. Instead of meeting your hunting self you're 260 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 2: at at the moment, you try to cheat the system 261 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 2: and make it happen, but it usually doesn't, and it 262 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 2: almost never does with any level of consistency. Now I 263 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 2: want to make this clear. Now I'm not advocating for 264 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,679 Speaker 2: making excuses. I'm really not. I think hunters love making 265 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,199 Speaker 2: excuses for not hunting and for not killing big ones, 266 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 2: and for missing when they shouldn't and on and on. 267 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 2: Don't do that doesn't do you any good. In fact, 268 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 2: what I'm really talking about is doing the best you 269 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 2: can to have some fun and challenge yourself and hopefully 270 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 2: succeed at a realistic level given your situation. You know, 271 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 2: in spite of the fact that you could point to 272 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 2: ten reasons in your life why you shouldn't be able 273 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 2: to kill a big buck today or this week or 274 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 2: whatever this season. Everyone has those excuses and a lot 275 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 2: of us use them, but you shouldn't. Instead pivot, don't 276 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 2: be like everyone else. Look at the actual effort you're 277 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 2: willing to put in. Ask yourself, what the odds are 278 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 2: that the bucks you really want to kill? You know, 279 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 2: the ones you have on camera occasionally, are they actually 280 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 2: in play? Like are they maybe? Or maybe they were 281 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 2: and they aren't now. Or maybe the one big buck 282 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 2: you have on camera is super inconsistent and you don't 283 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 2: have much land or time, but there are a few 284 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 2: scrappers who show up a lot more. Maybe that's just 285 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 2: it for you, And maybe killing them from a tree 286 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 2: stand during the rut isn't much of a challenge and 287 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 2: that doesn't appeal to you. So go kill one from 288 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 2: the ground, or kill one some other way. Maybe use 289 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 2: calling or a decoy or something. Use whatever you have 290 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 2: to get better at hunting, instead of hunting someone else's 291 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 2: way and never really leveling up because you've used success 292 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 2: as black and white. Dead big buck or no dead 293 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 2: big buck. That's a bad way to look at it, 294 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 2: because it's a great way to keep hunting someone else's hunt. 295 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 2: This is the final point I really want to drive home. 296 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 2: As we slide into the actual deer season here, you 297 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 2: probably have some stands out, you probably have some deer scouted, 298 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 2: You have some pieces in place to fill your tag. 299 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 2: But reality will set in and that rock solid pattern 300 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 2: and those bachelor bucks can die in an instant. One 301 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 2: wind shift and it might be over. You might be 302 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 2: planning to kill one on a pond, but the weather 303 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 2: is going to be cooler than ever, maybe super rainier both. 304 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 2: Maybe you plan once again to wait for the rut 305 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 2: to hunt because you think that's your best chance, and 306 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 2: that's what all of the big voices in the outdoor 307 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 2: space preach. But it hasn't worked well most of the 308 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 2: time for you. That might be a not you, not 309 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 2: now reality. When the season actually it's and our preseason 310 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 2: plans tend to die, we often turn to scramble mode. 311 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,040 Speaker 2: We panic and try to do what we see working 312 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 2: for other folks, but that often just doesn't work well 313 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 2: for us. There are too many variables that create real 314 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 2: differences between us and them, you and him. You know 315 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 2: you get my drift. Changing your mindset now is a 316 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 2: good start. It'll help you navigate the reality of dear 317 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 2: season and help you make choices that are the best 318 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 2: for you, even if someone else says you should never 319 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 2: hunt mornings in the early season or never snort we 320 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 2: he's at two year old Bucks in September. Run your 321 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 2: own race, my friends, because that's how you're going to 322 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,159 Speaker 2: have the most fun in this stuff, and that's how 323 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 2: you'll end up getting a lot better at it, which 324 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:11,880 Speaker 2: is pretty fun. Borrow what you need, Absorb some influence 325 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 2: from others, but be careful about trying to be too 326 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 2: much like other folks, or worse, sacrificing your own identity 327 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 2: and a loss cause attempt to be like someone who 328 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 2: you really have nothing in common with except a love 329 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 2: for deer. Do that and come back next week because 330 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 2: I'm going to talk about acorns and apples and all 331 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: kinds of mess. That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. 332 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 2: This has been the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which 333 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,240 Speaker 2: is brought to you by First Light. I'm so happy 334 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,119 Speaker 2: that you guys are checking in every week and listening 335 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 2: to this podcast and watching market and Ize White Tailed 336 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 2: du series over on the meeteater dot com or at 337 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 2: meat Eater's YouTube channel if you just want to get 338 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 2: your fill a white tail content, or hell, maybe just 339 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:56,880 Speaker 2: fill the time as you're driving out west to hunt 340 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 2: elk and you want to listen to some podcasts, whatever 341 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 2: you need need to tickle your little hunting fancy, the 342 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 2: meeteater dot com has you covered. Head on over check 343 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 2: it out.