1 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your home for 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:11,479 Speaker 1: deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon. Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: your host, Mark Kenyan. Today in the show, we're here 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: for Fresh Radio, in which we're getting updates from hunters 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: all across the country on the latest deer activity, current conditions, 7 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: and the tactics that can work for you Right now, 8 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: all right, welcome to the Wire to Hunt podcast, brought 9 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: to you by onyx Or. Here for what will be 10 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: basically our first December edition of Fresh Radio, we're gonna 11 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: hear from a group of deer hunters from across the 12 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: country on what's happening right now, what they've been seeing 13 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: in the woods, how dear behaving, how can conditions are 14 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: impacting how they're hunting, and and what they and you 15 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: can be doing over the coming days to fill that tag. 16 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 1: I know there's still a lot of you out there 17 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: grinding a way, still trying to get a buck, or 18 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 1: still trying to fill a freezer, so we want to 19 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: help you do that. Uh, there certainly are still opportunities 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: to do that. So Spencer, Uh, what's what's the game 21 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: plan for today. Where's your head at You've still got 22 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 1: some kind of post rout hunts ahead of you, right, Yeah, 23 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: I'm headed to Kansas after we finish recording this. I'm 24 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: gonna be hunting with Tom and Nate Craig from Identical Draw. Uh. 25 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: And I'm stoked because it's Kansas, it's landed giants, and 26 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: I'll be carrying a rifle. So I'm really excited. Um, 27 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: But typically this time of year, I'm not that excited. 28 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: I'm not someone who has had a lot of success 29 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: in December. Um, so December makes me sad. But you mark, 30 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 1: you have had a lot of success in December. I 31 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: think you've killed probably your biggest year ever in December. 32 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: What was that two years ago? Yeah? Two years ago. Yeah. 33 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: And and one of the fact actors that I think 34 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: catches the interests of a lot of hunters, and it's 35 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: it's maybe like a bigger topic than it is like 36 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: a reality for most white tailors. But that's the secondary rot. 37 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: Can you talk to us this week about like what 38 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: is the secondary rot, what factors go into it, how 39 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: you should hunt it? Um, what sort of determines if 40 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: you see a strong secondary rot or no secondary rout? 41 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: At all. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So the second rut, 42 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,239 Speaker 1: the secondary rut, whatever you wanna call it, is typically 43 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: a product of dough fawns. So dear that are about 44 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: six months old coming into estrus and and these deer 45 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: are reaching sexual maturity about a month later than the 46 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: rest of the adult those in the population. So if 47 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,519 Speaker 1: you have a healthy, balanced population that you know, has 48 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: all the nutrition needs and everything, these dear need to 49 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: to be healthy and to reach that maturity at this point. 50 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:01,839 Speaker 1: If you have that, you're gonna get these faunds coming 51 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: into esther some a few. If you don't, if you've 52 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: got a wildly out of balanced deer herd, if deer 53 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: lacking nutrition, uh, if if things have been skewed in 54 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 1: one way or another, you very well may not have 55 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: any of these doughs coming into heat late. Um. But 56 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: maybe where you're heading Spencer to Kansas, there's lots of 57 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: great food, lots of good cover. You know, the cricks 58 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: are managing their deer herd well, it's probably relatively balanced. 59 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: I'm betting that there could be some young fawns that 60 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: are just gonna be hitting it now. And this is 61 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: one of those things that I don't go into the 62 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: year planning on it. I don't go into December like, 63 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: oh man, it's the second rout, I'm gonna be hunting 64 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: all day. It's gonna be crazy. No, it's one of 65 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: those things that I have a regular December late season 66 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: plan in place, and then I'm gonna keep my eye 67 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: out for one of these little flurries. If I'd happen 68 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: to see this flurry of writting activity in the first 69 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: or second week of December, I'll know in my head. 70 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, this might be one of these magical 71 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: doe fons is coming into heat, and now i want 72 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: to take advantage of it because I've got a day 73 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: or two where things might be extra special. Um, but 74 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: it's quick. These are little blips on the radar that 75 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: you can take advantage of if you notice them. But 76 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: I wouldn't plan my whole, you know, strategy around it. 77 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: This is this is one of those bonus things that 78 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 1: you may or may not see, but if you do, 79 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: you gotta jump on it. And if you see it, 80 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: if you see a little doephon running around with a 81 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 1: bunch of bucks chasinger, now you have a twenty four 82 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: or thirty six hour window where your things might be, 83 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: like the rut was on November seven. So if I 84 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: see a dough with a buck locked on her or 85 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 1: a bunch of bucks chasing her, I'm gonna move right 86 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: in on that, and I'm going to try to be 87 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: in the middle of that running activity, or I'm going 88 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,720 Speaker 1: to try to reposition to be along the route that 89 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: that dough took when she comes back to wherever she 90 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: came from. Um, just like I might have done in 91 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: November seven. Let's say there's a buck locked on a dough. 92 00:04:58,160 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: If I saw that in November seven, and I wal 93 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: that dough, you know, head out, or maybe maybe I 94 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: watched her in the morning head into a bedding area, 95 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,239 Speaker 1: I would then think to myself, based off of wind, 96 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: based off of you know, all the different things you 97 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: think about when trying to plan an evening hunt after 98 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,239 Speaker 1: seeing something like that. My best guests lots of times 99 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 1: if I see a buck locked down a doze that 100 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: that dough doesn't want to travel a whole lot, she'll 101 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: probably come back out in a somewhat similar way that 102 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: evening to feed in that food source. If it's if 103 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 1: there's a food source that she was coming off of, 104 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: it you can hunt. This is exactly what happened. Like 105 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: you mentioned a couple of years ago, I spotted this great, 106 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:34,480 Speaker 1: big ten pointer locked on a dough in the morning, 107 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: I watched him go back to bed. So for the 108 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,799 Speaker 1: evening hunt, I slipped in there and and got pretty aggressive. 109 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: It was a bad wind. I would never hunt this 110 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: area with that wind, but I knew that they were 111 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 1: in there. I knew they weren't moving far, and I 112 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: knew that I had this little brief window where there 113 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,479 Speaker 1: was a buck that I wanted to kill locked on 114 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 1: a dough. Is December, I don't know, eighth or ninth 115 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: or something somewhere in that window, and I knew he 116 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: was gonna be with her. So I found I figured 117 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: out a way. I cut the wind just right to 118 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,040 Speaker 1: cut down this creek, and I thought I could probably 119 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: get away with it. It was it was a swing 120 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: for the fences kind of move. I normally wouldn't do 121 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: that in late season December unless you have something like 122 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: this where you know there's this disproportionately high chance of 123 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: the buck you're after popping back out. And so that's 124 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: what I did, and that's what he did. So my 125 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: suggestion for people out there hunting right now is go 126 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: into your December hunts with a typical late season plan. 127 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: What that means for me is keying in on the 128 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: very best food source. Late season is all about food. 129 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: They are needing to put on the feedbag recuperating from 130 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: the main rut, so they want to eat, and then 131 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: they also typically want to avoid people. They want to 132 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: avoid all the hunters that have been out there crazy 133 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,039 Speaker 1: chasing them for weeks and weeks and weeks. So if 134 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: you can somehow find that magical combination of an unpressured 135 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: area or some kind of sanctuary where these dear feels safe. 136 00:06:57,560 --> 00:06:59,359 Speaker 1: I just wrote an article about this on the Mediator 137 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: webs like, um, if you can some off find that sanctuary, 138 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: whether that's literally a property where no hunting is allowed, 139 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: or maybe it's a pocket of a swamp where nobody 140 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: ever goes into, but but something that keeps these deers safe. 141 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: If you can find that and find an attractive food 142 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: source that's close to it, you've got the the ingredients 143 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: for high quality hunts at this point. So focus on 144 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: that kind of thing, but keep an eye out for 145 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: the second rut. Keep an eye out for that doll 146 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: that comes into heat and adjust based off of that. 147 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: That's that's the kind of thing I'm thinking about this 148 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: time of year. If I'm trying to fill a buck tag, 149 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: um and I mean keeping out for that yourself, Spencer, 150 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: I think you're gonna have the ingredients for a great hunt. 151 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: Knowing what I know about this place you're gonna go to. 152 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 1: There's good food, there's good cover, there's good deer. I 153 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: know they're smart about how pressure has been applied. So who, 154 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,119 Speaker 1: I'll tell you what I Uh, I'd be pretty excited 155 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: if how were you hopping in the truck here soon? 156 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: Very excited? Um And I think it's important to stress 157 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: when we talk about the secondary rut just how local 158 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: of a thing this can be. Right. It can be 159 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: happening literally on one property, but not the next property over. 160 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: It can be happening, um, a couple of places in 161 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: one county, but then have a wide swath of ground 162 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: where there's not any secondary rut, and then there's you know, 163 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: some secondary rout some other place. UM. So this is 164 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 1: rarely like a regional or national event. With that said, 165 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: last year, Mark, you and I hypothesized that there would 166 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: be sort of a strong secondary rut for much of 167 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: the Midwest because there was such a late crop harvest, um, 168 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: and so what that created in early in mid November 169 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 1: was a rut that was not very visible. And we 170 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: figured that with that that meant that there was, um, 171 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: you know, a better chance that some does went on 172 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 1: bread and would cycle a secondary time. I say that 173 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,840 Speaker 1: because if last year this was something that you really 174 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: witnessed and uh, you know you it's like, oh man, 175 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: how have I missed this in the past, that all 176 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: these bucks are chasing in mid December and there's this 177 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: great rutting activity. Um, if you were an area that 178 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: had standing corn that made it, you know, to Thanksgiving 179 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: or whatever, you may not witness that again. In Yeah. Yeah, 180 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 1: that's it's a really important point. This is something that 181 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: is it's it's few and far between, so that that's 182 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: that's like the more of this whole story is don't 183 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: count on it, but keep an eye out for it, 184 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: and if you see it, you gotta pounce. You've got 185 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: this little window, jump on it, get aggressive, take advantage 186 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 1: of it. But don't be disappointed if you never do 187 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: see anything like it, because there will be plenty of 188 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: you listening that will not see this at all, but 189 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: there might be a couple that do. And I want 190 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: to make sure the couple of you that do know 191 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,680 Speaker 1: how to handle it and jump in there and get 192 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 1: a crack at the deer you're after. So that's what 193 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:47,079 Speaker 1: I'm counting on, and I'm hoping for all of you. 194 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: I'm I'm tagged out here in Michigan as far as bucks, 195 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: so I won't be taking advantage of that, but I 196 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: do want to get out and try to kill some doughs. Uh. 197 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: So I'm looking forward to finding some unpressured pockets near 198 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: good food, but using this to uh fill an antler, 199 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: this tiger too. It's great advice. Mark. Who we talked 200 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: to you this week is Tyler Shepherd from Indiana White 201 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: Tails in Indiana, Andrew Maxwell and Alabama from the Southern Outdoorsman, 202 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: Dylan Tramp from the Outdoor Forum in South Dakota, and 203 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: then in New York from Tagging Brigg is David g Rizzo. Excellent. 204 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: All right, man, Well let's get to it and get 205 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: you on the road so you can go fill that 206 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,199 Speaker 1: Kansas tag. I'm jealous. I wish I was heading to 207 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 1: uh the Big Back, big Buck fantasy Land like that, 208 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: but I'll be watching from afar and cross my fingers 209 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: for you. I'm still thank you Mark, and I'll talk 210 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:39,559 Speaker 1: to you next week, see you alright and joining us online. 211 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: First is Tyler Shepherd in Indiana from Indiana White Tails 212 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: now Tyler in Indiana. What would you say the buck 213 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 1: activity has man lately on a scale of one to ten, 214 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: lately has been probably about a six. Um been seeing 215 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,080 Speaker 1: quite a few bucks on different property. It just depends 216 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: on what property you're on, um and what kind of 217 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:03,439 Speaker 1: food you're haunting over the ruts really about about over um. 218 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: But we we connected this weekend. All had to do 219 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: with food. Yeah, not not bad, but upcoming the next 220 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 1: few hunts here when you get on all food, it's 221 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 1: gonna be real good. That was a great buck that 222 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: you just killed in Indiana. Tell us about that set up. 223 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: We were hunting in the redneck easy access, not going 224 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: deep hunting the edges um with hunting over a clover 225 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: and uh corn food plot and he, I mean we 226 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: were pretty close to the bedding, but he was going 227 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: going to the food real quick, checking for dose whatever 228 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: is left and uh I took him out there probably 229 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: the first half hour of Saturday morning. So came in 230 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:48,719 Speaker 1: looking for those and and never made it out of 231 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 1: the field. What are the best food sources that hunters 232 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,640 Speaker 1: in that area should be focused on right now? I mean, 233 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: if you got food plots like we do, um, go 234 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 1: go hunt those. If you've got grains, they're not really 235 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: hitting my turn ups or anything right now. Um. But 236 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 1: but if you got cut corn, I'm I'm always a 237 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: sucker for cut corn. If you can go on a 238 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: cut cornfield, I've been seeing tons of deer in them. 239 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: So if you got those, access to them. Whatever, hunt 240 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 1: the edges and and get those cut corn fields. Have 241 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: you been seeing any signmaking since Thanksgiving? Um? No, I 242 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: have seen no signmaking, No new scrapes, rubs, nothing trull 243 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: cameras is I had to move all my all my 244 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 1: cameras off of scrapes and rubs last week or two 245 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: weeks ago or so, transitioning them back all the food 246 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 1: Historically in Indiana, do you see any kind of a 247 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: secondary rut? I mean, you see not really a rut, 248 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: I don't usually, Um, but I see a lot of 249 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: cruising around. They're still with those, but I've never seen 250 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:58,079 Speaker 1: actually chasing, you know, no breeding or anything going on 251 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: after I mean, i'd say after this last weekend there, 252 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: you're pretty well done with the breeding cycle. As we 253 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: get into December, what does a morning set up look 254 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: like for you? Strictly me, I I don't hunt mornings 255 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: come December unless I got something on camera daylight. Uh, 256 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: I'm pretty much November late October morning hunting and then 257 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,800 Speaker 1: I back off and let's the deer feel safe and 258 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: I don't want to spook anything, so I stay off 259 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: of it until evening hunts. So what would it take 260 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 1: for you to go do a morning hunt. I'd have 261 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: to get at least consistent pictures in the morning of 262 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 1: a buck showing up. That's the only way I'd go 263 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: in the morning going forward. Then this next week or so, 264 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: what do you think that buck activty is going to 265 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: be on a scale of one to ten in Indiana? 266 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: Buck activity of the weather. It all depends on weather 267 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: right now. But if it stays cold and those bucks 268 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 1: gotta get up on their feet sometime to go eat, 269 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:00,839 Speaker 1: so be where the to be, where the doughs and 270 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: the food are and they I mean, your luck should 271 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: be really good, all right, Tyler, congrats again on the 272 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: great buck. Good luck with the rest of your season, 273 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: and thanks for joining me. Thank you alright and joining 274 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 1: us on the line. Next is Andrew Maxwell from The 275 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 1: Southern Outdoorsman in Alabama. Now, Andrew in Alabama, what would 276 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: you say the buck activity is ben lately? On a 277 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: scale of one to ten, I would say it's probably 278 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: a seven. Um, We've had, um, I mean some encounters 279 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: lately in my friend group. Um, of course I killed one, 280 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: uh two days ago, and our cameras have been showing 281 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: a pretty decent amount of daylight movement. I mean, of 282 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: course in the thick cover you know where they're supposed 283 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: to be quote unquote Um, but yeah, I mean I 284 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: would say a seven. There's there's actually a decent amount 285 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: of nice bucks that hit the grounds on the w mail. 286 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,960 Speaker 1: It's hunting this weekend, So it's looking pretty good for 287 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: my particular area. Congrats on that great buck that you 288 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: just killed. Tell us about that setup. So that particular 289 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: buck I was hunting a basically a giant thicket. I 290 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: mean down here we have like almost we have we 291 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: have mostly thickets with little strips of hardway was running 292 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: through them. Uh. And so I got up to the 293 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: head of this draw that runs up into a large 294 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: cutover and I basically got at the very tip of that, 295 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: picked out a tree on the very edge and the 296 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 1: trees in front of it, and got up and I 297 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,880 Speaker 1: was watching a like what we call a compounding feature. 298 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: We talked about it all the time on our show. 299 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: Is like a like a saddle with like another saddle 300 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: running into it, or like a bench running into a 301 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: saddle or something like that. So that's what the spot was. 302 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: It was a compounding feature. There's multiple terrain funnels going 303 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 1: to this one spot within a thicket. Um. And not 304 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 1: only was it in a thicket, but there was also 305 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: kind of habitat diversity in the thicket itself. Um. So 306 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 1: there's edges in front of me out in the cut 307 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: that I'm watching, and this buck he came through right 308 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 1: at prime time, I mean right when they're supposed to 309 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: come through, like right at sundown. You got that last 310 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: thirty minutes of light. He walked out and he was 311 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: basically just working uh an edge within that cutover coming 312 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: right through the saddle like he was supposed to. And 313 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: uh he was actually I think he's getting ready to 314 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: make a scrape when I shot him. He was actually 315 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: uh being on his tarsels. So it was a great hunt. 316 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: Um of course, like I said, in a thick cover. 317 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: And another interesting spot, uh, an interesting like little tidbit 318 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 1: about that spot is that he was only two hundred 319 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: yards off the road. I mean, there's people driving right 320 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: past me. But the way that you have to access 321 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:31,640 Speaker 1: that you kind of have to swing in through more 322 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 1: thick cover. And and we're finding more and more that 323 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: those spots just right off roads that are overlooked and 324 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: hard to get to because of terrain and or vegetation 325 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: or some of the best spots. So what phase of 326 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: the route would you say that you're part of Alabama 327 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: is in as well as the rest of the state. 328 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 1: From my particular part here in central Alabama, we're definitely 329 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: kind of on the edge of pre rut and rutt Um. 330 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: We're at the point now where bucks had been fighting 331 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 1: for like a week, week and a half, two weeks um. 332 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: Some of the small all our bucks are out cruising 333 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: kind of doing their thing, and we should have some 334 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: of those that are already starting to come in right now. 335 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: I mean pek rutt should be I mean around December 336 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 1: tenth round at it's really like primetime December tenth is 337 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,480 Speaker 1: like that day where a lot of guys kill nice 338 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: bucks that weekend. Um. So yeah, we're right on the edge. Now. 339 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: The rest of Alabama, the vast majority of the rest 340 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,680 Speaker 1: of Alabama is still, as a minimum a month out. 341 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 1: A lot of places they are a month and a 342 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,000 Speaker 1: half out from the rut. So, um, I mean where 343 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: we're at, we're seeing a lot of sign popping up already, 344 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:35,360 Speaker 1: Scrapes are getting opened up, lots of fresh rubs. There's 345 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 1: a lot of fresh rubs where I killed this buck 346 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: two days ago. Um. But for the rest of the state, 347 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be more of your typical I mean, 348 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:45,719 Speaker 1: it's not really early season, but it's kind of like 349 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 1: that same mindset. I mean in some places, you know, 350 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 1: bucks might even still be together. Uh, they're they're leaving 351 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 1: a lot of sign in the daytime areas that they're 352 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: hanging out, but they're not they're not doing anything related 353 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 1: to the rut whatsoever. Across most of about Bama. You 354 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: mentioned that the buck that you just killed was hitting 355 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,120 Speaker 1: a scrape. How much do signmaking factor into your decision 356 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,159 Speaker 1: making this time of year in Alabama? A lot um 357 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:12,760 Speaker 1: A lot of these areas that we're hunting. We have 358 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: past history with like, for instance, this spot last year, 359 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: we ran cameras in it, and we had a lot 360 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: of bucks uh in this area last year at the 361 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: same time in daylight. So we figured that you know, 362 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 1: this year would be good. And sure enough, the first 363 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: time I went in there was able to get him. 364 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: But there's a lot of sign in there, I mean 365 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: right now. When we go into spots, usually we have 366 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:36,679 Speaker 1: an idea that there should be deer in there, just 367 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 1: based off you know, the map or past history with 368 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: the spot, but we definitely want to see rubs and 369 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: scrapes this time of year and there. I mean, if 370 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 1: I had gone in there yesterday and not seeing the 371 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 1: amount of fresh road, if I if I go intore 372 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:52,640 Speaker 1: yesterday and not seen a single fresh road, my confidence 373 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: level would have dropped tremendously. Um. And if I if 374 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: I wasn't too late getting in, then I probably would 375 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,440 Speaker 1: have bounced and went to a different spot. But thankfully 376 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: the sign was there. Um. So yeah, I mean it 377 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,040 Speaker 1: plays a huge part for us right now. I mean, 378 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:08,119 Speaker 1: we wanting to see those those scraps and fresh rubs 379 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:12,720 Speaker 1: popping up, um and tracks two tracks or really in 380 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 1: a way of tracks for us are more relevant than 381 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 1: anything else because we've got so many dirt roads to 382 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: go through, all these cutovers and thickets, and and being 383 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:24,360 Speaker 1: able to walk down that road and read those tracks 384 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: and see how fresh they are and get really the 385 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:31,159 Speaker 1: best representation possible of like, are there deer in the 386 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 1: thicket right now? You know, you find a track that 387 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,520 Speaker 1: looks extremely fresh, there's a really good chance that that 388 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 1: deer is laying within two hundred yards of you. And 389 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: that's that's probably one of the more useful tools that 390 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: we've used here lately. I mean, that's how I killed 391 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: the buck out there last year. And um, I mean 392 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:49,400 Speaker 1: we've used similar tactics this year and they're probably gonna 393 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 1: continue to do so. So I mean, for me, tracks 394 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,160 Speaker 1: are actually kind of number one. Now as we approach 395 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 1: peak rut, will you do any calling or decoin? Probably 396 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:00,920 Speaker 1: won't do any decoin just because it's so thick here. 397 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 1: There's really not many places where you can put a 398 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:05,640 Speaker 1: decoy where they would be able to see it outside 399 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: of like ten yards. Um. Calling, Yeah, I'm actually already 400 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: doing a lot of calling. Um, We've been grunting and 401 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: rattling a good bit I haven't had any success yet. Um, 402 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: several years ago, I killed a nice buck actually on 403 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving rattling around here, and I've done it since then. 404 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,239 Speaker 1: I just haven't had much luck with it, but I'm 405 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 1: gonna keep doing it. Um right up, I mean right up, 406 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,119 Speaker 1: thus the right, just because I think it's a I 407 00:20:30,119 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: think it'll work. We've talked to a lot of people 408 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:35,199 Speaker 1: lately who swear by it, and I haven't had success 409 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: with it in a while, but I'm gonna continue to 410 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 1: do it going forward. Then, in a sex week or so, 411 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: what do you think that BUCKETTVT is going to be 412 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 1: on a scale of one to ten in Alabama? From 413 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: my area, I'm gonna say it's gonna be like a 414 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,199 Speaker 1: nine or a ten. I mean they they're gonna be 415 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: doing it this week for sure. We got really cold 416 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 1: weather rolling in the rut is supposed to be here, 417 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,080 Speaker 1: and the conditions just look absolutely perfect. So I'm gonna 418 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: say it's gonna be I mean, this next canna have 419 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: two weeks is gonna be as good as it gets, uh, 420 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,600 Speaker 1: in my part of Alabama. For the rest of Alabama, 421 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: I'd say it will probably be still be pretty good. 422 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 1: I mean, with this weather front we have coming in 423 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 1: and right now we're kind of in a transition period 424 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: where pretty much all of our leaves just dropped. And 425 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,640 Speaker 1: for us in the South, that's kind of when our 426 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: major shift happens because things that were once really really 427 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: thick are now a lot less thick, and the deer 428 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: tends to kind of abandon areas, and uh, when the 429 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:32,920 Speaker 1: leagues call, they kind of get concentrated into more specific 430 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:36,879 Speaker 1: betting areas that that keep that visual obstruction as opposed 431 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: to like a sweet gum thicket or something which you know, 432 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:41,239 Speaker 1: two months ago you couldn't see ten yards in two 433 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,640 Speaker 1: and now you can see slap across it. So that's 434 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: a that's gonna be a big factor for everybody. So 435 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: I think I think the hunting actually gets a little 436 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: bit better when that happens. So that, combined with the 437 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:53,720 Speaker 1: weather that we're having, I think that it'll be a 438 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: great upcoming weekend to get out in the woods wherever 439 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,399 Speaker 1: you're at in Alabama. Alright, Andrew, congrats again on the 440 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: great white tail, good luck with the rest of your season. 441 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining me. Thanks bencor alright and joining us 442 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 1: on the line. Next is Dylan Tramp from Outdoor Forum 443 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,680 Speaker 1: in South Dakota. Now, Dylan in South Dakota, what would 444 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: you say the buck activity has been lately on a 445 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: scale of one to ten, I would say just in 446 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,360 Speaker 1: the last few days, it's been fairly decent, probably maybe 447 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,919 Speaker 1: as high as the seven. The rut seems to be 448 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 1: winded down a little bit, but I have seen a 449 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: few bucks chasing those that might be the last few 450 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:29,439 Speaker 1: to go on the heat through this first cycle, and 451 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: gun seasons are winding down, So it's activity has been 452 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: pretty good now year in far western South Dakota. What 453 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: label would you put on this phase of the rout 454 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:42,399 Speaker 1: for that area? It's not quite totally post rut. I 455 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:47,399 Speaker 1: would just say the last phase of the normal ruts. 456 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 1: Whatever title you want to put on that. No, I 457 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 1: know you just killed a great book yesterday. Tell us 458 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:55,400 Speaker 1: about that set up and about that hunt. Ah. Well, 459 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: we were just covering some ground and the bucks and 460 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 1: were on dose. They were not quite locked down, it 461 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 1: seemed like yesterday, but they were just keeping an eye 462 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,160 Speaker 1: on them and filling their bellies getting ready for winter, 463 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: and they were feeding in It seemed to be clearings, 464 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:16,200 Speaker 1: clear cuts, cattle pastures, kind of open timber, so I 465 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 1: think they were feeding on the grasses. Um. So the 466 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 1: setup was just pretty much eliminating. It's just all public 467 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: national forest out here, and so I was just eliminating 468 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:29,639 Speaker 1: all the easy access areas places that you saw a 469 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: bunch of bootprints at the trailheads, just crossing those off, 470 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: finding funnels next to send my open terrain where there's 471 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: grasses and feed and just kind of still hunting through 472 00:23:39,359 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: the timber works out our grass is the primary food 473 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:44,679 Speaker 1: that you're focused on this time of year, or there 474 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 1: are other food sources in the Black Hills in forest, 475 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:50,360 Speaker 1: it seems like there's a lot of different food sources, 476 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: but grasses and just any sort of greenery it seems 477 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:56,920 Speaker 1: to be the key. And this this time of the 478 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:59,679 Speaker 1: year things are starting to die off. So it seemed 479 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:02,840 Speaker 1: definitely like the grasses and the pastures, we're definitely the 480 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,480 Speaker 1: place to be over the last few days. That area 481 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: has a pretty mild weather lately. Historically, as we get 482 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: in December and things get colder, do you notice a 483 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: shift in bedding at all in the Black Hills, I 484 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:17,400 Speaker 1: don't think so. In the in the conifers, I think 485 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: the betting will just mainly be dictated by hunting pressure, 486 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,159 Speaker 1: which should be winding down, but I think they just 487 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 1: want to get away and be in the thickest cover available, 488 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:28,959 Speaker 1: which isn't. It's kind of monotonous timber in most places, 489 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: so it's heavy. Cover is kind of hard to come by. 490 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: So if you find it and it's secluded, it's probably 491 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: gonna be pretty consistent throughout the year. Do you normally 492 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 1: expect to see any signmaking at the end of November 493 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,400 Speaker 1: in the Black Hills? Signmaking out here isn't. It doesn't 494 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: get laid down too heavy. I don't know if it's 495 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:46,119 Speaker 1: because needle in the haystack. It's a big forest and 496 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: the deer concentrations are pretty high. The sign that I 497 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,880 Speaker 1: did see this weekend was definitely a few weeks old, 498 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:54,760 Speaker 1: so I don't I don't really see it picking up 499 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 1: a whole lot, but if you do find it, he's 500 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 1: probably pretty close. With that high deer density, you expect 501 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: some sort of secondary rot. Is that something that you 502 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: typically witness in that area, just just like anywhere else. 503 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: I think the last few that trickle in the heat, 504 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,719 Speaker 1: or even the fonds that are older, old enough and 505 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:16,120 Speaker 1: put on enough weight to reproduce the first year, they're 506 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: probably going to trickle in. I don't think it's a 507 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,679 Speaker 1: whole lot different out here than any other part of 508 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 1: the state. So if you're in the right place and 509 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 1: you've happened to be by that feeling that comes into heat, 510 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:28,880 Speaker 1: if your activity could be a ten going forward, then 511 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: a six week or so. What do you think that 512 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 1: buck ACTV is going to be on a scale of 513 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 1: one to ten in South Dakota buck activity well, since 514 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: the gun season is winding down across the whole state, 515 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: the rut will also be winding balance those night offset, 516 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,679 Speaker 1: I would expect still decent buck movement if you have 517 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 1: the food and you have unpressured relatively on pressured ground, 518 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: I'd put it maybe a strong six. All right, Dylan, 519 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 1: congrats again on yesterday's five by five. Good luck with 520 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,640 Speaker 1: the rest of your season. Thanks for joining me, Thank 521 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 1: you as well. All right, enjoy a sunline. Next is 522 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: David g Rizzo in New York from tagging brigg Now. 523 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:06,400 Speaker 1: David in New York, what would you say the buck 524 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 1: activity has been lately on a scale of one to ten. 525 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 1: The past week, it's probably been about a three. I think, um, 526 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,640 Speaker 1: I think the bucks really ran hard up here for 527 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: three to four weeks, maybe a little bit longer. We 528 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: saw a lot of good run activity at the end 529 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: of October early November, and quite honestly, I just think 530 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 1: that the war out at this point, the scrape activity, 531 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: the trail camera activity has literally come to a halt 532 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: for us. And honestly, right now we're just trying to 533 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: gear up for late season. So you haven't seen much 534 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: running activity since Thanksgiving, not much running activity at all. 535 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: And and in the past that's been completely different. We 536 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: usually see a pretty solid like second run activity, you know, 537 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: in between like and of November, and for the past 538 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 1: week or so, it has just been completely dead up here. 539 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 1: What are the food sources that hunters in New York 540 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,199 Speaker 1: should be focused on as wegin in December? You know, 541 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: right now, it it seems like a lot of the deer, 542 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,200 Speaker 1: especially like the doe groups, are shifting to the grain. 543 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,520 Speaker 1: So whether it be beans or corn um. We're getting 544 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: a lot more colder weather in as of lately, and 545 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:20,680 Speaker 1: we're supposed to get a huge snow front um tomorrow 546 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 1: and Wednesday, So I think the shift to the grain, 547 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 1: to that late season food source is gonna be uh 548 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 1: is gonna be necessary in the coming weeks when that 549 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: snow and cold is rolling into the northeast. How does 550 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 1: that change things for you as far as your setups 551 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 1: go deer hunting in New York. You know, we've shifted 552 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,639 Speaker 1: all or a majority of our trail cameras back onto 553 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 1: food sources. So, like I said, between the beans, the corn, 554 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,360 Speaker 1: and even the turn ups, we've switched all of our 555 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: all or most of our cameras to food sources because 556 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: we just really weren't seeing scrape activity at all. Um. 557 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:01,160 Speaker 1: Moving forward, you know, entry in and in and out 558 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 1: of the stands are gonna play a huge part in 559 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,480 Speaker 1: keeping the deer on your property. We're gonna be hunting 560 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: food sources. We're probably gonna be hunting a lot from 561 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:13,200 Speaker 1: elevated box f lines because of the inclement weather, and 562 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,159 Speaker 1: and it's gonna shift to more of an evening hunt 563 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: will probably focus less and less on morning hunts as 564 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,919 Speaker 1: we move into December. Are you doing more mornings or 565 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:25,440 Speaker 1: more evening setups right now? You know what, we're kind 566 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,840 Speaker 1: of coming off that like late rut swing where we're 567 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:32,119 Speaker 1: still we're still hunting. Both I hunted this morning. I 568 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:35,240 Speaker 1: actually saw seven deer in the pouring rain this morning, 569 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: which I was a little bit surprised of, um, But 570 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: it seems like a majority of the deer movement is 571 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: kind of shifted to that last hour before dark and 572 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 1: and I mean it's it's rightful season up here now too, 573 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: So the human and the hunting pressure definitely plays a 574 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: part in that as well. Do you historically see some 575 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 1: secondary rutting activity in New York? We do. We do 576 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 1: the past couple of years, Like I said, late November 577 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: even into early December, we've we've seen some um, some 578 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,960 Speaker 1: late run activity and and even from the fonds over 579 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: the past couple of years, Like there's still two fonds 580 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 1: on our property that we see pretty regularly that have 581 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 1: spots like and the November I mean, so you can 582 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:20,720 Speaker 1: only imagine when that dough was bred last year. So 583 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:24,680 Speaker 1: there's definitely some second run activity for whatever reason this year, 584 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: it just seems like this past week, the later part 585 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: of November and and moving into December has been very 586 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 1: very dormant as far as the deer and and specifically 587 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: the big buck movement. Even on our trail cameras, it 588 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: has come to a complete halt after the rout and 589 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 1: when gun seasons are happening, do you notice a shift 590 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:47,960 Speaker 1: in bedding in your area. Definitely, the deer, at least 591 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: by us up in this big hardwoods, they typically will 592 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 1: will flock to the hemlock tickets for the thermal cover. 593 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,680 Speaker 1: So I mean they'll spend the majority of their day 594 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 1: in those hemlock thickets. We've got some beaver swamps and stuff, 595 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 1: some real gnarly thick stuff that they'll go into also, 596 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: But definitely kind of focus our attention on the food 597 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 1: and then the hemlocks because if it seems like you know, 598 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:14,720 Speaker 1: the travel corridors between the two are are great also 599 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 1: because that's where the deer are stage and going forward. 600 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: Then in the six week or so, what do you 601 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: think that buck activity is going to be on a 602 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: scale of one to ten in New York? I think 603 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:26,880 Speaker 1: in New York, you know, we'll see a shift to 604 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: like six or seven. And that's basically just because of 605 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: the weather. As soon as the snow hits up here, 606 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 1: these deer are gonna be you know, their main focus 607 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: is going to shift to the food. I think we're 608 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,160 Speaker 1: gonna see a lot more activity on our food plots, 609 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: specifically with with the bucks coming out of their little 610 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: holes and stuff for the last week or so and 611 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: shift into to try and recoup and revitalize themselves from 612 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 1: the rot. So with the major weather front that we 613 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 1: have coming in, I would say the buck activity up 614 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 1: in New York is going to be a six or 615 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: seven in the coming week. All right, David, great info, 616 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 1: Good luck with the rest of your seed. Thanks for 617 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: joining me always I appreciate the time. And that concludes 618 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: this week's episode of rout Fresh Radio. Thanks to Tyler, Andrew, Dylan, 619 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: and David for joining me, and thank you guys for listening. 620 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: I hope you get to witness some of the secondary 621 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: rot action that magically appears in early December. And as 622 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 1: that Mark Kenyon has said in the past, the late 623 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,720 Speaker 1: season can be the great season. I will talk to 624 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 1: you guys next week. Stay warm, good luck, and until then, 625 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 1: stay weired. Hut