1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your home for 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host, 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon. Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Podcast. I'm 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: your host, Mark Kenyan, and this is episode number three 5 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: hundred and five, and today in the show, we're detailing 6 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: everything you need to know about the on the ground 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: work that has happened at our new back forty farms 8 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: so far, and the strategy we have to start hunting 9 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: it in the coming days. All right, Welcome to the 10 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,279 Speaker 1: Wired to Hunt Podcast, brought to you by on x 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: um It's funny Dan. Just as I was reading that, 12 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: um so, I'm here with Dan obviously, and as I 13 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: was reading that introduction, in my head, I was thinking 14 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: about a comment I read recently on a post by 15 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: meat Eater, and I was in some video on the media, 16 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: your Instagram post and someone commented, and I quote, Mark 17 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: Kenyan is as dry as a popcorn fart, not to myself, 18 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: as I was just opening that line, like, am I 19 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: that dry? It's my voice that boring? I don't think 20 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 1: of that bed Dan, Am I No, you're not that bad. 21 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: I mean you're not. Let's be honest, You're not the 22 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: wettest part out there in the world. No, I'm no shart, 23 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: but uh but oh man, that's a way to start 24 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: the podcast. What what we're gonna do today, Dan, I've 25 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: got a handful of things I want to talk about, 26 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: like an announcement, and then I want to be asked 27 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: with you a little bit about what's going on your 28 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: hunting world. I want to give a little bit of 29 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: an update on what's going on with some of my 30 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: local Michigan stuff. But the main gist of today's show, 31 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna be leaning on you heavily, Dan Um, 32 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: is to put you in the podcast host seat a 33 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: little bit as the main interviewer, Um and grill me 34 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: about the back forty Um. You know, we we mentioned 35 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: this a little bit last week. You and I were 36 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: talking about the fact that we we bought this farm, 37 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: and now I am kind of being put in charge 38 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: of trying to steward this farm in the future and 39 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: making a great deer hunting property but also by a diverse, 40 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: high quality habitat for all sorts of wildlife. So so 41 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: that's like this charge that's been put on me, and 42 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: I want to kind of get everyone up to speed 43 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: though on where we stand today just before opening day 44 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: of Hunting season, because we did an episode two or 45 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: three weeks ago UM in which me and Steve talked 46 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: about like the impetus for this whole idea, like why 47 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: we got a farm, why we want to do this project. 48 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: And then the second part of that episode was with 49 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,119 Speaker 1: myself and further and Jake e Linger and we kind 50 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: of did a tour of the property audio tour talking 51 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: about Okay, this is what this area looks like, this 52 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: is what Jake thought about it, this is what this 53 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: area looks like. This is what Jake thought about it. 54 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 1: But we still have not actually talked about what has 55 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: happened on the farm so far, what work have I 56 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: gotten done so far on the farm? Um, and what's 57 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: the game plan to start hunting it? Like, there's a 58 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 1: whole lot that's happened that we need to kind of 59 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: explain to set the stage for the rest of the season. 60 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: I think, Um, you know, you need that first chapter 61 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: of the book before you can really get into a story. 62 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: So that's what I wanted to do today, is is 63 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: walk through everything that's happened that's led us up to 64 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: opening day of the very first Hunting season on the 65 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: back forty and and I'll kind of talk through that. 66 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 1: But then I'm hoping that you can poke and prod 67 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: and ask questions and and help me dive deeper into 68 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: things that you're curious about too. So that's that's my 69 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: main idea. Are you Are you down for them? So 70 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: you're telling me that I am going to be like, 71 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: and this is in um quotations hosting an episode of 72 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 1: the Wired to Hunt podcast kind of yeah, mostly that now, 73 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: I mean, do they know this is happening? Because I 74 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: feel like some corporate guy was gonna be like, uh, 75 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: not so fast. Hell no, man, I gotta keep this 76 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: on the d l Okay anyone listening, don't tell Steve 77 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: that this goofball chair. No, no, no, it'll be It'll 78 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 1: be fun. But one other checkbox, we have to hit 79 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: another kind of announcement thing before we start talking about 80 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: Big Iowa bucks. Um. I realized that last week during 81 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: our radio episode, I kind of let something slip that 82 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,479 Speaker 1: I had not talked about in the podcast yet, and 83 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: I haven't talked with you yet about on air, so 84 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: we just kind of have to like just make a 85 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 1: public explanation of what's going on. I mentioned last week 86 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: that was recording an audio book. I still haven't mentioned 87 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: to all of you guys listening the fact that I 88 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: actually wrote a whole damn book. UM. So, Dan, you've 89 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: known about this behind the scenes for a while now, 90 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,719 Speaker 1: um and I announced well announced on Instagram. But there's 91 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: a lot of people listen to this podcast that don't 92 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: follow me on social media. Ah. So for those of 93 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: you that don't follow me on social media and then 94 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: who heard this thing last week, like what what are 95 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: you talking about? The basic gist is, Yeah, for the 96 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: last couple of years, I've been alluding to this big 97 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: writing project, um over and over again, and that was 98 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: this book. I've been writing a book. It's about the 99 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: history and present in future of our American public lands. UM. 100 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: And so I examine all the different things that led 101 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 1: up to the point that we are in today where 102 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: we actually have sty millions some acres of public land 103 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: out here, and then kind of start exploring what's been 104 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: going on here just recently, what these current events mean 105 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: for the future of these places. And I dive into 106 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: all of that through a series of my own stories, 107 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: my own adventures on these places. So I share stories 108 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: of backcrafting, trips in Montana, fly fishing and wyoming, hiking 109 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: in Utah, camping and backpacking in northern Michigan, hunting in Alaska, 110 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: all sorts of stuff like that is in this book. 111 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: The books called That Wild Country an epic journey through 112 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: the past, present in future of America's public lands, and 113 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: it is coming out is being published on December one. 114 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: So I'll get a signed copy, right if you really 115 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 1: want to sign copy, I absolutely would do that. Um, 116 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: I still feel like that's a weird thing, like to 117 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 1: want to sign like people. A couple of people have 118 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: asked me for that, and I just feel like, really 119 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: you want me to sign it. I want a little 120 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: I want a little note in there, Like Dan, You've 121 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:52,479 Speaker 1: been such a huge, gigantic, enormous influence in my life 122 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: and this book would never have been possible without you. 123 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: And you know, just like just something simple like that 124 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,839 Speaker 1: for sure, Dan Johnson. Every time I've come to a 125 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: fork in the road, I stopped pause, I think to myself, 126 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: which direction with Dan Johnson take? And I choose the opposite. 127 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: Thank you for guiding me through life. Oh that's funny, 128 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: that's a good one. Yeah, thanksy so I'll make sure 129 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 1: you describe that in the front of your copy, right, 130 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: But yeah, I just wanted to like put it out 131 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: there so people weren't confused. The book is available for 132 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: pre order now. You can find it over on Amazon, 133 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: And once we get to that publication date around December one. 134 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: At first we get December, we'll probably do a full 135 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: episode talking about the book, talking about the topic. UM. 136 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 1: I love to talk about the actual process of writing 137 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: this thing and how it came together and how long 138 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: it took, and how you actually get a book deal 139 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: and how you actually do something like this. UM. I 140 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: never knew about that stuff until I actually lived it, UM, 141 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: and I found it pretty interest stings, So I thought 142 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: we could we could kind of talk through some of 143 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: that at some point as well. So unless you vtaeil 144 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: that idea, dan Um, I was thinking in a month 145 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: or a month or two, we would talk more about 146 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: it is what it is, man, It is what it is. 147 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: You sound reluctantly like, Damn, I don't want to talk 148 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: about this, man. I'll tell you what I've all. I 149 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: thought about writing writing a book once too. Yeah, and 150 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: then I figured, like, I'm horrible at spelling, so and 151 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: I don't like like when you said audio book and 152 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: then I had to just like have one of those 153 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 1: moments where just like thank God for the audio book 154 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: coming out because I probably wasn't going to read it. 155 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: That's okay, the audiobook will uh theo you'll be it 156 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:45,199 Speaker 1: will either be a good thing for your bad thing. 157 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: Because I narrated the audio book, so you're used to 158 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: having to hear me a lot, so you should be 159 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: comfortable with that at least um, But you also might 160 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:55,559 Speaker 1: be really sick of it. So I'm not sure wish 161 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: that would be for you. But if I ever write 162 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: a book, I'm probably gonna have a different voice narrate it. 163 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: It's that guy from It's like sixty Minutes or whatever, 164 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: that god what's his name, John something, But he's got 165 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: that creepy voice, like it was a quiet night in 166 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: in Iowa, the moon was rising, but little did they 167 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: know a mass murder was going to happen in a 168 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: small town. Like is that the book you would write? 169 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: You want to write about mass murder and like a serial, 170 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 1: But that's the voice that I want to narrate mine. 171 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,439 Speaker 1: I'm just more interested in I'm just more interested in 172 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:37,840 Speaker 1: where your mind left to like the first example for 173 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 1: a story, that is what came out. It's it's intriguing 174 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: to me. It's because that's all this guy does is 175 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:47,719 Speaker 1: narrate murder mystery shows. Fair enough. I will keep that 176 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,439 Speaker 1: in mind for your audiobook in the future if I 177 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: if I've got any connections and I know that guy, 178 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:57,679 Speaker 1: I'll send them your way. Perfect. Perfect. So uh, that's 179 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:59,679 Speaker 1: the basic housekeeping stuff I want to get out of 180 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: the way. Just let y'all know about that book. But Dan, 181 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 1: before we get to the back forty stuff, you told 182 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 1: me that you have done some deer hunting stuff, which 183 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: is exciting to me because the past few I don't 184 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:17,680 Speaker 1: know handful of episodes has been elk elk elk um. 185 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,319 Speaker 1: So you finally turned your attention back to white Tails. 186 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: What is going on? I'll tell you what I got. 187 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: I got to get out this weekend and I went 188 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: back to my hometown for my twentieth high school reunion, 189 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 1: which was crazy. You to see a lot of old friends, 190 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: but then you have some really awkward conversations with people 191 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: that you didn't even hang out with in high school. 192 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 1: And yeah, so I did that. But before I went 193 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: to that, I got the opportunity to go out and 194 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: do my my trail camera switch that I typically do 195 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: at the beginning of the of the month. But I 196 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: kind of broke my own my own rule, which was 197 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: don't go out into the timber in September at all, 198 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: especially this late. So but I had to do it 199 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: because I just I didn't get the opportunity to go 200 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: do it, and I wasn't gonna be able to get 201 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,640 Speaker 1: the opportunity to do it until after I got done 202 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: with my mule deer hunt, which probably would have been 203 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: man closer to the seven, like the seventeenth of October 204 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: would have been the next time that I would have 205 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: been able to get to that farm. So I took 206 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: down some trail cameras off the mineral sites. I put 207 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: them in some pinch points, some travel corridors, down wind 208 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,559 Speaker 1: into some bedding areas. A couple of these cameras I 209 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: probably won't even touch until the season's over. They're just 210 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:42,319 Speaker 1: kind of there for data collection. And then, um, the 211 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: crappy part was it had rained a lot in Iowa, 212 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 1: and so I had to park my truck in one 213 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: spot and walk the entire farm with a backpack and 214 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: tree stands, on my back to go and you know, 215 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: to channge SD cards, put up new cameras, you know, 216 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: and it just typically would would have taken me probably 217 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: three or four hours, took me like six plus hours. 218 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: And uh it just it just sucked. But I got 219 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: the trail cameras out. Dude, I want to hear your 220 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: opinion on this. Have you ever set up a tree 221 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 1: stand and as you're setting it up, you just get 222 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: these like, I don't know, like these visions or like this, 223 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 1: this really good feeling about what's going to happen when 224 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: you're sitting in it in the fall. That's your intuition 225 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: to kill the kill set And uh yeah, dude, I 226 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 1: set this the stand up. It was down not not downwind, 227 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: It's not gonna be necessarily, but it flanks this really thick, 228 00:12:55,280 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: nasty betting area that leads up um a, this the 229 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: river bottom right, So it's like the deer come up 230 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: and they chill in this betting area, but it's right 231 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: next to a pinch point. So what I'm envisioning is 232 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: on this south wind deer cruising, you know, just cruising 233 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,439 Speaker 1: back and forth, back and forth all day long. And 234 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: although I hate setting in a stand all day long. 235 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 1: I my true camera pictures from the previous year in 236 00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: that same pinch point are showing a lot of mid 237 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: morning activity with mature bucks. And one of those bucks 238 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: in this area is that Spencer new Hearthbuck that I 239 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 1: talked about. So he's got he's got potential to show up. 240 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: I got a couple other deer in the area that 241 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: have potential to show up, and um man, it's uh, 242 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: I'm getting excited. That tree stand just kind of got 243 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: me really setting it up and sitting in it and 244 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 1: where it was that and what I needed to do 245 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 1: and how I was going to access it is just 246 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: like this could be This could be a slam dunk 247 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: if the deer cooperate, you know what I mean. So, 248 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: so why did you hang it now? Though? I feel 249 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: like this summer you were talking about how most all 250 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,240 Speaker 1: of your sets you were just gonna do running gun 251 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,959 Speaker 1: in season. What made you decide to get this one 252 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: up preseason? Right? So the own because I wanted to 253 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: be a morning hunt, Like the first time I go 254 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: in there on this is going to be a morning 255 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: rut hunt. I'm not gonna hunt this stand until November. 256 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: And I wanted to make sure that I got it in, 257 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: and I did not want to take any chances setting 258 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: up in the dark, right, I just want to be 259 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: able to walk to the tree, climb up, sit down, 260 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: be quiet, And so I felt I needed to get 261 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: that stand in. Now every place else that I hunt, 262 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: I feel like I can get in there way a 263 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: lot less of impact walking into it. They stand I 264 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: have to walk ways to, and it's kind of a 265 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: a bigger impact on the surrounding area when I'm when 266 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: I'm walking in. So it's one of those high risk, 267 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: high reward type access routes. But at the same time, 268 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: I really think that if I play my cards right 269 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: and wait for and when I say November, I'm saying 270 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: probably not until the second week when a lot of 271 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: the big dogs are on their feet. Um, the other 272 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: group of guys are typically off the farm by then, 273 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: and I can kind of just chill in one spot. 274 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 1: So you speaking of impact, like making an impact on 275 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:46,520 Speaker 1: the farm, you you walked all over the place putting 276 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: up cameras, hanging tree stands and stuff on September or whatever. Um, right, 277 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 1: I know you alluded to the fact you would never 278 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: do this, but are you not hunting still? For a 279 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 1: long ways. Though. When you say you're not going to 280 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 1: come back to be a worker cameras to October sevent 281 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: that means you're not gonna hunt until October seventeenth as well. 282 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,400 Speaker 1: So you're gonna give me three or four more weeks still, Yeah, 283 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: so I'm I probably won't. I probably, I say it's 284 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: probably probably won't hunt that main part of the farm 285 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: until mid to late October, mostly mostly late October, because 286 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 1: I really want to focus my early season on I'll 287 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: still be at the farm, and I might still be 288 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: able to check some of those trail cameras. But I 289 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: have another piece of this farm which is mostly egg 290 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: and you've heard me in the past talk about these 291 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: buffer strips that are so uh. I got uh. I 292 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: got a trail camera in a spot there that I checked, 293 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 1: and there's some decent deer still in that area right now. 294 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 1: So I want to focus. I want to I want 295 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: to try to see what these egg fields are producing 296 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 1: and what they're holding early season. If I make it 297 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 1: in a couple of times before I start jumping into 298 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: the timber, because I think that the deer right now 299 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:11,439 Speaker 1: are or you know, there's they have a wider range 300 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: right now, while the egg is in, while the corns 301 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: in the beans are in, and they can just chill 302 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: in these buffer strips, they don't necessarily have to leave. Uh. 303 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 1: And then when those crops are out, they push them out. 304 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:26,399 Speaker 1: Then is when everything jumps into more of the cover. 305 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,920 Speaker 1: And that's when I'll probably jump into the cover as well. 306 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: So it's not like there's any big rush to get 307 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: into the timber, because I still think these deer are 308 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: not using the timber as much there and and my 309 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: cameras are showing, you know, a lot of stuff still nocturnal. Okay, 310 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,360 Speaker 1: you you you told us in the past about this 311 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 1: buck that you're considering centering your whole hunting season on. Gnarlie. Charlie, 312 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: any update on him, Nope. Um, the last trail camera 313 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 1: picture I have of him is to let's see August 314 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:11,400 Speaker 1: twenty something so, which is the same thing he did 315 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:16,679 Speaker 1: last year. Disappeared right I got Um. The next trail 316 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,439 Speaker 1: camera picture that I had of him was in the 317 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:22,440 Speaker 1: middle of the night late October on a different part 318 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: of the farm. And then the next trail camera picture 319 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 1: that I got after that was like November twelve, So 320 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: he's shifted and he did the exact same thing last year, 321 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: So I'm not necessarily worried about it. It's just he's 322 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: he's made the move, along with a couple other bucks 323 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:48,159 Speaker 1: that somewhere around you know this this late August early 324 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 1: early November, um or excuse me, early September time frame. 325 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: There's that shift that that I've talked about, and it's 326 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: pretty standard and it and it used to get me worried. I'm, oh, 327 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,120 Speaker 1: my god, where did these deer go e H D 328 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: got him or whatever. But I'm not too worried about 329 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:08,680 Speaker 1: it because a lot of the deer showback up. The 330 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:12,919 Speaker 1: closer to November. It gets Okay, well, I will be 331 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,920 Speaker 1: patiently waiting to get the next picture of him. Yeah, 332 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: So now here's the here's the issue. Though I can't 333 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:25,159 Speaker 1: say for a fact that he hasn't uh, he hasn't 334 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 1: shown up, because I had a trail camera spot a 335 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,919 Speaker 1: trail camera in a spot that he has been all summer. 336 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: But and just like this happens once a year. There's 337 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: a little piece of grass in the corner that blew 338 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: in the wind, and it took like seventeen thousand pictures 339 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: and it just it took pictures every minute, like just 340 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 1: boom boom, boom, boom boom, and my battery and my 341 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 1: trail camera wore out and it died. And just because 342 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: it took so many pictures such a long time. Uh, 343 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:04,399 Speaker 1: and I don't know what that what that camera held. 344 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: I still have to go through every one of those 345 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,680 Speaker 1: pictures and check it out because you know that they're 346 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:11,879 Speaker 1: still deer in the background and some of them. But 347 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: it's just you never know. So I still have to 348 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 1: dig through about fifteen thousand pictures. Uh. And it's I 349 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 1: don't know. So now here's the kick. Here's the three 350 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: days to to look at pictures, right right right right. 351 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,640 Speaker 1: So here's the kicker. Though, I have a four year 352 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: old who's showing up consistently, and I mean really, you 353 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,400 Speaker 1: talking about your son, oh, I four year old who 354 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: very direction. I got a four year old on another 355 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 1: part of the farm who's showing up very close to daylight. 356 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:49,520 Speaker 1: I mean really close, like the sun is still not 357 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:54,679 Speaker 1: down in the trail camera pictures. And so he's like 358 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: showing up right at last light. And he's been doing 359 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 1: this very consistently, right next to um uh, this easy 360 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:07,360 Speaker 1: access route on the farm. But it's not I mean, 361 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 1: he is a shooter, but he's not the shooter, you 362 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 1: know what I mean. So I'm kind of conflicted because 363 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,160 Speaker 1: I know that if I go into this spot, there's 364 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 1: a chance I have an encounter with him and on 365 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: the on the right wind, But I don't know if 366 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:26,680 Speaker 1: I necessarily want to go after him yet. Yeah, you 367 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,120 Speaker 1: know you know what I mean, Like like that empany 368 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:34,120 Speaker 1: night dilemma I had in North Dkota right right. So 369 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:36,880 Speaker 1: we'll see, man, I mean, he's a he's a big 370 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: body deer. He's four, he's four year old. He's got 371 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: one really good side and then it looks like he's 372 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 1: got this gigantic fork on the other side with browd 373 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:48,640 Speaker 1: times with junk all over it, like he was wounded 374 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:52,359 Speaker 1: the previous year. Um, but he's a real good deer. 375 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,440 Speaker 1: He's mature, he's got I mean decent, a decent rack 376 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:59,200 Speaker 1: on him, and uh, I don't know. We'll see, we'll 377 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:01,440 Speaker 1: see what happens. Did you know the test you gotta 378 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: screen it by If when you see him walking in 379 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 1: he makes you go h, then you shoot the Dan 380 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: Johnson tests. I've been telling you about this for years. 381 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,880 Speaker 1: Dan Johnson tests. Yeah, that's that's typically how it works out. 382 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,680 Speaker 1: That's typically how it works out. O. Man. It's funny 383 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: you bring that situation up though, because I kind of 384 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 1: have a similar situation here in Michigan. Um, I don't 385 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,520 Speaker 1: think I've given you the latest update on what's going 386 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: on on the other Michigan property that hunt a lot, 387 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: the main spot spot where you know holy Field was 388 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: and where I killed Frank all that. Um, I've got 389 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: knock on wood. You know, things can change really quick. 390 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: But I've got one of the best groups of deer 391 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:47,119 Speaker 1: I've had on that farm yet since I've been hunting it. Um. 392 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 1: There are three really nice bucks that are still on 393 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 1: the farm, hardhorned um. So one of them is a 394 00:22:55,280 --> 00:23:00,360 Speaker 1: buck that I saw a ton last year. UM. And 395 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: he was a two year old. Though he was a 396 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: two year old, just a nice eight pointer and he 397 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 1: kind of looked to me like a small version of 398 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:08,360 Speaker 1: holy Field. So when I first got the very first 399 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: picture of him last year, I was like, oh, man, 400 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 1: is that holy Field back? But he like regressed. Um, 401 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 1: But it wasn't. It was this other buck and he 402 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,879 Speaker 1: ended up just kind of following me around everywhere I 403 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 1: was last year. He would show up, watched him a bunch. 404 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,639 Speaker 1: He got injured in late October. I watched him all 405 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,919 Speaker 1: through November, really gimped up, worried he wasn't gonna make it, 406 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:29,359 Speaker 1: so I kind of was referring to him as a 407 00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: gimpy throughout the season. Um. But by the end of 408 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 1: the year he was moving fine again. Blah blah blah. 409 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:39,200 Speaker 1: Now he's back. He is a ten pointer wide, very 410 00:23:39,359 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 1: very white antlers, like they shine in the woods. You 411 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,400 Speaker 1: can just see them. Pop Um really nice looking buck, 412 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 1: like a hundred and thirty class type deer, which is 413 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: great in Michigan. And Um he's a three year old though. 414 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:56,440 Speaker 1: And then there's another buck and he looks like he's 415 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 1: a big nine. He actually is a ten, but it's 416 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:00,880 Speaker 1: one g four is really short, so I's been kind 417 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: of referring to him as the Big nine. And he 418 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,159 Speaker 1: also might be a deer I saw last year. I'm 419 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,679 Speaker 1: still not a certain if it's the same deer, but 420 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 1: I think it might be Um. And he again like 421 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,840 Speaker 1: a hundred and thirty class type buck, really tall, kind 422 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:19,959 Speaker 1: um just a cool, solid looking buck. And he's been 423 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: showing up a lot recently. Um Like I've seen him 424 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: multiple times when watching from the road. Um. Just last 425 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: night he was out walking through a food plot that 426 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,920 Speaker 1: I could be hunting on Opening night if I wanted. Um. 427 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:35,640 Speaker 1: But the issue is both of those deer both are 428 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:39,880 Speaker 1: like hundred thirty type class ten pointers. Um, they're both 429 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 1: three year olds. And in almost all of my past 430 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: years out here, that would be like a no brainer 431 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,920 Speaker 1: shooter for me. Um. That would be if I killed 432 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: either one of those two deer, that would be my 433 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: you know, second best buck on this property. Um. But 434 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 1: because the three year olds, I just have kind of 435 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,800 Speaker 1: had my mindset this year on really really wanting to 436 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,080 Speaker 1: be a four year old or older. UM. And I 437 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: just can't convince myself that either of these deer or four. 438 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,440 Speaker 1: One of one of them, Gimpy, I'm sure he's three. 439 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,920 Speaker 1: The other one I'm still unsure of. Um. I need 440 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,880 Speaker 1: to see him in person sometimes and that I looked 441 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: at him, like, God, he looks like he maybe could be. 442 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:24,399 Speaker 1: But but if I'm being honest with my stuff, I 443 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,040 Speaker 1: still think he's probably three. Um, but they're both great bucks. Like, 444 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:30,600 Speaker 1: I don't know anyone in Michigan who would probably pass 445 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: on him. It would be very I mean, I'm sure 446 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: there are some people who do, but not many people 447 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,639 Speaker 1: would pass these bucks. Um, so it's gonna kind of 448 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: pain me to see these deer and be like, oh 449 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:41,480 Speaker 1: my goodness, I can't believe I'm not gonna take a 450 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,119 Speaker 1: crack of one. But um, but I'm gonna try to 451 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: stick to my guns and hold out for a four 452 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: year old. And there's one four year old out here 453 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: who's that buck Trand that we've talked about, um passed 454 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 1: on him last year is a three year old. He's back. 455 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:59,720 Speaker 1: He's a really really super cool, tight and tall eight pointer, 456 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: just a big frame on him. Um. So I've been 457 00:26:04,119 --> 00:26:06,960 Speaker 1: I've seen him twice in the summer, and then I've 458 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: got a handful of pictures of him. He lives in 459 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: the typically in one corner of the farm that you 460 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: can't really see really well right now because they're standing 461 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,439 Speaker 1: corn on that side. But I do have some pictures, 462 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,280 Speaker 1: so I think he's around still. Last picture I got 463 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: of him was on the fourteenth of September. So if 464 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: he's alive still, if he made it through the youth season, um, 465 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,880 Speaker 1: he will be the deer I'm hunting and uh here 466 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:32,360 Speaker 1: in a couple of days. I don't think I'm gonna 467 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: go out for him opening night. I think I'm just 468 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:36,400 Speaker 1: gonna do like a long distance observation set because it's 469 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: gonna be like eighty five here. But a cold front 470 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: hits the next day, so I think I'm gonna observe 471 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: on opening night, and then the next two nights it 472 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: drops like twenty thirty degrees and high pressure. Looks awesome, 473 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: So I think I'm gonna take a stab for him early. 474 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: Um with that front. So that's awesome. Man's awesome, He's cool. 475 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,959 Speaker 1: You mentioned you mentioned three year old. I my tricky 476 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: amber picks have showed me this year that the next batch, 477 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: like this year's three year olds, are some really good 478 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:13,120 Speaker 1: three year old. I got like this, this three year old, 479 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:16,679 Speaker 1: and you could tell his body not mature. He is 480 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:20,040 Speaker 1: like a one sixty class ten right now, and he is. 481 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 1: He looks amazing. He just like this, like the perfect ten. 482 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,360 Speaker 1: And uh, he's one of those deer that if you're 483 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 1: having a long rut, you don't want to see him 484 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: show up because you could get a little trigger happy 485 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: with him. But um, I got a really good stable 486 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,680 Speaker 1: of three year olds this year, so I'm excited to see, 487 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 1: like I'm already thinking about next season just a little bit. Yeah, 488 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: that's awesome. I can't imagine seeing a hundred and sixty 489 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 1: class buck come running through the woods and then realize 490 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:51,480 Speaker 1: that it's not a mature deer, Like I just can't 491 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 1: fathom what that's like, right, And you know, like I said, man, 492 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,080 Speaker 1: I'm not trying to you know, brag or what anything about. 493 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: It's just like, this is the part of the state 494 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,960 Speaker 1: that I live in, right, I'm just lucky. Enjoya dude, 495 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 1: nothing wrong with that. Soak it up. Speaking of big 496 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 1: deer and awesome bucks and all that, um, we should 497 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:15,919 Speaker 1: talk about the opposite of that, which is no good bucks, 498 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 1: which is the back forty um and all seriousness. I 499 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: do want to like get everybody up to speed on 500 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 1: where things stand on that property and how I'm gonna 501 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,400 Speaker 1: try to hunt it and what we're doing on it, um, 502 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: what we've seen so far, etcetera, etcetera, because I will 503 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: be starting to hunt that farm very soon here too. 504 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 1: Um So what do you know? Did you know? Basically 505 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: we bought a farm and I want to start at 506 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: the beginning even before like this, because I am in 507 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:52,560 Speaker 1: the process. Not it's it's the very beginning process of 508 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: looking for a piece to potentially buy. Now, it's not 509 00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: gonna be forty. It is gonna be there fifty or acres. 510 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: It's fifteen acres. I need to approach a farmer about it, right, uh, 511 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: And I want to talk to them. I've already talked 512 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: with a banker a little bit to see what I 513 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 1: can get, how much down payment I need, all this stuff. 514 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: So the first question to you about this back forty is, 515 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: I know that it's not just you, it's uh, it's 516 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: like a business thing as well. But what what's the 517 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: story of actually getting this property, approaching whoever you approached, 518 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: and actually purchasing it. So I will give you like 519 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: a really quick cliff Notes version on that because we 520 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: actually I actually record a full episode on that problem, 521 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 1: on that whole process with UM, with Sean Kelly, who 522 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 1: was the agent who helped me make the purchase. So 523 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: so I will give everybody a very very very deep 524 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: dive into that. But I figure we're gonna hold onto 525 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: that episode until after hunting season because I think the 526 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 1: ind of most Peole this time of year, they want 527 00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: to talk about hunting or getting ready for hunting. UM 528 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 1: talking really deep on buying land probably makes more sense 529 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 1: for the next year. But at a very high level, UM, basically, right, 530 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,280 Speaker 1: we we as a team decide, Okay, this is something 531 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:13,520 Speaker 1: we want to do, this is how much money we 532 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,320 Speaker 1: have to work with, and this is the general region 533 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: we are looking. And then I had a set of 534 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: criteria that were important to me, from like making this 535 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 1: be a place that could be good for hunting, but 536 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 1: then also with the other goals we have, like we 537 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: want to be able to have a property that would 538 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,520 Speaker 1: serve as it's kind of a canvas to to paint 539 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 1: the picture of what private land conservation and small property 540 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: ownership is like. So I wanted to find something that 541 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 1: was representative of a wide swath of what anyone out 542 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 1: there could have. So all of that is to say 543 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 1: that I began first just searching online for small hunting properties. 544 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: I was looking at like thirty acres to sixty acres 545 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 1: in that ballpark, um, and all within like basic driving 546 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 1: distance of you know where I'm at, trying to make 547 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: it a reasonable drive for me to get back and 548 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: forth in that property. So I was looking in central Michigan, 549 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,760 Speaker 1: southern Michigan, looked in northern Ohio, looked in northern Indiana. 550 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: UM looked at east and west side of the state. 551 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: UM and in short, wanted a property that I had 552 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 1: a few things in Michigan. If you're trying to have 553 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 1: a property that could hold a mature bucker, two, I 554 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: think one of the very most important things is having 555 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: like a sanctuary type of cover available. So either one 556 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: of two things, you get to have habitat that provides 557 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,640 Speaker 1: sanctuary still like a big swamp, or you need a 558 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:39,120 Speaker 1: property nearby that serves as a sanctuary, like a reserve 559 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,440 Speaker 1: that doesn't allow hunting, or boy scout camp that doesn't 560 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:45,080 Speaker 1: allow hunting or something like that. UM. So, even when 561 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 1: I'm looking for properties to get permission on, I usually 562 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:50,240 Speaker 1: look for for things like a big swamp. In this case, 563 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 1: I was trying to find regions that had that type 564 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:55,920 Speaker 1: of habitat. So I was looking for swampy ground. I 565 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,440 Speaker 1: was looking for ground that had lots of good, thick, 566 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: nasty bedding cover. Again, anything that a buck might be 567 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 1: able to hold up into and survive a couple of 568 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:07,080 Speaker 1: guns seasons. UM wanted that diversity of habitats, so I 569 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 1: was trying to find something that wasn't just a big 570 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:12,520 Speaker 1: block of timber that wasn't just a huge field. Um. 571 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: I wanted a little bit of everything. Um. I wanted 572 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 1: to find something that was in a good neighborhood. So 573 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: if we ever hoped to see mature deer in Michigan, 574 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:23,719 Speaker 1: you usually need to have some neighbors that are on 575 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 1: board the same type of thing too. Um. So you know, 576 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,640 Speaker 1: all the different properties I looked at, I was constantly 577 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: trying to find out about the neighbors. I was going online. 578 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: I was looking at onyx and getting property owners names 579 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:38,960 Speaker 1: and then googling their names and trying to find out 580 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,520 Speaker 1: stuff about them, trying to see if they posted anything 581 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: about deer, see if they are on Michigan buck Pole, 582 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:47,440 Speaker 1: see if they had um been in a newspaper article whatever. Like, 583 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:49,160 Speaker 1: there was a property I found where I did this 584 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 1: and there was a local newspaper article about them, and 585 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 1: they shot two really nice bucks on opening day. Uh 586 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: so that was like a great big green lead. Okay, great, 587 00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,760 Speaker 1: these people are on board, and that they were talking 588 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 1: all about how they like to pass on young bucks 589 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:04,440 Speaker 1: and so on and so forth. So I did that 590 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 1: kind of research throughout. Um. You know, I wanted to 591 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:11,200 Speaker 1: find the kind of place where you could also have 592 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:13,880 Speaker 1: the opportunity to do a lot of different types of projects. 593 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:15,959 Speaker 1: So this goes back to diversity. But you know, I 594 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,720 Speaker 1: wanted something where we'd be able to do some food. 595 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: We want to be able to plant food plots. We 596 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,240 Speaker 1: want we will work with fields. We want to learn 597 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:25,280 Speaker 1: about early successional habitat. But I also want something that 598 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,600 Speaker 1: maybe we could do some timber stuff, maybe we could 599 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:32,080 Speaker 1: do some wetlands stuff. So again that's the whole diversity deal. Um. 600 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:34,120 Speaker 1: And then also just thought about how it would hunt 601 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 1: as well, So trying to find properties that you could 602 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: access to hunt, trying to find properties that weren't like 603 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 1: all road frontage, because I don't want to forty acre 604 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 1: property but two sides of it are along a big 605 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: highway and there's people all over the place. UM. So 606 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:51,400 Speaker 1: first I looked online for these kinds of things, and 607 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:54,240 Speaker 1: I took it. Took me months of looking. Um. I 608 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 1: think I've visited fourteen or fifteen different properties in person. UM. 609 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 1: So I'd go out there. I walked the whole place, 610 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,720 Speaker 1: studying the mass beforehand, walk them in person. Sometimes I 611 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 1: do that by myself, sometimes I do it with an agent. 612 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,239 Speaker 1: UM scoured the internet talked to a bunch of people 613 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 1: on the phone and ended up being like a frustrating process. 614 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 1: Actually like did not go as well as I thought 615 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,560 Speaker 1: it would go. It was much harder than I expected. 616 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,480 Speaker 1: Had a couple of properties sold out from underneath me 617 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:23,040 Speaker 1: where I thought we were going to be able to 618 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:24,600 Speaker 1: put in an offer, and then the last minute was 619 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:28,400 Speaker 1: snatched up. So and I know I've told the story before, 620 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 1: I think in the announcement podcast, but I was actually 621 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: driving to go see a different farm, and on my 622 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:36,839 Speaker 1: way to go see that farm, which was what I'd 623 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,080 Speaker 1: seen online, I passed by a sign at a different 624 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,360 Speaker 1: property and I stopped and looked at on the phone, 625 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,160 Speaker 1: and it's just like, wow, that farm looks good. And 626 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 1: that ended up being the back Ford it that we 627 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:51,759 Speaker 1: ended up purchasing um And once we once I found 628 00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: the farm, I thought it looked good. And then I 629 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 1: decided to call up Sean Kelly, who was a agent 630 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,120 Speaker 1: for White Tailed Properties and he helped us as a 631 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,319 Speaker 1: buyer's agent. So he came and helped us facilitate like 632 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 1: all the logistics of actually you know, clearing all the 633 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:08,720 Speaker 1: legal stuff, making sure there were any weird red flags 634 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:11,560 Speaker 1: about the property. Things that we wouldn't have known, um 635 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:14,360 Speaker 1: having not having this experience in the past, and he 636 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:17,440 Speaker 1: kind of just handheld us through the whole through the 637 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:20,600 Speaker 1: whole purchase, which which helped a lot. UM. So the 638 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 1: really quick snapshot version of it is is that that's 639 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 1: what it took to get the place. It was harder 640 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:29,200 Speaker 1: than I expected, it took longer than I expected, UM, 641 00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:31,839 Speaker 1: but but it came in. We got a really fair 642 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:36,320 Speaker 1: price on the property. UM. It's sixty four acres. UH. 643 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:39,520 Speaker 1: It's got a nice diversity, it's in a good neighborhood. 644 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,200 Speaker 1: There's several different people around it that managed for for 645 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:45,280 Speaker 1: deer and wildlife and their serious hunters. It's got great 646 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 1: sanctuary cover with a swamp um and there's a little 647 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 1: bit of everything. There's old fields, there's timber, there's ridge 648 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:54,920 Speaker 1: and lots of topography. There's a big swamp UM. So 649 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:57,719 Speaker 1: it has all the building blocks I think to make 650 00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:01,360 Speaker 1: it a really cool place. UM. And that's where we started. 651 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 1: We we we closed on it in I think it 652 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,239 Speaker 1: was the very end of April, beginning of May. We 653 00:36:06,239 --> 00:36:08,480 Speaker 1: were able to get on the farm for the first time. 654 00:36:09,239 --> 00:36:12,799 Speaker 1: That's awesome. That's awesome, all right. So now you have 655 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:18,120 Speaker 1: it right, Like what I mean, you get a you 656 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: get a piece of property. It is now quote unquote 657 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:22,879 Speaker 1: yours right. You're you're the decision maker on it. As 658 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:25,680 Speaker 1: far as what you're going to try to do, did 659 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:28,080 Speaker 1: you before you even started that, did you have to 660 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:32,800 Speaker 1: have like a little sit down brainstorming session about goals 661 00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 1: and what were some realistic expectations of this farm in 662 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:40,200 Speaker 1: year one? And then did you say, okay, well I 663 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: need a five year goal, ten year goal whatever. There 664 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:50,200 Speaker 1: definitely were those types of internal conversations. Yes, um, Admittedly 665 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:52,239 Speaker 1: I did not go and set five or ten year 666 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:55,560 Speaker 1: old ten year goals, but definitely had ideas of Okay, 667 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:57,279 Speaker 1: what can we achieve in year one? What can we 668 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,399 Speaker 1: achieve in year two? What would be where we things 669 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,880 Speaker 1: to be going from there? Um? But there was a 670 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:09,960 Speaker 1: lot of unique um logistical challenges with actually getting things done. 671 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: So for me, right personally, I had a goal of 672 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:17,800 Speaker 1: you know, all, I've got a new small property. I 673 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:20,400 Speaker 1: would love to turn this into a great deer hunting property, 674 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:22,120 Speaker 1: and I would love to have the opportunity to kill 675 00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:24,680 Speaker 1: mature buck off it every year and then for it 676 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: to you know, be able to be hunted in proper 677 00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 1: balance with the habitat for dose, that would be like 678 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:32,640 Speaker 1: my personal goals, that's what I'd like to do, as 679 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: We'll turn this thing into a spot that would produce 680 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:36,960 Speaker 1: a couple of mature bucks every year that you could 681 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 1: hunt them. Um. But then we also were trying to 682 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:44,759 Speaker 1: do some different things in the farm too, So could 683 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: we also manage this place not just to be great 684 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 1: for deer, but also to be um, you know, providing 685 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,200 Speaker 1: for the whole suite of species that might be out there. 686 00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:57,400 Speaker 1: So thinking about things like pollinators, thinking about things like 687 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:02,120 Speaker 1: songbirds and small mammals, native planet life, UM. A lot 688 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:04,879 Speaker 1: more than I've ever delved in deep too as well. 689 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,000 Speaker 1: So really in the early stages, it was like I 690 00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:10,359 Speaker 1: know how to how to hunt deer, I know how 691 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:12,839 Speaker 1: to make a farm pretty darn good for deer. How 692 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:14,719 Speaker 1: do I do these other things? And then how do 693 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:17,000 Speaker 1: I combine the two? That was like my big challenge 694 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:18,440 Speaker 1: on the front end, and so I had a lot 695 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,240 Speaker 1: of learning to do. So I read a lot of books, 696 00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:22,760 Speaker 1: started talking to a lot of people, and started bringing 697 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:26,520 Speaker 1: in a handful of experts to provide their opinions on 698 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: the property. But we had a couple of things that 699 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,839 Speaker 1: held that up even further, which were the fact that 700 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:36,400 Speaker 1: we wanted to document everything, so we needed a camera 701 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:38,400 Speaker 1: crew to film any real work that I did in 702 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:40,359 Speaker 1: the farm or any time I brought a guest out 703 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:42,440 Speaker 1: on the farm, because we're trying to document this for 704 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:47,080 Speaker 1: the show, for the back forty show, um, And that 705 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,839 Speaker 1: just ended up taking a lot longer set up than 706 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:51,839 Speaker 1: I realized. So even though we picked up the farm 707 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:55,360 Speaker 1: in May, we didn't actually get to start until August. 708 00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:59,400 Speaker 1: So for months the farm was just sitting there and 709 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:01,080 Speaker 1: I couldn't do anything. Like I went out there a 710 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:02,719 Speaker 1: couple of times. I put a couple of cameras out. 711 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,360 Speaker 1: I tried one small project that I just decided, you know, 712 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 1: I have to get this thing done. I don't care 713 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:11,160 Speaker 1: about the filming it. Um. Otherwise, though, we had like 714 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:15,160 Speaker 1: three wasted months, so like absolutely pained me. We had 715 00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:17,880 Speaker 1: this place for three months and didn't do anything so 716 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:21,239 Speaker 1: our off season. We could have achieved so much more 717 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:23,680 Speaker 1: in the off season this year, but just because it's 718 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:26,680 Speaker 1: difficult to line up everything it takes to do a 719 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:30,279 Speaker 1: project like this film, a project like this documented, you know, 720 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:33,640 Speaker 1: do everything we're doing with it. Um, I just couldn't. 721 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: So early on, all I could do is I went 722 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:39,279 Speaker 1: turkey hunting a couple of days and saw a bunch 723 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:42,040 Speaker 1: of turkeys. Didn't not killing one, but there's turkeys out 724 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 1: there that's exciting. No other roost in ready to kill one. 725 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:49,320 Speaker 1: Next year, UM, I did that. I brought out a 726 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 1: uh local representative for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Are 727 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:58,359 Speaker 1: you familiar with the NRCS. I think it's it might 728 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:02,120 Speaker 1: be something different Iowa, but they have it. Yeah. Yeah, 729 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:04,200 Speaker 1: So it's actually a national things through the U. S 730 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:06,640 Speaker 1: d A. So basically, these are the folks that are 731 00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:10,480 Speaker 1: spread out across the country to help with agricultural producers, 732 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:14,319 Speaker 1: connecting them with various programs like the c RP program 733 00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:16,759 Speaker 1: also stuff like that. So basically I connected with the 734 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:19,040 Speaker 1: guy who was in my region and he came and 735 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:21,440 Speaker 1: walk the property with us, talk to me about what 736 00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:24,200 Speaker 1: he was seeing, and then shared with us what opportunities 737 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:27,040 Speaker 1: there might be to participate in the government program. So 738 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,440 Speaker 1: basically there's there's a bunch of different programs that the 739 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:34,080 Speaker 1: government puts on UM that will incentivize private landowners to 740 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,879 Speaker 1: do good things for their land. UM, what are also 741 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:41,319 Speaker 1: good for the soil that are also good for wildlife 742 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:44,799 Speaker 1: UM that could be good for future farming efforts UM. 743 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:46,839 Speaker 1: And so they want people to do that, so they 744 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,440 Speaker 1: will either help pay for parts of the work or 745 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:52,560 Speaker 1: sometimes pay your rental payment to actually use your land 746 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:54,920 Speaker 1: for that. So you're probably familiar in a lot of 747 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:59,360 Speaker 1: people are probably familiar with CRP UM. Basically, the government 748 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,120 Speaker 1: will pay you a certain amount of money per acre 749 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:05,080 Speaker 1: of land that you enroll in the CRP program, and 750 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,759 Speaker 1: then what you are bound to do is manage it 751 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,560 Speaker 1: to the plan that you agreed with the government to do. 752 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:13,680 Speaker 1: So many cases is planting a blend of native grasses 753 00:41:13,719 --> 00:41:16,279 Speaker 1: and pollinator mixes UM. And you have to mow it 754 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,560 Speaker 1: every year, spray it every year, do different things like that. 755 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 1: But it's able to put the put the ground back 756 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:24,040 Speaker 1: into some kind of early successional habitat or something different 757 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,239 Speaker 1: than just crops over and over and over again to 758 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:29,000 Speaker 1: help rebuild that soil. UM. So there's a bunch of 759 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:32,799 Speaker 1: different variations on CRP programs or something called EQUIP. There's 760 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:35,600 Speaker 1: something called w r e P I think it was, 761 00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:39,800 Speaker 1: which is a Wetland Reserve program UM. So we're looking 762 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,319 Speaker 1: to like figure out is there a way that we 763 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:44,160 Speaker 1: can get involved in one of these programs so that 764 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,239 Speaker 1: will actually be paid to do good stuff for deer 765 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:49,960 Speaker 1: and wildlife, or they'll at least help pay for some 766 00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,160 Speaker 1: of the seed, or help pay for the fertilizer, help 767 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:55,200 Speaker 1: pay for the herbicide or something like that. Um. The 768 00:41:55,239 --> 00:41:58,239 Speaker 1: issue with all that is that most of these programs 769 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:03,440 Speaker 1: require a long term contract and require a long term plan. So, 770 00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:06,640 Speaker 1: like with CRP, if you want to involve enrolling that 771 00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:08,960 Speaker 1: you have to do it for a minimum ten years, 772 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:12,520 Speaker 1: I believe, and you have to agree to a plan 773 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:14,239 Speaker 1: on the front end. So the plan would say, Okay, 774 00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:16,680 Speaker 1: I'm gonna plant grasses in this ten acre chunk, I'm 775 00:42:16,719 --> 00:42:20,360 Speaker 1: gonna plant grasses and small shrubs or something in this 776 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:23,319 Speaker 1: twenty acres. I'm gonna do this in this ten and 777 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:26,120 Speaker 1: then you might be stuck with that. So if I 778 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:29,200 Speaker 1: were to make changes that might not be in agreeance 779 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:31,200 Speaker 1: with the plan, then I could be pulled from the 780 00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:34,279 Speaker 1: CRP program. They might not pay me. Um, you know, 781 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:36,680 Speaker 1: I could get in trouble. So it ended up being 782 00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:39,400 Speaker 1: the case that because we want to experiment and change 783 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,080 Speaker 1: things a lot and try new things all the time, UH, 784 00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:45,120 Speaker 1: just it wasn't gonna work, and the fact that you know, 785 00:42:45,239 --> 00:42:47,280 Speaker 1: at some point here we're going to give the place away. 786 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:49,359 Speaker 1: We didn't necessarily want to put it into a ten 787 00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:53,280 Speaker 1: year contract, give it away and then you know, someone 788 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:55,399 Speaker 1: else being stuck in that contract. So for now we're 789 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:57,759 Speaker 1: not participating in those kinds of programs. But it was 790 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,960 Speaker 1: good to learn about it, to see what's available out there, 791 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 1: and I do think it's it's a good thing that 792 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:05,120 Speaker 1: folks you know about. If you want to improve your 793 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 1: property for deer and hunting and wildlife, you're definitely talked 794 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:11,040 Speaker 1: to your n RCS folks, because there are programs where 795 00:43:11,040 --> 00:43:13,719 Speaker 1: they will help you do it. Um. And in a 796 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:15,920 Speaker 1: lot of cases, this stuff can cost some money, so 797 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:18,399 Speaker 1: why not get the government's helped to do that. And 798 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,400 Speaker 1: it's a good thing for the larger surroundings. It's a 799 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:22,920 Speaker 1: good thing for you, it's a good thing for your deer, 800 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:25,000 Speaker 1: it's a good thing for your hunting. So I was 801 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:28,919 Speaker 1: glad that we at least explore that. Yeah. Um, so 802 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:32,720 Speaker 1: when you first got access to the farm, right before 803 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:36,680 Speaker 1: you started talking to these quote unquote experts, you know, 804 00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:42,520 Speaker 1: you know, hey, pollinators and soil, what did you know, know, 805 00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:45,920 Speaker 1: just from walking the farm and looking at it, what 806 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:48,239 Speaker 1: did you think that the farm needed right off the 807 00:43:48,239 --> 00:43:53,319 Speaker 1: bat without any specialists help. Good question. So it's it's 808 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:57,399 Speaker 1: kind of simple, um to make this place a great 809 00:43:57,440 --> 00:43:59,520 Speaker 1: deer hunting farm. If I all you care about what's 810 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:03,360 Speaker 1: great deer? It just needs two things. It has great 811 00:44:03,400 --> 00:44:06,000 Speaker 1: cover in the center of the property, has got this 812 00:44:06,160 --> 00:44:09,719 Speaker 1: great swamp. It's got great topography. It has that, so 813 00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:12,040 Speaker 1: it basically needed us. It needed to be a spot 814 00:44:12,080 --> 00:44:14,200 Speaker 1: to be left alone. So it needed a spot where 815 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:16,399 Speaker 1: you know, these bucks aren't gonna be spooked all the time. 816 00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:19,200 Speaker 1: And then it needed food. We had no food on 817 00:44:19,239 --> 00:44:21,719 Speaker 1: it right now. So I knew that if I kept 818 00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:24,080 Speaker 1: this area, if I kept bucks feeling safe in here, 819 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,160 Speaker 1: and if I planted a bunch of great food, and 820 00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:29,200 Speaker 1: then one of the thing, you can make this into 821 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:31,359 Speaker 1: a great farm. The one of the thing was that 822 00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:35,040 Speaker 1: right now there's these six old fields and the property. 823 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:36,600 Speaker 1: You have to be able to get in and out 824 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:38,279 Speaker 1: of the farm without spooking deer to be able to 825 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:44,239 Speaker 1: hunt it. Well. Currently, excuse me. Once the leaves come 826 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:47,480 Speaker 1: down in the weedy fields open up, you're kind of 827 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:50,520 Speaker 1: left out to hang in some spots around these fields. 828 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:52,279 Speaker 1: Even if you're trying to walk the outside edges of 829 00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:55,080 Speaker 1: the property, if you have food planted in the middle 830 00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:57,719 Speaker 1: of these fields, you're gonna be feeding them in need 831 00:44:57,719 --> 00:44:59,799 Speaker 1: the evening, or feeding them in the early morning in 832 00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:01,840 Speaker 1: your or spook them coming in and out. So the 833 00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:04,120 Speaker 1: trick with this whole property was getting enough food in 834 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:06,839 Speaker 1: here to make deer use it and to have deer 835 00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:10,120 Speaker 1: coming in and out and become patentable. But somehow do 836 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:12,080 Speaker 1: that in such a way that you're not spooking deer 837 00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:13,920 Speaker 1: every time you try to hunt them. That was like 838 00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:19,200 Speaker 1: the one big trick to the place. Kind of like 839 00:45:19,239 --> 00:45:24,040 Speaker 1: I mean, they're overgrown fields, so like every layer as 840 00:45:24,080 --> 00:45:27,640 Speaker 1: of right now, most of these fields are four to 841 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:31,359 Speaker 1: six ft tall and weeds and very thick, and so 842 00:45:31,560 --> 00:45:33,239 Speaker 1: a deer could walk through it and they would never 843 00:45:33,320 --> 00:45:36,200 Speaker 1: see anyone or anything. But I think once it gets 844 00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:38,520 Speaker 1: cold so here in the next few weeks, the next month, 845 00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:40,720 Speaker 1: a lot of leaf cover is gonna die. It's gonna 846 00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:42,880 Speaker 1: come down, and now we're gonna be left with stocks 847 00:45:43,040 --> 00:45:45,319 Speaker 1: and so then it will be much more open. Now 848 00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:48,040 Speaker 1: there's a lot of rolling hills on the property, so 849 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:50,680 Speaker 1: the terrain itself will shield you, and so in a 850 00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:53,279 Speaker 1: lot of areas, you can move around the outer edge 851 00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:57,319 Speaker 1: of the farm and be quite shielded from much of 852 00:45:57,360 --> 00:45:59,560 Speaker 1: the rest of the property. Just by the case you 853 00:45:59,560 --> 00:46:02,440 Speaker 1: can move around hills. But still if you if you 854 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:05,760 Speaker 1: tried to plant too great, big five acre food plots 855 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:08,319 Speaker 1: in the middle of those fields, there's just gonna be 856 00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:13,760 Speaker 1: way too much visibility. So from the pure deer hunting perspective, 857 00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:15,359 Speaker 1: I knew I had to do two things. I had 858 00:46:15,400 --> 00:46:17,520 Speaker 1: to get food in the ground, but I had to 859 00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:21,480 Speaker 1: get it placed in such a way that deer one 860 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:23,640 Speaker 1: get be getting spooped out of it. So I needed 861 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:25,959 Speaker 1: to be able to move around the farm around those 862 00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:28,920 Speaker 1: food plots in those fields farther enough away from the 863 00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:31,200 Speaker 1: deer would be, or have the deer move across the 864 00:46:31,239 --> 00:46:33,360 Speaker 1: property in such a way that I would know that 865 00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:35,560 Speaker 1: at certain times a day, I could move to the 866 00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:37,759 Speaker 1: east and get past where they shouldn't be deer, or 867 00:46:37,760 --> 00:46:39,359 Speaker 1: go to the south and there wouldn't be deer at 868 00:46:39,360 --> 00:46:42,080 Speaker 1: that point. Um Or what I could do is I 869 00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:46,040 Speaker 1: could plant screening cover around these food plots or around 870 00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:49,080 Speaker 1: certain parts of the property to create you know, walls 871 00:46:49,120 --> 00:46:51,080 Speaker 1: of vegetation, and you've heard me talk about that in 872 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:55,400 Speaker 1: the past, right, Um. I've used that on the Michigan Farm, 873 00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:57,600 Speaker 1: the other Michigan spot. I hunt a lot where I 874 00:46:57,640 --> 00:47:00,440 Speaker 1: can plant, you know, like this wall of sorghum that 875 00:47:00,560 --> 00:47:03,520 Speaker 1: just blocks vision, and so I try to do that. 876 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:05,400 Speaker 1: That's the one small project, and we talked about it 877 00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:08,319 Speaker 1: this summer. Tried to plant that earlier this summer and 878 00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:10,319 Speaker 1: it was just a complete failure. I tried to do 879 00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:13,319 Speaker 1: it no till because we're trying to instill this whole 880 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:15,399 Speaker 1: no tail approach to how we plant, which is better 881 00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:18,200 Speaker 1: for the soil and in the water and everything. Um, 882 00:47:18,239 --> 00:47:21,960 Speaker 1: but it did not work this spring. Um what I 883 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:24,080 Speaker 1: tried to do. So so basically what we have now 884 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:27,440 Speaker 1: is our screens didn't come in well at all. I 885 00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:30,719 Speaker 1: tried to replant in early August, which is really really 886 00:47:30,719 --> 00:47:33,280 Speaker 1: really late, but I tried. Anyways, we got some stuff 887 00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:35,959 Speaker 1: to grow, but it's not really all at tall. So 888 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,040 Speaker 1: I just do not know what we're gonna be dealing 889 00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:42,880 Speaker 1: with as far as visibility, Like, are we how much 890 00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:44,640 Speaker 1: can I hunt this place without spooking the heck out 891 00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:46,799 Speaker 1: of all these deer because it's not as broken up 892 00:47:46,840 --> 00:47:48,719 Speaker 1: as I'd wanted yet, and we don't have enough good 893 00:47:48,719 --> 00:47:52,600 Speaker 1: cover that stands into the winter. Um. So when we 894 00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:54,560 Speaker 1: get to next year, A big thing we'll be doing 895 00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:57,799 Speaker 1: next year is trying to convert these old fields from 896 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:01,680 Speaker 1: just negative from just weedy invasive pieces two more native 897 00:48:01,680 --> 00:48:05,120 Speaker 1: grasses to some taller growing species that will stand up 898 00:48:05,239 --> 00:48:07,920 Speaker 1: straight through the cold weather, so that maybe some switch grass, 899 00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:11,840 Speaker 1: maybe some some different native cool season or warm season grasses, 900 00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:15,760 Speaker 1: some different wildflowers, probably will plant some screens, maybe plant 901 00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:18,520 Speaker 1: some trees or shrubs. Um. But trying to break up 902 00:48:18,560 --> 00:48:22,439 Speaker 1: these wide open fields into much more diverse and thick 903 00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:25,840 Speaker 1: cover UM, that will be the that will be the 904 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:29,960 Speaker 1: next step. But I just couldn't you know, pushing all 905 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,280 Speaker 1: of our work into the last month of the summer 906 00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:35,000 Speaker 1: resulted in us just not being able to tackle anything 907 00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:40,600 Speaker 1: of that large scale unfortunately. So you mentioned, you know, 908 00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:43,040 Speaker 1: you haven't really thought about a ten of your plan. 909 00:48:43,239 --> 00:48:45,840 Speaker 1: So is that going to affect what kind of trees 910 00:48:45,880 --> 00:48:49,000 Speaker 1: you're potentially going to be planning? Right, Let's say like oaks. 911 00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:52,719 Speaker 1: You know, a tree that takes a long time to 912 00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:56,000 Speaker 1: produce food. So I know there's different versions of oaks 913 00:48:56,000 --> 00:48:59,720 Speaker 1: that you know, some some produce acorns earlier as opposed 914 00:48:59,760 --> 00:49:05,200 Speaker 1: to a twenty five year stand. Yeah. Yeah, um, I 915 00:49:05,239 --> 00:49:08,640 Speaker 1: think that we will try to still be making decisions 916 00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:11,279 Speaker 1: with the long term and view, even if we're not 917 00:49:11,320 --> 00:49:13,920 Speaker 1: going to be the ones benefiting from it. I still think, 918 00:49:13,920 --> 00:49:15,320 Speaker 1: you know, you always here, when's the best time to 919 00:49:15,360 --> 00:49:18,520 Speaker 1: plant tree? You know, yesterday or today? Um, even if 920 00:49:18,560 --> 00:49:20,319 Speaker 1: I'm not going to benefit from a great big oak 921 00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:24,000 Speaker 1: dropping acorns, you know, we're still trying to set the 922 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:26,839 Speaker 1: foundation for this place to be really special, whether it's 923 00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:29,160 Speaker 1: five years from an hour or fifty years from now. 924 00:49:29,480 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: I'd like to say that we're doing things that will 925 00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:34,759 Speaker 1: be good for for any timeline. So so yeah, I 926 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:37,359 Speaker 1: think next year I will definitely be looking at short 927 00:49:37,480 --> 00:49:40,760 Speaker 1: term mass producers, so some quick growing you know, apple 928 00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:43,319 Speaker 1: trees or things like that, or where I've even looked 929 00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:45,640 Speaker 1: at getting some that are already pretty well grown. You 930 00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:48,279 Speaker 1: can move in some big ones and get them, you know, 931 00:49:48,320 --> 00:49:51,760 Speaker 1: get a big hole dug and transplanted with equipment. Um, 932 00:49:51,840 --> 00:49:54,320 Speaker 1: maybe they'll the opportunity to try a couple of a 933 00:49:54,360 --> 00:49:57,160 Speaker 1: couple of things like that, but yes, we'll mostly have 934 00:49:57,280 --> 00:50:01,120 Speaker 1: to be planting mass trees or whatever kind tree, knowing 935 00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:03,440 Speaker 1: that it will be years and years and years and 936 00:50:03,520 --> 00:50:09,160 Speaker 1: years before it'll produce food or any really significant wildlife value. Um. 937 00:50:09,200 --> 00:50:11,960 Speaker 1: But we're just gonna balance that with projects that do 938 00:50:12,080 --> 00:50:14,520 Speaker 1: have immediate impact. So we'll be doing some things that 939 00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:17,680 Speaker 1: will be long place, that will be for the future folks, 940 00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:20,160 Speaker 1: and there'll be some things that are immediate place, like 941 00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:22,719 Speaker 1: simply planning a food plot. That's something that's gonna help 942 00:50:22,760 --> 00:50:26,200 Speaker 1: us today. So we had to do some stuff like that. UM. 943 00:50:26,320 --> 00:50:28,359 Speaker 1: So it's kind of that balancing act, trying to fare 944 00:50:28,360 --> 00:50:30,200 Speaker 1: out what's going to be good in the long term, 945 00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:34,560 Speaker 1: what's gonna help us now. So I know that. UM. 946 00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:37,880 Speaker 1: You know when when people get into a scenario like 947 00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:41,799 Speaker 1: you guys, and they start doing this, this habitat work. 948 00:50:41,880 --> 00:50:46,080 Speaker 1: You know, some habitat work overlaps for different species, Like 949 00:50:46,160 --> 00:50:48,720 Speaker 1: if I plant, if I plan in a CRP field, 950 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:50,680 Speaker 1: then it's gonna be good for the deer, but it's 951 00:50:50,719 --> 00:50:53,000 Speaker 1: also going to potentially be good for you know, some 952 00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 1: other upland birds, pollinators, whatever. Did you guys sit down 953 00:50:57,360 --> 00:51:01,319 Speaker 1: and have a conversation Like, I'm a deer hunter, so 954 00:51:01,440 --> 00:51:04,400 Speaker 1: the habitat is going to be deer first and turkey second, 955 00:51:04,560 --> 00:51:09,640 Speaker 1: and you know pheasants third or whatever, or because you know, 956 00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:12,719 Speaker 1: if you have a priority of species, it may it 957 00:51:12,880 --> 00:51:17,239 Speaker 1: may help you determine what habitat project that you want 958 00:51:17,239 --> 00:51:19,600 Speaker 1: to do. And let's say, if you plant trees, it 959 00:51:19,640 --> 00:51:21,759 Speaker 1: may not be good. And this is all hypothetical, of course, 960 00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:24,239 Speaker 1: if you plant if you plant trees, it may not 961 00:51:24,320 --> 00:51:27,640 Speaker 1: be good for the pheasant population, or if you plant 962 00:51:27,880 --> 00:51:32,319 Speaker 1: more crp uh, it may still remain wide open. Right, 963 00:51:33,200 --> 00:51:38,080 Speaker 1: we have not set an absolute prioritized list of species 964 00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:43,200 Speaker 1: um but we have kind of set the high level goal. Now, 965 00:51:43,239 --> 00:51:45,279 Speaker 1: again we haven't fegared out how to quantify this, but 966 00:51:45,880 --> 00:51:50,360 Speaker 1: we want to manage for biodiversity and native wildlife and 967 00:51:50,360 --> 00:51:54,320 Speaker 1: plant life while also putting a priority on deer hunting. 968 00:51:54,920 --> 00:51:58,040 Speaker 1: So so can we bring those two things together. So 969 00:51:58,080 --> 00:52:00,520 Speaker 1: I'm always thinking about deer hunting, which is the main 970 00:52:00,520 --> 00:52:02,440 Speaker 1: type of hunting. Right, We'll turkey hunt, we'll do some 971 00:52:02,480 --> 00:52:04,439 Speaker 1: small game hunting, but the main thing is gonna be deer. 972 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:08,080 Speaker 1: So everything always passes through that filter because that requires 973 00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:12,000 Speaker 1: the most strategy around it, putting things in specific places, 974 00:52:12,160 --> 00:52:15,160 Speaker 1: organizing them in a certain way, putting this in the front, 975 00:52:15,160 --> 00:52:17,279 Speaker 1: and this in the back or things like that that 976 00:52:17,320 --> 00:52:21,360 Speaker 1: will matter from a deer perspective. But like you said, 977 00:52:21,800 --> 00:52:23,840 Speaker 1: we can then also think about, okay, what are the 978 00:52:23,840 --> 00:52:27,160 Speaker 1: types of habitat that all these other species need. And 979 00:52:27,200 --> 00:52:30,279 Speaker 1: then you can think about, okay, where how can we 980 00:52:30,360 --> 00:52:33,600 Speaker 1: get those types of habitat in places that it helps 981 00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:36,480 Speaker 1: the deer hunting while also still managing these all all 982 00:52:36,840 --> 00:52:39,680 Speaker 1: the presence of all these other species. So, for example, 983 00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:43,320 Speaker 1: there is the goal of doing something on this farm 984 00:52:43,360 --> 00:52:46,439 Speaker 1: to promote pollinator life. Right they need flowers, they need 985 00:52:46,719 --> 00:52:50,400 Speaker 1: high quality food sources, and and pollinators are struggling across 986 00:52:50,440 --> 00:52:53,920 Speaker 1: the nation right now. There's a lot of issues of insects, bees, butterflies, 987 00:52:54,360 --> 00:52:57,480 Speaker 1: um populations plummeting. So I knew we wanted to go 988 00:52:57,520 --> 00:52:59,799 Speaker 1: into this and think about ways we can help pollinators 989 00:52:59,800 --> 00:53:02,600 Speaker 1: on this property now. At the same time, when I 990 00:53:02,600 --> 00:53:05,480 Speaker 1: look at the farm from a deer hunting perspective, right now, 991 00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:08,720 Speaker 1: I can see there's two big old fields that are 992 00:53:08,760 --> 00:53:10,839 Speaker 1: in the front of the property, closest to the road. 993 00:53:11,120 --> 00:53:14,680 Speaker 1: I call this spot the panhandle. You can't get in 994 00:53:14,920 --> 00:53:17,240 Speaker 1: or out of the farm without walking through the two fields. 995 00:53:17,239 --> 00:53:20,000 Speaker 1: This is narrow strip of land that approaches the road 996 00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:22,760 Speaker 1: that's the only access points, the only only road furnish, 997 00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:23,960 Speaker 1: so I know I have to come in and out 998 00:53:23,960 --> 00:53:26,759 Speaker 1: every single time I hunt the property. Because of that, 999 00:53:26,960 --> 00:53:30,080 Speaker 1: it would be really hard to plant any kind of 1000 00:53:30,280 --> 00:53:33,120 Speaker 1: deer food up in those fields, like a big food 1001 00:53:33,120 --> 00:53:35,520 Speaker 1: plot or something without spooking deer all the time because 1002 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:38,120 Speaker 1: you'd always be walking within like fifty yards of them. 1003 00:53:38,200 --> 00:53:41,200 Speaker 1: So this was a big flashing light to me, like, hey, 1004 00:53:41,280 --> 00:53:44,160 Speaker 1: here's ten acres that you can't do much from a 1005 00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:48,000 Speaker 1: strategic deer hunting perspective, but it's an open field. This 1006 00:53:48,120 --> 00:53:50,680 Speaker 1: is a perfect spot you could do a pollinator focus 1007 00:53:50,719 --> 00:53:53,880 Speaker 1: area that won't damage your hunting, but it will provide 1008 00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:58,240 Speaker 1: great habitat for all sorts of creatures, especially pollinators and birds. 1009 00:53:58,560 --> 00:54:00,960 Speaker 1: And it's in the place that if it's both goals, 1010 00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:03,520 Speaker 1: So like, that's a great example of how I'm trying 1011 00:54:03,560 --> 00:54:06,239 Speaker 1: to do these two things and pass them through the 1012 00:54:06,320 --> 00:54:09,279 Speaker 1: lens of the filter of hunting. Um There'll be other 1013 00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:12,760 Speaker 1: spots on the farm where it is a great spot 1014 00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:15,640 Speaker 1: for a hunting focus, for a deer focus. So instead 1015 00:54:15,680 --> 00:54:18,280 Speaker 1: of having a whole field with nothing but pollinator blends 1016 00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:21,160 Speaker 1: and wild grasses, I will put in a focused food 1017 00:54:21,160 --> 00:54:26,120 Speaker 1: source like a food plot. Um. There's another challenging situation 1018 00:54:26,160 --> 00:54:28,640 Speaker 1: where there's one corner of the farm where there's really 1019 00:54:28,640 --> 00:54:32,000 Speaker 1: interesting ridge system. In this ridge system, there's a bunch 1020 00:54:32,000 --> 00:54:36,719 Speaker 1: of grasses, cedars, autumule of trees, oak trees. It is 1021 00:54:36,760 --> 00:54:40,359 Speaker 1: a dynamite hunting spot. Like it's a perfect transitionary. Coming 1022 00:54:40,360 --> 00:54:43,240 Speaker 1: out of the swamp, you get into this kind of scattered, 1023 00:54:43,280 --> 00:54:46,840 Speaker 1: patchy cover. It's just tore up with old rubs and scrapes, 1024 00:54:47,160 --> 00:54:49,120 Speaker 1: like I'm gonna kill buck there. I think, if I'm 1025 00:54:49,120 --> 00:54:50,680 Speaker 1: gonna if I'm gonna kill a buck on this farm, 1026 00:54:50,800 --> 00:54:53,360 Speaker 1: that's probably the best spot, the most likely spot it 1027 00:54:53,400 --> 00:54:56,239 Speaker 1: could happen. But at the same time, we brought in 1028 00:54:56,239 --> 00:55:00,120 Speaker 1: an ecologist, um, a state biologist here in Michigan, and 1029 00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:02,120 Speaker 1: he looked at that area and he saw that it 1030 00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:05,319 Speaker 1: was a native It was actually a remnant prairie ecosystem 1031 00:55:05,440 --> 00:55:08,000 Speaker 1: from hundreds and hundreds of years ago. He said, there's 1032 00:55:08,040 --> 00:55:10,800 Speaker 1: species here that don't exist anywhere else in the county. 1033 00:55:11,760 --> 00:55:14,920 Speaker 1: And he was he was floored. He was so excited. 1034 00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:17,000 Speaker 1: He said, this was this is what it used to 1035 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:18,880 Speaker 1: be like all over the place. But everyone came in 1036 00:55:19,000 --> 00:55:22,680 Speaker 1: and Gray's did or tilted under or burned it or 1037 00:55:22,719 --> 00:55:25,000 Speaker 1: paved over it. And there's there's no spots like this 1038 00:55:25,120 --> 00:55:27,399 Speaker 1: left anywhere. This is such a special thing. And he said, 1039 00:55:27,440 --> 00:55:31,400 Speaker 1: you've got to manage it to restore this native prairie ecosystem. 1040 00:55:31,440 --> 00:55:34,360 Speaker 1: To do that, he said, you gotta rip out the cedars, 1041 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:36,120 Speaker 1: you gotta rip out the autumn off, you gotta rip 1042 00:55:36,160 --> 00:55:38,120 Speaker 1: out the trees, you gotta burn it all. And I'm thinking, 1043 00:55:38,120 --> 00:55:41,080 Speaker 1: oh my god, I would You would completely destroy what 1044 00:55:41,239 --> 00:55:43,200 Speaker 1: is our best deer hunting habitat in the farm if 1045 00:55:43,200 --> 00:55:48,759 Speaker 1: we did that. So that's the kind of dilemma I'm 1046 00:55:48,840 --> 00:55:52,720 Speaker 1: faced with, which is how do I manage these two 1047 00:55:52,760 --> 00:55:55,000 Speaker 1: different sets of goals? And I don't think we're ever 1048 00:55:55,040 --> 00:55:58,160 Speaker 1: gonna I think what I'm learning is that we're never 1049 00:55:58,200 --> 00:56:00,920 Speaker 1: going to hit any one of these things perfectly in 1050 00:56:00,920 --> 00:56:05,160 Speaker 1: this situation because I'm not focused tent just on deer. 1051 00:56:05,400 --> 00:56:07,880 Speaker 1: This isn't gonna be perfect for deer and deer hunting. 1052 00:56:08,280 --> 00:56:10,760 Speaker 1: And I'm not going to manage this place one thousand 1053 00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:15,080 Speaker 1: percent just for native wildlife or native plant life in 1054 00:56:15,320 --> 00:56:18,880 Speaker 1: prairie ecosystems. So this isn't gonna be perfect in that situation, 1055 00:56:19,680 --> 00:56:21,960 Speaker 1: I'm going to try to do a little for both 1056 00:56:22,080 --> 00:56:24,239 Speaker 1: in a way that can benefit both in some way. 1057 00:56:24,600 --> 00:56:28,040 Speaker 1: So we still haven't decided how exactly we're going to 1058 00:56:28,080 --> 00:56:30,600 Speaker 1: manage this specific example, but I think there's a way 1059 00:56:30,640 --> 00:56:33,640 Speaker 1: I can do some things to benefit that praier ecosystem 1060 00:56:33,719 --> 00:56:36,680 Speaker 1: while still preserving the hunting quality there. And I think 1061 00:56:36,719 --> 00:56:39,799 Speaker 1: that's the same type of example on the sea in 1062 00:56:39,960 --> 00:56:42,879 Speaker 1: multiple different regions of this property as we go through it, 1063 00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:46,239 Speaker 1: um and and and how it's going to play out 1064 00:56:46,239 --> 00:56:49,040 Speaker 1: in each one, I don't know yet, but but that 1065 00:56:49,160 --> 00:56:52,319 Speaker 1: is the type of mental gymnastics I'm working through right now. 1066 00:56:53,160 --> 00:56:55,640 Speaker 1: Right and so we brought, you know, to just to 1067 00:56:55,719 --> 00:56:58,040 Speaker 1: kind of expand off that We've brought in a number 1068 00:56:58,080 --> 00:57:00,400 Speaker 1: of different people, and we're going to continue bringing a 1069 00:57:00,440 --> 00:57:02,960 Speaker 1: number of different people who can give us these different 1070 00:57:02,960 --> 00:57:05,879 Speaker 1: perspectives on it. So we brought in a few people 1071 00:57:05,960 --> 00:57:07,680 Speaker 1: that look at a farm like very much from a 1072 00:57:07,680 --> 00:57:10,440 Speaker 1: deer hunting perspective. So Jake Linger is like a white 1073 00:57:10,440 --> 00:57:13,880 Speaker 1: tail habitat consultant. We brought in Jeff Sturgis, who's obviously 1074 00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:17,360 Speaker 1: a white tail habitat consultant. Um. Then we brought in 1075 00:57:17,400 --> 00:57:20,080 Speaker 1: this guy named dan Z who's a state ecologist, and 1076 00:57:20,120 --> 00:57:23,480 Speaker 1: we brought in um Like I mentioned Marcus who was 1077 00:57:23,520 --> 00:57:28,320 Speaker 1: from the NRCS, and we brought in uh Bench Lanker 1078 00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:30,280 Speaker 1: who is an apiarist and so he's looking at the 1079 00:57:30,320 --> 00:57:33,120 Speaker 1: habitat from a b perspective. We brought in a burder 1080 00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:35,320 Speaker 1: this guy, and Pat Hogan who looks at the place 1081 00:57:35,360 --> 00:57:38,240 Speaker 1: from what the birds need. UM. This offseason, when we 1082 00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:40,040 Speaker 1: have more time, we're gonna bring in a lot more 1083 00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:42,800 Speaker 1: people with diverse perspectives. And so when you get all 1084 00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:44,960 Speaker 1: these different ideas from all these different people that look 1085 00:57:45,040 --> 00:57:48,280 Speaker 1: at the same six or four acres through very different lenses, 1086 00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:50,160 Speaker 1: you know they're gonna put on a very different set 1087 00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:52,360 Speaker 1: of glasses and look at this place and tell me something. 1088 00:57:52,920 --> 00:57:54,600 Speaker 1: And and then I just have to kind of try 1089 00:57:54,640 --> 00:57:56,919 Speaker 1: to take a little bit from each person and see 1090 00:57:56,920 --> 00:58:00,560 Speaker 1: if we can make something that all together is um 1091 00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:03,640 Speaker 1: cohesive but still in the end be able to hunt 1092 00:58:03,680 --> 00:58:08,800 Speaker 1: it well too. Yeah, you know, talking about secondary species 1093 00:58:09,280 --> 00:58:15,040 Speaker 1: like white tails, I mean setting aside white tails in Turkey, right, 1094 00:58:15,080 --> 00:58:18,280 Speaker 1: those are like the two main hunted species like in 1095 00:58:18,520 --> 00:58:21,040 Speaker 1: the eastern part of the United States. But have you 1096 00:58:21,120 --> 00:58:25,640 Speaker 1: put any thought into a secondary species like what not 1097 00:58:25,720 --> 00:58:28,960 Speaker 1: necessarily maybe just hunting, but what you would like to 1098 00:58:29,000 --> 00:58:33,200 Speaker 1: see running around on that farm. I mean, what we'd 1099 00:58:33,200 --> 00:58:39,400 Speaker 1: like to see is just about every mammal species that 1100 00:58:39,480 --> 00:58:43,480 Speaker 1: lives in south central or central Michigan UM being present 1101 00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:45,280 Speaker 1: on that farm. That would be a really cool thing. 1102 00:58:45,600 --> 00:58:47,640 Speaker 1: So if you could have all the main wildlife this 1103 00:58:47,720 --> 00:58:50,400 Speaker 1: should be in this area of Michigan present, that would 1104 00:58:50,440 --> 00:58:53,640 Speaker 1: be a win. Um. We of course can't have all 1105 00:58:53,680 --> 00:58:56,160 Speaker 1: bird life, but it would be really cool to see 1106 00:58:56,560 --> 00:59:01,240 Speaker 1: some upland wildlife again. So pheasants are are kind of 1107 00:59:01,320 --> 00:59:04,280 Speaker 1: clinging on and little patches here and there in central Michigan. 1108 00:59:04,560 --> 00:59:07,840 Speaker 1: It'd be cool to see them show up again. UM. 1109 00:59:07,960 --> 00:59:10,360 Speaker 1: I don't know if that's possible, but I do know 1110 00:59:10,440 --> 00:59:14,400 Speaker 1: in this general region there are some restoration efforts underway, 1111 00:59:14,520 --> 00:59:17,720 Speaker 1: so that's something to consider. Um, we're trying to get 1112 00:59:17,760 --> 00:59:20,280 Speaker 1: a baseline idea of of what the mammal and bird 1113 00:59:20,320 --> 00:59:23,440 Speaker 1: life is right now. So I can't remember what the numbers, 1114 00:59:23,480 --> 00:59:25,840 Speaker 1: but something like ten or eleven different mammal species I've 1115 00:59:25,880 --> 00:59:28,600 Speaker 1: either seen in person or got pictures of, and then 1116 00:59:28,640 --> 00:59:32,280 Speaker 1: we've tracked twenties six different bird species so far. So 1117 00:59:32,280 --> 00:59:35,560 Speaker 1: we're gonna track that and and see what that trajectory 1118 00:59:35,600 --> 00:59:38,360 Speaker 1: is over the coming you know, months and years. Um. 1119 00:59:38,520 --> 00:59:40,760 Speaker 1: So I've got those lists going to try to just 1120 00:59:40,800 --> 00:59:44,720 Speaker 1: see what the trend is. UM. That's really cool that 1121 00:59:45,120 --> 00:59:50,200 Speaker 1: you're you're documenting this on a on a very detailed scale, 1122 00:59:50,440 --> 00:59:54,360 Speaker 1: like how many you said, twenty six different bird species? Yeah, 1123 00:59:54,440 --> 00:59:56,400 Speaker 1: the first day we went out with documented twenty two. 1124 00:59:56,600 --> 00:59:58,680 Speaker 1: That was the beginning of August, and since then of 1125 00:59:58,840 --> 01:00:03,160 Speaker 1: have spotted four others specs. Okay, so you're you're sitting 1126 01:00:03,240 --> 01:00:08,000 Speaker 1: there and you're calculating, so basically, how how are you 1127 01:00:08,040 --> 01:00:11,200 Speaker 1: going to see if your habitat is working, if there's 1128 01:00:11,320 --> 01:00:16,080 Speaker 1: more of the current species, or if there's additional species. 1129 01:00:16,600 --> 01:00:18,360 Speaker 1: I think that show up. I think it should be 1130 01:00:18,400 --> 01:00:21,479 Speaker 1: a little bit of both. But again I don't really 1131 01:00:21,480 --> 01:00:24,280 Speaker 1: know how to fully quantify that. I can quantify how 1132 01:00:24,320 --> 01:00:27,000 Speaker 1: many new species, right, I can tell you that, you know, 1133 01:00:27,640 --> 01:00:30,960 Speaker 1: in early August two thousand nineteen, we spotted twenty two 1134 01:00:30,960 --> 01:00:33,880 Speaker 1: bird species on this day. We could show up next 1135 01:00:34,000 --> 01:00:36,120 Speaker 1: year on the same day in August and we could 1136 01:00:36,120 --> 01:00:38,240 Speaker 1: see how many you know, how many different species per day? 1137 01:00:38,240 --> 01:00:40,400 Speaker 1: Do you see? That might be a way to quantify it, 1138 01:00:40,680 --> 01:00:43,040 Speaker 1: and so do like a survey handful of times a 1139 01:00:43,120 --> 01:00:47,120 Speaker 1: year and see how that trends. UM. Seeing the overall 1140 01:00:47,240 --> 01:00:51,960 Speaker 1: number of different species trending up would probably indicative of UM, 1141 01:00:52,080 --> 01:00:55,480 Speaker 1: indicative of a positive direction. But how you can I 1142 01:00:55,560 --> 01:01:00,200 Speaker 1: don't know how to quantify the actual overall number or 1143 01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:03,120 Speaker 1: density of this kind of wildlife, you know, like I 1144 01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:04,439 Speaker 1: don't know how I can go out on this farm 1145 01:01:04,440 --> 01:01:07,960 Speaker 1: and tell you that we have more birds than we 1146 01:01:08,000 --> 01:01:10,360 Speaker 1: had a year ago in general, other than by those 1147 01:01:10,360 --> 01:01:13,560 Speaker 1: couple of things I said, or the same thing with bugs. UM, 1148 01:01:14,120 --> 01:01:16,240 Speaker 1: it's gonna have to be a little bit subjective. It's 1149 01:01:16,240 --> 01:01:18,600 Speaker 1: gonna have to be a little bit you know. We've 1150 01:01:18,680 --> 01:01:21,600 Speaker 1: tried to document very well what this place looks and 1151 01:01:21,760 --> 01:01:25,280 Speaker 1: feels like at the beginning, and then hopefully we can 1152 01:01:25,280 --> 01:01:28,080 Speaker 1: come back towards the end of the project and get 1153 01:01:28,120 --> 01:01:30,320 Speaker 1: an idea of how it looks and feels and what 1154 01:01:30,440 --> 01:01:32,760 Speaker 1: you see and what you experience out there, and hopefully 1155 01:01:32,760 --> 01:01:37,160 Speaker 1: it feels and looks and UM plays out very differently, 1156 01:01:37,560 --> 01:01:40,040 Speaker 1: and that would be hopefully in the observations of wildlife 1157 01:01:40,240 --> 01:01:44,080 Speaker 1: and the documentation of bird life, in the diversity of 1158 01:01:44,280 --> 01:01:48,840 Speaker 1: plant life species in certain places and the adherence to 1159 01:01:49,720 --> 01:01:52,520 Speaker 1: what certain types of ecosystems should be like. So in 1160 01:01:52,600 --> 01:01:55,480 Speaker 1: our wetland, you know, in a perfect world, hopefully we're 1161 01:01:55,520 --> 01:01:57,720 Speaker 1: able to remove some of the invasive species that are 1162 01:01:57,720 --> 01:01:59,840 Speaker 1: in there. And if we're able to do that, that 1163 01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:02,840 Speaker 1: would increase the amount of standing water that's left in 1164 01:02:02,880 --> 01:02:05,720 Speaker 1: this area, which maybe would lead to more ducks maybe 1165 01:02:05,800 --> 01:02:08,880 Speaker 1: using the area, or different things like that. So hopefully 1166 01:02:09,000 --> 01:02:11,120 Speaker 1: each one of these little zones will be able to 1167 01:02:11,120 --> 01:02:13,840 Speaker 1: see a positive direction to so that native prairie area, 1168 01:02:14,040 --> 01:02:16,160 Speaker 1: hopefully we'll be able to see that be have even 1169 01:02:16,240 --> 01:02:20,560 Speaker 1: more diversity of of remnant prairie species. UM In some 1170 01:02:20,600 --> 01:02:22,800 Speaker 1: of these big old open fields, hopefully we'll go from 1171 01:02:22,800 --> 01:02:25,960 Speaker 1: just having like two species of plants in a square 1172 01:02:26,000 --> 01:02:30,000 Speaker 1: meter to ten species of plants in a square meter. UM. 1173 01:02:30,200 --> 01:02:34,680 Speaker 1: Those types of smaller scale goals or or observations, I 1174 01:02:34,720 --> 01:02:36,640 Speaker 1: think we'll probably start telling us that we're moving in 1175 01:02:36,680 --> 01:02:40,520 Speaker 1: the right direction. Okay, So with all that said, the 1176 01:02:40,520 --> 01:02:43,560 Speaker 1: habitat are great, right, You're still a deer hunter at heart. 1177 01:02:44,840 --> 01:02:50,080 Speaker 1: Are you going to try to let the let nature 1178 01:02:50,680 --> 01:02:53,760 Speaker 1: do most of the work and feeding the white tails 1179 01:02:53,880 --> 01:02:57,080 Speaker 1: or how have you guys made the decision um too 1180 01:02:57,880 --> 01:03:01,760 Speaker 1: on this st acres. How much be designated to your 1181 01:03:02,440 --> 01:03:06,520 Speaker 1: to your standard food plot. Yeah, so we definitely decided 1182 01:03:06,760 --> 01:03:11,080 Speaker 1: that additional food is necessary. Um. These old fields are 1183 01:03:11,240 --> 01:03:17,080 Speaker 1: mostly invasive Mayor's tail, which is a junk weed. It 1184 01:03:17,200 --> 01:03:21,880 Speaker 1: provides almost no wildlife cover, almost no wildlife nutrition. Um, 1185 01:03:21,920 --> 01:03:24,520 Speaker 1: it's just kind of junk and deer aren't going to 1186 01:03:24,560 --> 01:03:26,760 Speaker 1: feed on it very much from what I understand. So 1187 01:03:27,400 --> 01:03:29,760 Speaker 1: we definitely wanted to have some supplemental food that would 1188 01:03:29,800 --> 01:03:33,200 Speaker 1: a help deer from a health perspective. But then absolutely 1189 01:03:33,680 --> 01:03:34,960 Speaker 1: not a shame to say it at all, like it's 1190 01:03:34,960 --> 01:03:37,280 Speaker 1: going to help us a big way in a hunting way, 1191 01:03:37,360 --> 01:03:39,840 Speaker 1: Like we need something that's going to move deer across 1192 01:03:40,000 --> 01:03:43,600 Speaker 1: the farm or to stay and hang out on our farm. Um, 1193 01:03:43,760 --> 01:03:46,240 Speaker 1: when they otherwise would not if we had nothing in there. Right, 1194 01:03:46,320 --> 01:03:48,520 Speaker 1: if we didn't, we'd have some cover. They would pass 1195 01:03:48,600 --> 01:03:50,680 Speaker 1: through for sure, but they'd be in and out and 1196 01:03:50,680 --> 01:03:53,760 Speaker 1: off to the neighbors very quickly. Um. And then a 1197 01:03:53,880 --> 01:03:56,560 Speaker 1: mature buck might never walk around in daylight in these 1198 01:03:56,600 --> 01:03:58,120 Speaker 1: spots if he's just gonna hang out in the in 1199 01:03:58,160 --> 01:04:00,320 Speaker 1: the cover. If there was one and then a dark 1200 01:04:00,360 --> 01:04:02,720 Speaker 1: head off to a neighbor in Cornfield or something. So 1201 01:04:03,160 --> 01:04:04,880 Speaker 1: I definitely want to get some food in this year. 1202 01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:08,640 Speaker 1: That was like the one project we had time to do. Basically, 1203 01:04:08,680 --> 01:04:11,800 Speaker 1: what the timeline looked like is an early August. In 1204 01:04:12,000 --> 01:04:14,200 Speaker 1: the first two weeks of August, we were able to 1205 01:04:14,200 --> 01:04:16,280 Speaker 1: get a camera cra out and we're able to document 1206 01:04:16,360 --> 01:04:17,880 Speaker 1: some of these tours. So we had the burder, we 1207 01:04:17,920 --> 01:04:19,560 Speaker 1: had the bi guy, we had a couple of colleges, 1208 01:04:19,720 --> 01:04:22,000 Speaker 1: we had the consultants come out with Steve come out, 1209 01:04:22,400 --> 01:04:24,240 Speaker 1: and so we got like the tours of the farm 1210 01:04:24,320 --> 01:04:26,600 Speaker 1: as it was. That got done the first two weeks 1211 01:04:26,800 --> 01:04:29,080 Speaker 1: and then we basically had like seven eight nine days 1212 01:04:29,080 --> 01:04:31,600 Speaker 1: after that to try to get some work done. That's 1213 01:04:31,640 --> 01:04:33,600 Speaker 1: not allow of time to get any kind of real 1214 01:04:33,640 --> 01:04:37,400 Speaker 1: work done, um, but we were able to get some 1215 01:04:37,440 --> 01:04:40,920 Speaker 1: food plots planted and we were able to get it 1216 01:04:41,000 --> 01:04:43,800 Speaker 1: set up to hunt decent for the first season. That's 1217 01:04:43,880 --> 01:04:45,240 Speaker 1: kind of all we were able to get done in 1218 01:04:45,280 --> 01:04:50,680 Speaker 1: that short amount of time. So yes, we planted probably 1219 01:04:50,720 --> 01:04:53,600 Speaker 1: an acre and a half two acres of food spread 1220 01:04:53,600 --> 01:04:58,200 Speaker 1: out across these six old fields in a strategic way 1221 01:04:58,240 --> 01:05:00,880 Speaker 1: that would hopefully keep the you're in the center of 1222 01:05:00,920 --> 01:05:05,000 Speaker 1: the farm um moving across the farm in a way 1223 01:05:05,240 --> 01:05:08,040 Speaker 1: that there'd be deer movement that we could see and hunt, 1224 01:05:08,720 --> 01:05:12,600 Speaker 1: but leaving gaps in certain spots that would allow us 1225 01:05:12,640 --> 01:05:16,160 Speaker 1: to get in and out to hunt them without spooking 1226 01:05:16,200 --> 01:05:19,680 Speaker 1: the deer. So that was kind of the whole gist 1227 01:05:19,680 --> 01:05:21,560 Speaker 1: with the food plots. How do we place them in 1228 01:05:21,600 --> 01:05:23,920 Speaker 1: these spots to do that? So they're narrow food plots, 1229 01:05:24,040 --> 01:05:26,760 Speaker 1: They're they're long and narrow food plots, and they're tucked 1230 01:05:26,760 --> 01:05:30,240 Speaker 1: into like the low hills and valleys and bowls in 1231 01:05:30,280 --> 01:05:34,560 Speaker 1: the terrain so that they're mostly visually hidden. UM. And 1232 01:05:34,560 --> 01:05:37,120 Speaker 1: they kind of extend out of the swampy cover and 1233 01:05:37,240 --> 01:05:40,640 Speaker 1: across these hills down the low spots on both sides 1234 01:05:40,680 --> 01:05:42,600 Speaker 1: of the swamp. So there's like a there's kind of 1235 01:05:42,800 --> 01:05:45,520 Speaker 1: it's almost like a road. There's like a winding road 1236 01:05:45,680 --> 01:05:47,840 Speaker 1: that goes along the east side of the swamp, and 1237 01:05:47,840 --> 01:05:49,760 Speaker 1: there's a winding road that goes on the west side 1238 01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:52,800 Speaker 1: of the swamp. Hopefully, depending on what the wind directions 1239 01:05:52,800 --> 01:05:55,960 Speaker 1: on any given day, you could hunt either side of 1240 01:05:56,000 --> 01:05:58,600 Speaker 1: the swamp. This is assuming it's not the rotten you're 1241 01:05:58,640 --> 01:06:01,680 Speaker 1: not going into the thick stuff. Yeah, Um, you could 1242 01:06:01,760 --> 01:06:03,560 Speaker 1: hunt on one side of the swamp or the other 1243 01:06:03,680 --> 01:06:06,400 Speaker 1: and be safe from a win perspective, and still see 1244 01:06:06,480 --> 01:06:09,960 Speaker 1: deer moving out utilizing those food plots for some portion 1245 01:06:10,000 --> 01:06:12,200 Speaker 1: of daylight, and then after dark hopefully they would move 1246 01:06:12,240 --> 01:06:15,240 Speaker 1: off to the neighbors farms where there's some egg. UM. 1247 01:06:15,280 --> 01:06:18,880 Speaker 1: That's the high level idea. UM had a hell of 1248 01:06:18,880 --> 01:06:21,560 Speaker 1: a time trying to get the food plots in just 1249 01:06:21,760 --> 01:06:23,520 Speaker 1: you know, I think I alluded to We talked about 1250 01:06:23,560 --> 01:06:25,880 Speaker 1: some of this stuff this summer, but even once it 1251 01:06:25,960 --> 01:06:29,480 Speaker 1: got to the to the actual work on these plots 1252 01:06:29,480 --> 01:06:31,880 Speaker 1: here at the end of August, had some all sorts 1253 01:06:31,880 --> 01:06:34,840 Speaker 1: of equipment issues. Could not get We got a mower 1254 01:06:34,880 --> 01:06:37,120 Speaker 1: because we had to mow trails and had to mow 1255 01:06:37,640 --> 01:06:41,480 Speaker 1: these weeds down because there's some serious weed growth. UM. 1256 01:06:42,280 --> 01:06:43,880 Speaker 1: I had a hecko time trying to get the stupid 1257 01:06:43,920 --> 01:06:45,520 Speaker 1: mower to work. But we finally got that going. But 1258 01:06:45,560 --> 01:06:48,520 Speaker 1: that was like a whole day wasted just on the mower. UM. 1259 01:06:48,960 --> 01:06:50,400 Speaker 1: Then I had to try to figure out how to 1260 01:06:50,520 --> 01:06:53,160 Speaker 1: use a no till drill, which I mean, you know me, 1261 01:06:53,280 --> 01:06:55,520 Speaker 1: I struggle with equipment of any kind. I have no 1262 01:06:55,600 --> 01:06:58,240 Speaker 1: farming experience otherwise other than just like these little dinky 1263 01:06:58,280 --> 01:07:00,960 Speaker 1: food plots have been able to do here and there, um, 1264 01:07:01,000 --> 01:07:03,000 Speaker 1: and then this was like a serious piece of equipment. 1265 01:07:03,360 --> 01:07:05,920 Speaker 1: So that took a long time to get figured out, 1266 01:07:06,720 --> 01:07:09,160 Speaker 1: but but it did eventually get it figured out. So 1267 01:07:09,200 --> 01:07:12,640 Speaker 1: we were able to plant that with a no till drill. 1268 01:07:12,920 --> 01:07:15,560 Speaker 1: So that's cool because that's going to provide a lot 1269 01:07:15,600 --> 01:07:20,600 Speaker 1: of soil benefits that we're excited about for next year. Yeah. Um, 1270 01:07:20,640 --> 01:07:22,520 Speaker 1: But where we stand at the end of you know, 1271 01:07:22,600 --> 01:07:24,920 Speaker 1: that like ten day period, is we we got, like 1272 01:07:24,960 --> 01:07:26,600 Speaker 1: I said, like maybe an acre and have two acres 1273 01:07:26,600 --> 01:07:30,080 Speaker 1: of food. It's a it's a blend of oats and 1274 01:07:30,240 --> 01:07:35,080 Speaker 1: annual clovers and wheat and cereal rye and a bunch 1275 01:07:35,080 --> 01:07:38,520 Speaker 1: of different brassicas. So we're gonna have some early season attraction, 1276 01:07:38,520 --> 01:07:41,440 Speaker 1: We're hopefully gonna have some late season attraction, and we're 1277 01:07:41,440 --> 01:07:43,600 Speaker 1: gonna have some species that will come back up next 1278 01:07:43,680 --> 01:07:47,919 Speaker 1: spring and smother out any weed competition. So what I'll 1279 01:07:47,920 --> 01:07:49,840 Speaker 1: be able to do at the end of next spring 1280 01:07:49,920 --> 01:07:51,920 Speaker 1: is coming. I'm just gonna have food plots to have 1281 01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:56,040 Speaker 1: green growth in them already and either crimp it, which 1282 01:07:56,040 --> 01:07:58,920 Speaker 1: will kill what's there, which is basically roll over it. 1283 01:07:58,960 --> 01:08:01,920 Speaker 1: With like a a big barrel of sorts and then 1284 01:08:01,920 --> 01:08:03,600 Speaker 1: it kind of pushes down the growth and they can 1285 01:08:03,640 --> 01:08:05,760 Speaker 1: come back in and drill in a new crop in 1286 01:08:05,760 --> 01:08:08,760 Speaker 1: the summer and hopefully not need to use herbicide, which 1287 01:08:08,760 --> 01:08:12,280 Speaker 1: is the goal. Um. So that's the food plus situation. 1288 01:08:12,360 --> 01:08:15,160 Speaker 1: And then the rest of that week or whatever it was, 1289 01:08:15,720 --> 01:08:20,440 Speaker 1: we were prepping trees, trimming, shooting lanes, hanging trail cameras, 1290 01:08:20,479 --> 01:08:25,520 Speaker 1: making mocks, grapes, uh, cutting trails, putting up ground blinds, 1291 01:08:26,080 --> 01:08:29,760 Speaker 1: all that kind of stuff. Um And that that is 1292 01:08:29,840 --> 01:08:32,360 Speaker 1: essentially all we're able to get accomplished for that first season. 1293 01:08:33,160 --> 01:08:37,880 Speaker 1: Got you. So I hear that you've been busy, right, 1294 01:08:37,960 --> 01:08:42,400 Speaker 1: You've you've you have this project in mind. So what 1295 01:08:42,520 --> 01:08:45,559 Speaker 1: I what I think is, Okay, how much is this 1296 01:08:45,640 --> 01:08:48,760 Speaker 1: going to cost? Right? Do you have a budget that 1297 01:08:48,800 --> 01:08:52,120 Speaker 1: you're allotted to make this as realistic as possible or 1298 01:08:52,200 --> 01:08:56,439 Speaker 1: is it kind of anything goes type scenario? Uh, you know, 1299 01:08:56,680 --> 01:09:02,439 Speaker 1: we we sort of have a budget, but basically the 1300 01:09:02,479 --> 01:09:05,479 Speaker 1: budget is operate as if you were on a budget 1301 01:09:05,520 --> 01:09:07,960 Speaker 1: of your own. To me, so I'm trying to do 1302 01:09:08,040 --> 01:09:10,080 Speaker 1: this basically what I would do if this was not 1303 01:09:10,200 --> 01:09:13,599 Speaker 1: a company project, If this is just me. So, for example, 1304 01:09:13,640 --> 01:09:16,400 Speaker 1: we're borrowing all of our equipment other than we bought 1305 01:09:16,439 --> 01:09:20,000 Speaker 1: a mower. Otherwise, we're borrowing a UTV. We're borrowing a drill, 1306 01:09:20,200 --> 01:09:22,360 Speaker 1: which anyone can borrow drill, by the way, you can 1307 01:09:22,400 --> 01:09:26,639 Speaker 1: rent these things for most of your local NRCS offices. 1308 01:09:26,680 --> 01:09:29,679 Speaker 1: You can borrow a drill. You can rent a tractor, 1309 01:09:30,280 --> 01:09:33,960 Speaker 1: um from a lot of places. So we're borrowing the equipment. Um. 1310 01:09:34,040 --> 01:09:41,320 Speaker 1: We have paid for fertilizer and spray. UM. But I 1311 01:09:41,360 --> 01:09:43,560 Speaker 1: mean otherwise we're not using any big fancy equipment. We 1312 01:09:43,560 --> 01:09:45,960 Speaker 1: don't have a big, huge tractor. We don't have big 1313 01:09:46,040 --> 01:09:50,200 Speaker 1: huge implements other than like I said, the borrow drill. Um. 1314 01:09:50,240 --> 01:09:53,439 Speaker 1: We bought two tree stands and three ground blinds. You 1315 01:09:53,439 --> 01:09:56,320 Speaker 1: know that's a few hundred bucks there total. UM. I 1316 01:09:56,439 --> 01:09:58,639 Speaker 1: prepped all the rest of the trees for saddle hunting, 1317 01:09:58,800 --> 01:10:02,680 Speaker 1: so that costs nothing. UM. I bought tree pegs to 1318 01:10:02,720 --> 01:10:06,679 Speaker 1: get up in the tree. Um. You know, I've got 1319 01:10:06,720 --> 01:10:10,720 Speaker 1: the cameras that would normally be running up there. UM. 1320 01:10:10,760 --> 01:10:13,280 Speaker 1: You know, it's it's very it's very low key. It's 1321 01:10:13,280 --> 01:10:16,160 Speaker 1: basically just what I usually do on the properties. I'm 1322 01:10:16,200 --> 01:10:21,240 Speaker 1: usually hunting So while I haven't documented exactly what that costs, 1323 01:10:21,320 --> 01:10:24,920 Speaker 1: I mean it is is very much, very minimalist to 1324 01:10:24,960 --> 01:10:26,720 Speaker 1: this point. Now, next year, when we start trying to 1325 01:10:26,760 --> 01:10:29,479 Speaker 1: do some more things, when we start trying to plant 1326 01:10:29,600 --> 01:10:32,600 Speaker 1: native grasses again, and when we start trying to you know, 1327 01:10:32,640 --> 01:10:35,439 Speaker 1: implement some of these different by trees, you know, that's 1328 01:10:35,439 --> 01:10:38,400 Speaker 1: gonna that's gonna cost some money to buy trees. Um, 1329 01:10:38,439 --> 01:10:41,240 Speaker 1: It's gonna maybe it's gonna cost money to buy seed. Um. 1330 01:10:41,240 --> 01:10:43,240 Speaker 1: We might be able to find a cost share program 1331 01:10:43,280 --> 01:10:45,280 Speaker 1: still with the government, and there's some other options we're 1332 01:10:45,280 --> 01:10:48,639 Speaker 1: still looking into it. So the main thing is that 1333 01:10:49,000 --> 01:10:51,479 Speaker 1: I'm trying to find ways to make it as budget 1334 01:10:51,520 --> 01:10:54,559 Speaker 1: friendly as possible that that make this something that's within 1335 01:10:54,600 --> 01:10:57,360 Speaker 1: the reach of your normal, average, everyday person. If if 1336 01:10:57,400 --> 01:11:00,479 Speaker 1: I could do it on my own, minormal a world 1337 01:11:00,479 --> 01:11:03,120 Speaker 1: without this being a company project, then it fits the 1338 01:11:03,120 --> 01:11:06,240 Speaker 1: bill for this project. And that's the that's like the 1339 01:11:06,280 --> 01:11:09,759 Speaker 1: filter I've tried to pass every decision through. Gotcha, Okay, 1340 01:11:10,680 --> 01:11:13,360 Speaker 1: So now what I mean you guys, have you're done 1341 01:11:13,360 --> 01:11:17,719 Speaker 1: with the habitat projects for this year? Hunting season is here, 1342 01:11:18,400 --> 01:11:23,600 Speaker 1: and have you talked about number one who is going 1343 01:11:23,640 --> 01:11:26,080 Speaker 1: to hunt this property, and have you guys had that 1344 01:11:26,120 --> 01:11:30,759 Speaker 1: discussion about what is a shooter and how many does 1345 01:11:30,880 --> 01:11:34,360 Speaker 1: you plan on taking? Yeah, so this is where things 1346 01:11:34,400 --> 01:11:38,680 Speaker 1: become even more of like a uh, I don't know, 1347 01:11:39,560 --> 01:11:46,720 Speaker 1: interesting things become interesting, um because if I if this 1348 01:11:46,800 --> 01:11:49,800 Speaker 1: was just like my place, I would have a very 1349 01:11:49,880 --> 01:11:52,160 Speaker 1: specific way. I would be doing things in a very 1350 01:11:52,160 --> 01:11:54,720 Speaker 1: specific way. I'd be hunting things in a very specific 1351 01:11:55,320 --> 01:11:58,919 Speaker 1: um idea on who would hunt it. So, for example, 1352 01:11:59,160 --> 01:12:01,240 Speaker 1: we would have gotten on with other projects at the 1353 01:12:01,360 --> 01:12:03,799 Speaker 1: end of August, and I would have left this property 1354 01:12:03,880 --> 01:12:06,840 Speaker 1: untouched until October one, Right, we always like to leave 1355 01:12:06,880 --> 01:12:10,439 Speaker 1: it off off you know, off grid for at least 1356 01:12:10,439 --> 01:12:12,960 Speaker 1: thirty days before hunting season. And then I'd be like 1357 01:12:13,080 --> 01:12:15,040 Speaker 1: really really really careful about every time I go in 1358 01:12:15,080 --> 01:12:17,000 Speaker 1: there during the hunting season and be just me. I 1359 01:12:17,040 --> 01:12:19,000 Speaker 1: would hunt just a couple of times here and there 1360 01:12:19,000 --> 01:12:22,800 Speaker 1: when the conditions are just right. Um, I'd be you know, 1361 01:12:23,040 --> 01:12:25,360 Speaker 1: just trying to kill mature buck and then a couple 1362 01:12:25,360 --> 01:12:27,559 Speaker 1: of dolls, depending on what the dope population is like. 1363 01:12:28,240 --> 01:12:31,160 Speaker 1: But we are doing all sorts of different things with 1364 01:12:31,200 --> 01:12:34,519 Speaker 1: this property because we're trying to not only manage it 1365 01:12:34,600 --> 01:12:38,160 Speaker 1: for different wildlife but also use it for different wildlife 1366 01:12:38,160 --> 01:12:42,799 Speaker 1: and for different people too. So for example, on September, 1367 01:12:44,640 --> 01:12:47,280 Speaker 1: right smack dab in the middle of my usual hands 1368 01:12:47,320 --> 01:12:50,680 Speaker 1: off period, opening day of squirrel hunting season came in 1369 01:12:51,000 --> 01:12:55,120 Speaker 1: and Steve and Janice showed up and hunted the property 1370 01:12:55,479 --> 01:12:58,400 Speaker 1: right in the middle of September, two weeks before opening day, 1371 01:12:58,680 --> 01:13:02,320 Speaker 1: walked all over the place, and so you can imagine 1372 01:13:02,360 --> 01:13:04,519 Speaker 1: like how paranoid and freak out that would make me. 1373 01:13:04,560 --> 01:13:08,160 Speaker 1: So I went with them, and I was cringing and struggling, 1374 01:13:08,479 --> 01:13:10,960 Speaker 1: but it was what it was. So we scirrel hunted 1375 01:13:10,960 --> 01:13:13,120 Speaker 1: at two weeks four opening day, which I've never ever 1376 01:13:13,160 --> 01:13:15,599 Speaker 1: done to one of my dear hunting properties in the past. 1377 01:13:16,160 --> 01:13:19,160 Speaker 1: So that's the kind of thing that we're doing. Um. 1378 01:13:19,240 --> 01:13:20,840 Speaker 1: And then there's also a bunch of different people that 1379 01:13:20,920 --> 01:13:24,720 Speaker 1: are gonna be coming out and hunting it. So um, 1380 01:13:24,840 --> 01:13:28,280 Speaker 1: we're still finalizing exactly who and when, but bringing out 1381 01:13:28,280 --> 01:13:30,720 Speaker 1: a somewhat new hunter in early October who's gonna come 1382 01:13:30,720 --> 01:13:33,800 Speaker 1: out that comes from like a research and ecology background, 1383 01:13:34,320 --> 01:13:36,960 Speaker 1: Who's gonna come out for a few days and hunt it. Um. 1384 01:13:37,080 --> 01:13:39,080 Speaker 1: Later in October, we have another person coming out and 1385 01:13:39,120 --> 01:13:42,200 Speaker 1: hunting it with me early November, another person is going 1386 01:13:42,240 --> 01:13:43,800 Speaker 1: to hunt it for a few days with me, and 1387 01:13:43,840 --> 01:13:46,040 Speaker 1: then mid November, my dad's gonna come for a couple 1388 01:13:46,080 --> 01:13:49,320 Speaker 1: of days, which would be really cool. Um. And then 1389 01:13:49,520 --> 01:13:51,840 Speaker 1: later in the year in December, going to bring in 1390 01:13:51,880 --> 01:13:54,920 Speaker 1: a couple more people, another new hunter, um. And I 1391 01:13:54,920 --> 01:13:59,080 Speaker 1: think Ryan Callahan for media will be out there. So 1392 01:13:59,080 --> 01:14:02,880 Speaker 1: so I will tell you, like being completely honest, I 1393 01:14:03,120 --> 01:14:06,519 Speaker 1: am stressed about how this place is going to hunt 1394 01:14:06,680 --> 01:14:09,479 Speaker 1: because that just seems like way too many people, way 1395 01:14:09,479 --> 01:14:13,760 Speaker 1: too much activity on a small property in Michigan, um right. 1396 01:14:13,800 --> 01:14:16,439 Speaker 1: I mean I talk all the time about how I 1397 01:14:16,439 --> 01:14:18,439 Speaker 1: try to hunt the small properties I have access to, 1398 01:14:18,760 --> 01:14:22,640 Speaker 1: and like how so so so carefully I have to 1399 01:14:22,680 --> 01:14:24,479 Speaker 1: do things on it to even have a chance to 1400 01:14:24,520 --> 01:14:29,320 Speaker 1: see a mature buck. And you know I, you know I, 1401 01:14:30,680 --> 01:14:33,120 Speaker 1: It's it's not just me. It's not just me in 1402 01:14:33,160 --> 01:14:36,559 Speaker 1: this farm. There's other folks, those other goals, there's other 1403 01:14:36,560 --> 01:14:43,080 Speaker 1: things going on. So my task is to try to 1404 01:14:43,120 --> 01:14:46,960 Speaker 1: try to learn from that, to try to still give 1405 01:14:47,040 --> 01:14:49,080 Speaker 1: us as best of a chance as possible to still 1406 01:14:49,080 --> 01:14:53,160 Speaker 1: maybe see a mature buck here and there, um, and 1407 01:14:53,240 --> 01:14:55,679 Speaker 1: to to document what happens, the good and the bad, 1408 01:14:55,880 --> 01:14:59,200 Speaker 1: I guess. Um, So yeah, man, I don't know what's 1409 01:14:59,240 --> 01:15:01,519 Speaker 1: going to happen. I I will tell you, like I'm 1410 01:15:01,560 --> 01:15:05,640 Speaker 1: stressed about it. I I know that one of the 1411 01:15:05,640 --> 01:15:07,880 Speaker 1: goals here, at least one of my personal goals. And 1412 01:15:07,960 --> 01:15:09,640 Speaker 1: internal like we talked like, yeah, we want to have 1413 01:15:09,680 --> 01:15:11,760 Speaker 1: great deer hunting. That has to be an important thing 1414 01:15:11,800 --> 01:15:15,120 Speaker 1: out here. And great deer hunting means having all age 1415 01:15:15,120 --> 01:15:20,240 Speaker 1: classes having mature bucks. Um. I've repeatedly stressed how challenging 1416 01:15:20,280 --> 01:15:22,760 Speaker 1: that's going to be, especially with all these other things 1417 01:15:22,760 --> 01:15:25,679 Speaker 1: going on, and um, and I just have to fight 1418 01:15:25,680 --> 01:15:27,439 Speaker 1: that battle and keep on trying to find a way 1419 01:15:27,479 --> 01:15:30,360 Speaker 1: that we balance those things. So so that's gonna be. 1420 01:15:30,560 --> 01:15:32,400 Speaker 1: That's gonna be. Like the store of this whole project though, 1421 01:15:32,439 --> 01:15:35,000 Speaker 1: was like, how can I figure out a way to 1422 01:15:35,000 --> 01:15:37,080 Speaker 1: to still have good hunting out here while we were 1423 01:15:37,120 --> 01:15:39,920 Speaker 1: doing all these other things while these different folks come 1424 01:15:39,920 --> 01:15:42,800 Speaker 1: out and check it out and give their perspectives. And UM, 1425 01:15:42,840 --> 01:15:44,960 Speaker 1: I love the idea of like using this property as 1426 01:15:45,120 --> 01:15:47,360 Speaker 1: you know, sharing those proper people right being able to 1427 01:15:47,400 --> 01:15:50,200 Speaker 1: take out new hunters. I think that's awesome. But it's 1428 01:15:50,320 --> 01:15:52,280 Speaker 1: it's you know, it's give and take. Everything's given take. 1429 01:15:52,880 --> 01:15:55,080 Speaker 1: So I don't know what's gonna happen, like I do. 1430 01:15:55,240 --> 01:15:57,479 Speaker 1: I just it's very unknown. And here's the other thing. 1431 01:15:57,520 --> 01:15:59,519 Speaker 1: Like I told you last week, I think it was 1432 01:16:00,160 --> 01:16:03,000 Speaker 1: I did have cameras out there in the summer. Did 1433 01:16:03,000 --> 01:16:04,960 Speaker 1: not get any mature bucks on camera during the summer. 1434 01:16:05,360 --> 01:16:07,880 Speaker 1: I've had cameras running in the fall, you know, all 1435 01:16:07,920 --> 01:16:11,960 Speaker 1: three September I checked cameras on when me and Steve 1436 01:16:12,000 --> 01:16:14,880 Speaker 1: and Janice went out there for the squirrel hunt. Still 1437 01:16:14,920 --> 01:16:18,160 Speaker 1: not looking good. I did get one mature buck on camera. 1438 01:16:18,320 --> 01:16:21,120 Speaker 1: He showed up the night before the squirrel season, so 1439 01:16:21,560 --> 01:16:24,439 Speaker 1: he's probably yeah, he's probably gone now because the very 1440 01:16:24,479 --> 01:16:26,320 Speaker 1: next day after he showed up, we walked all other 1441 01:16:26,320 --> 01:16:28,200 Speaker 1: place and he got to remember it's not just me, 1442 01:16:28,360 --> 01:16:31,519 Speaker 1: Steve and Janice. It's also then like all these cameramen too. 1443 01:16:31,960 --> 01:16:33,639 Speaker 1: So every time you go out there with all these 1444 01:16:33,640 --> 01:16:36,519 Speaker 1: different hunters, it's it's double that because you've got these cameraman. 1445 01:16:37,040 --> 01:16:42,920 Speaker 1: Um so Godlee stressing me right out. But but it's great, 1446 01:16:43,040 --> 01:16:46,320 Speaker 1: but it's stressful. So one mature Bucks showed up on September. 1447 01:16:47,840 --> 01:16:50,639 Speaker 1: One set of pictures of him. He looks really big body, 1448 01:16:50,680 --> 01:16:53,680 Speaker 1: it's like a really big looking body deer, but not 1449 01:16:53,760 --> 01:16:56,000 Speaker 1: a whole lot going on. From an antler perspective, looked 1450 01:16:56,040 --> 01:16:59,320 Speaker 1: like maybe like a wide short time eight pointer or 1451 01:16:59,400 --> 01:17:01,120 Speaker 1: six pointer or something, but it was like a very 1452 01:17:01,160 --> 01:17:06,839 Speaker 1: distant picture. Um, and that's it. So I do believe 1453 01:17:06,920 --> 01:17:10,120 Speaker 1: though that right we're in there so much in August, 1454 01:17:10,160 --> 01:17:13,080 Speaker 1: like we just blew everything out, like and every person 1455 01:17:13,120 --> 01:17:15,120 Speaker 1: that came through, right, they want to come see the swamp, 1456 01:17:15,160 --> 01:17:17,400 Speaker 1: they want to see this We honestly the ridge system, 1457 01:17:17,479 --> 01:17:20,240 Speaker 1: so just trekking all over the best stuff. So it's 1458 01:17:20,280 --> 01:17:22,960 Speaker 1: just a disaster from like a pressure on deer perspective. 1459 01:17:23,840 --> 01:17:27,120 Speaker 1: So I was not expecting any mature buck to stick 1460 01:17:27,120 --> 01:17:29,200 Speaker 1: around through all that kind of crap. But I do 1461 01:17:29,360 --> 01:17:31,840 Speaker 1: hope that, as with every little bit of me, I'm 1462 01:17:31,840 --> 01:17:36,559 Speaker 1: gonna try to keep all of our activity as safely 1463 01:17:36,600 --> 01:17:39,080 Speaker 1: located as possible so as to not disturb the deer 1464 01:17:39,120 --> 01:17:40,559 Speaker 1: too much. So I'm gonna try to keep all the 1465 01:17:40,600 --> 01:17:43,120 Speaker 1: early season stuff, you know, on the edge of the property. 1466 01:17:43,120 --> 01:17:45,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try not to disturb this place. I'm not 1467 01:17:45,040 --> 01:17:47,720 Speaker 1: going to go into it unnecessarily ever, as much as 1468 01:17:47,760 --> 01:17:50,040 Speaker 1: I can control it. Um. So I do think by 1469 01:17:50,040 --> 01:17:51,960 Speaker 1: the time October rolls around and we get into the 1470 01:17:51,960 --> 01:17:54,400 Speaker 1: pre rut. There just has to be a mature buck 1471 01:17:54,439 --> 01:17:58,440 Speaker 1: to pass that through here. The surrounding area is too good. Um. 1472 01:17:58,520 --> 01:18:02,320 Speaker 1: There's two neighbors that I know that have seen and 1473 01:18:02,479 --> 01:18:05,559 Speaker 1: hunted and hold out for big old deer. There's another 1474 01:18:05,640 --> 01:18:08,920 Speaker 1: new neighbor who I've chatted with who is interested in 1475 01:18:08,960 --> 01:18:10,920 Speaker 1: passing on young deer and excited to finally have an 1476 01:18:10,920 --> 01:18:13,040 Speaker 1: opportunity to do that. So they want better deer hunting, 1477 01:18:13,280 --> 01:18:16,280 Speaker 1: so they're on board. There's another landowner across the road 1478 01:18:16,560 --> 01:18:19,000 Speaker 1: who was like, really really really picky about what this 1479 01:18:19,040 --> 01:18:22,920 Speaker 1: guy shoots like it sounds like he's really hardcore. So 1480 01:18:23,000 --> 01:18:25,599 Speaker 1: there's too many people on board, and there's too good 1481 01:18:25,640 --> 01:18:28,719 Speaker 1: of like sanctuary cover. There's a bunch of swamp um. 1482 01:18:28,880 --> 01:18:33,480 Speaker 1: There just has to be some old, big deer around there. Um. 1483 01:18:33,479 --> 01:18:35,160 Speaker 1: So I still have faith that once we get in 1484 01:18:35,240 --> 01:18:37,519 Speaker 1: the least to that rut time period, we'll get something 1485 01:18:37,520 --> 01:18:40,599 Speaker 1: good cruising through. I think the goal will be then 1486 01:18:40,640 --> 01:18:43,519 Speaker 1: to hopefully abill take advantage of that pre rut rut 1487 01:18:43,520 --> 01:18:45,800 Speaker 1: time period, and then the rest of the season is 1488 01:18:45,800 --> 01:18:49,280 Speaker 1: probably gonna be learning the farm, figuring out what our 1489 01:18:49,280 --> 01:18:51,320 Speaker 1: dough population is like, and what do we need to 1490 01:18:51,360 --> 01:18:54,880 Speaker 1: do from a management perspective there. UM originally was assuming 1491 01:18:54,920 --> 01:18:56,160 Speaker 1: there'd be a ton of deer out here and that 1492 01:18:56,160 --> 01:18:58,639 Speaker 1: we'd have to kill a lot of doughs. But after 1493 01:18:58,720 --> 01:19:01,360 Speaker 1: seeing trail camera pictures as Netra sitting out and scouting 1494 01:19:01,360 --> 01:19:03,120 Speaker 1: a couple of nights, I'm not seeing as many deer 1495 01:19:03,120 --> 01:19:05,880 Speaker 1: as I expected. Um, So maybe I was wrong. I'm 1496 01:19:05,920 --> 01:19:08,000 Speaker 1: going to kind of judge that throughout the hunting season, 1497 01:19:08,000 --> 01:19:11,439 Speaker 1: we're gonna observe and um plan our doe harvest a 1498 01:19:11,479 --> 01:19:15,280 Speaker 1: little bit later. Um, and then I think next year, 1499 01:19:16,040 --> 01:19:18,040 Speaker 1: hopefully do a lot of our work earlier in the 1500 01:19:18,160 --> 01:19:20,519 Speaker 1: year so that once we get to August September, we 1501 01:19:20,560 --> 01:19:22,599 Speaker 1: can let the place calm down next year and it'll 1502 01:19:22,640 --> 01:19:25,519 Speaker 1: be a better situation. But I have very I have 1503 01:19:25,520 --> 01:19:29,240 Speaker 1: a lot of questions. I'm nervous about it. Um. I 1504 01:19:29,240 --> 01:19:31,280 Speaker 1: don't know how we're going to manage all these different 1505 01:19:31,320 --> 01:19:34,680 Speaker 1: people and goals and things. But I suppose that's going 1506 01:19:34,760 --> 01:19:37,599 Speaker 1: to be what makes this thing interesting, right, And I 1507 01:19:37,640 --> 01:19:43,439 Speaker 1: think the cool thing about this is it's it's bringing 1508 01:19:43,439 --> 01:19:47,960 Speaker 1: back the joy of hunting because it's not necessarily so 1509 01:19:48,080 --> 01:19:52,760 Speaker 1: much about big bucks right now, right, I mean, do 1510 01:19:52,800 --> 01:19:54,880 Speaker 1: you do you feel that because you mentioned you you 1511 01:19:54,920 --> 01:19:58,799 Speaker 1: were a little nervous and stressed. But at the same time, 1512 01:19:59,160 --> 01:20:03,040 Speaker 1: I just feel we're able to do what we love 1513 01:20:03,120 --> 01:20:06,519 Speaker 1: now and just enjoy nature absolutely, And I think like 1514 01:20:06,600 --> 01:20:10,760 Speaker 1: I enjoy and I love seeing mature bucks. So that 1515 01:20:10,920 --> 01:20:12,639 Speaker 1: is definitely something that I want out there, and most 1516 01:20:12,640 --> 01:20:14,360 Speaker 1: deer hunters want, like we get a kick out of 1517 01:20:14,360 --> 01:20:16,519 Speaker 1: scene those. You get a different hunting experience when there's 1518 01:20:16,560 --> 01:20:20,639 Speaker 1: mature bucks on the landscape, So that's definitely something we want. Um. 1519 01:20:20,680 --> 01:20:24,479 Speaker 1: But at the same time, this is helping me enjoy 1520 01:20:24,880 --> 01:20:28,160 Speaker 1: different parts, so that's one part of it. But now, 1521 01:20:28,760 --> 01:20:31,599 Speaker 1: like I'm going out there and I'm noticing different birds, 1522 01:20:31,600 --> 01:20:33,519 Speaker 1: Like I've never paid attention to what the song birds 1523 01:20:33,520 --> 01:20:35,799 Speaker 1: were out there. Now I'm like, oh, that's a catbird, 1524 01:20:36,040 --> 01:20:41,160 Speaker 1: that's a indigo bunting, that's a such and such finch um, 1525 01:20:41,200 --> 01:20:43,360 Speaker 1: And that's been interesting. I'm recognizing bird calls. So the 1526 01:20:43,400 --> 01:20:45,840 Speaker 1: first time in my life, I actually know what trees are. 1527 01:20:46,160 --> 01:20:47,800 Speaker 1: I was not good at this. I did not know 1528 01:20:47,840 --> 01:20:52,080 Speaker 1: how to identify trees or weeds and different plants. Um. 1529 01:20:52,160 --> 01:20:55,240 Speaker 1: I'm learning that stuff now. So that's adding a whole 1530 01:20:55,240 --> 01:20:59,040 Speaker 1: new color to my experience out that. That's fun. Um. 1531 01:20:59,160 --> 01:21:02,800 Speaker 1: I've never in my life paid attention to squirrels while 1532 01:21:02,880 --> 01:21:05,799 Speaker 1: driving around. Um And just the other day, I was driving, 1533 01:21:05,800 --> 01:21:07,479 Speaker 1: like two nights ago, I was driving in a spotted 1534 01:21:07,479 --> 01:21:09,400 Speaker 1: a squirrel in the yard and I jumped. So there's 1535 01:21:09,400 --> 01:21:12,200 Speaker 1: a squirrel. Never in my entire life, but I care 1536 01:21:12,240 --> 01:21:14,080 Speaker 1: about a squirrel. And now I'm paying attention to that 1537 01:21:14,160 --> 01:21:17,479 Speaker 1: kind of thing. So so yeah, like looking at this 1538 01:21:17,520 --> 01:21:20,200 Speaker 1: place from like a much more diverse point of view 1539 01:21:20,560 --> 01:21:23,280 Speaker 1: has been interesting. It's forcing me to learn about new 1540 01:21:23,320 --> 01:21:27,639 Speaker 1: things and that is fun. Um. And so because I'm 1541 01:21:27,640 --> 01:21:29,800 Speaker 1: a dear nut because and you know it, because I 1542 01:21:29,840 --> 01:21:32,479 Speaker 1: had just obsessed over these things and get really excited 1543 01:21:32,479 --> 01:21:35,040 Speaker 1: about trying to find a mature buck. That is still 1544 01:21:35,120 --> 01:21:36,760 Speaker 1: something I'm gonna try to do out here. That is 1545 01:21:36,760 --> 01:21:40,360 Speaker 1: still something I'm gonna stress over, and that's still something 1546 01:21:40,400 --> 01:21:42,360 Speaker 1: that you know we're gonna be working through and figuring out. 1547 01:21:42,439 --> 01:21:44,800 Speaker 1: But at the same time, I know I can step 1548 01:21:44,840 --> 01:21:49,280 Speaker 1: back and excuse me, got a get a little bit 1549 01:21:49,280 --> 01:21:51,720 Speaker 1: of air my stoffach there. Um. I know that I 1550 01:21:51,720 --> 01:21:55,200 Speaker 1: will be able to take joy out of sharing this 1551 01:21:55,240 --> 01:21:58,639 Speaker 1: place others too, So, like, I'm very excited to take 1552 01:21:58,680 --> 01:22:01,040 Speaker 1: my dad out for hunt out here. That's gonna be 1553 01:22:01,080 --> 01:22:03,439 Speaker 1: really a special experience. A couple of these other new 1554 01:22:03,520 --> 01:22:05,560 Speaker 1: Hunters that we're gonna take out that is gonna be 1555 01:22:05,600 --> 01:22:07,000 Speaker 1: a really cool thing that I'll be able to get 1556 01:22:07,000 --> 01:22:09,640 Speaker 1: a lot of joy, of joy out of sharing this 1557 01:22:09,680 --> 01:22:14,400 Speaker 1: place with them, seeing their perspectives and experiences from it. Um. 1558 01:22:14,479 --> 01:22:17,519 Speaker 1: So yeah, there's gonna be a lot of different things 1559 01:22:17,920 --> 01:22:21,920 Speaker 1: from this whole experience that will be that will be fun, 1560 01:22:22,280 --> 01:22:26,080 Speaker 1: that will be also challenging. And I think like that's 1561 01:22:26,160 --> 01:22:29,000 Speaker 1: the whole moral to the story for me, is everything 1562 01:22:29,040 --> 01:22:31,760 Speaker 1: about this project is going to be both fun and stressful, 1563 01:22:32,040 --> 01:22:36,599 Speaker 1: both you know, obvious and very complicated. Uh, It's it's 1564 01:22:36,600 --> 01:22:39,679 Speaker 1: always gonna be these dueling parts of the project. That's 1565 01:22:39,680 --> 01:22:42,040 Speaker 1: the whole thing I think. And if I can somehow 1566 01:22:42,040 --> 01:22:43,879 Speaker 1: figure out a way is is kind of the steward, 1567 01:22:43,920 --> 01:22:45,519 Speaker 1: the main person in charge of this place. If I 1568 01:22:45,520 --> 01:22:49,000 Speaker 1: can figure out a way to balance all these different goals, 1569 01:22:49,439 --> 01:22:52,280 Speaker 1: all these different challenges, all these different ways of looking 1570 01:22:52,320 --> 01:22:54,920 Speaker 1: at it. If I can figure out some way to 1571 01:22:55,080 --> 01:22:57,919 Speaker 1: balance it enough that we move everything in a generally 1572 01:22:57,960 --> 01:23:01,920 Speaker 1: positive direction, that's good. That's a great outcome, I would say, 1573 01:23:02,400 --> 01:23:05,960 Speaker 1: And um, you know, we'll find out step one of 1574 01:23:06,000 --> 01:23:08,160 Speaker 1: that becomes reality here in a couple of days when 1575 01:23:08,200 --> 01:23:10,880 Speaker 1: I go out for the first deer hunt. UM, got 1576 01:23:10,920 --> 01:23:13,000 Speaker 1: a lot of questions. What's going to be the impact 1577 01:23:13,000 --> 01:23:14,720 Speaker 1: of the squirrel hunt? I would have thought if we 1578 01:23:14,840 --> 01:23:17,160 Speaker 1: didn't squirrel hunt it, and if we left it untouched 1579 01:23:17,160 --> 01:23:20,920 Speaker 1: from like August until October one, October five or whatever, 1580 01:23:20,960 --> 01:23:22,760 Speaker 1: it ends up being the first hunt out there. If 1581 01:23:22,800 --> 01:23:24,960 Speaker 1: we left it untouched for that long and came in 1582 01:23:25,040 --> 01:23:27,840 Speaker 1: on on that first hunt, eventually be you know, a 1583 01:23:27,840 --> 01:23:29,720 Speaker 1: lot of activity. I bet you there'd be a good 1584 01:23:29,800 --> 01:23:32,840 Speaker 1: chance the nice buckets step out. But now after going 1585 01:23:32,880 --> 01:23:35,080 Speaker 1: in there two weeks ago and hunting the crap out 1586 01:23:35,080 --> 01:23:38,800 Speaker 1: of it, I don't know so well. The thing about 1587 01:23:38,800 --> 01:23:42,840 Speaker 1: it is you may learn that what what kind of 1588 01:23:42,840 --> 01:23:47,800 Speaker 1: pressure actually impacts a farm because let's say there's no 1589 01:23:47,880 --> 01:23:51,160 Speaker 1: deer on it now, but next week they could It 1590 01:23:51,200 --> 01:23:54,760 Speaker 1: could just rebound, you know, like h throwing a rock 1591 01:23:54,800 --> 01:23:56,880 Speaker 1: in a water? Do you get all the ripples right? 1592 01:23:57,479 --> 01:24:01,360 Speaker 1: Over time those ripples disappear, and you know there's there's 1593 01:24:01,360 --> 01:24:05,479 Speaker 1: gonna well you'll see how how long what affect what 1594 01:24:05,920 --> 01:24:09,320 Speaker 1: pressure affects your farm for how long, which in many 1595 01:24:09,360 --> 01:24:12,240 Speaker 1: cases on other places I hunt, I've never been willing 1596 01:24:12,280 --> 01:24:15,160 Speaker 1: to risk major pressure and so I've never had to 1597 01:24:15,200 --> 01:24:16,960 Speaker 1: really see what that looks like. So this is a 1598 01:24:17,400 --> 01:24:21,200 Speaker 1: you know, it's another opportunity to to learn and um 1599 01:24:21,960 --> 01:24:25,439 Speaker 1: and that that is always fun for me. So that's 1600 01:24:25,439 --> 01:24:27,160 Speaker 1: where we stand with the back forward you. I mean, 1601 01:24:27,200 --> 01:24:30,040 Speaker 1: there's a lot to do. We there's there's so much, 1602 01:24:30,320 --> 01:24:33,400 Speaker 1: so many like high like we've got a lot of 1603 01:24:33,439 --> 01:24:35,760 Speaker 1: hot like pie in the sky aspirations for it that 1604 01:24:35,800 --> 01:24:37,880 Speaker 1: we just we just didn't have time to get going 1605 01:24:37,920 --> 01:24:40,880 Speaker 1: on much stuff, like I said, So a lot of 1606 01:24:40,920 --> 01:24:42,880 Speaker 1: the in depth habit at work is going to have 1607 01:24:42,920 --> 01:24:45,719 Speaker 1: to happen next year. But this year is all just learning. 1608 01:24:46,080 --> 01:24:48,400 Speaker 1: We did a little tiny bit of work. Now we're 1609 01:24:48,439 --> 01:24:50,280 Speaker 1: gonna try to learn what this place is like during 1610 01:24:50,320 --> 01:24:52,880 Speaker 1: the hunting season and the next year it's gonna be 1611 01:24:53,040 --> 01:24:58,160 Speaker 1: getting to work. So that is where we're at, and uh, 1612 01:24:58,600 --> 01:25:00,880 Speaker 1: we'll see what are you? What are you? What are 1613 01:25:00,880 --> 01:25:04,479 Speaker 1: your what are your predictions? Dan? If you were to 1614 01:25:04,640 --> 01:25:08,280 Speaker 1: guess right now based off of the whole outline I 1615 01:25:08,360 --> 01:25:11,880 Speaker 1: just shared with you the situation as it stands right now. Um, 1616 01:25:12,040 --> 01:25:16,200 Speaker 1: first and foremost, do you think that someone of all 1617 01:25:16,240 --> 01:25:18,320 Speaker 1: these different people I mentioned who might be hunting the farm, 1618 01:25:18,400 --> 01:25:20,320 Speaker 1: do you think that somebody will kill a buck, a buck, 1619 01:25:20,320 --> 01:25:23,160 Speaker 1: any kind of buck. Oh yeah, I think I think 1620 01:25:23,200 --> 01:25:26,560 Speaker 1: a buck will show up and someone will kill it. Um. 1621 01:25:26,600 --> 01:25:30,439 Speaker 1: Not sure what that's gonna be, you know, just question. Yeah, 1622 01:25:30,520 --> 01:25:36,000 Speaker 1: I feel somebody's gonna somebody's because Mark Kenyon has a 1623 01:25:36,120 --> 01:25:39,040 Speaker 1: different you know, let's say, Ah, you're taking a new 1624 01:25:39,120 --> 01:25:41,920 Speaker 1: hunter out. I don't think you're gonna tell him no, 1625 01:25:42,040 --> 01:25:45,240 Speaker 1: you can't shoot that. No, right, so if a two 1626 01:25:45,320 --> 01:25:48,080 Speaker 1: year old walks out, they smoke a two year old, right, 1627 01:25:48,920 --> 01:25:51,559 Speaker 1: Yeah for sure. And and yeah that in that whole 1628 01:25:52,680 --> 01:25:54,880 Speaker 1: we were that's a whole other things, like the idea 1629 01:25:54,920 --> 01:25:57,559 Speaker 1: that I'd like to try to have this place managed 1630 01:25:57,560 --> 01:26:00,800 Speaker 1: and in a something similar to a quality deer management 1631 01:26:00,840 --> 01:26:04,320 Speaker 1: type situation. At the same time though, Um, part of 1632 01:26:04,360 --> 01:26:07,160 Speaker 1: that does mean, like you just describe examples where you 1633 01:26:07,200 --> 01:26:08,560 Speaker 1: want to have new hunters come on and have a 1634 01:26:08,600 --> 01:26:10,559 Speaker 1: great experience. So yeah, like there's gonna be some young 1635 01:26:10,600 --> 01:26:12,960 Speaker 1: bucks killed. So I think something we'll learn now this 1636 01:26:13,080 --> 01:26:15,360 Speaker 1: too is can you get away with a young buck? 1637 01:26:15,360 --> 01:26:19,360 Speaker 1: Getting killed here and there and still protect most of 1638 01:26:19,400 --> 01:26:21,400 Speaker 1: the yearlings and two year olds and get some mature 1639 01:26:21,439 --> 01:26:24,719 Speaker 1: bucks in a couple of years. Um, that'll be interesting 1640 01:26:24,760 --> 01:26:28,360 Speaker 1: to see. But yes, and then your neighbors, right are 1641 01:26:28,400 --> 01:26:30,280 Speaker 1: you telling are you going to have a conversation with 1642 01:26:30,320 --> 01:26:32,840 Speaker 1: your neighbors about Hey, we uh you know, like we're 1643 01:26:32,840 --> 01:26:35,000 Speaker 1: going to really try to manage this, not only for 1644 01:26:35,040 --> 01:26:38,320 Speaker 1: a good ecosystem, right, but at the same time, we're 1645 01:26:38,320 --> 01:26:40,679 Speaker 1: going to manage for mature We're gonna try to manage 1646 01:26:40,680 --> 01:26:43,120 Speaker 1: for mature buck and then have new hunters come in 1647 01:26:43,160 --> 01:26:45,840 Speaker 1: and kill whatever they want, right. Yeah, I mean it's 1648 01:26:45,880 --> 01:26:48,720 Speaker 1: a it's a funky little balancing act we're gonna try 1649 01:26:48,760 --> 01:26:53,000 Speaker 1: to pull off mostly protect mature bucks, but also provide 1650 01:26:53,000 --> 01:26:55,240 Speaker 1: a positive experience for some other folks that don't have 1651 01:26:55,280 --> 01:26:59,840 Speaker 1: those same goals. Um, yeah, I don't know. Now, Well, 1652 01:27:00,120 --> 01:27:03,000 Speaker 1: kill the lucky spoon? Is the lucky spoon still on 1653 01:27:03,040 --> 01:27:04,960 Speaker 1: your butt from last year? That's what I want to know. 1654 01:27:05,600 --> 01:27:09,720 Speaker 1: I have a feeling that it is not okay. Um, 1655 01:27:09,800 --> 01:27:12,200 Speaker 1: so much of my season is just set up for 1656 01:27:12,400 --> 01:27:14,840 Speaker 1: a lack of success as I start looking at it. 1657 01:27:15,120 --> 01:27:17,479 Speaker 1: I was just telling my wife this last night. I 1658 01:27:18,280 --> 01:27:20,040 Speaker 1: would not be surprised if I don't even kill a 1659 01:27:20,080 --> 01:27:24,240 Speaker 1: single buck this year. Um because right my North Dakota 1660 01:27:24,320 --> 01:27:26,960 Speaker 1: hunt was a good chance that didn't pan out, and 1661 01:27:27,360 --> 01:27:29,280 Speaker 1: so much of my hunting on the back forty now 1662 01:27:29,439 --> 01:27:33,000 Speaker 1: is I'm kind of gonna be like a guide. There's 1663 01:27:33,000 --> 01:27:34,840 Speaker 1: so many different people now that we're taking out and 1664 01:27:35,080 --> 01:27:37,320 Speaker 1: it's fine, Like I'm not complaining about it. I'm excited 1665 01:27:37,320 --> 01:27:39,880 Speaker 1: about these opportunities to show people and to share this 1666 01:27:39,880 --> 01:27:42,800 Speaker 1: this place of these people. But it's gonna be really 1667 01:27:42,800 --> 01:27:44,960 Speaker 1: hard for me to have a high quality hunt when 1668 01:27:45,000 --> 01:27:46,800 Speaker 1: i'm you know, trying to figure out where to put 1669 01:27:46,840 --> 01:27:49,240 Speaker 1: this other person or where will this person feel comfortable. 1670 01:27:49,760 --> 01:27:51,280 Speaker 1: This person has to hunt of ground blind and they 1671 01:27:51,320 --> 01:27:57,600 Speaker 1: need someone sitting with them. Um. So I'm not only 1672 01:27:57,640 --> 01:28:00,559 Speaker 1: sixty four acres, yeah, of which you know, some of 1673 01:28:00,600 --> 01:28:02,800 Speaker 1: it's next to house, some of it's up by the road, 1674 01:28:03,320 --> 01:28:05,519 Speaker 1: um you know, so only so much of it really 1675 01:28:05,640 --> 01:28:10,320 Speaker 1: could produce a kill. Um So I think it's a 1676 01:28:10,320 --> 01:28:12,360 Speaker 1: low chance that I'll get a shot at mature buck 1677 01:28:12,360 --> 01:28:14,719 Speaker 1: on that farm. There'll be like a couple of handful 1678 01:28:14,720 --> 01:28:16,240 Speaker 1: of days that I'll probably get to do it on 1679 01:28:16,240 --> 01:28:17,479 Speaker 1: my own. Do it the way I want to do 1680 01:28:17,560 --> 01:28:20,439 Speaker 1: it and have a chance. I'll have to get lucky. Um. 1681 01:28:20,680 --> 01:28:22,680 Speaker 1: Then I'll have my main Michigan spots that I'll still 1682 01:28:22,720 --> 01:28:25,120 Speaker 1: get some hunts on, but not as many hunts because 1683 01:28:25,120 --> 01:28:27,960 Speaker 1: I'll be split in time with the back forty um. 1684 01:28:28,040 --> 01:28:31,040 Speaker 1: And then my main out of state hunt trip is 1685 01:28:31,040 --> 01:28:34,400 Speaker 1: like a wilderness boundary waters hunt where we'll be lucky 1686 01:28:34,439 --> 01:28:36,679 Speaker 1: to see any deer, so I'm definitely not gonna shoot 1687 01:28:36,720 --> 01:28:38,320 Speaker 1: him a ture buck up there. I'm gonna shoot anything 1688 01:28:38,360 --> 01:28:41,920 Speaker 1: I see this legal um. And then I've got a 1689 01:28:41,920 --> 01:28:44,639 Speaker 1: public land hunt in December, like a muzzloader hunt, which 1690 01:28:44,680 --> 01:28:46,360 Speaker 1: which I got a chance to choose something on that one. 1691 01:28:46,360 --> 01:28:50,200 Speaker 1: But that's a public land um hunt somewhere I've never 1692 01:28:50,240 --> 01:28:54,000 Speaker 1: been before and know nothing about yet. So the lucky 1693 01:28:54,160 --> 01:28:56,519 Speaker 1: the lucky clover, lucky spoon in a butt I don't 1694 01:28:56,560 --> 01:28:58,519 Speaker 1: think is going to pan out this year as far 1695 01:28:58,560 --> 01:29:00,400 Speaker 1: as bucks in the ground, probably just because of like 1696 01:29:00,439 --> 01:29:04,480 Speaker 1: the cards that I've that I've put in my own hand. Um. 1697 01:29:04,560 --> 01:29:09,280 Speaker 1: But I think there'll be a lot of cool experiences, 1698 01:29:09,320 --> 01:29:13,200 Speaker 1: which which is a good thing too. Right. Well, that's uh, 1699 01:29:13,280 --> 01:29:17,080 Speaker 1: You're you've been put into a unique position. Mr Kenyan. Yes, yes, 1700 01:29:17,120 --> 01:29:20,360 Speaker 1: I have. So I'm gonna share the story that we 1701 01:29:20,400 --> 01:29:22,400 Speaker 1: go along and we'll see what happens. Are you willing 1702 01:29:22,439 --> 01:29:27,600 Speaker 1: to follow along and critique me and encourage me as needed? Oh? Yeah, absolutely, 1703 01:29:27,840 --> 01:29:30,000 Speaker 1: And if you I'll tell you what I was thinking 1704 01:29:30,000 --> 01:29:33,600 Speaker 1: about this. Um, we'll see what my rut produces. And 1705 01:29:33,640 --> 01:29:37,160 Speaker 1: if my rut is another short one like what I 1706 01:29:37,200 --> 01:29:38,920 Speaker 1: had this year, you know, like a four day hunt, 1707 01:29:39,800 --> 01:29:43,679 Speaker 1: I I may come up and do a late season 1708 01:29:43,760 --> 01:29:49,000 Speaker 1: hunt with you somewhere. I'm not making any promises because 1709 01:29:49,040 --> 01:29:52,719 Speaker 1: it's all based off of how mad my wife is. Right, 1710 01:29:53,240 --> 01:29:56,479 Speaker 1: so I've already drained part of her patient's tank with 1711 01:29:56,520 --> 01:29:59,879 Speaker 1: my elk hunt. You know, I leave this upcoming Friday 1712 01:30:00,040 --> 01:30:03,000 Speaker 1: for my South Dakota hunt, So that's gonna be drained, 1713 01:30:03,160 --> 01:30:06,120 Speaker 1: and then the rest of the tank is typically drained 1714 01:30:06,200 --> 01:30:10,280 Speaker 1: dry by the time I'm done with uh, you know, 1715 01:30:10,360 --> 01:30:14,639 Speaker 1: with the rut hunts and uh you know, it fills 1716 01:30:14,640 --> 01:30:16,479 Speaker 1: a little back up. Then we got some trade shows 1717 01:30:16,479 --> 01:30:18,479 Speaker 1: that I gotta go down to, so it takes almost 1718 01:30:18,520 --> 01:30:21,760 Speaker 1: all summer to fill the tank back up. But if 1719 01:30:21,800 --> 01:30:23,840 Speaker 1: it's if I still have something in the tank, maybe 1720 01:30:23,840 --> 01:30:26,240 Speaker 1: I should come up to uh do a late season 1721 01:30:26,320 --> 01:30:28,080 Speaker 1: hunt and shoot a doll. I was gonna say, I 1722 01:30:28,080 --> 01:30:30,439 Speaker 1: can't promise you any big bucks, but I can promise you. 1723 01:30:30,680 --> 01:30:34,280 Speaker 1: I can promise you camaraderie and good food and a 1724 01:30:34,280 --> 01:30:37,519 Speaker 1: good time. Cool. All right, buddy, I like the idea. 1725 01:30:37,640 --> 01:30:40,760 Speaker 1: Keep me posted, and uh, I think we should wrap 1726 01:30:40,800 --> 01:30:42,519 Speaker 1: this one up and give you some time to prep 1727 01:30:42,560 --> 01:30:44,920 Speaker 1: for that meal there hunt. Huh yeah, I need it, 1728 01:30:45,200 --> 01:30:48,080 Speaker 1: all right, man, Thanks, and that's gonna do it for 1729 01:30:48,120 --> 01:30:50,840 Speaker 1: this episode. Hopefully you enjoyed this one. I will just 1730 01:30:51,280 --> 01:30:53,800 Speaker 1: remind you where you can find all this back forty 1731 01:30:53,840 --> 01:30:55,960 Speaker 1: stuff we're talking about. If you go to the Meat 1732 01:30:56,000 --> 01:30:59,479 Speaker 1: Eater YouTube channel, that's where you're gonna see our new videos, 1733 01:30:59,520 --> 01:31:01,800 Speaker 1: the videos series itself, as well as a series of 1734 01:31:01,800 --> 01:31:04,360 Speaker 1: different how to videos that come out on the off 1735 01:31:04,400 --> 01:31:06,840 Speaker 1: weeks in between. You're also going to find out how 1736 01:31:06,880 --> 01:31:09,160 Speaker 1: to Kill a Buck YouTube series on their well as well, 1737 01:31:09,200 --> 01:31:12,880 Speaker 1: where Spencer, myself and Tony Peterson breakdown each different part 1738 01:31:12,920 --> 01:31:15,320 Speaker 1: of the hunting season and how we try to tackle 1739 01:31:15,320 --> 01:31:17,599 Speaker 1: a hunt for for mature buck at that time of year, 1740 01:31:17,840 --> 01:31:20,880 Speaker 1: looking at actual maps and discussing where we would hunt 1741 01:31:20,880 --> 01:31:23,000 Speaker 1: and how we would do it. You can find all 1742 01:31:23,040 --> 01:31:25,479 Speaker 1: of that in the YouTube channel. You can also go 1743 01:31:25,640 --> 01:31:28,120 Speaker 1: to the mediator dot com and go to the back 1744 01:31:28,160 --> 01:31:31,040 Speaker 1: forty page there and you can see maps of the property. 1745 01:31:31,280 --> 01:31:34,439 Speaker 1: You can see some additional details of descriptions of each 1746 01:31:34,479 --> 01:31:37,599 Speaker 1: different zone of the property. You'll see how the articles 1747 01:31:37,600 --> 01:31:39,800 Speaker 1: were writing about it, more of the videos, and then 1748 01:31:39,840 --> 01:31:43,000 Speaker 1: any of these podcasts that are relevant to And finally, 1749 01:31:43,040 --> 01:31:46,439 Speaker 1: if you're not already following me on Instagram, you gotta 1750 01:31:46,479 --> 01:31:48,640 Speaker 1: go do that. That is where I'm sharing all like 1751 01:31:48,680 --> 01:31:51,120 Speaker 1: the live up to date things that are going on 1752 01:31:51,240 --> 01:31:53,920 Speaker 1: Instagram stories. I'm gonna be posting throughout the hunting season, 1753 01:31:54,320 --> 01:31:56,120 Speaker 1: my first hunts in the back forty. It will all 1754 01:31:56,160 --> 01:31:58,559 Speaker 1: be shared right there first, so check it out. My 1755 01:31:58,640 --> 01:32:03,439 Speaker 1: handle is for addictively Wired to Hunt. Check it out. 1756 01:32:03,600 --> 01:32:05,320 Speaker 1: The best of luck on your hunts. If your season 1757 01:32:05,400 --> 01:32:08,280 Speaker 1: opens on the first, um, well, if it opens on 1758 01:32:08,320 --> 01:32:10,360 Speaker 1: the first, you've already started hunting, so hopefully that went 1759 01:32:10,479 --> 01:32:13,080 Speaker 1: well for you. Good luck this upcoming weekend and the 1760 01:32:13,080 --> 01:32:15,840 Speaker 1: rest of the hunting season, and until we chat next time, 1761 01:32:16,439 --> 01:32:18,880 Speaker 1: stay Wired to Hunt.